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Unit 4
Political Powers and Achievements
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| centralized | controlled by a single government or person |
| decentralized | loosely organized system in which many people have power in different areas, but they are not unified by any one government or person |
| feudalism | a decentralized system of rule in Europe during the Middle Ages based on land ownership. There was a rigid social hierarchy involving kings/monarchs, lords/nobles, vassals/knights, and serfs/peasants |
| manorialism | an economic system used in Western Europe in the Middle Ages based mainly on farming in which a lord enjoyed a variety of rights over the land and the people living on it |
| social mobility | the ability to become part of a social class other than the one someone is born into |
| secular | attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis |
| power vacuum | a condition that exists when someone has lost control and no one has replaced them |
| divergent | tending to develop differently, or in different directions |
| Muhammad | An Arab political, social, and religious leader, as well as the founder of Islam |
| The Quran (Koran) | The central religious text of Islam, which Muslims believe to be a revelation from God |
| Five Pillars of Islam | The core beliefs and practices of Islam |
| hajj | The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, which takes place during the last month of the year. All Muslims are expected to participate at least once in their lives |
| caliph | The chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, regarded as a successor of Muhammad |
| caliphate | An Islamic empire, ruled by a caliph |
| Genghis Khan | The founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire |
| Pax Mongolica | The period of peace and stability in Europe and Asia during the Mongol Empire, which took place from the 1200s-1300s |