The Global Tapestry
What was the name of the high-yielding strain of rice that was developed in the Red River Delta of Vietnam in the 13th century and that helped to increase agricultural productivity and support population growth in China and other parts of East Asia?
What is Champa Rice?
What was the name of the ancient Silk Road city located in modern-day Uzbekistan that was a center of cultural exchange and innovation, and was known for its grand architecture, art, and science, including the development of the Islamic geometric pattern-making technique known as girih?
What is Samarkand?
Which Islamic dynasty ruled over Persia from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and is known for its promotion of Shia Islam as the official religion of the state, as well as its contributions to art, literature, and architecture?
Who are the Safavids?
What was the type of ship used by Portuguese explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by its triangular sails, shallow draft, and ability to sail upwind, which made it ideal for long-distance exploration and trade?
What is a Caravel?
Which Enlightenment philosopher is credited with the idea of the "social contract," in which individuals agree to give up some of their freedoms in exchange for protection and order from the government?
Who is Jean-Jacques Rousseau?
What was the name of the 14th-century Moroccan traveler and scholar who visited Mali and wrote extensively about the political and cultural life of West Africa, and who helped to spread Islam in the region?
Who is Ibn Battuta?
What was the name of the political entity that was established by the Mongol Empire in the 13th century and that was ruled by the descendants of Genghis Khan, with separate Khanates established in different regions of Central Asia, including the Golden Horde in Russia?
What are the Khanates?
Which dynasty ruled over India from the 16th to the 19th centuries, and is known for its tolerance of religious diversity, its promotion of arts and culture, and its construction of some of the most iconic architectural wonders in the world, including the Taj Mahal?
Who are the Mughals?
What was the 1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal, brokered by the Pope, which divided the newly discovered lands of the world outside of Europe between the two countries along a north-south meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands?
What is the Treaty of Tordesillas?
In 1848, a group of women's rights activists organized a convention in Seneca Falls, New York, which is now considered a milestone in the fight for women's rights. What is the name of this historic event?
What is the Seneca Falls Convention?
What was the name of the 14th-century Chinese admiral and explorer who led several naval expeditions to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, and whose voyages helped to spread Chinese culture and influence throughout the Indian Ocean world?
Who is Zheng He?
What was the name given to the period of relative peace and stability that was established across much of Eurasia during the 13th and 14th centuries as a result of the Mongol Empire's vast and efficient system of communication, trade, and governance, which facilitated cultural and technological exchange?
What is Pax Mongolica?
What was the practice in the Ottoman Empire where boys from Christian families were taken from their homes, converted to Islam, and trained to become soldiers or bureaucrats in the Ottoman government, in order to create a loyal class of officials who did not have ties to the existing power structure?
What is Devshirme?
What was the name of the period of Japanese history, lasting from 1603 to 1868, characterized by a strict social hierarchy that divided the population into four classes, with the samurai at the top and the peasants at the bottom?
What is the Tokugawa period?
In Marxist theory, this term refers to the capitalist class who own the means of production and exploit the proletariat. What is the term for this class?
What is the bourgeoisie?
What was the name of the 13th-century maritime trade network that linked Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, and facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures across the Indian Ocean world?
What is the Indian Ocean trade network, also known as the monsoon trade?
What was the name of the powerful maritime empire that emerged in the Malay Peninsula in the 15th century, which was known for its skilled seafarers and traders, its adoption of Islam, and its development of a unique system of governance that blended elements of Malay, Indian, and Chinese culture?
What is the Sultanate of Malacca?
What was the term used in Mughal India to refer to a landowner who was granted the right to collect taxes from a particular area, and was responsible for maintaining law and order, as well as providing for the welfare of the people living in their domain?
What is a Zamindar?
What was the name of the conflict between English colonists and several Native American tribes that took place in the New England colonies between 1675 and 1678 and resulted in the death of thousands of Native Americans and colonists?
What is King Philip's War?
This American oil company, founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870, was once one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world, and was eventually broken up by the U.S. government for violating antitrust laws. What is the name of this company?
What is Standard Oil?
What was the name of the Bantu-based language that emerged in East Africa in the 13th century and that combined elements of Arabic, Persian, and other regional languages, reflecting the influence of Islamic traders and scholars in the region?
What is the Swahili language?
Whose work is considered by some to be the first autobiography in the English language and whose extensive pilgrimages to holy sites in Europe and the Holy Land, as well as her mystical conversations with God, make this person important to early global history?
Who is Margery Kempe?
Which religion originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia, blending elements of Hinduism and Islam, and emphasizing the importance of living a moral life, serving others, and achieving union with God through meditation and devotion?
What is Sikhism?
In medieval and early modern Russia, what was the name given to the landed nobility who served as advisors to the tsar and held significant power and influence over the population?
What are Boyars?
This was a period of modernization and reform in the Ottoman Empire. It involved significant changes in political, economic, and social structures, and was influenced by Western European ideas and institutions. What is the name of this period in Ottoman history?
What is Tanzimat?