3.1 Empires Expand (1450-1750)

Gunpowder Empires

Large, multiethnic states in Southwest, Central, and South Asia that relied on firearms to conquer and control territories.

Ottoman Empire

One of the Gunpowder Empires where Islam was strong, ruled at its height by Suleiman the Magnificent.

Safavid Empire

One of the Gunpowder Empires where Islam was strong, known for its cultural achievements and military prowess.

Mughal Empire

One of the Gunpowder Empires where Islam was strong, noted for its rich cultural contributions and territorial expansion.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ruler of the Ottoman Empire at its height, known for leading armies to conquer Christian strongholds.

Armed Trade

Common practice in expanding empires where troops and armaments were kept ready to protect trade rights.

Year 1450

Traditionally signifies the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the early modern period.

Gutenberg Printing Press

Invention that contributed to an increase in literacy during the early modern period.

New Monarchies

Emerging powerful nations in Europe during the 1500s that sought to centralize power and control various aspects of governance.

Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand

Spanish monarchs who were part of the new monarchies aiming to centralize power.

Bureaucracies

Increased administrative systems in new monarchies that helped centralize power and reduce the influence of the nobility.

Middle Class Growth

The rise in power of the middle class at the expense of lords and churches during the emergence of new monarchies.

Cossacks

Fierce peasant warriors hired by the Stroganovs to fight local tribes and the Siberian khan.

Volga River

The river that flows into the Caspian Sea, control of which was gained by the Stroganovs.

Siberia

Region into which Russia continued to expand after Ivan IV's reign, defeating indigenous tribes.

Eastern Orthodox faith

Religion to which many indigenous people were converted by missionaries during Russian expansion.

Pacific Ocean

By 1639, Russians had advanced east as far as this ocean.

Yuan Dynasty

Founded by Mongol invader Kublai Khan in 1271, overthrown by the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

Ming Dynasty

Ruled China from 1368 to 1644, stabilizing the region for nearly 300 years.

Qing Dynasty

Established by the Manchu in 1644, ruled until 1911.

Uighurs

Local Muslim population in Xinjiang that has not fully integrated into Chinese culture.

White Lotus Rebellion

Uprising organized by peasants in response to high taxes during Qianlong's reign (1796-1804).

Guangzhou

City where the Qing Dynasty confined limited trading privileges to European powers.

Tamerlane

Mongol-Turkic ruler whose invasions set the stage for the rise of Turkic empires.

Ghazi Ideal

Model for warrior life blending nomadic culture with the role of a holy fighter for Islam.

Mehmed II

Also known as the Conqueror, he ruled from 1451-1481 and established Istanbul as the empire's capital after besieging Constantinople in 1453.

Constantinople

The former center of the Byzantine Empire that fell to Mehmed II in 1453.

Istanbul

The city that was formerly known as Constantinople and became a nexus for trade under Mehmed II's rule.

Venice

An expanding state on the Adriatic Sea that was forced to pay a yearly tax to Mehmed II.

Akbar

Babur's grandson who ruled the Mughal Empire and made it one of the richest and best-governed states.

Castes (jatis)

Strict social groupings in Indian society designated at birth.

Brahmins

The highest caste in the Indian caste system.

Kshatriyas

The warrior caste in the Indian caste system.

Vaishyas

The merchant caste in the Indian caste system.

Shudras

The lowest caste in the Indian caste system.

Achhoots (Dalits)

The untouchables, outside of the traditional caste system.

Battle of Lepanto

A naval conflict in 1571 where a European force defeated the Ottomans, contributing to their decline.

Aurangzeb

The Mughal emperor (ruled 1658-1707) who aimed to expand the empire but faced internal conflicts and instability.

Manchu

The ethnic group that founded the Qing Dynasty in China after the fall of the Ming Dynasty.