Early Modern Vocab

Chinampas

"Floating gardens" of the Aztec Empire- these were plots of arable land established in a swampy landscape

quipu

Series of knotted cords used for accounting purposes in Andean societies

Silver Trade

Major worldwide trade network that emerged during the Early Modern Era featuring the movement of silver largely from Spanish America and largely into China.

Qing Dynasty

Chinese dynasty established by the Manchus; this final Chinese dynasty ruled China from 1644-1911.

Manchus

Pastoralist group from Northeastern China (Manchuria) that invaded China in 1644, ending the Ming Dynasty.

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty ruling China from 1368-1644; this dynasty featured the Han Chinese reclaiming power from the Mongols and returning to prior Chinese traditions.

Chinese tributary system

System of tribute collection that reinforced China's prestige in East Asia; outside societies were expected to give tribute and perform the kowtow.

Queue

Traditional Manchu hairstyle (braided pigtails) that was enforced on all Han Chinese men during the Qing Dynasty

Safavid Empire

Persian gunpowder empire that gave state support to the Shi'a branch of Islam.

Sikhism

New religion that emerged in the northern Indian province of Punjab in the 16th century; this religion is frequently seen as syncretic since it features aspects of both Islam and Hinduism.

Ethiopia

East African state that continued giving state support to Christianity during the Early Modern Era

Kingdom of Kongo

State in the western portion of Central Africa that increasingly participated in the Transatlantic Slave Trade during the Early Modern Era; this state developed increased economic and cultural ties with Portugal.

Mughal Empire

The Islamic state that followed the Delhi Sultanate and eventually consolidated its rule over most of India from the 16th-18th centuries.

Zamindars

Elite landowning officials in Mughal India; in addition to being aristocrats, they also served as tax collectors in their respective provinces for the Mughal state.

Akbar the Great

Mughal leader who was revered for his tolerant policies toward the Hindu majority in India.

Songhai Empire

Large, powerful empire in West Africa that continued previous patterns of state building set by Ghana and Mali before it; this empire endorsed Islam and participated in Trans-Saharan trade.

Sultanate of Malacca

Islamic state in island Southeast Asia established as a result of Arab merchants establishing a presence in the strategic waterway separating the Malay Peninsula from the island of Sumatra.

Delhi Sultanate

The first Islamic state in northern India; this state was followed by the larger Mughal Empire.

Guru Nanak

The founder of the religion of Sikhism in northern India in the late 15th century

Aurangzeb

Mughal leader who reversed many of Akbar's tolerant policies, resulting in increased discrimination toward the Hindu majority. His policies contributed to increased tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India.

Miniature paintings

Popular art during the Early Modern Era commonly portraying religious, political, or military scenes in Asian land-based empires

Marathas

Militant Hindus that heavily resisted the Islamic Mughal Empire, especially during the 18th century when discrimination against the Hindu majority intensified.

Boyars

Russian noble class (elite landowners)

Silver Trade

Global trade network featuring silver mined from Spanish America and Japan being shipped to Ming China.

Westernization

The process of becoming more like Western Europe, primarily from a cultural standpoint.

Cossacks

Mounted pastoralist warriors who lived on the steppes near Russia; this group was largely used by the Russian state to assist its territorial expansion across Siberia.

Absolutism

The political arrangement where the ruler of the central state (the king or emperor) has total power (no checks or limitations on the ruler's power)

Martin Luther

German monk who started the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses to his church door in Germany.

Confucianism

The official philosophy of the Ming and Qing dynasties; this traditional philosophy emphasized good morals, respect (especially to elders) and education.

Christian humanists

Reformers who encouraged the use of logic and reason (thinking that grew in prominence during the Renaissance), but focused largely on religious matters. This group grew increasingly critical of the Catholic Church.

Protestant Reformation

Major challenge to the authority of the Catholic Church begun in 1517 by Martin Luther; this process resulted in the second schism within Christianity and the creation of the 3rd branch of Christianity.

Asante Empire (Ashanti)

West African state that increasingly participated in the Transatlantic Slave Trade as a basis for its economy during the Early Modern Era.

