Terms

Absolutism: political doctrine that a monarch holds unlimited sovereign power

Divine right of kings: doctrine that royal authority comes from God and the monarch is accountable only to God

Mercantilism: economic theory that national wealth is measured by gold and silver reserves and built through favorable trade balances

Columbian Exchange: transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres after 1492

Triangular trade: three-leg Atlantic trade pattern connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas

Middle Passage: the brutal trans-Atlantic leg of the slave trade

Encomienda: Spanish system granting colonists the right to extract labor and tribute from indigenous Americans

Mita: Spanish forced labor system used in the Andes, particularly in silver mines

Millet system: Ottoman policy allowing religious minorities self-rule on internal matters

Sakoku: Tokugawa Japan's policy of national seclusion

Mandate of Heaven: Chinese doctrine that the emperor rules with divine authority that can be withdrawn if he rules badly

Dharma: Hindu and Buddhist concept of moral duty or righteous conduct

Karma: the principle that actions in this life affect future incarnations

Caste system: hereditary social hierarchy in Hindu society

Five Pillars of Islam: the five core practices required of Muslims

Filial piety: Confucian virtue of respect for parents, elders, and ancestors

Bourgeoisie: the urban merchant and professional class, rising in importance in 1750

Serfdom: system in which peasants were legally bound to land and to a lord; persisted in Russia and Eastern Europe