4.7 Changing Social Hierarchies

• What did Ferdinand and Isabella order regarding Jews in 1492?

  They ordered Jews to depart and never return.
• How did the treatment of Jews in Europe differ from that in the Ottoman Empire?

  Europe expelled Jews, while the Ottoman Empire provided a safe haven.
• Which groups sought power and influence in various civilizations?

  Royalty, nobility, landowners, scholars, and soldiers.
• What social class began to form in some societies during this period?

  A middle class of merchants and artisans began to form.
• Who suffered persecution in France and fled to other countries or colonies?

  The Huguenots, who were French Protestants.
• What was the relationship between military elites and absolutist rulers in the gunpowder empires?

  There was tension between military elites and absolutist rulers.
• What are the three Islamic empires referred to as gunpowder empires?

  The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires.
• What was the Ottoman social system built around?

  A warrior aristocracy that competed for positions in the bureaucracy.
• What role did the Janissaries play in the Ottoman Empire?

  They gained power and prestige and attempted coups against the sultans.
• What was the timar system in the Ottoman Empire?

  A system where the sultan granted land or tax revenues to favored individuals.
• What tax did non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire have to pay?

  The jizya tax.
• How did Akbar the Great contribute to religious toleration in the Mughal Empire?

  He ended the jizya tax and supported various religions.
• What was the role of women in the Ottoman Empire's court?

  They promoted their children as heirs and engaged in "harem politics."
• Who was Roxelana and what was her significance in the Ottoman Empire?

  She was a former slave who became powerful and commissioned public works.
• What did Roxelana's rise to power indicate about social mobility in the Ottoman Empire?

  It showed that it was possible, though rare, to attain a different social class.
• What was the social hierarchy in Moscow during the period discussed?

  The boyars, merchants, and then peasants.
• What was the status of serfs in Russia?

  They were bound to the land and had little personal freedom.
• How did Ivan IV's actions affect the boyars of Novgorod?

  He confiscated their lands and forced them to move to Moscow.
• What led to the development of a new social hierarchy in the Americas?

  The arrival of Europeans, African slave labor, and disease outbreaks.
• What was the casta system in Latin America?

  A social hierarchy based on race and ancestry.
• Who were the peninsulares in the Latin American social hierarchy?

  Those born on the Iberian peninsula.
• What was the significance of the casta system regarding social mobility?

  People could not move up except by intermarriage.
• What did the Spanish do to illustrate the importance of the casta system?

  They commissioned paintings delineating the groups within it.
• What were the two main groups of Jews based on their ancestry?

  Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi Jews.
• How did the scientific revolution and the Enlightenment affect prejudices against Jews?

  Prejudices against Jews declined somewhat.
• What was the primary reason for the decline of the nobility's power in Europe?

  Technological advances allowed rulers to destroy nobles' fortresses.
• What did Louis XIV mean by saying, "I am the state"?

  He believed in the concept of absolute power.
• How did Frederick of Prussia's view of power differ from that of Louis XIV?

  He saw himself as the first servant of the state, not as the state itself.
• What was the impact of the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492?

  Many Jews resettled in areas around the Mediterranean Sea, northern Africa, or the Middle East.
• What was the significance of the Hebrew word "Sepharad"?

  It refers to Spain, where many Jews traced their heritage.
• How did the social hierarchy in the Americas differ from that in Europe?

  It was based on race and ancestry rather than land ownership.
• What were the two main groups of mixed-race ancestry in the casta system?

  Mestizos and mulattoes.
• What was the status of indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans in the casta system?

  They made up the bottom of the hierarchy.
• How did the casta system affect taxation for those at the bottom of the hierarchy?

  They had to pay higher taxes and tributes despite being the least able to afford them.
• What were the key terms related to government and society in the Ottoman Empire?

  • Timar: Land or tax revenue granted by the sultan.
  • Barbary pirates: Pirates from North Africa who captured slaves.
  • Mehmed II: Sultan who invited Jews to Istanbul.
  • Harem: Residence of the sultan's wives and concubines.
  • Impressed: Forced into service, often in the navy.
• What were the key terms related to society in Russia?

  • Roxelana: Powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire.
  • Boyar: Noble landowning class in Russia.
• What were the key terms related to society in the Qing Dynasty?

  • Qing Dynasty: Last imperial dynasty of China.
  • Queues: Braided pigtail hairstyle mandated by the Qing.
  • Manchu: Ethnic group that ruled China during the Qing Dynasty.
• What were the key terms related to society in Europe?

  • Li Chengdong: Han Chinese general involved in massacres.
  • Liu Liangzuo: Han Chinese defector who orchestrated a massacre.
  • Nobility: Wealthy landowning class in Europe.
• What were the key terms related to society in Latin America?

  • Peninsulares: Those born on the Iberian peninsula.
  • Criollo: Those of European ancestry born in the Americas.
  • Castas: People of mixed-race ancestry.
  • Mestizos: Mixed European and indigenous ancestry.
  • Mulattoes: Mixed European and African ancestry.
  • Zambos: Mixed indigenous and African ancestry.