Chapter 8: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450

Rise of Islam
1. religion
  1. Five Pillars of Islam
    1. confession of faith
    2. prayer five times per day
    3. charity to the needy
    4. fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
    5. pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime
  2. Allah (God) transmitted his words to the faithful through Muhammad
    1. sayings recorded in the Qu'ran
2. Muhammad grew up in the city of Mecca
  1. exposed many different beliefs (e.g. Christianity and Judaism)
    1. conflicted with polytheistic religion of Mecca
      1. led to persecution
        Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina in 622 C.E.
        returned to Mecca and destroyed the pagan shrines in 630 C.E.
        Abu Bakr became caliph in 632
        head of state, military commander, chief judge, and religious leader
        Islamic empire was a theocracy and a caliphate
        originally hereditary, until Hasan relinquished his title
        establishment of the Umayyad Dynasty
        enlarged the Islamic Empire
        intensify conflict with the Byzantine and Persian Empires
        capital moved to Damascus (modern-day Syria)
        Arabic became the official language of the government
        gold and silver became the standard monetary unit
        subjects "encouraged" to convert to Islam, otherwise forced to pay a tax
        attempted to advance towards Paris, but stopped by Charles Martel, a Frankish leader
        Shiite (Shia)
        believed that Muhammad's son-in-law, Ali, was the rightful heir to the empire
        Sunni
        contend that the leaders of the empire should be drawn from a broad base of the people
        decline of the Umayyad Dynasty as Shia began to assert themselves more dramatically
        Abbasid Dynasty (750-1258)
        built capital at Baghdad (modern-day Iraq), which became one of the great cultural centers of the world
        introduced unique idea of credit
        developed itemized receipts and bills
        Muhammad al-Razi published a massive medical encyclopedia that was unlike anything compiled before it
        expansion of mathematics from India
        fight for control of Silk Road trading posts
        learned how to make paper
        Muslims and Christians battled for control of the Levant during the Crusades
        Europeans found their history preserved in Arabic libraries and museums
        Sufis
        stressed a personal relationship with Allah
        succeeded in converting large numbers of people to Islam
        decline of Islamic Caliphates
        rival factions and powers developed
        destabilized the central authority at Baghdad and cut tax revenues
        external foes
        Persians
        Europeans
        Byzantines
        Mongols
        overran and destroyed Baghdad
        Ottoman Turks would reunite Egypt, Syria, and Arabia in a new Islamic state
Europe and the Byzantine Empire
1. Byzantine Empire
  1. Orthodox Christianity
  2. emperors ruled by absolute authority
  3. used coined money
  4. Justinian (527-565)
    1. somewhat restored former glory and unity of the Roman Empire
    2. Justinianic Code
      1. a codification of Roman law that kept ancient Roman legal principles alive
    3. flourishing of the arts and sciences
      1. Hagia Sophia
  5. conflicts between the two churches
    1. nominated their own Patriarchs of the See of Constantinople instead of regarding the Pope
    2. sacrament of communion
    3. whether priests should be allowed to marry
    4. use of local languages in church
    5. excommunicated each other (the Pope and the patriarch)
      1. East
        Church of Constantinople
        Russia
        Slavic peoples of southeastern Europe and Russia were converted to Christianity by St. Cyril in the 9th century
        used Greek alphabet to create a Slavic alphabet known as the Cyrillic alphabet
        Vladimir, a Russian prince from Kiev, abandoned the traditional pagan religion and converted to Christianity
      2. West
        Roman Catholicism
        Franks
        Germanic tribe that united under the leadership of King Clovis in the late 5th century
        stretched from present-day Germany through Belgium and into France
        helped various peoples of western Europe solidify under a common culture
        made it easier for them to unify against Muslim invasions
        Charles Martel
        Battle of Tours
        used position as political and military leader to put his sons forth as successors
        Merovingian Dynasty (declining)
        Carolingian Dynasty
        Pepin the Short
        Charlemagne crowned by the pope in 800
        built the Holy Roman Empire upon coronation of Otto the Great in 962
        Northern Italy
        Germany
        Belgium
        France
        strong focused on the arts and education
        rule not absolute
        feudalism
        Treaty of Verdun in 843
        empire divided among Charlemagne's three grandsons
        western Europe constantly attacked by invaders
        Vikings
        also converted to Christianity
        Magyars
        the Catholic Church became the most powerful institution in western Europe
        had his succession certified by the pope
2. Middle Ages
  1. Feudalism
    1. king
      1. vassals
        peasants
        imprisonment led to highly skilled workers
        development of middle class
        burghers
      2. fiefs
      3. manors
    2. code of chivalry
      1. honor system that strongly condemned betrayal and promoted mutual respect
  2. Hanseatic League established in 1358
    1. controlled trade through much of northern Europe
  3. Crusades
  4. heresies
    1. people began to question organized religion
    2. Pope Innocent III
      1. perceived heretics and Jews were frequently persecuted
      2. Pope Gregory IX
        Inquisition
        formalized interrogation and persecution process of perceived heretics
        referred to as the Universal Church or the Church Militant
  5. Europe began to organize along cultural and linguistic lines
    1. Germany
      1. entered period of interregnum (a time between kings)
    2. England
      1. William the Conqueror led strong monarchy
        forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 C.E.
        reinstated feudal rights of the nobles
        extended the rule of law to other people in the country
        foundation of Parliament
        made up of nobles
        House of Lords
        nobles and clergy
        legal issues and advised the king
        House of Commons
        knights and wealthy burghers
