Download AP World History Postclassical Era (Period 3) Vocabulary *Note: the

AP World History Postclassical Era (Period 3) Vocabulary
*Note: the numbers at the beginning of each term are Quizlet flashcard numbers
*Note: the numbers at the end of each definition designate its place in the queue on Quizlet
254222896 Ka'ba holiest place in Islam, a cube-shaped building 0
254222897 Islamization a society's conversion to Islam 1
254222898 Iconoclasm a challenge to or overturning of traditional beliefs, customs, and values, any movement against
the religious use of images 2
254222899 Romanesque relating to Roman culture 3
254222900 Hierarchy the organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body 4
254222901 Five Pillars of Faith the essential duties of Muslims must fulfill; faith, prayer, alms, fasting and pilgrimage 5
254222902 Sahel The plains and savannah south of the Sahara in Africa 6
254222903 Body of Civil Law Justinian's codification of Roman law; made Roman law a coherent basis for political and
economic life. 7
254222904 Quipu knotted cords of various lengths and colors used by the Inca to keep financial records 8
254222905 Imperialism the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of
acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. 9
254222906 Bantu migration the movement of the Bantu peoples southward throghout Africa, spreading their language
and culture, from around 500 b.c. to around A.D 1000 10
254222907 Black Death the epidemic form of bubonic plague experienced during the Middle Ages when it killed nearly
half the people of western Europe 11
254222908 Bureaucracy system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials 12
254222909 Ali the fourth caliph of Islam. Islam was divided after his death into Shi'a and Sunni 13
254222910 Abu Bakr first caliph after death of Muhammad 14
254222911 Uthman Third caliph and member of Umayyad clan; murdered by mutinous warriors returning from Egypt;
death set off civil war in Islam between followers of Ali and the Umayyad clan 15
254222912 Sunni A branch of Islam whose members acknowledge the first four caliphs as the rightful successors of
Muhammad 16
254222913 Shi'a the branch of Islam whose members acknowledge Ali and his descendants as the rightful successors
of Muhammad 17
254222914 Malawi South African nation 18
254222915 Allah Muslim name for the one and only God 19
254222916 Tsars A Russian term for "Caesar" or ruler; the authoritarian rulers of the Russian empire before its
collapse in the 1917 revolution 20
254222917 Clovis King of Franks; conquered Gaul; earned support of Gaul and Church of Rome by converting; Ruled
lands in Frankish custom but kept Roman legacy 21
254222918 Vassals lesser lords who pledged their service and loyalty to a greater lord -- in a military capacity 22
254222919 Peter Abelard a major philosopher of scholasticism who taught at the University of Paris and put reason
above faith- he wrote a book called " sic et non" (yes and no) with 150 statements on theology and ethics(1079-1142)
23
254222920 Aztecs (1200-1521) 1300, they settled in the valley of Mexico. Grew corn. Engaged in frequent warfare to
conquer others of the region. Worshipped many gods (polytheistic). Believed the sun god needed human blood to
continue his journeys across the sky. Practiced human sacrifices and those sacrificed were captured warriors from
other tribes and those who volunteered for the honor. 24
254222921 Pachacuti Ruler of Inca society from 1438 to 1471; launched a series of military campaigns that gave Incas
control of the region from Cuzco to the shores of Lake Titicaca 25
254222922 Samurai a Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy 26
254222923 Taira Powerful Japanese family in 11th and 12th centuries; competed with the Minamota family; defeated
after the Gempei Wars. 27
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254222924 Kublai Khan Mongolian emperor of China and grandson of Genghis Khan who completed his grandfather's
conquest of China. Established the Yuan Dynasty in China, based in Beijing 28
254222925 Buyids Persian invaders of the 10th century; captured Baghdad and acted as sultans through Abbasid
figureheads 29
254222926 Seljuk Turks nomadic Turks from Asia who conquered Baghdad in 1055 and allowed the caliph to remain
only as a religious leader. they governed strictly 30
254222927 Saladin (1137-1193) Powerful Muslim ruler during Third Crusade, defeated Christians at Hattin took
Jerusalem 31
254222928 Sufis a mystical Muslim group that believed they could draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, and a
simple life 32
254222929 Chinggis Khan (Temujin)- born in 1170s in decades following death of Kabul Khan; elected khagan of all
Mongol tribes in 1206; responsible for conquest of northern kingdoms of China, territories as far west as the Abbasid
regions; died in 1227 prior to conquest of most of the Islamic world. Created largest land empire ever. 33
254222930 Mamluks Under the Islamic system of military slavery, Turkic military slaves who formed an important part
