AP World Prep

Song Dynasty innovations

Advances like movable-type printing, gunpowder, and the compass that boosted commerce and state power.

Tributary system

China-centered diplomacy where neighboring states sent tribute in exchange for trade and recognition.

Dar al-Islam

The collective Islamic world linked by faith, law (sharia), and long-distance trade networks.

Ulama

Religious scholars who interpreted Islamic law and served as judges and advisors.

Ghana/Mali/Songhai

West African empires that grew wealthy from controlling trans-Saharan gold and salt trade.

Mansa Musa

Malian ruler whose hajj showcased Mali's wealth and expanded Islam's influence in West Africa.

Swahili city-states

East African port cities that blended African and Islamic culture and profited from Indian Ocean trade.

Great Zimbabwe

Stone-walled city-state tied to gold trade networks in southern Africa.

Feudalism

Decentralized system of land-for-service relationships in Europe and Japan.

Manorialism

Economic system of self-sufficient manors worked by peasants/serfs in medieval Europe.

Vassalage

Mutual obligations between lords and vassals: land in exchange for military service.

Shogunate

Japanese military government led by a shogun while the emperor remained symbolic.

Bushido

Samurai code emphasizing loyalty, honor, and martial skill.

Hindu-Buddhist syncretism

Blending of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs in South and Southeast Asia.

Sufi missionaries

Islamic mystics who spread Islam through trade, teaching, and local adaptation.

Civil service exams

Merit-based exams in China grounded in Confucian texts for government positions.

Neo-Confucianism

Song-era revival of Confucianism that shaped education and governance.

Champa rice

Fast-ripening rice from Vietnam that increased agricultural output in China.

Mexica (Aztec)

Mesoamerican empire known for tribute extraction and the city of Tenochtitlan.

Inca

Andean empire with extensive road systems, mita labor, and centralized rule.

Bhakti movement

Hindu devotional movement that emphasized personal worship and helped spread Hinduism across South Asia.

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that dynastic rule was justified by divine favor and could be lost through misrule.

Srivijaya Empire

Maritime Southeast Asian state that controlled trade through the Strait of Malacca and promoted Buddhism.

Tenochtitlan

Capital of the Mexica (Aztec), built on Lake Texcoco and organized with causeways and canals.

Chinampas

Raised-field farming system used by the Mexica to intensify agriculture around lakes.

Calpulli

Clan-based neighborhoods in Mexica society responsible for land and tribute obligations.

Quipu

Inca knotted-string record system used for accounting and administration.

Ayllu

Inca kinship community that organized labor, land use, and social obligations.

Mit'a (Inca labor draft)

Mandatory labor service used by the Inca for roads, terraces, and state projects.

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim-ruled state in northern India that introduced Islamic governance and culture.

Sultan

Islamic ruler who exercised political authority, often alongside religious legitimacy.

Caste system (jati)

Hereditary social hierarchy in South Asia that shaped labor and social roles.

Rajput states

Hindu warrior kingdoms in northern India that resisted and negotiated with Muslim rulers.

Khmer Empire

Powerful Southeast Asian state centered at Angkor, supported by irrigation and rice cultivation.

Angkor Wat

Massive Khmer temple complex reflecting Hindu-Buddhist syncretism and royal power.

Timbuktu

West African trade and learning city known for Islamic scholarship and manuscripts.

Griots

West African oral historians who preserved genealogies and cultural memory.

Hausa city-states

Network of trading cities in West Africa that prospered through regional commerce.

Byzantine Empire

Eastern continuation of the Roman Empire centered in Constantinople and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Eastern Orthodox Church

Christian tradition centered in Byzantium with a patriarch and distinct rituals from Rome.

Roman Catholic Church

Western Christian institution led by the pope that wielded major social and political influence.

Papal authority

Power of the pope to shape political decisions and religious life in medieval Europe.

Serfdom

Bound peasant labor system that supported the manorial economy in Europe.

Guilds

Associations of craftsmen and merchants that regulated trade and training in medieval cities.

Daimyo

Powerful Japanese lords who controlled lands and commanded samurai.

Samurai

Warrior class in Japan bound by loyalty to their daimyo and the shogun.

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-ruled Chinese dynasty that maintained Confucian administration while favoring Mongols.

Scholar-gentry

Elite class in China that earned status through Confucian education and exams.

Magna Carta

1215 English charter limiting royal power and affirming noble rights.

Imperial bureaucracy

Centralized system of officials who carried out the emperor's policies across the empire.

Filial piety

Confucian virtue emphasizing respect for parents and ancestors; reinforced social hierarchy.

Commercialization (Song China)

Expansion of market production and long-distance trade in goods like silk and porcelain.

Paper money

Currency adopted in Song China to facilitate large-scale trade and taxation.

Credit and promissory notes

Financial tools that supported merchants and reduced the need for carrying coin.

Grand Canal

Major waterway expanded to link northern and southern China and stabilize trade.

Iron and steel production

High-output metallurgy in Song China used for tools, weapons, and coins.

Magnetic compass

Navigation tool that improved long-distance sea travel from China.

Junk ships

Chinese vessels with advanced designs (e.g., watertight bulkheads, sternpost rudders) for ocean trade.

Foot binding

Practice that restricted women's mobility and signaled elite status in Song-era society.

Mahayana Buddhism

East Asian Buddhist tradition emphasizing salvation for all believers, not just monks.

Zen Buddhism

Syncretic tradition blending Buddhism with Daoist ideas, emphasizing meditation.

Kowtow

Ritual of submission in the Chinese tributary system.

Korea (Sinification)

Adopted Chinese writing, civil service exams, and Confucian ideals while remaining politically distinct.

Vietnam (Sinification and resistance)

Adopted Chinese writing and exams but resisted Chinese rule and maintained higher status for women.

Dar al-Islam

"House of Islam"—regions where Islamic faith, law, and trade networks organized society in 1200–1450.

Sharia law

Legal code based on the Quran and Islamic jurisprudence that structured governance and social life.

People of the Book

Jews and Christians living under Islamic rule who were granted protected status in many states.

Abbasid Caliphate decline

Fragmentation of Abbasid authority in Baghdad opened space for new Islamic states.

Seljuk Empire

Turkic dynasty that rose from military service to political control in parts of the Islamic world.

Mamluk Sultanate

State in Egypt founded by enslaved Turkic soldiers who seized power.

House of Wisdom

Baghdad center of scholarship that preserved and translated Greek/Roman works into Arabic.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

Muslim scholar who advanced mathematics and trigonometry.

Paper-making transfer

Spread of paper-making from China through the Islamic world to Europe, boosting literacy.

Islam through trade

Merchants spread Islam across the Sahara and Indian Ocean, often converting elites for trade ties.

Sufi missionaries

Mystics who spread Islam through adaptable, local engagement in South/Southeast Asia.