Ana Nzinga

African leader of the states of Matamba and Ndongo (modern-day Angola) who came to lead resistance efforts against the Portuguese.

indulgence

Forgiveness of sin, or removal of punishment for sin; the Catholic Church had been accepting money in exchange for these leading up to the Protestant Reformation.

vernacular

Term for the common language in an area; the Bible was translated into these as a result of Luther's actions.

King Henry VIII

English monarch who separated England from the Catholic Church after the pope denied his request to divorce his wife after she failed to provide him with a male heir.

Spanish Armada

Massive naval fleet created by Spain largely using wealth from the Silver Trade; this fleet was largely destroyed as they attempted a failed invasion of England in 1588.

Louis XIV

Absolute ruler of France from 1643-1715; he ordered the construction of the massive palace of Versailles and did much to further centralize the power of the French state and limit the privileges of the nobles.

Versailles

Monumental palace constructed in France during the reign of Louis XIV; this served as a retreat for the royal family in France.

Civil Service Examination System

Traditional exam in China continued during the Ming and Qing dynasties where people were tested over their knowledge of the Confucian classics to secure a spot in China's bureaucracy

Johannes Gutenberg

German man who invented the printing press by 1450

Scholar gentry

Confucian-educated elite class of bureaucrats in China; the Ming and Qing dynasties continued to use this group as bureaucrats.

Salaried Samurai

Former elite Japanese warriors that were employed as bureaucrats by the Tokugawa Shogunate

Ivan III (Ivan the Great)

Russian leader who was known for expelling the Mongols and beginning state-building efforts in Russia.

Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible)

Russian leader who continued centralizing and consolidating the Russian state, but also presided over a reign of terror where anyone accused of disloyalty was targeted by the state.

Tokugawa Shogunate

State that ruled over Japan from 1600-1868; this shogunate was able to consolidate Japan more than any one before it.

Peter the Great

Romanov tsar who continued to rapidly increase the power of the Russian central state as he also attempted to modernize and westernize Russia.

Romanovs

Russian dynasty of rulers from the 17th century until 1917

Anglican Church (Church of England)

Protestant denomination that became the official state-supported church in England during Elizabeth I's reign; while Protestant, this church incorporated some Catholic rituals.

Catholic Reformation (Counter-Reformation)

The Catholic Church's response to Martin Luther's criticisms; in their response, the Church reiterated their stance as a religious authority and created new orders of missionaries.

Zheng He

Chinese Muslim eunuch who led the Ming Dynasty's Treasure Fleet of expeditions along the Indian Ocean basin from 1405-1433.

Eunuchs

Castrated men who served as close political advisors to the emperor in states like China

Isolationism

Foreign policy where outside interactions are restricted; this policy was adopted by the Ming and Qing dynasties of China as well as Tokugawa Japan.

Kabuki

Traditional form of Japanese theater that flourished during the Tokugawa Shogunate

Thirty Years' War

Long conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire following the Protestant Reformation.

Jesuits

Catholic missionary order who achieved much success in earning converts around the world in the 16th and 17th centuries; this missionary group is notable because they attempted to understand the worldview of foreigners.

Matteo Ricci

Italian Jesuit missionary who became prominent in China during the Ming Dynasty.

Elizabeth I

English monarch who returned England to Protestantism, but incorporated some Catholic elements to appease English Catholics and minimize religious conflict in her country.

Jizya

Tax that non-Muslims (dhimmis) had to pay in Islamic states

Sunni

The majority branch of Islam; this group believed that anyone who followed in the example of the Prophet Muhammad could serve as caliph (successor to the Prophet Muhammad)

Timars

A land grant in the Ottoman Empire; these plots of land could be distributed by the Ottoman sultan in exchange for loyal service.

Janissaries

The elite warrior class of the Ottoman Empire, largely recruited through the Devshirme system.

Tax farming

System of tax collection in the Ottoman Empire where the right to collect taxes in a local area was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Maratha conflicts

Series of military conflicts between Hindu warriors and the Mughal Empire following Aurangzeb's policies that reversed Akbar's tolerance and began to openly discriminate against the Hindu majority in India

Pueblo Revolt

Rebellion led by indigenous peoples in the southwestern portion of North America against the Spanish in 1680, successfully driving the Spanish from Pueblo areas for a time.

Metacom's War (King Philip's War)

Final large-scale resistance effort by indigenous tribes in New England against the British colonists from 1675-1678.

Shi'a

The minority branch of Islam (primarily found in Persia) that insisted that the caliph (successor to the Prophet Muhammad) be a blood relative of the Prophet.

The Ottoman Empire

Powerful Islamic state, regarded as "the strong sword of Islam," that featured Turks rapidly state building across SW Asia, North Africa, and into SE Europe.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman sultan who presided over the Ottoman Empire at its peak of power and influence during the 16th century.

Devshirme

Ottoman system of recruiting administrative, bureaucratic, and elite military personnel from the minority Christian population.

Taki Onqoy

Also called "dancing sickness," this was a cultural revival movement in the Andes organized in opposition to the Spanish in the 16th century.

Maroons

Bands of communities of fugitive slaves who had set up societies of their own in remote locations

Fronde

Effort by the French nobility to challenge the increasing power of the French monarchy from 1648-1653; this was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the rise of absolutism in France.

Cossack Revolts

Military conflicts between pastoralist warriors that lived in the steppes near Russia and states that began to exert more control over them, notably the Russian Empire.

Mestizo

Mixed-race population that can claim both Spanish and Native American heritage.

Castas

Term for the various social classes in Latin American colonial society.

Casta paintings

Art that featured the racial diversity in Latin America during the Early Modern Era.

Confucianism

Philosophy supported by the Ming and Qing dynasties during the Early Modern Era.

Civil Service Examination System

System that determined who was qualified to join the esteemed scholar gentry and carry out the work of China's bureaucracy.

Scholar gentry (scholar bureaucrats)

Educated bureaucratic elites that worked for China's large bureaucracy during the Ming and Qing dynasties

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Virgin of Guadalupe)

Syncretic tradition that emerged in Mexico in the 16th century that blended Catholic and Aztec ideas of divine motherhood.

Mulatto

Term for the growing mixed-race population in the sugar colonies; this mixed-race population could claim both European and African heritage.

Viceroys

Representatives of the Spanish crown in Spain's colonies in the Americas

Vodun (Vodou)

Syncretic tradition that blended Catholicism and West African spiritualism in the French colonies of Haiti and Louisiana.

Santeria

Syncretic tradition that blended Catholicism with West African spiritualism in Cuba.

Macumba, Umbanda, and Candomble

Syncretic traditions that blended Catholicism, West African spiritualism, and Amerindian spiritual traditions in Brazil.

Settler colonies

Term for colonies where whole families settle, beginning a new life there.

Reconquista

The centuries-long effort by Christians to retake land claimed by Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula; this process eventually ended in 1492 with the complete expulsion of Muslims from the peninsula.

Three-field system

New agricultural arrangement that became more common in Western Europe in the later Middle Ages; this featured crop rotation among different plots of land to avoid soil exhaustion.

Middle Passage

Another term for the forced migration of slaves across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to European plantations in the Americas.

Cash crops

A crop (such as sugarcane or cotton) cultivated in abundance on plantations to maximize profits

Mercantilism

The dominant economic philosophy of Europeans during the Early Modern Era; this mindset held that maximizing wealth was necessary to maximize state power.

Atlantic System

Term for the economic arrangement between The Americas, Europe, and Africa during the Early Modern Era.

Fur Trade

Large trade network that developed in Canada and Siberia during the Early Modern Era which relied upon indigenous skill to obtain animal hides to satisfy European demand.

Spice Trade

Large trade network that developed out of European demand for Asian spices; this featured European merchants going to the Spice Islands of Indonesia to acquire these spices.

Trading post empire

Term for an empire, such as the one Portugal created in the Indian Ocean in the 16th century, where key port cities were acquired with the goal of controlling the flow of trade.

Secular

Non-religious in nature

Chinese tributary system

System of collecting gifts from distant societies in exchange for political and economic ties with China; this system reinforced the notion of China as the "Middle Kingdom."

Patronize/sponsor/commission

To directly support by authorizing someone to do something in exchange for monetary compensation or some other resource received in exchange for services rendered

Ming Dynasty

Chinese dynasty established in 1368 by Chinese rebels who overthrew the Mongols; this dynasty was marked by a desire to return to Chinese traditions