unit 1/2 set Flashcards
an inn in some Eastern countries with a large courtyard that provides accommodation for caravans
caravanerai
An instrument used by sailors to determine their location by observing the position of the stars and planets
astralobe
Poll tax that non-Muslims had to pay when living within a Muslim empire
jizya
a high government official in ancient Egypt or in Muslim countries
vizier
nomadic people from central Asia (Turco-Persian) who converted to Islam and took command of the empire in 1055
seljuk turks
was a medieval Muslim territory and cultural domain occupying at its peak most of what are today Spain and Portugal.
muslim iberia
small groups of nomadic people in Arabia
bedouins
the Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)
muhammad
the stone cubical structure in the courtyard of the Great Mosque of Mecca, believed to have been built by Abraham and regarded by Muslims as the sacred center of the earth
ka’ba
the system of Islamic law, based on varying degrees of interpretation of the Qu’ran
sharia law
A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims
hajj
A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs (Abu Bakr) as the rightful successors of Muhammad
sunni
A muslim group that accepts only the descendants of Muhammad’s son in law (Ali) as the rulers of Islam.
shi’ite
A member of the more mystical third sect of Islam famous for their dance and their poetry. They sought a direct connection with god through a more mystical means.
sufi
Muslim house of worship
mosque
towers attached to the outside of a mosque, from where a crier calls Muslims to worship
minarets
Literally “people of the book”; applied as inclusive term to Jews and Christians in Islamic territories; later extended to Zoroastrians and even Hindus & Buddhists
dhimmi
Ship of small to moderate size used in the western Indian Ocean, traditionally with a triangular sail and a sewn timber hull.
dhow
The holy book of Islam
koran
the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants.
harem
Centralized Indian empire of varying extent, created by Muslim invaders.
delhi sultanate
A cult of love and devotion that sought to erase the distinction between Hinduism and Islam during the 12th century.
bhakti cult
African societies organized around kinship or other forms of obligation and lacking the concentration of political power and authority associated with states
stateless society
Formed in 1240 when Sundiata took control of Ghana Empire. It controlled trade across Sahara, the South and the Niger River.
mali empire
Ruler of Mali (r.1312-1337 CE) who made a hajj to Mecca; on the way there, he spread enormous amounts of gold showing the wealth of Mali; on the way back, he brought back education and Islamic culture.
mansa musa
Port city of Mali; located just off the flood plain on the great bend in the Niger River; population of 50,000; contained a library and university.
timbuktu
A Muslim port city in East Africa founded between the eighth and tenth centuries; today it is the capital of Somalia.
mogadishu
A city-state found on east African coast(Zenj); fishing limited trade from 800-1000; turned to agriculture, increased trade in pottery and stoneware; major trading center by 14th century
kilwa
City, now in ruins (in the modern African country of Zimbabwe), whose many stone structures were built between about 1250 and 1450, when it was a trading center and the capital of a large state.
great zimbabwe
Church established in western Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages with its head being the bishop of Rome or pope.
roman catholic church
Head of the Roman Catholic Church
pope
An economic system based on the manor and lands including a village and surrounding acreage which were administered by a lord; peasants could work for land. It developed during the Middle Ages to increase agricultural production.
manorialism
A type of labor commonly used in feudal systems in which the laborers work the land in return for protection but they are bound to the land and are not allowed to leave or to peruse their a new occupation. This was common in early Medeival Europe as well as in Russia until the mid 19th century.
serfdom
An economic and defensive alliance of the free towns in northern Germany, founded about 1241 and most powerful in the fourteenth century.
hanseatic language
In medieval Europe, an association of men (rarely women), such as merchants, artisans, or professors, who worked in a particular trade and created an organized institution to promote their economic and political interests.
guild
A series of holy wars from 1096-1270 AD undertaken by European Christians to free the Holy Land from Muslim rule.
the crusades
Also called the Black Death; is believed to be the deadly disease that spread through Asia and Europe and killed more than a third of the people in parts of China and Europe.
bubonic plague
Christian followers in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire); split from Roman Catholic Church and shaped life in eastern Europe and western Asia. The Orthodox church believes that the Holy Spirit only proceeds from the Father, whereas the Catholic tradition, believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
eastern orthodox xhurxh
the male head of a family or tribe
patriarch
Laws of the byzantine empire based the twelve tables of Roman law, became a basis for laws in many European nations
justinians code
Built in 7th century during reign of Yangdi during Sui dynasty; designed to link the original centers of Chinese civilization on the north China plain with the Yangtze river basin to the south; nearly 1200 miles long.
grand canal
The Confucian response to Buddhism by taking Confucian and Buddhist beliefs and combining them into this. However, it is still very much Confucian in belief.
neo-confucianism
Quick-maturing rice that can allow two harvests in one growing season. Originally introduced into China as a gift from Vietnam.
champa rice
Practice in Chinese society to mutilate women’s feet in order to make them smaller; produced pain and restricted women’s movement; made it easier to confine women to the household.
foot binding
Enabled merchants to deposit good or cash at one location and draw the equivalent in cash or merchandise elsewhere in China.
flying cash
developed in Song dynasty, made printing easier
moveable type printing
Extensive adoption of Chinese culture in other regions; typical of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
sinification
Title meaning “universal ruler” that was given to the Mongol leader Temujin in 1206 after he united the Mongols.
chinggis khan
The period of approximately 150 years of relative peace and stability created by the Mongol Empire.
pax mongolica
Four regional Mongol kingdoms that arose following the death of Chinggis Khan. (Yuan Dynasty, Ilkhanate, Golden Horde, Chagatai)
mongol khanates
The official name for the Mongolian empire over Russia. Kiev fell to the Mongols and then they controlled southern Russia for 200 years. The capitol of the area was in Sarai. Western most part of the Mongol Empire
khanate of the golden horde
(1279-1368 CE) The dynasty with Mongol rule in China; centralized with bureaucracy but structure is different: Mongols on top->Persian bureaucrats->Chinese bureuacrats.
yuan dynasty
Reigned in China after establishing the Yuan Dynasty; he actively promoted Buddhism; descendant of Chinggis Khan.
khubilai khan
An imperial eunuch and Muslim, entrusted by the Ming emperor Yongle with a series of state voyages that took his gigantic ships through the Indian Ocean, from Southeast Asia to Africa.
zhenge he
794 to 1185 AD, a period in Japan were there was a power struggle between those who favored a strong central emperor and those who wanted nobles to rule, during this time there was “disguised rule”, (794-1185) ruled by the Fujiwara family
heian era
Religion located in Japan and related to Buddhism. Shintoism focuses particularly on nature and ancestor worship.
shintoism
A general who ruled Japan in the emperor’s name
shogun
Class of warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land.
samurai
Central American empire constructed by the Mexica and expanded greatly during the fifteenth century during the reigns of Itzcoatl and Motecuzoma I.
aztec empire
Raised fields constructed along lake shores in
chinampas
The vast and sophisticated Peruvian empire centered at the capital city of Cuzco that was at its peak from 1438 until 1532
inca empire
Labor extracted for lands assigned to the state and the religion; all communities were expected to contribute; an essential aspect of Inca imperial control.
mit’a
(1304-1369) Morrocan Muslim scholar, the most widely traveled individual of his time. He wrote a detailed account of his visits to Islamic lands from China to Spain and the western Sudan. His writings gave a glimpse into the world of that time period.
ibn battuta
(1254-1324) Italian explorer and author. He made numerous trips to China and returned to Europe to write of his journeys. He is responsible for much of the knowledge exchanged between Europe and China during this time period.
marco polo
English Christian mystic, known for writing through dictation The Book of Margery Kempe, a work considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language. Her book chronicles her domestic tribulations, her extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land, as well as her mystical conversations with God.
margery kempe
