Worldhist1: Rise Of New World Empires

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mercenaries

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A group of soldiers serving in a foreign army for pay.

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Justinian

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Byzantine emperor who ruled from 527 to 565. He had the Hagia Sophia built and he wrote a code of laws.

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Schism

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Permanent division in a church.

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mosque

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Muslim house of worship.

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excommunicate

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Exclusion from the Roman Catholic Church as a penalty for refusing to obey Church laws.

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Sheikh

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A leader of an Arab family or village.

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Muhammad

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An Arab prophet and the founder of Islam. His teachings are the basis of the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an.

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Hijra

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Muhammad's flight from Mecca to Medina in 622.

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Sunni

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The branch of Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muhammad.

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Islam

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The religious faith of Muslims. It includes a belief in Allah as the sole deity and in Muhammad as his prophet.

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Shiite

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The branch of Islam that regards Ali and his descendants as the legitimate successors to Muhammad, and rejects the first three caliphs.

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hajj

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The pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime.

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caliph

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Successor to Muhammad as political and religious leader of the Muslims.

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jihad

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A fair, defensive war.

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minaret

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Slender tower of a mosque, from which Muslims are called to prayer.

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calligraphy

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Fancy or stylized handwriting.

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astrolabe

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Instrument used to determine latitude by measuring the position of the stars.

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hejab

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Traditional form of dress worn by Muslim women.

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polygamy

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Custom that allows men to have more than one wife.

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muezzin

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Mosque official who climbs to the top of a minaret to call the faithful to prayer.

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sultan

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Muslim ruler.

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vizier

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Chief minister who supervised the business of government.

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Kublai Khan

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Mongol emperor from 1260-1294. He was a grandson of Ghengis Khan and the founder of Mongol dynasty in China. He received the European explorer, Marco Polo, from 1275-1292.

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Genghis Khan

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Mongol conquerer who united the Mongol tribes. He created an empire stretching from China to the Danube River and into Persia.

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Marco Polo

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Great Italian traveler who returned from China and wrote stories which encouraged many Europeans to visit the far east.

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chivalry

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Code of conduct for knights in the Middle Ages; based on the ideals of honor and courtesy.

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shogun

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The supreme military commander who held more power than the emperor.

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samurai

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Member of the warrior class.

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daimyo

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Warrior lord directly below the shogun.

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bushido

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The code of conduct for samurai during the feudal period in Japan.

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haiku

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Form of Japanese poetry that expresses a feeling, thought, or idea in three lines, or seventeen syllables.

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guerilla

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Fighters who use the strategy of hit and run raids.

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shaman

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A member of a tribal society who acts as a spiritual adviser by communicating with the spirit world.

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alliance

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A formal agreement between two or more nations or powers to cooperate and come to one another's defense.

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tribute

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A payment that conquered peoples were forced to make to their conquerors.

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calpullis

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Family groups that controlled land collectively and ran local institutions, such as schools.

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idolatrous

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The worship of idols. Having to do with the worship of idols.