World History: Modern Key Terms Units 6-9

Joan of Arc

French heroine and military leader during the Hundred Years' War.

Crusades

A series of religious wars initiated by the Catholic Church, primarily against Muslims in the Holy Land.

Bhakti

A devotional movement in Hinduism that emphasized love and devotion to God.

scholasticism

A medieval philosophical and theological system that tried to reconcile faith and reason.

Sufis

Mystical ascetics within Islam who sought direct experience of God.

heresies

Beliefs or opinions contrary to orthodox religious doctrine.

Muslims

Adherents of Islam.

Queen Isabella

Queen of Castile, who, with her husband Ferdinand, unified Spain and sponsored Columbus's voyage.

Pope Innocent III

One of the most powerful popes, who expanded church influence and launched crusades.

Abbasid Dynasty

A caliphate that ruled from Baghdad, known for its Golden Age of Islamic culture and science.

Ferdinand

King of Aragon, who, with his wife Isabella, unified Spain.

Inquisition

A tribunal established by the Catholic Church to identify and combat heresy.

Baghdad

Capital of the Abbasid Dynasty, a major center of learning and culture.

Spanish Inquisition

A specific inquisition in Spain, primarily aimed at converting Muslims and Jews to Christianity.

Universal Church

The concept of the Church as a single, unified body of believers under Christ.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

A Persian polymath, astronomer, physicist, and philosopher, influential in Mongol courts.

Church Militant

The Church on Earth, seen as actively fighting against sin and evil.

Tatars

A group of Turkic and Mongol peoples; often used interchangeably with Mongols.

Thomas Aquinas

A hugely influential philosopher and theologian who integrated Aristotelian philosophy with Christian doctrine.

Mamluks

Slave soldiers who became rulers of Egypt and Syria.

czar (tsar)

The title of the emperor of Russia.

Mongols

Nomadic people from Central Asia who created the largest contiguous empire in history.

Genghis Khan

Founder of the Mongol Empire.

Ottoman Turks

Turkish people who established a vast empire in Anatolia and beyond.

Ivan the Terrible

The first ruler to officially crown himself Tsar of Russia.

Ming Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 to 1644, known for its stable government and cultural achievements.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China.

foot binding

The practice of tightly binding girls' feet to keep them small, common in China.

Mongol Empire

The largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan.

Golden Horde

The western part of the Mongol Empire, which ruled over Russia.

shogun

The military dictator of Japan during the feudal period.

Timur Lang (Tamerlane)

Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire.

daimyo

Feudal lords in Japan who commanded private armies.

Mansa Musa

Emperor of the Mali Empire, famous for his wealth and pilgrimage to Mecca.

peasants

Small landowners or farm laborers in medieval Europe.

Code of Bushido

The strict code of honor followed by samurai in feudal Japan.

fiefs

Land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for loyalty and service.

Delhi Sultanate

A series of Muslim dynasties that ruled parts of India from the early 13th to early 16th century.

movable type

A printing technique where individual characters are moved and reused.

manors

The principal house of a feudal lord, often including surrounding lands.

Rajput Kingdoms

Kingdoms in northwestern India ruled by Rajput clans.

Bubonic Plague

A devastating pandemic that killed millions across Eurasia and North Africa.

three-field system

A medieval farming practice where land was divided into three parts, one left fallow each year.

Khmer Empire

A powerful empire in Southeast Asia, centered in modern-day Cambodia.

code of chivalry

The medieval knightly system of conduct and behavior.

Indian Ocean Trade

A vast network of maritime trade routes connecting East Africa, the Middle East, India, and East Asia.

primogeniture

The system where inheritance goes to the eldest son.

Hausa

A people and language group in West Africa, prominent in trade.

Kashgar

A major trading city on the Silk Road in Xinjiang, China.

serfs

Laborers bound under the feudal system to work on their lord's estate.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco.

Samarkand

A major city on the Silk Road, a center of trade and learning in Central Asia.

interregnum

A period when a ruler or government is absent or vacant.

Temple of the Sun

A major Inca religious site in Peru, dedicated to the sun god Inti.

Xuanzang

A Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India and brought back Buddhist scriptures.

William the Conqueror

Duke of Normandy who conquered England in 1066 and became its king.

Machu Picchu

An Inca citadel set high in the Andes Mountains in Peru.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant and explorer who traveled to Asia and wrote about his experiences.

Magna Carta

A charter of rights agreed to by King John of England in 1215, limiting royal power.

burghers

Free citizens of a town or city, often merchants or artisans.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan scholar and explorer who traveled extensively throughout the Islamic world and beyond.

Hanseatic League

A commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.

Margery Kempe

English mystic and writer, known for her autobiography The Book of Margery Kempe.

Humanism

An intellectual movement of the Renaissance that focused on human potential and the study of classical Greek and Roman texts.

Medici

A powerful Italian banking family and major patrons of the arts during the Renaissance.

Michelangelo

A famous Renaissance sculptor, painter, and architect known for the David and the Sistine Chapel.

Brunelleschi

A Renaissance architect who designed the dome of the Florence Cathedral.

Leonardo da Vinci

A Renaissance polymath known for his art, such as the Mona Lisa, and his scientific inventions.

Donatello

A Renaissance sculptor known for his mastery of bronze and marble.

English Communication Act

Likely a reference to the Act of Supremacy or similar legislation governing English religious and political life.

Glorious Revolution

The 1688 overthrow of King James II of England, leading to a constitutional monarchy.

Huguenot

A French Protestant who followed the teachings of John Calvin.

Edict of Nantes

A 1598 decree that granted religious tolerance to French Protestants.

Cardinal Richelieu

A French clergyman and statesman who centralized power for the French monarchy.

Louis XIV

The 'Sun King' of France, known for his absolute monarchy and the construction of Versailles.

Johannes Kepler

An astronomer who formulated the laws of planetary motion.

Catherine the Great

An Empress of Russia who expanded the empire and promoted Enlightenment ideas.

Ottoman Empire

A vast Islamic empire based in Turkey that lasted from the 13th to the 20th century.

Sir Isaac Newton

A scientist who developed the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

Atheists

People who do not believe in the existence of a god or gods.

Deists

People who believe in a creator god who does not intervene in the universe.

Osman Bey

The founder of the Ottoman Empire.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella

The monarchs of Spain who funded Columbus and completed the Reconquista.

Devshirme

An Ottoman system of recruiting Christian boys to serve as soldiers or bureaucrats.

Selim I

An Ottoman Sultan who significantly expanded the empire into the Middle East.

Charles V

A Holy Roman Emperor who ruled over vast territories in Europe and the Americas.

Suleiman I

The longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, known for legal and cultural reforms.

Ferdinand I

A Holy Roman Emperor and brother of Charles V.

Babur

The founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

Philip II

A King of Spain who led the country during its peak of power and the Spanish Armada.

Mughal Empire

A powerful Muslim empire that ruled over most of India.

Spanish Inquisition

A tribunal established to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in Spain.

Zamindars

Local officials in the Mughal Empire who collected taxes from peasants.

Decree of Alhambra

The 1492 order to expel all Jews from Spain.

Shah Jahan

The Mughal Emperor who commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal.

British East India Company

A joint-stock company that controlled trade and territory in India.

James I

The first Stuart King of England, who struggled with Parliament.

Angola

A region in Africa that became a major source of enslaved people for the Portuguese.

Manden

A region and people in West Africa associated with the Mali Empire.

Vasco da Gama

A Portuguese explorer who was the first to reach India by sea.