State Building and Cultural Developments (1200-1450 CE)

State

An organized political community under one government (like a country, empire, nation, etc.).

Song Dynasty

Demonstrated continuity and innovation to maintain and justify its rule from 960 to 1276 CE.

Confucianism

The state philosophy that helped legitimize Song Dynasty rule due to its ancient history in China.

Civil Service Exam

An exam based on Confucian classics that eligible men had to pass to be part of the imperial bureaucracy.

Qin Dynasty

The dynasty during which the use of a large bureaucracy began (221-206 BCE).

Filial piety

A main idea of Confucianism that emphasizes the need for children to obey and honor their parents, grandparents, and deceased ancestors.

Subordinate position of women

Women were stripped of legal rights, could not own property, remarry, and had limited access to education.

Footbinding

A practice that became popular in elite social circles in Song China.

Civil service exam in Korea

Korea adopted a civil service exam in order to join the bureaucracy, influenced by Chinese traditions.

Buddhism

A religion that starts with the Four Noble Truths acknowledging suffering and desire/craving as the cause.

Eightfold Path

The way to stop suffering according to Buddhism.

Reincarnation

The belief in being reborn after death, which Buddhists believe can be stopped by achieving nirvana.

Nirvana

The ultimate goal in Buddhism, achieved through enlightenment.

Theravada Buddhism

The original form of Buddhism where many monks lived in monasteries to focus on attaining enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddhism

A new form of Buddhism that encouraged broader participation and offered help to achieve nirvana from bodhisattvas.

Economic prosperity of Song China

Flourished as a result of increased productive capacity and innovations.

Song Dynasty

A Chinese dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1276 CE, known for its economic prosperity and cultural achievements.

Champa Rice

A drought-resistant crop that matured early, increasing the amount of food available in the Song Dynasty, thereby boosting the population.

Chinese Tribute System

A system where countries acknowledged China's superiority to gain access to trade rights, facilitating cultural exchange.

Abbasid Caliphate

A major Islamic caliphate that ruled from 750 to 1258 CE, known for its cultural and scientific achievements before its decline.

Dar al-Islam

A term referring to the regions where Islam is the dominant religion and where Islamic law prevails.

Mongols

A nomadic group that conquered Baghdad in 1258, marking the end of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Delhi Sultanate

A Muslim kingdom that ruled over large parts of India from the 13th to the 16th centuries, established by Turkic invaders.

Mamluk Sultanate

A political entity in Egypt established by former slave soldiers that replaced the declining Abbasid Caliphate.

Seljuk Empire

A medieval Turko-Persian empire that emerged in the 11th century, which played a significant role in the Islamic world.

Filial Piety

A Confucian principle emphasizing respect and duty to one's parents and ancestors, prevalent in Chinese culture.

Mahayana Buddhism

A major branch of Buddhism that emphasizes the role of bodhisattvas and the potential for all beings to achieve enlightenment.

Iron and Steel Production

An industry that flourished in Song China, contributing to its economic growth and technological advancements.

Silk Production

The process of creating silk, which was a significant part of the economy in Song China, relying on free peasant and artisanal labor.

Porcelain Production

The craft of making porcelain, which became a major export product for Song China, contributing to its commercial success.

Trade Networks

Systems of economic exchange that expanded during the Song Dynasty, facilitating the movement of goods across Eurasia.

Grand Canal

A significant waterway in China that was expanded during the Song Dynasty to facilitate trade and transportation.

Cultural Traditions

Practices and beliefs that shaped societies over time, including Confucianism and Buddhism in East Asia.

Population Growth

The increase in the number of inhabitants in an area, which in the case of Song China, doubled between the 8th and 10th centuries.

Economic Commercialization

The process by which an economy becomes increasingly focused on the production of goods for sale in markets.

Ethnic Turks

A group that dominated the political landscape of the declining Abbasid Caliphate, leading to the rise of new political entities.

Cultural Exchange

The sharing of cultural practices and beliefs between different societies, often facilitated by trade and diplomacy.

State Formation

The process through which a political entity, such as a nation or empire, develops and establishes its governance and institutions.

Delhi Sultanate

A Muslim state in South Asia.

Mamluk Sultanate

A Muslim state in Egypt started by slave soldiers.

Sharia law

A legal code based on the Quran.

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

An inventor of trigonometry.

House of Wisdom

A place in Baghdad where Muslim scholars preserved works of Greek philosophers.

Dar al-Islam

The Islamic World where significant intellectual innovations were preserved.

Seljuks

A group that expanded through military means.

Sufis

Missionaries who allowed for some local belief in Islam.

Bhakti Hinduism

A movement in Southern India emphasizing devotion to one Hindu god.

Hinduism

A major religion in South Asia, characterized by polytheism.

Buddhism

A religion that was mostly reduced to monastic communities in South Asia by c. 1200.

Rajput kingdoms

Rival warring Hindu kingdoms in Northern India that held back the Delhi Sultanate.

Islam

A religion that became the religion of the elite with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.

Population dynamics in South Asia

Most people were Hindu, with a significant presence of Islam due to the Delhi Sultanate.

