Unit 3 Flashcards
Gunpowder Empires
large multiethnic states in Southwest, Central, and South Asia that relied on firearms to conquer and control their territories
Gutenberg printing press
Invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1455; it was used to spread ideas of the Reformation and the Renaissance; First document printed was the Bible; Led to the growth of literacy
Ivan the Terrible
(1533-1584) earned his nickname for his great acts of cruelty directed toward all those with whom he disagreed, even killing his own son. He became the first ruler to assume the title Czar of all Russia
Ming Dynasty
Succeeded Mongol Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted huge trade expeditions to southern Asia and elsewhere, but later concentrated efforts on internal development within China.
Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911 CE), the last imperial dynasty of China which was overthrown by revolutionaries; was ruled by the Manchu people: began to isolate themselves from Western culture
Emperor Qianlong
Chinese emperor who refused to open more trading ports to Europe. He was known for his military skills, love of scholarship, and tolerance.
Tamerlane
A “second Genghis Khan” who united Mongols and led them in a series of conquests. His enemies called him “Prince of Destruction”; he subdued Asia, Persia, Mesopotamia and India. Samarkand.
Ottoman Empire
Islamic state founded by Osman in northwestern Anatolia. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire was based at Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) from 1453-1922. It encompassed lands in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe.
Mehmed II
Ottoman sultan called the “Conqueror”; responsible for conquest of Constantinople in 1453; destroyed what remained of Byzantine Empire.
Suleiman I
Sultan of Ottoman Empire; a fair ruler who expanded holdings and reconstructed legal system
Safavid Empire
Turkish-ruled Iranian kingdom (1502-1722) established by Ismail Safavi, who declared Iran a Shi’ite state.
Shah Abbas
Took the Safavid Empire into its golden age, created an empire that took the best out of all neighboring cultures including Ottomans and Persians, reformed military and civilian life in the empire
Mughal Empire
Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Akbar
The most famous Muslim ruler of India during the period of Mughal rule. Famous for his religious tolerance, his investment in rich cultural feats, and the creation of a centralized governmental administration, which was not typical of ancient and post-classical India.
Divine right of kings
Doctrine that states that the right of ruling comes from God and not people’s consent
English Bill of Rights
1689 laws protecting the rights of English subjects and Parliament
Absolutism
A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
King Louis XIV
French king known as the Sun King. Reigned from 1643 to 1715
boyars
Russian landholding aristocrats; possessed less political power than their western European counterparts
Ivan IV
“The Terrible”; Russian ruler; cruel and tyrannical; murdered nobility; extremely paranoid (killed his own son); taxed people heavily; took title of “czar”
Peter the Great
(1672-1725) Russian tsar (r. 1689-1725). He enthusiastically introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite, moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg.
devshirme
Ottoman policy of taking boys from Christian peoples to be trained as Muslim soldiers
Janissaries
Christian boys taken from families, converted to Islam, and then rigorously trained to serve the sultan
daimyo
A Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai
