Unit 2 Vocab Flashcards
Genghis Khan
The founder and first Great Khan and Emperor of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous Empire in history. He earned the reputation of a terrifying Warrior, he was brutally kill resistors.
Temuchin or Temujin
The Mongol leader born in 1162. He built several alliances and defeated groups one by one. He gathered the Mongol Chieftains and was elected Khan of the Mongolian Kingdom.
Kublai Khan
He was the grandson of Genghis Khan. He set his sights on China. He defeated the Chinese 11 years after becoming Great Khan. Under him cultural exchange and trade improved and women one more independent.
Mansa Musa
Sundiata’s grand-nephew, he brought fame to the region. He displayed Mali’s wealth by having an extravagant caravan to Arabia, consisting of 100 camels, 1000’s of slaves and soldiers. He deepened the support of Islam in Mali.
Kashgar
A center of Islamic scholarship, supplied for merchants traveling on the Silk Roads. Declined after a series of conquests by nomadic invaders and in 1389-90 was ravaged by Tamerlane.
Constantinople
The capital of the Byzantine Empire. Constantinople was invaded during the Fourth Crusade, the bubonic plague killed about half the population, and they were conquered by the Ottomans.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu was a trading society. Itself and Gao accumulated the most wealth and developed into center of Muslim life in the region. By the 1500’s, books created and sold in Timbuktu brought higher prices than most goods.
Djinguereber Mosque
A mosque in Timbuktu, its design is accredited to Abu Es Hay Saheli who was paid 200 kg of gold by emperor of the Mali emperor. It was built with earthen bricks and has space for 2000 people, they would pray here, it still stands today.
Mali
Mali was prosperous due to the gold trade and taxing entering trade. Sundiata was Mali’s founding ruler. Mali connected West and North Africa through trade. Spread Islam in West Africa.
Spice Islands
The spice islands were in Modern-day Malaysia and Indonesia. Spices that came from there were fragrant nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
Swahili City-States
Along the east coast of Africa. The traders of the Zanj coast sold ivory, gold, and enslaved people to their Arab trading partners, as well as more exotic goods such as tortoise shells, peacock feathers and rhinoceros horns. In exchange, the “Zanj” cities acquired Chinese porcelain, Indian cotton and manufactured ironwork.
Yam System
A postal relay system developed by the Mongols. A Khan would send a message to a dispatcher, or paidze. The paidze gave its carrier the right to many forms of aid within the Mongol territory, such as the right to exchange tired riding animals for rested ones at the regularly placed relay stations.
Yassa
Genghis Khan code of laws. Yassa or tribal law of Genghis Khan to apply as the law of the Mongol state, in opposition, or side by side with the law of Islam.
Hanseatic League
The league controlled trade in the North sea and the Baltic sea, the members drove out pirates and monopolized trade in goods such as timber, grain, leather, and salted fish.
Silk Roads
A network of trade routes which connected the East and West, and was central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions. It generated trade and commerce between a number of different kingdoms and empires.
Banking Houses
These European banks developed during the Middle Ages to aid trade. Banking houses supported the development of inter-regional trade in luxury goods. This is what the merchants used to store money and use flying cash.
Yurt
Yurts were circular shaped tents, they resist heavy winds. Genghis Khan and the Mongols live in yurts. They favored simplicity so they abandoned fancy palaces and live in more permanent structures.
Sinification
The process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly Han-Chinese culture, language, societal norms, and ethnic identity.
Lateen
Arab sailors invented the triangular lateen sails that they used, but the sails were popular because sailors found that the triangular shape could easily catch winds coming from many different directions.
Junk
Developed in the Han Dynasty, it was a boat similar to the southwest Asian dhow. It had multiple sails and was as long as 400 feet. The hull was divided into compartments. The walls making these divisions strengthened the ship for rough voyages at sea and made sinking less likely.
Astrolabe
Improved by Muslims navigators in the 12th century, allowed sailors to determine how far north or south they were from the equator. It was a tool used for astronomical measurements.
Camel saddles
There was as many as 15 types of camel saddles for different purposes. The most important was the semi-nomadic saddle which allowed camels to carry heavy loads of goods in trade.
Trans Saharan Slave Trade
Conducted across the Saharan Desert, it was a web of commercial interactions between the Arab world and Sub-Saharan Africa. Gold was the most precious commodity. Islam was also brought through the trade.
Flying Cash
China had a money economy and used the system of flying cash. It allowed for the merchants to deposit money at one location and withdraw money from a different location.
Rudder
The rudder was developed by Chinese scientist, during the Han Dynasty. It helped aid navigation and ship control along the seas. It gave ships more stability and made them easier to maneuver.
Indian Ocean Slave Trade
Enslaved people from eastern Africa were sold to buyers in northern Africa, the Middle East, and India. Slave developed communities and worked alongside free laborers. Those in Islamic communities had a certain rights.
