Absolutism

• Definition: Belief that kings and queens have complete power, given by God.

• Significance: This belief helped kings control their diverse subjects and grow their power.

Ana Nzinga

• Definition: A 17th-century Angolan queen who resisted Portuguese control by working with the Dutch.

• Significance: She was a powerful African queen who fought European expansion.

Asante Kingdom

• Definition: A powerful kingdom in present-day Ghana from the 1700s.

• Significance: Its role in the slave trade boosted its wealth and influence.

Atlantic Trading System

• Definition: A trade system linking Africa (for goods), the Americas (for slaves), and Europe (for crops).

• Significance: Gave Northern Europe dominance in global trade.

Boyars

• Definition: Russian noble landowners.

• Significance: Lost power as Russian tsars centralized control.

Caravel

• Definition: A small ship developed by Portugal in the 15th century for exploration.

• Significance: Enabled European exploration and colonization.

Carrack

• Definition: A large merchant ship in European waters from the 14th to 17th century.

• Significance: Inspired ships used by Spain to transport wealth from the Americas.

Cartography

• Definition: The science and art of map-making.

• Significance: Improved mapping encouraged global exploration.

Casta System

• Definition: A racial classification system in Hispanic America and the Philippines.

• Significance: Controlled social order, affecting people’s roles and taxes.

Catholic (Counter) Reformation

• Definition: The Catholic Church’s response to stop the spread of Protestantism.

• Significance: Led to new efforts to attract converts and minor changes in the church.

Chattel Slavery

• Definition: People owned as property and bought, sold, or inherited.

• Significance: Expanded the plantation economy and fueled racial tensions.

Columbian Exchange

• Definition: Exchange of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Americas and Europe.

• Significance: Brought new foods to Europe but led to a decline in Native American populations.

Creoles

• Definition: White people of European descent born in the Americas.

• Significance: Seen as inferior to Europeans born in Europe.

Devshirme

• Definition: Ottoman system where non-Muslim children were taken to serve as soldiers or officials.

• Significance: Helped maintain control over diverse groups in the Ottoman Empire.

Encomienda System

• Definition: A labor system that forced Native Americans to work on land for Spanish settlers.

• Significance: Harsh conditions led to a reliance on African slaves.

Hacienda System

• Definition: Large estates primarily used for farming.

• Significance: Created a peasant labor system that led to revolts.

Indentured Servitude

• Definition: Europeans worked for a period in exchange for passage to the Americas.

• Significance: Used before African slave labor became widespread.

Joint-Stock Companies

• Definition: Companies funded by investors, reducing risk for exploration (e.g., Dutch East India Company).

• Significance: Helped European countries grow wealthier and more powerful.

Kingdom of Kongo

• Definition: A central African kingdom that traded slaves with Europe.

• Significance: Tried to control the slave trade to limit its effects.

Lateen Sail

• Definition: A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail against the wind.

• Significance: Brought about by Islamic and Asian influence on European technology.

Manchus/Qing Dynasty (1636-1912)

• Definition: Northern nomads who established a dynasty in China.

• Significance: Controlled trade with Europeans and limited Chinese freedoms.

Maroon Societies

• Definition: Communities formed by runaway slaves who defended themselves with guerrilla warfare.

• Significance: Showed successful resistance to slavery in the Americas.

Mercantilism

• Definition: An economic policy aiming to export more than import to accumulate wealth.

• Significance: Drove European competition for colonies.

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)

• Definition: Chinese dynasty known for reviving Confucian traditions and trade.

• Significance: Later withdrew from global trade, leaving room for European dominance.

Mita System

• Definition: Incan labor tax system later used by the Spanish in silver mines.

• Significance: Fueled silver mining in South America.

Mughal-Maratha Wars (1680-1707)

• Definition: Conflicts where the Hindu Marathas resisted Mughal control in India.

• Significance: Weakened Mughal rule and opened India to British influence.

Ottoman Tax Farming

• Definition: System where people collected taxes for the government and kept a share.

• Significance: Reduced influence of Ottoman landholding nobles.

Ottoman-Safavid Conflict

• Definition: A 100-year conflict between Sunni Ottomans and Shiite Safavids over territory.

• Significance: Fostered Iranian nationalism as a Shiite state.

Plantation Economy

• Definition: Economy in the Americas reliant on large estates and slave labor for crops.

• Significance: Increased demand for slave labor.

Protestant Reformation

• Definition: Movement to reform the Catholic Church that led to the split into Protestantism.

• Significance: Sparked religious competition in America.

Reconquista

• Definition: Christian drive to expel Muslims and Jews from Spain.

• Significance: Created a basis for religious conflict in Spain.

Salaried Samurai

• Definition: Samurai paid to work as government officials under the Tokugawa Shogunate.

• Significance: Reduced the power of traditional samurai warriors.

Sikhism

• Definition: A religion blending Hindu and Islamic beliefs, founded in the 1500s.

• Significance: Opposed by the Mughal Empire, creating lasting religious tensions.

Silver

• Definition: A valuable resource mined in the Americas, especially in Mexico and Peru.

• Significance: Became the first global currency, boosting world trade.

Single-Whip Tax System

• Definition: Ming Dynasty policy collecting taxes in silver.

• Significance: Increased China’s need for silver and trade with Europe.

Sultanate of Oman

• Definition: Trade kingdom in the Middle East with strong Indian Ocean connections.

• Significance: Resisted Portuguese control and dominated East African trade.

Syncretism

• Definition: Blending of different cultural or religious beliefs.

• Significance: Created unique cultural identities in the Americas and other colonies.

Tokugawa Shogunate

• Definition: Japanese military government that brought 300 years of peace.

• Significance: Limited European trade and centralized Japanese power.

Trading Post Empire

• Definition: Portuguese system of controlling trade routes without occupying land.

• Significance: Increased European influence in global trade.

Versailles Palace

• Definition: A grand palace built by Louis XIV of France to showcase his power.

• Significance: Symbol of monarchial power.

Volta del Mar

• Definition: A navigation technique used by Portuguese sailors.

• Significance: Allowed Europeans to navigate the Atlantic trade routes.

Wahhabism

• Definition: A strict Islamic movement seeking to return to traditional practices.

• Significance: Challenged the Ottoman Empire’s control over Islam.

Zamindar System

• Definition: Indian landowners under the Mughals who collected taxes.

• Significance: Declined under British rule as the British took over