WHAP Unit 3

• Qing Dynasty


  last imperial dynasty of China; preceded by the Ming Dynasty and succeeded by the People's Republic; founded in 1644 by the Manchus and ruled China for more than 260 years, until 1912; expanded China's borders to include Taiwan, Tibet, Chinese Central Asia, and Mongolia.
• Manchus


  Northeast Asian peoples who defeated the Ming Dynasty and founded the Qing Dynasty in 1644, which was the last of China's imperial dynasties.
• Mughal Empire


  Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of India in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; often had difficulties managing such a large, diverse empire

  
• Ottoman Empire


  Islamic state of Turkic speaking peoples lasting from 1453-1922; conquered the Byzantine Empire in 1453; based at Istanbul (formerly Constantinople); encompassed lands in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caucasus, and eastern Europe.

  
• Safavids


  A Shi'ite Muslim dynasty that ruled in Persia (Iran and parts of Iraq) from the 16th-18th centuries that had a mixed culture of the Persians, Ottomans, and Arabs.

  
• Songhai


  an Islamic West African empire that conquered Mali and controlled trade from the into the 16th century; eventually defeated by the Moroccans who were broke after fighting with Portugal

  
• Devshirme


  'Selection' in Turkish. The system by which boys from Christian communities were taken by the Ottoman state to serve as Janissaries (elite military units)
• Janissary


  elite Ottoman guard (trained as foot soldiers or administrators) recruited from the Christian population through the devshirme system, that often converted to Islam; utilized gunpowder weapons

  
• samurai


  class of salaried warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble called a daimyo (who in turned pledged loyalty to a shogun) in return for land or rice payments

  
• Divine Right


  the idea that monarchs are God's representatives on earth and are therefore answerable only to God.

  
• absolute monarchy


  system of government in which the head of state is a hereditary position and the king or queen has almost complete power

  
• Versailles


  Palace constructed by Louis XIV outside of Paris to glorify his rule and subdue the nobility; late 17th-early 18th century (became his primary residence around 1670)

  
• zamindars


  Mughal empire's taxation system where decentralized lords collected tribute/taxes for the emperor
• Taj Mahal


  beautiful mausoleum (tomb) at Agra (India) built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (completed in 1649) in memory of his favorite wife; illustrates syncretic blend between Indian and Arabic architectural styles
• tax farming


  tax-collection system utilized by the Ottoman Empire to generate money for territorial expansion; the government hired private individuals to collect taxes
• Protestant Reformation


  religious movement begun by German monk Martin Luther who began to question the practices of the Catholic Church beginning in 1519; split the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the 'protesters' forming several new Christian denominations: Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican Churches (among many others)

  
• 95 Theses


  arguments written by Martin Luther against the Catholic church. They were posted on October 31, 1517; ultimately led to Martin Luther's excommunication and the Protestant Reformation
• Martin Luther


  a German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1517, he wrote 95 theses, or statements of belief attacking the church practices; began the Protestant Reformation

  
• Counter/Catholic Reformation


  the reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation; reaffirming the veneration of saints and the authority of the Pope (to which Protestants objected), ended sale of indulgences and simony, created Jesuits missionaries, but also the began the Inquisition
• Jesuits


  Also known as the Society of Jesus; a teaching and missionary order to resist the spread of Protestantism (a result of the Counter Reformation); sent to China, Japan, and the New World to gain Catholic converts

  
• indulgence


  a pardon given by the Roman Catholic Church in return for repentance for sins and payment; "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins"

  
• Simony


  the buying and selling of church offices, seen as a corrupt practice, this practice was outlawed by the Catholic Church during the Counter Reformation
• Inquisition


  Roman Catholic tribunal for investigating and prosecuting charges of heresy, a reaction to the Protestant Reformation

  
• Thirty Years War


  a war that resulted from the Protestant Reformation (1618-1648 CE); occurred in the Holy Roman Empire between German Protestants and their allies (Sweden, Denmark, France) and the emperor and his ally, Spain who supported Roman Catholicism; ended in 1648 after great destruction with Treaty of Westphalia

  
• John Calvin


  1509-1564. French theologian who developed the Christian theology known as Calvinism; attracted Protestant followers with his teachings; believed in predestination

  
• Sikhism


  the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and combining elements of Hinduism and Islam; a result of the presence of the Mughal Empire in India

  
• Shogunate


  Japanese system of government under a shogun (military warlord), who exercised actual power while the emperor was reduced to a figurehead

  
• Daimyo


  Japanese feudal lord who commanded a private army of samurai; owed allegiance to the shogun

  
• Jizya


  tax paid by Christians and Jews (and sometimes other faiths) who lived in Muslim communities to allow them to continue to practice their own religion; often utilized by Islamic states to manage diverse populations within their empires
• Millet System


  A system used by the Ottomans whereby subjects were divided into religious communities, with each millet (nation) enjoying autonomous self-government under its religious leaders; a unique way to manage a diverse empire