Chapter 15: Empires in South and Southwest Asia- Vocab

Question 1

Akbar

Answer 1

1542–1605 C.E. The third Mughal emperor who ruled from 1556–1605 and was known for his religious tolerance.

Question 2

Aurangzeb

Answer 2

1618–1707 C.E. The sixth Mughal emperor, who ruled for forty-nine years over almost all of the Indian subcontinent.

Question 3

Babur

Answer 3

1483–1530 C.E. Central Asian descendant of Chinggis Khan and Tamerlane who founded the Mughal dynasty in northern India in 1526.

Question 4

(battle of) Chaldiran

Answer 4

A battle in 1514 where the Ottomans (with a technological/military advantage) fought the Safavids, who suffered greatly and had their capital at Tabriz temporarily occupied. However, the Ottomans couldn’t destroy the state, and the two empires remained in conflicct for the next 200 years.

Question 5

Devshirme

Answer 5

Ottoman requirement that the Christians in the Balkans provide young boys to be slaves of the sultan.

Question 6

Dhimmi

Answer 6

Islamic concept of a protected people that was symbolic of Islamic toleration during the Mughal and Ottoman empires.

Question 7

Fatehpur Sikri

Answer 7

The capital of the Mughal Empire from 1569 to 1585 (deserted due to poor water supply). It was built by Akbar, commemorating his conquest of Gujarat, and had a mint, records office, treasury, audience hall, and private retreat for the ruler.

Question 8

Ghazi

Answer 8

Islamic religious warrior.

Question 9

Isfahan

Answer 9

Capital city of the Safavid Empire (modern Iran), founded by Shah Abbas in the early seventeenth century.

Question 10

Ismail

Answer 10

Reigned 1501–1524. Founder of the Safavid dynasty in modern Iran.

Question 11

Istanbul

Answer 11

The capital of the Ottoman Empire, a bustling and prosperous city with the Topkapi palace.

Question 12

Jahangir

Answer 12

A Mughal emperor who let his wife Nur Jahan run the government.

Question 13

Janissaries

Answer 13

Highly respected, elite infantry units of the Ottoman Empire, who formed the first modern standing army in Europe. Jati Indian word for a Hindu subcaste.

Question 14

Jizya

Answer 14

Tax in Islamic empires that was imposed on non-Muslims.

Question 15

Kanun

Answer 15

Laws issued by the Ottoman Süleyman the Magnificent, also known as Süleyman Kanuni, “the Lawgiver.”

Question 16

Mehmed the Conqueror

Answer 16

AKA Mehmed II, an Ottoman ruler from 1451 to 1481 who captured Constantinople in 1453 and made it the new Ottoman capital. He presented himself as a warrior-sultan and ruler of Europe and Asia, with a centralized monarchy.

Question 17

Millet

Answer 17

An autonomous, self-governing community in the Ottoman empire.

Question 18

Mughal Empire

Answer 18

Islamic dynasty that ruled India from the sixteenth through the eighteenth century; the construction of the Taj Mahal is representative of their splendor; with the exception of the enlightened reign of Akbar, the increasing conflict between Hindus and Muslims was another of their legacies.

Question 19

Mumtaz Mahal

Answer 19

The wife of Shah Jahan who died during childbirth in 1631. He built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for her.

Question 20

Osman Bey

Answer 20

1258–1326 c.e. Also known as Osman Gazi. Founder of the Ottoman dynasty and the Ottoman state.

Question 21

Ottoman Empire

Answer 21

Powerful Turkish empire that lasted from the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453 until 1918 and reached its peak during the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566).

Question 22

Qizilbash

Answer 22

Term meaning “red heads,” Turkish tribes that were important allies of Shah Ismail in the formation of the Safavid empire.

Question 23

Safavid Empire

Answer 23

Later Persian empire (1501–1722) that was founded by Shah Ismail and that became a center for Shiism; the empire reached its peak under Shah Abbas the Great and was centered on the capital of Isfahan.

Question 24

Shah Abbas the Great

Answer 24

1571–1629 C.E. Fifth Safavid Shah of Iran who is generally considered the strongest of the Safavid rulers.

Question 25

Shah Jahan

Answer 25

1592–1666 C.E. Fifth Mughal emperor who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz.

Question 26

Shaykh Salim Chishti

Answer 26

The mcathedral mosque and mausoleum of Akbar’s Sufi guru at the center of Fatehpur Sikri, a building with both Islamic and Indian/Hindu elements.

Question 27

Shiism

Answer 27

Branch of Islam that stressed that there were twelve perfect religious leaders after Muhammad and that the twelfth went into hiding and would return someday; Shah Ismail spread this variety through the Safavid empire.

Question 28

Sinan Pasha

Answer 28

The ottoman architect that built the Süleymaniye, blending Islamic and Byzantine architectural elements.

Question 29

Sufis

Answer 29

Islamic mystics who placed more emphasis on emotion and devotion than on strict adherence to rules.

Question 30

Süleyman the Magnificent

Answer 30

Ottoman Turkish ruler Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), who was the most powerful and wealthy ruler of the sixteenth century.

Question 31

Süleymaniye

Answer 31

A religious complex built by Sinan Pasha that combined Islamic and Byzantine architecture (minarets and domes).

Question 32

Sunni

Answer 32

“Traditionalists,” the most popular branch of Islam; Sunnis believe in the legitimacy of the early caliphs, compared with the Shiite belief that only a descendant of Ali can lead.

Question 33

Taj Mahal

Answer 33

A mausoleum built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife that took 20,000 workers for 18 years.

Question 34

Topkapi Palace

Answer 34

A palace in the center of Ottoman Istanbul. It housed government offices, meeting places for imperial councils, and the sultan’s extensive residence with harems, gardens, pavillions, and a repository for sacred posessions.

Question 35

Twelver Shiism

Answer 35

Branch of Islam that stressed that there were twelve perfect religious leaders after Muhammad and that the twelfth went into hiding and would return someday; Shah Ismail spread this variety through the Safavid empire.

Question 36

Wahhabi movement

Answer 36

A revolt by disaffected religious students (and Janissaries) that denounced the Ottomans as dangerous religious innovators.