Empire of the Steppe

Han Dynasty

200 BC to 200 AD. The second dynasty of China who fought with the Xiongnu nomad group

Sart

A catch all term for people living in Central Asia and the Middle east. It has had an ever changing definition.

Kazan

A city located In the Russian federal subject of the Republic of Tatarstan. It is located along the Volga river. It was one of the earliest conquest as the Russian kingdom moved east.

Kashgar

A city located in Xinjian. It has been an important city for trade in the region stretching back to the silk road.

Bolsheviks

A communist party in the old Russian empire that would go on to stage a revolution, win the Russian civil war, and create the USSR before re-branding as the communist part.

Gerogia

A country in the Caucasus mountain regions. The kingdom was eventually Incorporated into the Russian empire, then the soviets, and now is an independent Republic

Turkmen

A culture that has come to live around Central Asia. Turkmenistan is a modern day central Asian republic based around these people. turkenstan was also the name of the military governed region of Central Asia during the Russian Empire

Sogdian

A culture that lived in the steppe zone for many centuries. They were traders along the silk road and often ruled city states. Their writing would be adopted by the Mongol Empire

Shibanids

A dynasty that can trace its linage back to Jochi. They converted to Islam and ruled parts of Central Asia for a time

Tanistry

A form of succession where the most powerful male member of the royal family takes the throne. This is generally how the mongols empires throne was passed on. Created a lot of internal strife

Temujen

Also known as Genghis Khan. He unified the Mongolian steppe and then built the mongol empire. His empire would go on become the largest land empire ever.

Tatars

A Group of nomads that were early rivals to Genghis Khan and his allies. The term became a catch all term Europeans used for nomads, probably because it sounded like tartarus.

Dungan

A Muslim people of Chinese origins. A number of them still live throughout central Asia today.

Turk Empire

A Turkic speaking empire that opposed the Tong Dynasty and the Muslim expansion into the Steppe

Basmachi

A anti-soviet rebellion in Central Asia that was part of the larger Russian civil war. It had its spark in the conscription of Central Asian Muslims during world war 1

Jadidism

A group of Islamic reformers in the Russian Empire who wanted to bring Islam back to its roots and have the faith focus more on faith. They would go on to generally support different groups seeking reform through the different Russian revolutions and the Russian civil wars

Scythians

A group of people who lived in and around the steppe who interacted with the Greeks from 9 BC to 1 BC

Dalai Lama

A high ranking Buddhist monk who has traditionally lead the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama has selected mongol rulers in the past due to being the representative of god.

Turkenstan

A large region in Central Asia that the Russians ruled over directly through military governorship. This is different from the city of the same name that is located in Kazakhastan

Patriarch

A leader of the eastern orthodox church. The Patriarch of Constantinople is first among equals within the faith.

Dnieper

A major river located in Ukraine. Located where it is. Was a major trade rout for the area. Kiev is located upon its bank allowing the city and Rus to grow wealthy.

Qanat

A method of irrigation. It is used to connect under ground sources of water to the land needing the water. These were often used in Central Asia specifically modern day western china and Iran

Zunghars

A nomadic people in Central Asia that would form a Khanate from the 17th to 18th century. They still exist today in parts of western china and Mongolia

Qitan

A nomadic people that would invade china and form the Liao dynasty. After the fall of that dynasty survivors would flee west and form the western liao dynasty. Which the mongols would take over

Xiongnu

A nomaidc group that would dominate the step around the BC/AD turn over. They often interacted and fought with the Chinese forming a complex relationship between the nomads and china

Kulak

A peasant in the Russian Empire who owned a farm and could hire people to work it. A lot of them were punished by the soviets for resisting collectivization.

Jurchen

A people who inhabited modern day Manchuria. They created the Jin dynasty which ruled over parts of China for a time. They were eventually absorbed into other cultures.

Manchuria

A region located in Modern Day northeast China and the Far east of Russia. It has traditionally been home to many nomadic and Chinese groups.

