Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

Flashcards testing key vocabulary terms, concepts, and developments across global regions during Period 1 (c. 1200 to c. 1450).

What characterized China under the Song Dynasty?

China enjoyed great wealth, political stability, and artistic and intellectual achievements, serving as a leading example of diversity and innovation.

What was the significance of the Grand Canal during the Song Dynasty?

It was an inexpensive and efficient internal waterway transportation system extending over 30,000 miles, enabling China to become the most populous trading area in the world.

Where did Champa rice originate, and how did it impact Chinese agriculture?

Originating from the Champa Kingdom in present-day Vietnam, Champa rice was a fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain that greatly expanded agricultural production in China.

How did the tributary system function in China?

It was an arrangement where foreign states paid money or provided goods to honor the Chinese emperor, cementing China's economic and political power over several foreign countries.

What was the kowtow ritual?

A ritual in which representatives from tributary states greeting the Chinese emperor had to bow their head until it touched the floor to show respect.

Who were the scholar gentry in Song Dynasty society?

A social class created by bureaucratic expansion who were educated in Confucian philosophy; they soon outnumbered the landowning aristocracy and became the most influential social class in China.

What was the practice and social significance of foot binding?

Common among aristocratic families, young girls' feet were wrapped tightly to inhibit natural bone growth; a bound foot signified social status and was particularly desired by suitors.

What are the core features of Zen Buddhism (Chan Buddhism)?

Zen Buddhism fused with Chinese beliefs and emphasized direct experience and meditation over formal scripture learning, making Buddhism very popular in China.

How did the concept of filial piety support Song rule?

It required family members to subordinate their desires to the male head of the family and to the ruler, helping the Song maintain political rule through respect for authority and elders.

What was Neo-Confucianism and where did it spread?

Evolving between 770 and 840, it was a syncretic system combining rational thought with abstract ideas of Daoism and Buddhism, emphasizing ethics; it spread to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

How is sinification defined?

The assimilation of Chinese tradition and practices by other cultures or regions.

What happened to Islam after the death of Muhammad in 632?

Islam spread rapidly outward from Arabia.

What was the House of Wisdom under the Abbasid Empire?

A renowned center of learning located in Baghdad where scholars traveled from far away to study.

Who were the Mamluks, and how was the Mamluk Sultanate established?

Mamluks were frequently ethnic Turks from Central Asia serving as soldiers and bureaucrats; in Egypt, they seized control of the government to establish the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517).

How did the Seljuk Turks impact the Abbasid Empire starting in the 11th century?

They began conquering parts of the Middle East, extending their power almost as far east as Western China and reducing the Abbasid caliph's role to chief Sunni religious authority.

What shift occurred when the Seljuk leader took the title of sultan?

It reduced the role of the highest-ranking Abbasid from caliph to chief Sunni religious authority.

Why was Baghdad prominent under the Abbasids?

It was a major hub through which goods and ideas flowed on Abbasid-controlled trade routes.

How did leadership in later Islamic states differ from the Abbasid Caliphate?

While the Abbasid Caliphate was led by Arabs and Persians, later Islamic states were shaped by Turkic peoples descended from Central Asia.

Who was A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah and what was her notable work?

One of the most prolific female Muslim writers before the 20th century, best known for a long poem honoring Muhammad titled 'Clear Inspiration, on Praise of the Trusted One'.

What method did Sufis emphasize to understand truths?

Sufis emphasized introspection to grasp truths that they believed could not be understood through learning.

What does the term hijab refer to in the context of Islamic practice?

The practice of women covering their heads and faces, referring either to wearing head coverings, from turbans to skull caps.

What was a harem?

A dwelling set aside for wives, concubines, and the children of these women.

What interaction dominated the political history of the Delhi Sultanate?

The interaction of Islam and Hinduism in northern India during its 300-year reign from the 13th through the 16th centuries.

What was the jizya tax?

A tax imposed by the Delhi Sultanate on all non-Muslim subjects of the empire.