of the armed forces of the Abbasid Caliphate of the ninth and tenth centuries. Mamluks eventually founded their own
state, ruling Egypt and Syria (1250-1517) 34
254222931 Mansa the tittle for a ruler in the Mali Empire of western Africa 35
254222932 Vikings one of a seafaring Scandinavian people who raided the coasts of northern and western Europe
from the eighth through the tenth century. 36
254222933 Charles Martel Carolingian monarch of Franks; responsible for defeating Muslims in battle of Tours in 732;
ended Muslim threat to western Europe. 37
254222934 William the Conqueror the duke of Normandy, a province of France, and the leader of the Norman
Conquest of England. He defeated the English forces (led by Harold) at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and became the
first Norman King of England. 38
254222935 Thomas Aquinas influential scholastic thinker (1225-1274) wrote Summa Theologica, recognized faith and
reason as overlapping realms of knowledge 39
254222936 Callpulli Clans in Aztec society, later expanded to include residential groups that distributed land and
provided labor and warriors. 40
254222937 Hernan Cortes Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547) 41
254222938 Shoguns For 700 years, Japan was under the rule of the Japanese military leaders known as shoguns. 42
254222939 Minamoto Defeated the rival Taira family in Gempei Wars and established military government (bakufu) in
12th century Japan 43
254222940 White Lotus Society Secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty in China; typical of
peasant resistance to Mongol rule 44
254222941 Sundiata the founder of Mali empire. He crushed his enemies and won control of the gold trade routes 45
254222942 Ibn Battuta Moroccan 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. (p. 373) 46
254222943 Justinian Byzantine emperor in the 6th century A.D. who reconquered much of the territory previously ruler
by Rome, initiated an ambitious building program , including Hagia Sofia, as well as a new legal code 47
254222944 Cyril and Methodius Byzantine missionaries sent to convert eastern Europe and the Balkans; responsible
for creating the Slavic written script called Cyrillic. 48
254222945 Vladimir I Ruler of Russian kingdom of Kiev from 980 to 1015; converted kingdom to Christianity 49
254222946 Constantine Emperor of Rome who adopted the Christian faith and stopped the persecution of Christians
(280-337) 50
254222947 Huns Warlike people who migrated from Eastern Europe into territory controlled by Germanic tribes,
forcing them to move into areas controlled by Rome 51
254222948 Serfs Workers who were tied to the land on which they lived 52
254222949 Charlemagne Frankish king who conquered most of Europe and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by
Pope Leo III in the year 800. He was a great patron of education 53
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254222950 Pope Urban II pope who called for the first crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the Muslims 54
254222951 Ferdinand and Isabella Marriage uniting Aragon and Castile. Together carried out Reconquista and
Inquisition of Spain. 55
254222952 Incas Ancient civilization (1200-1500AD) that was located in the Andes in Peru 56
254222953 Fujiwara Japanese aristocratic family in mid-9th century; exercised exceptional influence over imperial
affairs; aided in decline of imperial power. 57
254222954 Daimyo a Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai 58
254222955 Khmers also known as Cambodians; established societies in Mekong River Basin. Their Indianized society
was based on agricultural, fishing, and commerce. 59
254222956 Carolingians Royal house of Franks after 8th century until their replacement in 10th century. 60
254222957 Mahayana Buddhism The more mystical and larger of the two main Buddhist sects, this one originated in
India in the 400s CE and gradually found its way north to the Silk road and into Central and East Asia. 61
254222958 (Chan) Zen Buddhism school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through
meditation and intuition rather than faith 62
254222959 Neo-Confucianism term that describes the resurgence of Confucianism and the influence of Confucian
scholars during the T'ang Dynasty; a unification of Daoist or Buddhist metaphysics with Confucian pragmatism 63
254222960 Eastern Orthodox Christianity Eastern branch of Christianity that evolved following the division of the
Roman Empire and the subsequent development of the Byzantine Empire in the east and the medieval European
society in the west. The church recognized the primacy of the patriarch of Constantinople. 64
254222961 Roman Catholicism A branch of Christianity that developed in the western Roman Empire and that
recognized the Pope as its supreme head 65
254222962 Nestorians followers of the Theologian Nestoris who lived in the early fifth century and emphasized the
human as opposed to the divine nature of Jesus. Found in Asia 66
254222963 Jihad a holy struggle or war by a Muslim for a moral or spiritual or political goal 67
