APWH UNIT 3 REFERENCE SHEET

Causes/Ways of Expansion

  • Monarchies gained power due to the end of the Medieval Period, leading to increased literacy and centralization. New monarchies emerged in the 1500s, such as the Tudors in England, the Valois in France, and Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in Spain. Monarchs funded overseas explorations and established colonies.

  • Ivan IV of Russia expanded eastward, gaining control of the Volga River using gunpowder and Cossacks. Expansion continued into Siberia.

  • The Ming Dynasty in China expanded into Mongolian territory and restored the Great Wall. Emperor Kangxi (Qing Dynasty) expanded to Taiwan, Mongolia, and Central Asia.

  • Tamerlane's expansion using gunpowder led to the emergence of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires.

    • Mehmed II (Ottoman Empire) captured Constantinople.

    • Babur's conquests led to the creation of the Mughal Empire.

Administration/Governance

  • Bureaucracies increased, and the middle class grew in power. Lords and churches began to lose power. England saw the rise of justices of the peace and Parliament.

  • France centralized power under Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu, with intendants collecting taxes. Louis XIV established absolutism and kept nobles at Versailles.

  • Ivan IV moved Boyars to Moscow and used the oprichnina (secret police).

  • Peter the Great reorganized Russia into provinces and created a senate.

  • The Qing Dynasty brought back the civil service exam.

  • Japan evolved from military-sponsored families to central governing under leaders like Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

  • Ottoman Empire used the devshirme system to staff military and government.

  • Mughal Empire used centralized government and civil service; zamindars were government officials.

  • Safavid Empire used Shi’a Islam to control religion and political structure.

Belief Systems

  • Protestant Reformation:

    • Lutheranism: Martin Luther's 95 Theses.

    • Calvinism: John Calvin's emphasis on simplicity and hard work.

    • Anglicanism: King Henry VIII created the Church of England.

  • Counter Reformation:

    • Inquisition increased.

    • Jesuits spread missionary activity.

    • Council of Trent corrected corrupt practices.

  • Scientific Revolution: Empiricism (Francis Bacon), Isaac Newton (gravitational force).

  • Orthodox Church unified Russia; Peter the Great incorporated the Church into the government.

  • Mixture of Buddhism and Confucianism in China and Shintoism in Japan.

  • Religious conflicts: Peace of Augsburg, Edict of Nantes, Thirty Years’ War (ended by the Peace of Westphalia).

  • Safavid Empire: Shi’a Islam was a unifying force; intolerance towards other groups.

  • Mughal Empire: Tolerance under Akbar, less tolerance under later rulers.

Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation by posting his 95 Theses, criticizing the Catholic Church's practices. This led to the rise of Lutheranism and significantly influenced the course of the Reformation.

Calvinism: John Calvin's emphasis on simplicity