Religious practices in Southeast Asia

Buddhism was established in states like Thailand and Cambodia, while Islam became more widely practiced.

Intellectual innovations

Significant advancements encouraged and transferred by Muslim states and empires.

Military expansion

A method used by empires like the Seljuks, Mamluks, and Delhi Sultanate to spread influence.

Cultural preservation

The act of Muslim scholars translating and commenting on Greek works, preserving them for history.

Effects of Islamic expansion

The rise of Islamic states and the spread of Islam through military and trade.

Vijayanagara Empire

A Hindu kingdom formed by brothers who had previously converted to Islam to serve the Delhi Sultanate.

Majapahit Kingdom

A Buddhist Kingdom on Java that maintained influence by controlling sea routes for trade but declined when China supported its rival, the Sultanate of Malacca.

Diasporic Communities

Communities formed by merchants from South Asia in Southeast Asia, bringing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam with them.

Khmer Empire

An empire that began as a Hindu Empire but eventually adopted Buddhism, with art and architecture reflecting both faiths.

Aztec Civilization

Founded in Mesoamerica in 1345 by the Mexica, with its capital at Tenochtitlan, and began a program of expansion in 1428.

Inca Empire

An empire with an elaborate bureaucracy throughout the Andean region, using the mit'a system for labor in state projects.

Mississippian Culture

Located in North America around the Mississippi River Valley, known for agriculture and mound building, with Cahokia being one of the largest sites.

Swahili City-States

Powerful states in East Africa that grew due to Indian Ocean Trade, politically independent but influenced by merchants from Dar al-Islam.

Swahili Language

A combination of Bantu and Arabic, reflecting the cultural influences in the Swahili city-states.

Empires of West Africa

Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, which were powerful and highly centralized, growing due to trade with Dar al-Islam.

Mit'a System

A labor system used by the Inca for state projects like farms, mining, military service, and construction.

Cahokia

A Mississippian site known for its large burial mounds, with one mound reaching up to 100 feet tall.

Decentralized Rule

A system of governance where conquered people were forced to pay tribute in goods or labor, as practiced by the Aztecs.

Centralized Rule

A system of governance where power is concentrated, as exemplified by the Inca Empire.

Religious Rituals

Practices among the Aztecs that included the sacrifice of conquered people.

Trade Relationships

Connections established by governments in Southeast Asia through the adoption of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam to unify and maintain control.

Art and Architecture

Cultural expressions in the Khmer Empire that reflect both Hindu and Buddhist influences.

Emergence of New States

The process of state formation in South and Southeast Asia from c.1200 to c.1450, influenced by trade and religion.

Powerful Trade Partners

Entities with whom Southeast Asian governments built relationships through the adoption of religions brought by merchants.

Innovation and Diversity

Characteristics shown by the Aztecs, Inca, and Mississippian Culture in their state systems.

Cultural Continuity

The retention of indigenous beliefs among subjects in West African empires despite the conversion of elites to Islam.

Hausa Kingdom

A decentralized city-state in West Africa that shared a common culture and grew powerful through trade.

Great Zimbabwe

A wealthy state in Southern Africa that thrived due to trade, farming, and cattle herding, with its main source of wealth being the gold trade.

Ethiopia

An East African state that had a monarch and strict hierarchy, became wealthy through trade, and was distinct for being Christian while other African states maintained indigenous faiths.

Christianity in Europe

Dominated Europe, with the Byzantine Empire practicing Orthodox Christianity and influencing Kievan Rus by 988.

Roman Catholic Church

The most powerful entity in Western Europe following the fall of Rome, binding the region together culturally.

Feudalism

A political system in decentralized Europe where powerful lords gained allegiance from lesser lords, who became their vassals in exchange for land.

Vassals

Lesser lords who received land in exchange for military service to a more powerful lord.

Manorialism

The economic system of decentralized Europe where peasants were bound to the land they worked in exchange for protection from a lord.

Serfs

Peasants who were tied to the land and could not leave without permission, not considered property of the lords.

Decentralization in Europe

The political system where power was distributed among local lords rather than centralized in a single authority.

Anti-Semitism

Persecution faced by Jews in Europe, leading to their marginalization in society.

Trans-Saharan trade

Trade routes across the Sahara Desert that connected various West African states and facilitated economic growth.

Indigenous shamanistic faith

The traditional belief system maintained by some African states, such as Great Zimbabwe, which did not adopt Islam.

Cultural continuity

The ongoing cultural practices and traditions that persisted across different African states.

Cultural innovation

The introduction of new ideas and practices that emerged within African state systems.

Cultural diversity

The variety of cultural practices and beliefs present among different African states.

Byzantine Empire

The most powerful state in the East that practiced Orthodox Christianity.

Kievan Rus

A state that shared Orthodox Christianity with the Byzantine Empire.

Iberian Peninsula

Region in Europe where Muslims primarily settled after conquering it in the 8th century.

Political decentralization

The process that led to the rise of small, localized states after the fall of Rome.

Economic system of decentralized Europe

Characterized by peasants working the land and being bound to it for protection.

Wealth through trade

The means by which states like Great Zimbabwe and Ethiopia achieved economic prosperity.