AP World 1.5 - 1.6 Vocab Terms

1.5 Africa (terms 1-6) 1.6 Medieval Europe (terms 7-20)

Kin based network

a social system where families governed themselves; the male head of the family, a chief, controlled affairs

Metallurgy

the science and technology of extracting and refining metals

Mortar-less walls

dry stone walls constructed without mortar; demonstrated by the Kingdom of Great Zimbabwe

Griots

storytellers or oral historians who held knowledge of family lineages and the lives of great leaders; they carried these stories out by performing, usually singing with instruments

Caravanserai

inn or rest station for caravans or camel, emerged along the Silk Road

Chattel slavery

a form of slavery where people/enslaved were the legal property of the owner; common in the Americas from 16th-19th centuries

Feudalism

political, hierarchical system land was granted in exchange with loyalty and service

Serfs

farmers/peasants tied to the land under the feudal system, given land in exchange for service to their lord

Peasants

agricultural laborers; on the lower parts of the society structure

Monarchs

sovereign ruler of a state or kingdom, holds power for life and is usually passed down hereditarily

Parliament

a government's legislature body, responsible for making laws for its state or kingdom

Magna Carta

a document signed by King John in 1215 that limited the power of the English monarchy and respected citizens' rights

Three-Field System

a rotational system of agriculture that allowed for increased food output efficiency

Crusades

a series of European military campaigns in the Middle East between 1095 and the 13th century, primarily to stop the advancement of Muslim rule

Bourgeoisie/burghers

class of self-employed businessmen; included shopkeepers, merchants, craftspeople, and small landholders

Great Schism

separation of the Christian Church in Europe between the Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox in 1054

Renaissance

also known as "rebirth", it was a period characterized by the revival of classical Greek and Roman literature, art, culture, and civic virtue; followed the Middle Ages

Black Death/Bubonic Plague

an outbreak of a bacterial infection that killed upwards of 1/3 of the European population during the 14th century

Little Ice Age

five-century period of climate cooling beginning in the 1300s which hindered urban growth and agricultural productivity, led to issues like increased disease, unemployment, and social unrest

Antisemitism

prejudice against Jewish people; widespread among Christians across Europe