AP World History Unit 1 Terms

Champa Rice

Champa Rice was a fast-ripening, drought-resistant crop from Vietnam that allowed dual-cropping, fueling massive population growth and urban expansion in Song China.

Filial Piety

Filial Piety was a core Confucian virtue demanding respect for parents and ancestors, which reinforced social stability, family loyalty, and state authority throughout East Asia.

Foot Binding

Foot Binding was a Chinese custom of tightly wrapping young girls' feet to shrink them, serving as a status symbol that restricted women's mobility and reinforced patriarchal control.

Grand Canal

The Grand Canal was a massive artificial waterway in China that linked the agricultural south to northern cities, unifying the empire's economy and facilitating long-distance trade.

Heian Period in Japan

The Heian Period was a classical era of Japanese history known for flourishing arts and court culture, which shifted power toward local warlords and set the stage for feudalism.

Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism was a Song dynasty revival of Confucian ethics mixed with Buddhist and Daoist ideas, creating a dominant state ideology that shaped East Asian social and political thought.

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty was a culturally and economically rich Chinese empire that pioneered paper money, gunpowder, and commercial innovation before falling to Mongol expansion.

Dar al-Islam refers

to Afro-Eurasian regions governed by Islamic law and culture, which created a unified trade network and facilitated the global exchange of ideas, technology, and goods.

The House of Wisdom

was a Baghdadi research hub during the Islamic Golden Age that preserved ancient Greek and Indian knowledge, advancing mathematics, science, and medicine for Eurasia.

Jihad

is the Islamic concept of spiritual striving or defensive struggle, which motivated personal moral discipline and served as a unifying religious rallying cry for territorial defense

Jizya

Jizya was a tax levied by Islamic states on non-Muslim subjects, which granted them religious freedom and military protection while generating state revenue and encouraging gradual conversions to Islam.

Muslim Iberia/Al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was a Muslim-ruled region in modern-day Spain and Portugal that became a major center of learning, cultural tolerance, and scientific transfer between the Islamic world and Europe.

Sharia

Sharia is the Islamic legal and moral framework derived from the Quran, which standardized justice, social conduct, and governmental administration across diverse Muslim societies.

Bhakti Movement

The Bhakti Movement was a medieval Hindu movement focused on personal devotion to a god instead of strict rituals. It made religion accessible to lower castes and women and helped spread local languages.

Buddhism

Buddhism is an ancient Asian religion founded by the Buddha that focuses on ending suffering by following the Eightfold Path. It challenged the strict Hindu caste system and spread across Asia along trade routes like the Silk Roads, deeply influencing politics and culture.

Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire that ruled over parts of northern India from the 13th to 16th centuries. It introduced Islam into South Asia and created a blend of Indian and Muslim cultures, while keeping a minority Muslim elite in power over a mostly Hindu population.

Mamluk Sultanate

The Mamluk Sultanate was a political power established in Egypt and Syria by enslaved military officers who overthrew their rulers. It protected the Islamic world from the Mongols, preserved Islamic culture, and controlled major trade routes connecting Europe and Asia.

Seljuk Empire

The Seljuk Empire was a Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim state that conquered much of the Middle East and Anatolia. By expanding toward Byzantine territory and adopting Persian culture, they helped spread Islam and triggered the Crusades.

Srivijaya Empire

The Srivijaya Empire was a maritime kingdom based in Sumatra that controlled key sea trade routes in Southeast Asia. By dominating the Malacca Strait, it grew rich off trade taxes and helped spread Mahayana Buddhism throughout the region.

Sufism

Sufism is a mystical form of Islam focused on a direct, personal connection with God through rituals and meditation. Its flexible approach helped Islam spread quickly to new regions by blending easily with local cultures.

Turkic Peoples

Turkic Peoples were Central Asian nomads who converted to Islam and migrated across Eurasia. They created major empires like the Seljuks and Ottomans, spreading Islamic rule into Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Aztecs (Mexica)

The Aztecs were a central Mexican empire known for their capital, Tenochtitlan, and aggressive tribute system. They dominated Mesoamerica through military strength and religious sacrifices before falling to the Spanish.

Inca Empire

The Inca Empire was a massive Andean civilization connected by a complex road network and forced state labor. They controlled South America using record-keeping strings called quipus and strict central governance.

Great Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe was a powerful medieval kingdom in southern Africa known for its massive stone architecture built without mortar. It grew wealthy by controlling regional trade routes for gold and ivory that connected to Indian Ocean merchants.

Feudalism

Feudalism was a political system in medieval Europe based on land loyalty. Kings traded land to noble lords for military protection and political support.

Manorialism

Manorialism was an economic system centered on a lord's self-sufficient estate where peasants worked the land for protection, driving the medieval economy without needing major trade networks.

Serfdom

a system of unfree labor that legally tied peasants to a lord's estate, providing the agricultural labor force that sustained feudal Europe while keeping most of the population in poverty.