254222964 Crusades 1096 Christian Europe aim to reclaim Jerusalem and aid they Byzantines; 1st success and the
rest a failure; weakens the Byzantines; opens up trade 68
254222965 Ridda Wars Wars that followed Muhammad's death in 632; resulted in defeat of rival prophets and some of
larger clans; restored unity of Islam 69
254222966 Hundred Years War Series of campaigns over control of the throne of France, involving English and
French royal families and French noble families. (1337-1453). The French win. 70
254222967 Gempei Wars Series of wars fought, (1180-85), final struggle in Japan between the Taira and Minamoto
clans that resulted in the Minamoto's establishment of the Kamakura shogunate, a military dictatorship that dominated
Japan from 1192 to 1333. 71
254222968 Dhows Arab sailing vessels with triangular or lateen sails; strongly influenced European ship design 72
254222969 Hadith (Islam) a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions
73
254222970 Grand Canal The 1,100-mile (1,700-kilometer) waterway linking the Yellow and the Yangzi Rivers. It was
begun in the Han period and completed during the Sui Empire. (p. 277) 74
254222971 Lateen Sails Triangle-shaped sails whose design allowed ships to sail against the wind. These sails were
perfected by Arab traders. 75
254222972 Arabic Numerals A written number system created during the Gupta golden age in India, then adopted by
the Islamic Empire before spreading further. Used throughout western civilization today. 76
254222973 Flying money Paper money that was first used in China in the 9th century AD. Originally it was called 'flying
money' (fei-chien) because it could blow out of your hand. To start with it was used by merchants as a note of
exchange, but the government soon caught onto the idea and used it for forwarding tax payments. Real paper money
backed by deposited money started in the 10th century. 77
254222974 Cyrillic Alphabet An alphabet for the writing of Slavic languages, devised in the ninth century A.D. by Saints
Cyril and Methodius 78
AP World History Postclassical Era (Period 3) Vocabulary page 4
254222975 Greek Fire Byzantine weapon consisting of mixture of chemicals (petroleum, quicklime, sulfur) that ignited
when exposed to water; utilized to drive back Arab fleets that attacked Constantinople 79
254222976 Seppuku Ritual suicide or disembowelment in Japan; commonly known in West as hari-kari; demonstrated
courage and a means to restore family honor. 80
254222977 Abbasid dynasty that overthrew the Umayyad to rule the Muslim caliphate from 750 to 1258; for 150 years
they maintained the unity of the caliphate and Islamic civilization and culture flourished 81
254222978 Umayyad the first dynasty of Arab caliphs whose capital was Damascus 82
254222979 Sudanic States States trading to north Africa and mixing Islamic and indigenous ways. 83
254222980 Ghana First known kingdom in sub-Saharan West Africa between the sixth and thirteenth centuries C.E.
Flourished on the gold and salt trade 84
254222981 Sui Dynasty Chinese dynasty that reunified China after a long period of darkness brought about by the fall
of the Han. Quickly succeeded by the Tang Dynasty 85
254222982 Holy Roman Empire Loose federation of mostly German states and principalities, headed by an emperor
elected by the princes. It lasted from 962 to 1806. (pp. 260, 449) 86
254222983 Mali Empire created by indigenous Muslims in western Sudan of West Africa from the thirteenth to fifteenth
century. It was famous for its role in the trans-Saharan gold trade. 87
254222984 Songhay successor state to Mali; dominated middle reaches of Niger valley; formed as independent
kingdom under a Berber dynasty; capital at Gao; reached imperial status under Sunni Ali 88
254222985 Benin In forest of Niger delta, rulers called oba (also descents of Ife), major trade center, had sculptures,
ivory furs, died out because of slave trade. 89
254222986 Northern/Southern Song Dynasty after the Tang Dynasty that was forced to relocate to the south after
losing power 90
254222987 Mongols a large collection of nomadic tribes that lived north of china in the "steppes" who were later united
by Genghis Khan. They formed the largest land empire in history under him 91
254222988 Kongo Kingdom based on agriculture; formed on the lower Congo River by late 15th century; capital at
Mbanza Kongo; ruled by hereditary monarchy 92
254222989 Zimbabwe a country of southern Africa. Various Bantu peoples migrated into the area during the first
millennium, displacing the earlier San inhabitants 93
254222990 Axum trading center, and powerful ancient kingdom in northern present-day Ethiopia 94
254222991 Tang Dynasty dynasty often referred to as China's Golden age that reigned during 618 - 907 AD; China
expands from Vietnam to Manchuria 95
254222992 Byzantine Empire Historians' name for the eastern portion of the Roman Empire from the fourth century
onward, taken from 'Byzantion,' an early name for Constantinople, the Byzantine capital city. The empire fell to the
Ottomans in 1453. (250) 96