Gunpowder Empires
Gunpowder Empires
Powerful empires that used gunpowder weapons to conquer territory, expand their power, and strengthen their rule.
Tenochtitlán
The capital city of the Aztec Empire, built on an island in present-day Mexico, known for its large temples, canals, and marketplaces.
Renaissance
A period of renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman art, scholarship, and architecture that began in Italy in the 1300s and spread throughout Europe.
Christopher Columbus
An Italian explorer who reached the Caribbean in 1492, launching European colonization in the New World
Janissaries
Elite soldiers in the Ottoman Empire who were trained to serve the sultan and his military.
Cuzco
The capital of the Inca Empire, located in the Andes Mountains of present-day Peru
Humanism
An intellectual movement that emphasized human potential, individual achievement, and the study of classical Greek and Roman ideas.
Bartolome de Las Casas
A Spanish priest who spoke out against the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples by Spanish conquistadors and advocated for their rights.
Sunni vs. Shi’a Islam
The two main branches of Islam that split over who should lead the Muslim community after the death of Muhammad
Machu Picchu
An ancient Inca city built in the Andes Mountains known for its stone buildings and terraces.
Patron
A person who financially supported artists, writers, or scholars to produce their work during the Renaissance.
Columbian Exchange
The transformative transfer of plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas between the Americas, Europe, and Africa after 1492
Hagia Sophia
A famous Christian cathedral that was later converted into an Islamic mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453.
terrace farming
A farming method that creates flat steps on hillsides or mountains to grow crops, reduce erosion, and conserve water.
Gutenberg and the printing press
In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a machine that made books cheaper to produce and helped spread Renaissance ideas and knowledge.
Atlantic Slave Trade
The forced transportation of millions of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas for labor from the 1500s-1800s.
Taj Mahal
A grand mausoleum in India built by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife
chinampas
Artificial farming islands built in shallow lakes by the Aztecs to grow crops and increase food production.
Scientific Revolution
A period in the 1500s-1600s when scientists used reason to challenge traditional beliefs and develop new understandings of the natural world.
Middle Passage
The brutal journey across the Atlantic Ocean in which enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas under inhumane conditions.