Empires & Leaders
This Ottoman ruler captured Constantinople in 1453.
Who was Mehmed II?
The Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals are collectively known by this nickname because of their military technology.
What are Gunpowder Empires?
The Safavid Empire followed this branch of Islam.
What is Shi’a Islam?
Chinese officials were chosen through this long-standing exam system.
What is the Civil Service Examination?
This famous Mughal monument was built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
What is the Taj Mahal?
This Mughal emperor promoted religious tolerance and created the policy of Sulh-i Kul.
Who was Akbar?
This Ottoman military corps was made up of enslaved Christian boys trained as elite soldiers.
What were the Janissaries?
The Ottomans were primarily followers of this branch of Islam.
What is Sunni Islam?
This Ottoman ruler held absolute authority but governed with advisors like the Grand Vizier.
What is the Sultan?
This imperial mosque in Istanbul was designed by Mimar Sinan during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.
What is the Süleymaniye Mosque?
This Safavid ruler established Twelver Shi’ism as the official religion of Persia.
Who was Shah Ismail I?
This system collected Christian boys from the Balkans to serve the Ottoman state.
What was the Devshirme system?
This religious policy in the Ottoman Empire allowed Christian and Jewish communities to govern themselves under their own religious leaders while still paying taxes to the state.
What was the Millet System?
This Mughal administrative system granted land revenues to officials.
What was the Zamindar system?
This practice of commissioning artists, architects, and scholars helped rulers of the Qing, Mughal, and Ottoman empires define imperial identity and cultural prestige.
What is state sponsored patronage?
This Qing emperor expanded China’s borders and ruled during a long period of stability in the 18th century.
Who was Qianlong Emperor?
This 1514 battle demonstrated Ottoman gunpowder superiority over the Safavids.
What was the Battle of Chaldiran?
This Mughal emperor reversed Akbar’s tolerance policies and enforced Islamic law more strictly.
Who was Aurangzeb?
This Ottoman tax collected from non-Muslims allowed them to practice their religion while living under Muslim rule.
What is the Jizya?
This Chinese dynasty sponsored massive cultural projects including an encyclopedia and imperial art collections.
What was the Qing Dynasty?
This Russian ruler modernized Russia, built a new capital on the Baltic Sea, and expanded western influence.
Who was Peter the Great?
These portable firearms became increasingly important for infantry armies across the Ottoman and Mughal empires.
What are matchlock muskets?
This Safavid capital became a major center of Shi’a scholarship and religious learning during the 17th century under Shah Abbas I.
What was Isfahan?
Under Tokugawa Japan, this rigid social hierarchy placed samurai at the top, followed by peasants, artisans, and merchants.
What is the Four Tiered Class System (Shi–no–ko–sho)?
The Italian Renaissance inspired architects across Europe, leading to the use of symmetry, domes, and classical columns in palaces such as this.
What is St. Peter’s Basilica (or European Renaissance architecture)?