S1 AP WORLD TERMS

Seljuk Empire – Turkic Muslim empire in the Middle East; helped revive Islamic power and fought Crusaders.
Great Zimbabwe – Powerful East African city-state known for huge stone structures and controlling gold trade.
Abbasid Empire – Islamic dynasty during the “Golden Age” known for learning, trade, and cultural growth.
Songhay Empire – West African empire that controlled Saharan trade after Mali declined.
Swahili Coast – East African trading cities that blended African, Arab, and Indian Ocean cultures.
Gujarat – Wealthy Indian Ocean trade region in western India known for textiles and merchants.

Theravada Buddhism – Form of Buddhism focused on meditation and the original teachings of the Buddha.
Fluyt – Dutch cargo ship designed for long-distance trade with a small crew; boosted Dutch commerce.
Mahayana Buddhism – More flexible branch of Buddhism that spread to China, Korea, and Japan.
Astrolabe – Navigation tool used by sailors to find latitude using the stars.
Mamluk Sultanate (Egypt) – Muslim state ruled by former slave soldiers; powerful in trade and the Middle East.
Ibn Battuta – Muslim traveler who wrote about Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Sultanate of Malacca – Southeast Asian trading kingdom controlling the Strait of Malacca.
Tibetan Buddhism – Buddhism mixed with local Tibetan beliefs; strong focus on rituals.
Vasco da Gama – Portuguese sailor who reached India and started European Indian Ocean trade.
Syncretism – Blending of religions or cultures (ex: Swahili, Vodun, Sikhism).

Mesa Verde – Ancestral Pueblo cliff-dwelling society in North America.
Delhi Sultanate – Muslim kingdom in India before the Mughals; blended Islamic and Indian culture.
Mansa Musa – King of Mali; spread Islam and wealth on his famous hajj.
Dar al-Islam – “House of Islam,” or all regions under Islamic rule and culture.
Kashgar – Silk Road trading city and caravan stop in Central Asia.
House of Wisdom – Abbasid learning center in Baghdad where scholars translated and studied texts.
Samarkand – Major Silk Road city known for trade and Islamic architecture.
Caravanserai – Roadside inns on trade routes for travelers and merchants.

Champa rice – Fast-growing rice from Vietnam that increased Chinese population.
Northwest Passage – A hoped-for water route through North America to Asia (never found historically).
Vodun (Voodoo) – Syncretic religion blending West African beliefs with Christianity in the Americas.
Confucianism – Chinese philosophy stressing order, respect, and moral behavior.
Neo-Confucianism – Confucianism mixed with Buddhism and Daoism; popular in Song/Ming China.
Grand Canal – Massive Chinese waterway connecting north and south for food transport.
Sufism – Mystical form of Islam emphasizing personal connection with God.

Encomienda system – Spanish system forcing Indigenous labor in the Americas.
Maya city-states – Independent Maya political units in Mesoamerica.
Divine Right of Kings – Idea that monarchs rule with God’s approval.
Glorious Revolution – 1688 English event limiting monarchy and strengthening Parliament.
Aurangzeb – Mughal emperor known for expansion and religious strictness.
Suleiman I – Powerful Ottoman ruler who expanded the empire and reformed law.
King Afonso of Kongo – African king who protested Portuguese slave trading.
Chattel slavery – Slavery where people are treated as property for life.
Hacienda system – Large Spanish estates using Indigenous or mixed labor for agriculture.
Viceroys – Spanish royal governors in the Americas.

Inca – Andean empire using roads, terraces, and a strong central government.
Mexica (Aztecs) – Mesoamerican empire known for tribute, warfare, and Tenochtitlan.
Nahuatl – Language of the Mexica/Aztecs.
Commercial Revolution – Shift to global trade, banks, and new business practices (1500s–1700s).
Renaissance – European revival of art, learning, and classical ideas.
Enlightenment – European intellectual movement promoting reason and rights.
Protestant Reformation – Breaking away from the Catholic Church in the 1500s.
Martin Luther – Started the Reformation by criticizing Church corruption.
John Locke – Enlightenment thinker who said people have natural rights.

Janissaries – Elite Ottoman slave soldiers.
Zamindars – Mughal tax collectors and local officials.
Isfahan – Safavid capital known for architecture and trade.
Shah Jahan – Mughal ruler who built the Taj Mahal.
Devshirme – Ottoman system taking Christian boys for military/government service.
Cossacks – Frontier warriors in Russia; semi-independent groups.
Abbas I – Important Safavid ruler who strengthened the military and trade.
Romanovs – Russian ruling dynasty from 1613–1917.
Council of Trent – Catholic response to the Reformation; reformed Church practices.
Caravel – Small, fast European ship ideal for exploration.
Pueblo Revolt – Native uprising against Spanish rule in the Southwest.
Cuzco – Capital city of the Inca Empire.
Philosophes – Enlightenment writers who promoted reason and reform.
Akbar – Tolerant Mughal emperor who expanded the empire and reformed government.
Boyars – Russian nobles.
Lateen sail – Triangular sail that made Indian Ocean navigation easier.

Peninsulares – Spaniards born in Spain living in the Americas (top of hierarchy).
Creoles – People of Spanish descent born in the Americas.
Mestizos – People of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry.