UNIT 2: Networks of Exchange, 1200-1450

A comprehensive vocabulary review of key terms, historical figures, empires, and technologies from Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450).

Astrolabe

An instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars.

Banking Houses

Institutions that issued bills of exchange and served as the model for modern banks.

Batu Khan

The son of Genghis Khan's oldest son who led an army of 100,000 Mongolian soldiers into Russia, conquering small Russian kingdoms.

The Bubonic Plague

A disease carried by fleas brought to Asia and Europe through Mongol conquests.

Camel Saddle

Saddles developed by South Arabians as the use of the camel spread.

Caravans

Groups of people traveling together for mutual protection, often with pack animals such as camels.

Caravanserai

Inns established about 100 miles apart (the distance camels could go before needing water) along the routes of the Silk Roads.

Composite Bow

A versatile weapon that provided the Mongol cavalry with superior range, accuracy, and mobility, contributing to their military dominance and conquests.

Constantinople

The capital of the eastern Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and later the Ottoman Empire.

Credit

An arrangement to receive cash, goods, or services now and pay for them in the future.

Cultural Diffusion

The spread of ideas, religions, and products often resulting from trade.

Dhow Ships

Arab ships equipped with lateen sails that strongly influenced European ship design and facilitated trade.

Genghis Khan

A name meaning "ruler of all" given to Temujin when he was elected khan of the Mongolian Kingdom; also spelled Chinggis Khan.

Ghana Empire

The first of the great medieval trading empires of western Africa, known as the Land of Gold.

Golden Horde

Batu's army that pushed westward through Russia and then into Europe.

Gunpowder

Invention created in China by the Tang Dynasty in the 9th century and used in siege warfare (such as cannons) during the Song Dynasty.

Hangzhou

The capital city of the Song Dynasty.

The Hanseatic League

A commercial alliance formed between northern German cities and Scandinavia in the 13th century.

Hulegu

Grandson of Genghis Khan who took control of the southwest region into the Abbasid territories and more of the Middle East until his defeat in 1260.

Ibn Battuta

Moroccan Muslim scholar recognized as the most widely traveled individual of his time.

Il-Khanate

Hulegu's medieval Mongol state that ruled over Persia, Mesopotamia, and parts of the Caucasus and Anatolia, blending Mongol and Islamic cultures while serving as a regional power in the 13th to 14th centuries.

Indian Ocean Basin

The largest sea-based trade network of its time.

Junk

A Chinese sailing ship developed during the Song Dynasty.

Khanates

The four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose after the death of Genghis Khan.

Khmer Empire

A powerful and long-lasting empire located in what is modern-day Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and southern Vietnam.

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan who sought to conquer China, finally achieving it in 1271 and establishing the Yuan Dynasty.

Lateen Sail

A triangular-shaped sail capable of catching wind from many different directions.

Magnetic Compass

A navigation tool for determining direction that enabled ships to travel without hugging the coast.

Malacca

A Muslim city-state that acquired wealth by building a navy and collecting fees from ships passing through the Strait of Malacca.

Mali Empire

West African empire lasting from 1235 to 1400 featuring prominent trading cities such as Timbuktu and Gao.

Mansa Musa

Ruler who brought Mali to its peak of power and wealth from 1312 to 1337 and displayed Mali's wealth during an extravagant pilgrimage to Mecca.

Marco Polo

An Italian native who journeyed to China in the late 13th century and authored accounts of his travels.

Mecca

A city in western Arabia that served as the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, the ritual center of the Islamic religion, and the destination for pilgrimages.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (1368–1644) founded by Zhu Yuanzhang following the overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty.

Monsoons

Heavy seasonal winds that directly influenced maritime trade routes across the Indian Ocean.

Nomadism

A central component of Mongol society characterized by a mobile lifestyle, reliance on animal husbandry, and skilled horsemanship, enabling the establishment of a vast empire through mounted warfare and strategic mobility.

Pax Mongolica

The period of Mongolian peace lasting between the 13th and 14th centuries.

Samarkand

A stopping point on the Silk Roads between China and the Mediterranean, located in present-day Uzbekistan within the Zeravshan River valley.

Soil Erosion

The deterioration of land caused by overuse of farmland and deforestation, which reduced agricultural production in feudal Europe.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (906–1279) that preceded the Yuan Dynasty.

Songhai Kingdom

An Islamic empire established in West Africa during the 1400s following the decline of the Mali Empire.

Stern Rudders

Ship innovations invented by the Chinese that made steering vessels easier and more stable.

Sultanate of Malacca

A powerful Islamic kingdom that reached the peak of its power and influence in the mid-1400s.

Timbuktu

A very wealthy and world-renowned center for Islamic learning.

Tumen

A Mongol military unit consisting of approximately 10,000 soldiers led by a commander called a noyan, forming the backbone of Mongol military organization.

Uyghur Script

A system of writing adopted by Genghis Khan for the Mongol Empire.

White Lotus Society

A secret society that organized efforts to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty

Dynasty established by Kublai Khan in 1271 that maintained religious tolerance toward various groups in China.

Zheng-He

A Muslim admiral entrusted by the Ming emperor Yongle with seven great voyages that sailed many ships across the Indian Ocean from Southeast Asia to Africa.

Zhu Yuanzhang

A Buddhist monk who led the revolt that overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and founded the Ming Dynasty in 1368.