World History Study Guide - Islam, Christendom, and China

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the pre-Islamic Arabia, the rise of Islam, Medieval European feudalism and Christianity, and the Sui/Tang dynasties in China based on the lecture notes.

Bedouin

Nomadic civilizations in pre-Islamic Arabia organized into clans and tribes that moved to find water, food, and pasture land.

Quraysh

The dominant tribe in Mecca that the prophet Muhammad belonged to.

Haram

A status declared by Ibrahim for Mecca, making it forbidden to conduct violence there under threat of God's wrath.

Kaaba

An ancient shrine in Mecca, built by Ibrahim, originally used for polytheistic worship and transformed by Muhammad into a monotheistic site.

Khadija

A wealthy merchant woman of Mecca who employed and married Muhammad, persuading him that his visions were divine revelations.

Hijra

The 622 CE migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) to escape persecution by wealthy elites.

Shahada

The pillar of Islam representing the confession of faith in uncompromising monotheism.

Salat

The pillar of Islam requiring prayer five times a day facing Mecca.

Sawm

The pillar of Islam requiring fasting during the month of Ramadan to commemorate Muhammad's first revelation.

Hajj

The pillar of Islam requiring a pilgrimage to Mecca to worship at the Kaaba.

Zarat

The pillar of Islam focused on giving to charity and maintaining social responsibility.

Sunni Muslims

The branch comprising 85% of Muslims who believe Abu Bakr was the best choice as caliph and that leaders should be chosen from the umma.

Shia Muslims

The branch comprising 15% of Muslims who believe Ali should have been the first caliph and leadership should remain within Muhammad's family.

Umayyad Caliphate

An Islamic caliphate with its capital in Damascus, known for classist policies favoring born Muslims and Arabs over non-Arabs and converts.

Abbasid Caliphate

An Islamic caliphate with its capital in Baghdad that overthrew the Umayyads in 750 CE, fostering a flourishing of trade, culture, and libraries.

Fatimid Caliphate

The smallest of the three major caliphates, based in Cairo, whose rulers adhered to Shia Islam.

Sharia Law

A set of codes and rules providing a basis for behavior and punishment across all spiritual and daily aspects of life for Muslims.

Ulama

Islamic scholars who gained influence by using the Quran and Hadiths to guide human behavior.

Feudalism

A political and military system in Europe (emerging 850-950 CE) based on landholding and protective alliances between lords and vassals.

Manorialism

The economic organization of medieval Europe between landlords and peasants (serfs) living on self-sufficient estates.

Fief

A grant of land given by a lord to a vassal in exchange for military or administrative services.

Charlemagne

Ruler of the Franks (768-814 CE) who unified much of Western Europe and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope in 800 CE.

Great Schism

The 1054 CE formal split of the Christian Church into the Roman Catholic Church (Rome) and the Eastern Orthodox Church (Constantinople).

Cyril and Methodius

Byzantine missionaries who created the Cyrillic alphabet to help spread Eastern Orthodox Christianity and written culture to Eastern Europe and Russia.

Vladimir I

Ruler of Kievan Rus who converted the state to Eastern Orthodox Christianity around 1000 CE and established the Russian Orthodox Church.

Yaroslav

Kievan Rus ruler who created a unifying law code, arranged European royal marriages, and translated Greek religious literature into Slavic.

Wendi

Founder of the Sui dynasty who reunified China after a period of division.

Yangdi

Sui emperor who continued state unification projects and oversaw the construction of the Grand Canal.

Grand Canal

An 1,100-mile long waterway built during the Sui dynasty that connected northern and southern China for transport of resources and tax revenue.

Li Yuan

Former Sui governor who established the Tang dynasty in the 7th century during a period of instability.

Tang Taizong

Major Tang emperor who expanded Chinese territory into East and Central Asia using a powerful military of peasant soldiers, cavalry, and nomads.

Civil Service Examinations

Written exams testing knowledge of Confucian ideas, Classical Chinese, and Daoist classics to award administrative positions based on merit.

Empress Wu

The first and only female ruler in Chinese history, who ruled during the late 7th to early 8th century.

Han Yu

A Tang scholar who attacked Buddhism, labeling it a foreign doctrine born by barbarian people.

Chan Buddhism

A form of Buddhism developed in China (known as Zen in Japan) that focused on meditation and direct spiritual experience.

Sinification

The process by which neighboring regions like Korea and Japan adopted Chinese cultural, governmental, or social practices.