1.5 State Building in Africa and 1.6 Developments in Europe

Ibn Battuta

• islamic scholar

• traveled all over

• his records show interconnection of the regions

• Islam was spreading all over

African Social Structure

• Men dominated skilled activities

• women were in agriculture, food gathering, domestic chores, and childrearing

• Kin-based networks

  • chief handled conflict

  • population growth made this harder

west and east African political structures

• increased exchange of goods brought wealth, political power, and cultural diversity

• spread of Islam added to animism and christianity

• Mali, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia were three biggest kingdoms

Mali

• one of the wealthiest

• mansa musa

• most powerful trading society

  • gold, salt, slaves

• Islam was unifying belief system

• used to forge trade connections

Zimbabwe

• known for stone architecture

• most powerful in East africa

• prosperity built upon agriculture, grazing, trade, gold

• Indian ocean trade

Ethiopia

• axum

• Christianity spread here

• embraced it in 12th century as it weakened islam

• developed independently from Roman Catholic and Orthodox church

• combined it with local traditions

• huge Christian churches

slavery in sub-saharan Africa and southwest asia

• long history of slavery

  • war prisoners, debtors, criminls

• kin based societies had rules that land couldn’t be privately owned

• Indian ocean slave trade increased demand

European Background

• Dark Ages began with Roman Empire decline

• Catholic church was only institution that had retained power

Feudalism

• European civilization had feudalism to structure it

• decentralized political organization based on exchanges of land for loyalty

• based on agriculture

  • wealth measured in land

manorial system

• large fiefs or estates known as manors

• provided economic self-sufficiency and defense

• had homes for serfs

• three-field system improved production

Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages

• Great Schism of 1054 split christianity into Roman catholic and orthodox

  • Roman Catholic in Western Europe, Orthodox in east

• Roman Catholic church was only authority ruling over europe

• church officials were often the only literates

Political trends in France in the middle ages

• King Philip II was first to develop bureaucracy

• Estates-General

  • body to advise king and represent the clergy, nobility, and commoners

Holy Roman Empire Political trends

• Power struggle between holy Roman emperor and pope over lay investiture controversy

• debated if secular leaders of pope could be in charge of clergy and church

• resolved with concordat of worms

• church got autonomy

lay investiture controversy

between holy Roman empire and pope, debating ability of secular leaders or pope to be in charge of bishops and church, resolved with concordat of worms where church got autonomy

Norman England Political trends

• invasion of endlang by William the conquerer

• magna Carta signed that required the king to respect rights

• English parliament formed for first time

Christian Crusades

• Europeans sought to reclaim holy land that mattered to Jews, Christians, and muslims

• merchants wanted access to trade routes to middle east

• Roman Catholic church wanted to increase political control between popes and kings

• failed

• brought back knowledge

Education and Art of Roman Catholic Church

• First universities

• thinkers and writers were religious leaders

• artists worked for church to help those who were illiterate

Economic and Social Change

• Local economic self-sufficiency in Europe grew to interest in trade goods

• Marco Polo visited East Asia and increased interest in trade with his notes

Social Change

• Commercial growth changed social structure of europe

• growth of middle class

• bubonic plague reshaped everything

  • less people, more labor needed

Renaissance

• expansion of trade, agricultural growth, rise of middle class all sparked creativity

• period characterized by revival of interest in Greek and Roman lit, culture, art, and civic virtue

• scholars recovered and studied ancient texts

• increased vernacular language

• rise of powerful monarchies, centralization of governments, and birth of nationalism

Humanism

• focus on individuals instead of god

• fought for education and reform

Southern Renaissance

• church patronage supported renaissance in Italy and spain

• da vinci

• raphael

northern renaissance

• spread in 1400

• more realistic

• less angels (for example)