Tengri

A religion based around the lord of sky. Its hard to figure out the specifics of this religion as it could and was intertwined with other religions, like Christianity. It had shamans that formed a proto-priest class

SSR

A soviet Socialist Republic. These were the republics which made up the USSR. They all became independent states after the fall of the USSR and continue on today as independent states.

Yasa

A symbol of mongol justice. Probably was not a written law code so much as a series of Khan declarations and traditions

Sericulture

A term for the production of silk. For a long time this was a protected secret in china which required most people to import silk. That trade lent its name to the silk road

Bey

A title used for governors of provinces. Its been used in many countries and the power associated with it has changed over time as a result.

Khwarazm

An empire that ruled over modern day Iran and parts of Central Asia. Genghis Khan would take over this empire after they beheaded some of his diplomats.

Ulama

An Islamic scholar who works on law and religion through the eyes of Islam. They are important people in the Islamic community for interpreting different aspects of the faith

Balkh

An ancient city located in Northern Afghanistan. It was concurred by Tamerlane and became a major city in his empire.

Compound Recurve Short Bow

Discovered around 1000 BC It allowed for easy firing of a bow from horse back. It replaced the chariot

Timur

He was a great general who conquered and empire in modern day central Asia and Iran. He was born in 1336 and would live into the 15th century. The last nomadic world conquerer

Horse Domestication

Horses were domesticated around 4800 BC. They were probably domesticated on the steppe and allowed for easier transporation

Kokand

Is a city in Uzbekistan and is located in the Fergana Valley. The city was the capital of the Khanate of Kokand before being brought into the Russian empire

Xinjaing

Is an autonomous region located in the far west of modern day china. The area was conquered by the Qing empire and colonized. It was treated as a Chinese colony for a long time

Sufism

Islamic mysticism. Followers often has a teacher who can trace their own teachers back to the Prophet himself. They study things like number magic.

Ilkhante

It existed from the Mid 1256 to 1353. This was one of the divisions of the Mongol Empire. It ruled over modern day Iran, parts of the middle east, and turkey

Oxus River

It flows from Afghanistan to the Ariel Sea. It marks a traditional start to the steppe. The terms Transoxiana comes from this river

Taklamakan Desert

It is a desert in the Tarim Basin. Due to its inhospitably it acted as a natural barrier for the nomads, Chinese, and trade routes.

Tabriz

It is located where it is. It was the capital of the Ilkhante and was selected as such because it was close to grasslands for the mongol's animals to be raised on.

Transoxiana

It means beyond the Oxus River. In modern use it usually refers to Central Asia. In ancient times it was used a term for the lands of the scythians

Turfan

Located in Modern day western china. It was an important city along the silk road. Turfan is an oasis city

Samarqand

Located in modern day Uzbekistan. It was the imperial capital of timur and is where he is located. It has been a major city in the region for quite some time now acting as a center of trade and political power.

Herat

Located in modern day western Afghanistan. It has been a major city in the region and for Islamic culture for a long time. The founder of the Mughal Empire briefly ruled over it on his long trek down to India.

Tarim Basin

Located in modern day western china. It was fought over between Chinese dynasties and nomads many times. The silk road ran through here strengthening its importance.

Black Sea

Located where it is. A major avenue of trade for the Middle East and Eastern European regions. The Black Sea and the Mediterranean act as a natural funnel funneling attackers from the middle east towards Anatolia.

Kiev

Located where it is. Important center of early Rus culture. Has gone on to become a major Ukrainian city in the Russian, Soviet empires and modern day Ukraine.

Caspian Sea

Located where it is. It borders the steppe zone to the west and acts as an important source of food (fish) It was a natural barrier to nomad expansion,

Baghdad

Located where it is. It was the capital of the Caliphate and was sacked by mongol forces in 1258.

Sunni

One of two major branches of Islam, and the by far the largest one. It dominates large portions of the Islamic world.

