A form of government in which the king has absolute authority over the state

Private trading companies chartered by the governments of England and the Netherlands around 1600; they were given monopolies on Indian Ocean trade, including the right to make war and to rule conquered peoples.

An internal reform of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century; thanks especially to the work of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), Catholic leaders clarified doctrine, corrected abuses and corruption, and put a new emphasis on education and accountability.

A small, highly maneuverable sailing ship created by the Portuguese

Trade of livestock, vegetables, coffee, tobacco, disease, and slaves from the Old World to the New World, caused a dramatic demographic shift in the Americas. The massive transatlantic interaction and exchange between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia that began in the period of European exploration and colonization.

Spanish conquerors of the Native American lands, most notably the Aztec and Inca empires.

A meeting to make reforms to the Catholic church in response to the Protestant reformation. The main instrument of the Catholic Counter-Reformation (1545-1563), at which the Catholic Church clarified doctrine and corrected abuses.

A European born in the Americas

Feudal lords of Japan who ruled with virtual independence thanks to their bands of samurai warriors.

The tribute of boy children that the Ottoman Turks levied from their Christian subjects in the Balkans; the Ottomans raised the boys for service in the civil administration or in the elite Janissary infantry corps.

Allowed French Protestants to worship freely

European intellectual movement of the eighteenth century that applied the lessons of the Scientific Revolution to human affairs and was noted for its commitment to open mindedness and inquiry and the belief that knowledge could transform human society.

The overthrow of James II by William and Mary of Orange, "bloodless revolution"

(spanish) a large estate or plantation with a dwelling house

The ideology that you can still enjoy the world around you while reaching salvation, a mixture of Catholicism and Secularism

Men or woman who signed a contract in by which they agreed to work a certain number of years in exchange for food, transportation, and housing (North America)

Special tax levied on non-Muslims in Islamic states; the Mughal Empire was notable for abolishing it for a time.

Period between 1300-1870 in which Europe and North America were subjected to colder winds

72 years long rule, revoked the "edict of nantes" (edict that let huguenots worship freely). Revoked the Edict of Nantes, ruled for 72 years, known as the "sun king"

Authority straight from the Bible, free will- all of us are sinners, spoke in the vernacular

An economic theory that argues that governments best serve their states' economic interests by encouraging exports and accumulating bullion.

Literally, "mixed"; a term used to describe the mixed-race population of Spanish colonial societies in the Americas.

Overthrew the Yuan Dynasty (Mongols), focused on the restoration of Chinese culture (meritocracy, mandate of heaven, confucianism), banned foreigners

Islamic state in India ran by turkish people, overthrows the Sulnate of Dehli. One of the most successful empires of India, a state founded by Muslim Turks who invaded India in 1526; their rule was noted for efforts to create partnerships between Hindus and Muslims.

Term commonly used for people of mixed African and European blood.

Longest Islamic empire, expands with the fall of the Byzantine empire. Major Islamic state centered on Anatolia that came to include the Balkans, the Near East, and much of North Africa.

In the Spanish colonies of Latin America, the term used to refer to people who had been born in Spain; they claimed superiority over Spaniards born in the Americas.

Westernized Russia, creates a naval military first, creates city of St. Petersburg, created social laws

Agricultural system based on African slavery that was used in Brazil, the Caribbean, and the southern colonies of North America.

Massive schism within Christianity that had its formal beginning in 1517 with the German priest Martin Luther; while the leaders of the movement claimed that they sought to "reform" a Church that had fallen from biblical practice, in reality the movement was radically innovative in its challenge to Church authority and its endorsement of salvation "by faith alone."

Ruling dynasty of China from 1644 to 1912; these rulers were originally from Manchuria, which had conquered China.

The second dynasty to rule over Russia, ruled until the 20th century

Islamic empire based in Persia

The warrior elite of medieval Japan.

Great European intellectual and cultural transformation that was based on the principles of the scientific method.

Colonies in which the colonizing people settled in large numbers, rather than simply spending relatively small numbers to exploit the region; particularly noteworthy in the case of the British colonies in North America.

In Japan, a supreme military commander.

Russia's great frontier region, a vast territory of what is now central and eastern Russia, most of it unsuited to agriculture but rich in mineral resources and fur-bearing animals.

Religious tradition of northern India founded by Guru Nanak ca. 1500; combines elements of Hinduism and Islam and proclaims the brotherhood of all humans and the equality of men and women.

A society devoted to Catholic education and missionary work

Western African empire in the 15th and 16th century

An ivory-white marble mausoleum, commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal

Term used to describe the devastating demographic impact of European-borne epidemic diseases on the Americas.

14th and 15th century Europe, rebirth of liberal arts, starts in Italy

Highly destructive war (1618-1648) that eventually included most of Europe; fought for the most part between Protestants and Catholics, the conflict ended with the Peace of Westphalia (1648). A series of wars in the Holy Roman Empire, ended in 1648 with the treaty of Westphalia

Military rulers of Japan who successfully unified Japan politically by the early seventeenth century and established a "closed door" policy toward European encroachments.

A compromise between the Spanish and the Portuguese which gave both of them land in the Americas

Ended the Thirty Years War, allowed German princes to choose their faith, Europe is permanently religiously divided

The exchange of crops, livestock, luxury goods, and slaves between Europe, Africa, and the New World

A voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies.