Unit 4 Vocabulary - Growth of Gunpowder Empires

Terms	Definitions
Empire	a group of nations or peoples ruled over by a king, queen, emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government ruler.
gunpowder empire	a centralized state that uses gunpowder power, such as cannons and guns, to expand their empire.
bureaucracy	an organization of decisionmaking, including paperwork and taxation, where government officials make decisions.
monarchy	a form of government where a royal ruler is the head, such as a king, queen, shah, sultan, emperor.
religious orthodoxy	generally accepted religious beliefs and practices.
pinnacle	the most successful point. The top.
nobility	the group of people belonging to the highest social class in a country; the aristocracy. Such as a duke, lord, king, queen, sultan, emperor, empress.
nomadic	living the life of a nomad, or a wandering horseman.
artillery	large caliber (power) guns used in warefare on land.
seize	to take hold of something suddenly and forcible.
territory	an area of land under the authority and control of a ruler or state
elite	a group of people considered to be superior in a particular society or organization. For example, the country's educated elite.
tolerance	he ability or willingness to accept or allow the existence of opinions or behaviour that one dislikes or disagrees with:
sultan	a Muslim supreme ruler or sovereign
shah	a title of the former monarchs of the Safavids (present day Iran)
seminar	a conference or other meeting for discussion or training.
decline	become smaller, fewer, or less ; decrease:. To turn down an offer.
society	the community of people living in a particular country or region and having shared customs, laws, and organizations or the combined number of people living together in a more or less ordered community:
colonialism	the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically:
conversion	the process of changing or causing something to change from one form to another, such as a conversion from Christianity to Islam of the defsherme in the Ottoman empire.