AP World History Unit 2: Networks of Exchange Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historical figures, commercial innovations, and geographical sites across AP World History Unit 2 (c. 1200 - c. 1450).

Silk Roads

Fabled overland trade routes connecting East Asia to Europe and the Mediterranean that revived in the 8th and 9th centuries and flourished after 1200 under Mongol protection.

Caravanserai

Inns along arid trade routes spaced about 100 miles apart where travelers could rest, water their animals, and trade for fresh ones.

Flying Cash

A system of credit developed by the Chinese government allowing a merchant to deposit paper money in one location and withdraw the same amount in another location.

Bill of Exchange

A document presented at a banking house stating that the holder was legally promised payment of a set amount on a set date.

Hanseatic League

A 13th-century commercial alliance of cities in northern Germany and Scandinavia that controlled trade in the Baltic and North Seas and drove out pirates.

Kashgar

A thriving trade city located at the western edge of China where northern and southern Silk Roads crossed, watered by the Kashgar River.

Samarkand

A stopping point city on the Silk Roads in present-day Uzbekistan in the Zeravshan River valley, known for cultural exchange, artisans, and Islamic learning.

Junk

A Chinese sailing ship developed during the Han Dynasty featuring multiple sails, lengths up to 400 feet, and a hull divided into watertight compartments.

Kuriltai

A meeting of Mongol chieftains where leaders, such as Temujin in 1206, were formally elected as khan.

Genghis Khan

Meaning 'ruler of all,' the title taken by Temujin in 1206 after unifying the Mongol tribes and embarking on widespread Eurasian conquests.

Pax Mongolica

The period of Eurasian peace and stability between the 13th and 14th centuries established under Mongol imperial rule.

Golden Horde

Batu's Mongolian army of 100,000 soldiers that conquered Russian city-states and marched into Eastern Europe starting in 1236.

Il-khanate

Hulegu's kingdom in Southwest Asia/Middle East stretching from Byzantium to the Oxus River, formed after destroying Baghdad in 1258.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan who completed the conquest of Song China and established the Yuan Dynasty in 1271.

Yuan Dynasty

The Chinese dynasty founded in 1271 by Mongol ruler Kublai Khan, who established its capital at Dadu.

White Lotus Society

A secret society in China that quietly organized in the 1350s to overthrow the Mongol Yuan Dynasty.

Calicut

A bustling port city on the west coast of India that became a thriving center of trade for spices and merchant exchanges.

Spice Islands

Modern-day Malaysia and Indonesia, named for their high-demand exports of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal wind patterns in the Indian Ocean blowing from the northeast in winter and southwest in spring/summer, shaping maritime trade voyages.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail popularized by Arab sailors that could easily catch wind coming from many different directions.

Astrolabe

An instrument improved by Muslim navigators in the 12th century that allowed sailors to determine how far north or south they were from the equator.

Malacca (Melaka)

A wealthy Muslim city-state that grew rich by building a navy and levying fees on ships passing through the narrow Strait of Malacca.

Diaspora

Settlements of people away from their original homeland where traders introduced their cultural traditions into indigenous communities.

Swahili City-States

Thriving commercial coastal trading cities in East Africa, such as Kilwa, Mombasa, and Zanzibar, that traded ivory, gold, and slaves across the Indian Ocean.

Zheng He

A Muslim admiral sent by Ming Emperor Yongle in 1405 on seven massive naval expeditions across the Indian Ocean Basin to display Chinese power and collect tribute.

Oases

Places in arid desert terrain where human settlement is possible because underground water naturally or artificially reaches the surface.

Sundiata

Mali's founding ruler, known as 'the Lion Prince,' who established trade relationships with North African and Arab merchants and built a thriving gold trade.

Mansa Musa

The 14th-century ruler of Mali famed for his extraordinarily lavish pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324 that showcased West African wealth to the world.

Timbuktu

A major West African city in Mali that became a world-renowned center of Islamic learning, mosque building, and book trade.

Chan Buddhism

A syncretic faith, also known as Zen Buddhism, formed in China by fusing Buddhist doctrines with elements of Daoist traditions.

Neo-Confucianism

A syncretic philosophy that fused rational Confucian thought with abstract ideas of Daoism and Buddhism, spreading across East Asia.

Marco Polo

An Italian merchant from Venice who visited the court of Kublai Khan and published widely read accounts of China's wealth and high urbanization.

Ibn Battuta

A Moroccan Muslim scholar and traveler who spent over 30 years visiting Muslim lands across Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, China, North Africa, and Mali.

Margery Kempe

An English mystic who dictated one of the earliest autobiographies in English describing her medieval pilgrimages to Jerusalem, Rome, Germany, and Spain.

Champa Rice

A drought-resistant, flood-resistant, fast-ripening crop introduced to China from Champa in Vietnam that allowed double-cropping and fueled massive population growth.

Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

A severe epidemic transmitted by flea-infested rodents along Eurasian trade routes in the 14th century, wiping out up to one-third of Europe's population.