Networks of Exchange, 1200-1450 - Key Concepts and Vocabulary

Astrolabe

an instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars

Banking Houses

issued bills of exchange; model for modern banks

Batu Khan

the son of Genghis Khan’s oldest son who led an army of 100,000 Mongolian soldiers into Russia conquering small Russian kingdoms

Bills of Exchange

documents stating the holder was legally promised payment of a set amount on a set date

The Bubonic Plague

Mongol conquests brought fleas that carried the bubonic plague to Asia and Europe

Calicut

city on the west coast of India that became a thriving center of trade

Caravans

groups of people traveling together for mutual protection, often with pack animals such as camels

Caravanserai

inns that popped up about 100 miles apart along the routes of the Silk Roads

Camel Saddle

saddles developed by South Arabians as the use of the camel spread

Chagatai Khanate

a medieval Central Asian empire and successor state to the Mongol Empire, ruled by descendants of Genghis Khan’s son, Chagatai Khan

Composite Bow

a versatile weapon that provided the Mongol cavalry with superior range, accuracy, and mobility

Constantinople

the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and later the Ottoman Empire

Credit

an arrangement to receive cash, goods, or services now and pay for them in the future

Cultural Diffusion

the spread of ideas, religions, and products often resulting from trade

Dhow Ships

Arab ships with lateen sails that facilitated trade in the Indian Ocean networks

Diaspora

settlements of people away from their homeland arising from trade

Flying Money

a system of credit developed in China allowing deposits at one location and withdrawals at another

Genghis Khan

name meaning “ruler of all” given to Temujin when he was elected khan of the Mongolian Kingdom

Ghana Empire

first of the great medieval trading empires of western Africa known as the Land of Gold

Gobi Desert

a desert in central Asia where many invaders came in to attack China

Golden Horde

Batu’s army that pushed westward through Russia and then into Europe

Goryeo Dynasty

a medieval Korean kingdom that became a vassal state under Mongol rule

Gujarat

a region of western India famous for trade and manufacturing

Gunpowder

invented in China in the 9th century; used in siege warfare

Hangzhou

capital of the Song Dynasty

The Hanseatic League

a commercial alliance formed between northern German cities and Scandinavia

Hulegu

grandson of Genghis Khan that took control of the southwest region into the Abbasid territories

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time

Il-Khanate

Hulegu’s medieval Mongol state that ruled over Persia and parts of the Caucasus and Anatolia

Indian Ocean Basin

largest sea-based trade network at the time

Indian Ocean Slave Trade

slaves from eastern Africa sold in northern Africa, the Middle East, and India

Junk

Chinese sailing ship that developed during the Song Dynasty

Kashgar

trading city located at the western edge of China where Silk Roads crossed

Khanates

the four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose after Genghis Khan's death

Khmer Empire

powerful empire in modern-day Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam

Kievan Rus’

a medieval East Slavic federation that fell under Mongol domination

Kublai Khan

grandson of Genghis Khan who conquered China and established the Yuan Dynasty

Kuriltai

meeting of Mongol chieftains in 1206 where Temujin was elected khan

Lateen Sail

triangular-shaped sail that could catch wind from many directions

Magnetic Compass

navigation tool for determining direction

Malacca

a Muslim city-state that became wealthy by collecting fees from passing ships

Mali Empire

West African empire with trading cities Timbuktu and Gao

Mansa Musa

brought Mali to its peak of power and wealth during his reign

Marco Polo

Italian traveler who wrote about his travels to China

Margery Kempe

English mystic who wrote one of the earliest autobiographies in English

Mecca

city in western Arabia, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty founded by Zhu Yuanzhang after the overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty

Mogadishu

city in the coastal region of East Africa

Money Economy

using money rather than bartering with commodities like cowrie shells or salt

Monsoons

heavy winds that affected trade routes in the Indian Ocean

Moscow

Russian city-state that collected additional tributes to build an anti-Mongol coalition that defeated the Golden Horde in 1380 at the Battle of Kulikovo

Nomadism

a central component of Mongol society, characterized by their mobile lifestyle, reliance on animal husbandry, and skilled horsemanship, which enabled the Mongols to establish a vast empire through their expertise in mounted warfare and strategic mobility

Ortogh

a merchant partnered with the state and individual aristocrats in the Mongol Empire

Overgrazing

continual eating of grasses or their roots without allowing them to regrow which led to abandonment of cities outside of Great Zimbabwe in the late 1400s

Pax Mongolica

the period of Mongolian peace between the 13th and 14th centuries

Porcelain

a fine blue and white ware from China

Sahara Desert

large desert in northern Africa with an arid climate that make farming nearly impossible

Samarkand

located in present-day Uzbekistan in the Zeravshan River valley, this city was a stopping point on the Silk Roads between China and the Mediterranean

Siege Weapons

portable towers and catapults

Soil Erosion

overuse of farmland and deforestation reduced agricultural production in feudal Europe

Songhai Kingdom

an Islamic empire established in the 1400s after the decline of the Mali Empire in West Africa

Song Dynasty

(906-1279) Chinese dynasty that preceded the Yuan Dynasty

The Spice Islands

term for the islands of modern-day Malaysia and Indonesia that exported spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom

Stern Rudders

invented by the Chinese and made steering ships easier and more stable

Sundiata

Mali’s founding ruler who gained control of the gold trade routes

Sultanate of Malacca

powerful Islamic kingdom which reached its peak in the mid- 1400s

Swahili City States

thriving city-states along the east coast of Africa created by Indian Ocean trade

Timbuktu

a very wealthy and world-renowned center for Islamic learning

Trans-Saharan Trade

route across the Sahara Desert; traded for gold and salt, created caravan routes, economic benefit for controlling dessert, camels and camel saddles were crucial in the development of these trade networks; facilitated the spread of Islam

Tumen

a military unit consisting of approximately 10,000 soldiers, led by a commander known as a noyan, and formed the backbone of the Mongol military organization during their conquests

Uyghur Script

system of writing that Genghis Khan adopted for the Mongol Empire

White Lotus Society

a secret society that began organizing to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

established by Kublai Khan in 1271 and was tolerant towards various religious groups in China

Zheng He

a Muslim admiral, entrusted by the Ming emperor Yongle with a series of seven great voyages that took his many ships through the Indian Ocean, from Southeast Asia to Africa

Zhu Yuanzhang

Buddhist monk that led the revolt to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty in 1368