        issues of trade and taxation
    3. France
      1. King Hugh Capet
        subsequent French kings expanded the territory
        Joan of Arc convinced French authorities that she had been divinely inspired to lead men into battle
        forced British to retreat from Orleans
    4. Spain
      1. united by Queen Isabella, the ruler of Castile
        married Ferdinand, heir to the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon in 1469
        united most of Spain in a single monarchy
        enlisted the Catholic Church as a strong ally
        forced conversion to Christianity or leave the country
        Spanish Inquisition
    5. Russia
      1. succumbed to the Tatars under Genghis Khan
        Ivan III expanded Muscovy territory into much of modern-day Russia and declared himself czar
        Ivan the Terrible centralized power over the entire Russian sphere, ruling ruthlessly and using the secret police against his own nobles by the 1500s
Developments in Asia
1. Japan
  1. first important ruling family was the Yamato clan
    1. international connections helped them emerge as leaders in the 5th century
      1. claimed emperor was descendant of the sun goddess
    2. Shinto religion
    3. heavily influenced by China in the 6th century
      1. Buddhism
      2. Prince Shotoku
        borrowed bureaucratic and legal reforms
        Taika Reforms (645 C.E.)
  2. Fujiwara
    1. capital moved to Heian in 794
    2. Feudalism
      1. shogun
        daimyo/samurai
        lesser samurai
        peasants and artisans
      2. Code of Bushido
        stressed loyalty, courage, and honor
2. China
  1. Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 C.E.)
    1. under Emperor Xuanzong, expanded Chinese territory into parts of Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea
      1. collapsed due to size, and local warlords gained more power
    2. capital at Chang'an (Xi'an)
      1. center of Tang tribute system
    3. Wu Zhao
      1. first and only Empress of China
  2. Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 C.E.)
    1. reunited by Emperor Taizu
      1. fell to the Jurchen and Mongols
    2. invented early form of movable type
      1. increased literacy and bureaucrats among lower classes
      2. printed books
        increase in productivity and population growth
    3. new technologies
      1. magnetic compass
      2. watertight bulkheads
      3. sternpost rudders
    4. Champa rice
      1. resulted in rapid population rise
    5. footbinding
  3. Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 C.E.)
  4. Yuan Dynasty (1279 - 1368 C.E.)
    1. established by the Mongols
3. Korea
  1. Korea became a vassal-state of the Tang in order to maintain the appearance of cordial relations with their Chinese neighbors
  2. borrowed political structures
  3. spread of Confucianism and Chan Buddhism
4. India
  1. Islamic invaders set up the Delhi Sultanate
    1. non-Islams had to pay a tax
5. Vietnam
  1. less willing to accept even the appearance of a tribute relationship
  2. Confucian education still accepted
  3. active trade relationship
Rise and Fall of the Mongols
1. Genghis Khan unified the Mongol tribes in the early 1200s and set them on a path of expansion
  1. unified several nomadic tribes of Mongolia
    1. invaded China in 1234
      1. the empire eventually spanned from the Pacific Ocean to eastern Europe
        death of Genghis Khan resulted in splintering off into hordes
        Golden Horde conquered the region of modern-day Russia
        Kublai Khan ruled in China
        destroyed cities and were ruthless warriors
        Pax Mongolica
        Timur Lang destroyed the sultanate in India
        consequences
        most assimilated by those they conquered
        Chinese not allowed to Mongolize
        Russia treated as a vassal state, did not unify or culturally develop as quickly as its European neighbors
        grew world trade, cultural diffusion, and global awareness
Developments in Africa
1. Kush
  1. conquered part of Egypt in 750 B.C.E.
  2. capital at Meroe
    1. became center for ironworks and trade
2. Axum
  1. traded frequently in ivory and gold
  2. converted to Christianity in the 4th century
  3. converted to Islam in the 7th century
3. Swahili Coast
  1. influenced by Bantu
  2. traded gold, slaves, ivory, and other exotic products
4. Ghana (800 - 1000 C.E.)
  1. tons of gold
5. Mali (1200 - 1450 C.E.)
  1. tons of gold
  2. Mansa Musa
    1. lengthy pilgrimage to Mecca, complete with gold, servants, and camels
6. oral literature
7. Benin culture
  1. mastered bronze sculpting technique
8. Songhai
  1. established by Sonni Ali
    1. capital of Timbuktu
      1. major cultural center
Developments in the Americas
1. Mayans
  1. began to abandon their cities around 800 C.E.
2. Aztecs
  1. built capital at Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City)
  2. tribute
  3. military connected to religion
    1. sacrifices
3. Inca
  1. thought to have controlled more than 2,000 miles
  2. professional army
  3. established bureaucracy
  4. unified language
  5. complex system of roads and tunnels
  6. builders
    1. Temple of the Sun
    2. Machu Picchu
CCOT of Women
1. Europe
  1. strict and patriarchal social divisions
  2. could inherit land and take oaths of vassalage, but property belonged to husband
  3. could bring a court case, but not participate in decision
  4. division of labor; women in textiles
  5. Christian monogamy
  6. education limited to upper class males
  7. did not recognize illegitimate children
  8. veiling of upper class
2. Islam
  1. equality in religion, but separate in mosque
  2. recevied half inheritance of male children
  3. testimony had less weight than male
  4. concubines and seclusion in harems
  5. literate society
  6. all children are seen as legitimate
  7. veiling in public
3. India
  1. strict patriarchal caste system
  2. child marriages
  3. practice of sati for widows
  4. family textile labor
  5. marriage limited to caste members
  6. education limited
  7. purdah: veiling or seclusion
4. China
  1. strict Confucian social order and guidelines for virtuous behavior
  2. access to dowries and owned businesses
  3. widow to remain with son; no property if remarried
  4. silk weaving as female occupation
  5. concubines and seclusion in harems
  6. literate society, but state education limited to men
  7. foot binding

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Chapter 8: Regional and Transregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450

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