What does proselytize mean, and what did Muslim rulers in India realize about forced conversion?

It means to actively seek converts; Muslim rulers learned early in their reign that forcing Hindu and Buddhist subjects to convert was not successful.

How were Muslim merchants integrated into the Indian caste system?

The caste system was flexible enough to accommodate non-Hindu Muslim merchants and migrants based on their occupation.

What is Qutub Minar?

An example of Islamic architecture built during the Delhi Sultanate.

What was the central idea of the Bhakti Movement?

A movement where some Hindus drew upon traditional teachings emphasizing the importance of emotion in spiritual life.

What does Angkor Wat signify about Southeast Asia?

It testifies to the sophistication of Southeast Asian culture and the powerful influence of Indian culture on the region.

How was European feudalism structured politically?

It was a decentralized political organization based on a system of exchanges of land for loyalty.

What were fiefs in feudal Europe?

Tracts of land granted by monarchs (usually kings) to lords.

Who were serfs?

Peasants living in homes on feudal estates.

How did the three-field system operate to maintain soil fertility?

Field one was planted with wheat or rye for food, field two with legumes to enrich soil with nitrogen, and field three remained fallow (unused) each year.

How did absolutist monarchies increase power over feudal lords?

By employing their own bureaucracy and military.

What was the Estates-General in France?

An advisory body to the French king containing representatives from three legal classes (estates): clergy, nobility, and commoners.

What key legal right did the Magna Carta guarantee?

It required the king to respect rights such as the right to a jury trial before a noble could be imprisoned.

What was the Great Schism?

The split of the Christian Church in Europe into two separate branches.

What was the result of the First Crusade in July 1099?

It was a clear victory for Christendom in which the European army conquered Jerusalem.

What role did a wealthy Italian city-state play in the Fourth Crusade?

It contracted to transport Crusaders to the Levant region in the Middle East.

How was antisemitism manifested in medieval Europe?

Widespread anti-Jewish sentiment among Christians who viewed Jewish people as untrustworthy outsiders.

What is Cahokia?

The largest of the Mississippian earth mounds, located in southern Illinois.

How did social standing pass in Mississippian matrilineal society?

Social standing was determined by the woman's side of the family; for example, when the Great Sun died, the title passed to his sister's son.

What was the primary form of Mayan government?

The city-state, ruled by a king and consisting of a city and surrounding territory.

Why was Tenochtitlan built on an island in a swampy lake?

The Aztecs located it there to protect the city from attacks.

What was the Great Pyramid built by the Aztecs?

A stone pyramid that rose 150 feet into the air, constructed alongside other stone pyramids, temples, and palaces.

What were chinampas?

Floating gardens built by the Aztecs to increase the amount of space for food production.

What type of government did the Aztecs have under a theocracy?

A government ruled by religious leaders.

Who were the pochteca in Aztec society?

A special merchant class that traded in luxury goods.

What was required under the Incan mit'a system?

Mandatory public service where men between ages 15 and 50 provided agricultural labor and built infrastructure such as roads.

What was the Carpa Nan?

A massive roadway system of around 25,000 miles built using captive labor and used mainly by government and military.

Whose 14th-century writings provided insight into Sub-Saharan African culture in Mali?

The commentary of Ibn Battuta.

How were kin-based networks governed in African communities?

Families governed themselves within community networks led by a chief.

How did the Swahili language originate?

East African traders blended Bantu and Arabic to develop Swahili.

What was the Zanj Rebellion?

A series of revolts mounted between 869 and 883 by enslaved people and Arab workers.

What architectural feature surrounded the capital city of Great Zimbabwe?

A massive wall of stone.

What was the role of a chief in African kin-based networks?

The male head of the network who mediated conflicts and dealt with neighboring groups.

Where and when were the Hausa Kingdoms established?

Formed before 1000 in present-day Nigeria, where people of the Hausa ethnic group formed seven states.