Pastoralism

Pastoralism is the raising of large heard of Animals. This was an important attribute for steppe nomads as they couldn't grow crops well on the steppe. This was one of the nomads main food sources

Tang Dynasty

Ruled China from about 600 AD to 900 AD. It is considered a high point of Chinese culture. This dynasty would move into the Tarim Basin to try to control the steppe nomads

Caliphate

The Caliph is the deputy of Mohammad. The mongols interacted with the third caliphate dynasty based out of Baghdad. The mongols conquered the caliphate and executed the Caliph

CCP

The Communist Party of China. Ever since its victory in the Chinese civil war, it has ruled china minus the Island of Taiwan, which has been governed by the Republic of China

Mughals

The Islamic empire that came to dominate most of India in time. It was founded by Babur. It lasted up until the British arrival in India.

Ferghana Valley

The Valley is split between three countries in the modern day. Its located where it is. It a major trade and travel thouroway.

Tashkent

The capital of Uzbekistan. It was added to the Russian Empire by a rouge Russian general. It became the capital of the Russian military government in central Asia

Constantinople

The capital of the Byzantine and then Ottoman Empire. Located where it is. Major city for trade

Bortei

The first and primary wife of Genghis Khan. Her sons would spawn the four branches of the Mongol Royal Family. She would help govern Mongolia while Genghis was away

Persian

The high culture that was popular around Central Asia. By the time of Timur it had pretty much fused with Islam.

soverignty

The highest authority in a specific area or over a group of people. Sovereignty is often a fuzzy concept before the modern era. The Mongols claimed to have sovereignty over everyone

Indo-Europeans

The largest language family group on earth. Speakers of these languages are living or have lived in the steppe for thousands of years. You can trace migration patterns by tracing these languages and how they spread

Volga

The largest river in Russia. Located where it is. Connected the Golden Hordes capital to the Russian principality states, like Moscow.

Jochi and Jochid Line

The line of the royal family decedent of Genghis's first son, Jochi. Jochi would be given control of parts of modern central Asia and Russia. His descendants would rule this land under the name of the golden horde

Sarai

The name of the two capitals of the Golden Horde. Old Sarai was the capital before new Sarai took over. The Sarais were located close to the Volga

KMT

The party which ruled nationalist china during the Chinese civil war. After its defeat, the part retreated to Taiwan ruling over the rump-state Republic of China until democratization happened in the late 20th century. It remains one of the two large party's on Taiwan.

Steppe

The type of terrain that makes up most the Central Asian area we are studying. Its hard to grow crops here and is made up of huge stretches of grass and plains.

Rus

The word originally meant Vikings. It came to describe the culture located in Eastern Europe that had viking rulers, byzantine high culture, and Slavic peasants. Modern day Russia has its origins in this group

Burka

Traditional clothing for Muslim women. It covers almost the entire body. Its use has created controversy in the past and the modern day.

cossack

These are a people who live in Southern Russia and Ukraine. They became famous for their horsemanship and military functions

Madrasa

These are colleges for Islamic education. A student at one of these would learn all aspects of Islam as well as more secular studies, like math.

Orthopraxy

This is a strict adherence to the practices of a religion, but not necessarily the belief of it. We see this with a lot of Islamic conversions during the time of the mongols. People would start practicing the correct Islamic traditions, but maybe not be firm believers in the ideas of Islam

Hanafi

This is one of the four accepted schools of Sunni Islam. It is the largest of the four schools and is primary popular within the old Ottoman Empire.

Tolui and Toluid Line

This is the line of the Mongol Royal family that is descended from Toluid, Genghis Khan's 4th son. They would eventually take the throne of the Mongol Empire with Mongke

Kiva

This was a Khanate that was eventually conquered by the Russians and turned into a protectorate. It finally was abolished during the Communist revolution

Qing Dysnasty

This was the last Imperial Dynasty of China. It was founded in 1644 and was abolished in 1912. The territory it ruled over has become more or less the territory of modern day china.

Kazakh vs Kyrgyz

Two post soviet republics in Central Asia. The nationalities associated with these two republics were for the most part created during the soviets nation building period.

Mongke

the 4th Great khan. He was the first khan from the Toluid family line. When he came to power the Ogededi family line was mostly wiped out