Table of Contents
Religious Leaders Overview
Another common type of government is rule by a religious leader. Throughout history, political and military leaders have used religion to justify and legitimize their rule. Sometimes, there is significant overlap between these types of government. I am separating out the following titles because all of these rulers claimed to be a representative of the divine on Earth.
Types of Religious Leaders
Caliph
Caliph is a title specific to the Islamic World. A caliph claimed to be the rightful successor or Islam's founder, Muhammad. Caliphs claimed this gave them the right to rule over all Muslims. A caliph's political power came from this religious connection to Muhammad. Most caliphs claimed the title because of their membership in a particular family. This meant that most caliphs were also hereditary monarchs.
In the Islamic world, there are many other titles for a hereditary ruler. For example, sultans and mansas are also Islamic leaders. However, individuals who claimed these titles weren't claiming the right to rule over all Muslims or a direct connection to Muhammad. Instead, their titles reflect their personal religious beliefs and right to rule over a specific region. The title of caliph is unique because a caliph claims a higher and more expansive kind of power.
A caliph rules over a caliphate. There are two major caliphates discussed in AP World History. The first is the Abbasid Caliphate. This caliphate is covered briefly in Unit 1. The Abbasids ruled the dar al-Islam during a period often called "the golden age of Islam." This is because the Abbasids ruled over a prosperous empire, and there were many scientific discoveries during this time. The Abbasids were significantly weakened by a series of invasions by the Mongols. Later, the Ottomans claimed the title of caliph. The Ottoman Empire is one of three gunpowder empires covered in Unit 3. They also played a major role in World War I. The Ottomans lost World War I, and the victors in that conflict took much of their land. The remaining territory was called Turkey. They abolished the caliphate in 1924 when Turkey's government became secular (non-religious).
Since then, most Muslims believe the title has been dormant. Various groups have tried to claim the title. This includes the terrorist group ISIS in 2014. However, Muslims have generally rejected these groups' claims and their violent methods. This reflects a broader principle in AP World History: just because a person claims to be the rightful ruler of all Muslims does not mean all Muslims agree with that claim. Unit 3 covers a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid Empire. These conflicts were driven by religious differences that included Safavid rejection of the Ottoman ruler's claim to the title of caliph. Similarly, the Mughals also claimed to be caliphs, even though they called the Ottoman rulers caliphs at the same time.
Pope
Pope is a title specific to Catholic Christianity. The Pope is the political leader of the Vatican City and the religious leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The papacy, the Holy See, or the Vatican can also refer to the current pope or his close advisors. Like caliphs, popes claim political and religious authority as the rightful successors to ancient religious leaders. In this case, popes claim to be the successors of Saint Peter. Peter was one of the Twelve Apostles, or close followers of Jesus. In the Catholic tradition, Peter helped found the Catholic Church and continue the religion after Jesus died and ascended into heaven. Therefore, popes asserted that they are the rightful leaders of all Christians.
Unlike many other religious leaders, new popes are chosen by election. This makes the pope one of the oldest elected leadership positions in the world. Only senior leaders in the Catholic Church are allowed to vote in these elections. After the new pope is elected, the ballots are burned. The smoke coming from the chimney announces to the world that they have chosen a new pope.
Popes have played an important role in many historical events. AP World History doesn't emphasize the actions of most popes. Instead, it emphasizes the role of the Catholic religion and church as a whole. In Unit 1, there is a discussion of the importance of the Catholic Church in European medieval life. Unit 3 covers the Protestant and Catholic Reformations. The course also covers a series of conflicts between Catholic and Protestant leaders and countries. These conflicts reshaped Europe and drove colonization in the Americas. Like before, claiming to be the rightful heir of Christian religious and political power does not automatically mean all Christians will accept that claim.
Sapa Inca
Sapa Inca was the title of the monarch of the Incan Empire. Initially, this title was not hereditary. Instead, a new Sapa Inca would be chosen after a series of physical and spiritual challenges. These challenges would reveal who the sun god wanted to become the next ruler of the Incan Empire. Overtime, the title of Sapa Inca became hereditary. Even after this point, the Sapa Inca was considered to be a descendant of the sun god Inti. The Sapa Inca's wife was styled as "coya."
I help ambitious students improve their skills and master the AP World History exam. Learn more here!
You may also like:
All blog posts are licensed using a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You are free to copy or share this information in any form. You may also adapt and build upon this material for commercial and noncommercial. If you chose to share, adapt, or use this information, you must give credit to Spring Learning Services, LLC and indicate if changes were made. All material must be shared using the same terms
This material is based on my interpretation of the AP World History Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.