Midterm Exam Cram 😢

What is Medina?

City north of Mecca along the Red Sea

What is hajira?

Muhammad's migration from Mecca to Medina

What is the umma?

Muhammad's followers' community in Medina

What are three things Muhammad served for the umma?

As head of the community:
Established legal and social codes
Led daily prayers
Led military and commercial affairs

By the mid-eighth century, what lands did the Islamic empire rule?

India, Asian steppes, northwest Africa, Iberian Peninsula

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

1. Allah is the only god and Muhammad is the prophet
2. Daily prayer facing Mecca
3. Provide financial relief to the weak and the poor
4. Fast during the daylight hours in month of Ramadan
5. Hajj (pilgrimage once in life to the Ka'ba)

What is a caliph and what was the umma able to do under the leadership of the first caliph?

Caliph means "deputy"; lieutenant or substitute of Muhammad Head of the Islamic state and the umma
Conquered nearby towns and bedouin clans
Forced towns and clans to recognize the caliph and convert to Islam

After Muhammad's death, what divided the umma?

Disagreements over who succeeds Muhammad
Divided into two factions, Shia and Sunni

Who is Abu Bakr?

Muhammad's close friend and disciple
First official caliph and succeeded Muhammad

What is sharia and what did it offer guidance on?

Islamic holy law developed by Islamic jurors and legal scholars
Guidance on marriage, slavery, family, and business

What is the jihad?

"Struggle"
Tells Muslims to combat vice and evil
Spread Islam and seek converts
Wage wars against unbelievers (most extreme)

What is the Dar al-Islam?

Islamic state

What are Arabs?

Native peoples of the Arabian Peninsula

What is a Muslim?

Follower of Islam

What is one similarity between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity?

Worship one god; monotheistic

Who did Muhammad come into conflict with in Mecca? What are the causes of this conflict?

Ruling elites of Mecca were polytheistic while Muhammad believed in monotheism
Muhammad taught greed is immoral who offended the wealthy elites

What happened in 630?

Muhammad and his umma conquered Mecca and established the dar al-Islam as well as a Islamic government
Forced elites to convert to Islam
Destroyed shrines of other gods except Ka'ba and built mosques

What happened to Muhammad and Islam by 632?

Muhammad leads the first hajj, a pilgrimage to Ka'ba
Muhammad conquers most of the Arabian Peninsula
Muhammad dies on June 8, 632

What are the causes of the fall of the Umayyad dynasty?

Resentment from conquered people due to the jizya and the lack of wealthy or authority
Shia resistance that hated the Sunni Umayyads
Muslim Arab general became unhappy as the caliphs lived luxuriously without care for the dar al-Islam
Rebellions in Persia led by Abu al-Abbas

What was the Umayyad dynasty's policy toward conquered peoples?

Tolerated other religions yet for a price of a special tax named jizya
Allowed no access to wealth, social mobility, and authority

Who did the Umayyad dynasty favor?

Arabs, especially military aristocrats; they held positions of authority and were rewarded money

What is the Umayyad dynasty and how did they rule themselves politically?

Second official Islamic state (661-750); Capital at Damascus
Ruled by a prominent merchant clan after assassination of Ali
Ruled as a centralized government with bureaucracy and imperial rule

What is the Sunni sect and what do they support?

Political party and Islamic faction
Support that friends of Muhammad can be caliphs; Abu Bakr as first caliph

What is the Shia sect and what do they support?

Political party and Islamic faction
Support that caliphs can only being Muhammad's blood; believes Ali should be the first caliph

What problem of governance and administration did Islam face during the period of its rapid expansion? What did this problem result in?

Selection of caliphs as the Islamic factions (Shia and Sunni) grew

Who is Abu-al Abbas and how was he able to establish the Abbasid Dynasty?

Chief leader of rebellions in Persia and Mesopotamia
Established the Abbasid Dynasty by allying his non-Arab Muslim supporters to defeat Umayyad forces in the 740s

What are the differences between the Umayyad Dynasty and the Abbasid Dynasty?

Abbasid Dynasty did not favor Arab military aristocrats and was not a conquering dynasty like the Umayyads

What is the Battle of Talas River and why is it important?

Battle between the Chinese army of Tang dynasty with the Abbasid armies in 751
Ended expansion in central Asia for the Tang Dynasty
Allowed Islam to flow into the cultures of Turkish peoples

What was the Abbasid dynasty's political administration like?

Rulers devised policies, built capital cities to oversee affairs, and organized territories through governors and bureaucrats

Who are the ulama and what role did they play in the Abbasid Dynasty?

Ulamas are learned officials defined as "people with religious knowledge"
Set moral standards and resolved disputes in local communities
Developed public policy according to the Quran and sharia

Who are the qadis and what role did they play in the Abbasid Dynasty?

Qadis are learned officials defined as "judges"
Heard cases at law and rendered decisions based on the Quran and sharia

Who is Harun-al Rashid?

Caliph of the Abbasid Dynasty and ruled from 786-809
Ruled at the highest point with very large amounts of riches and presents

What are the causes of the decline of the Abbasid Dynasty?

Provincial governors seceded from the empire
Persian nobles and Seljuq Turks both established footholds on the throne

Who are the Saljuq Turks and why are they important?

Nomadic people from central Asia who invaded the Byzantine Empire
Allied with the Abbasid Dynasty and gained control of the empire, causing power to fall into Saljuq sultans

What geographic region did Islam arise in?

Southwest Asia/Middle East
Arabian Peninsula, an arid and hot desert

Who are the bedouin peoples and how did the organize themselves?

Nomadic peoples from Arabian Peninsula
Herded goats and sheep
Divided themselves into clan groups

Why did the Arabian Peninsula become important economically?

Long distance trade networks
Goods arrived on the Persian Gulf and transferred overland to the Mediterranean Basin
Linked China and India with Persia and the Byzantine Empire

Who is Muhammad and what was his early life like?

Founder of Islam
Born into a wealthy merchant family in Mecca in 570
Lost his parents at age 6; became a merchant by age 30

Were most Arabs monotheistic or polytheistic peoples?

Polytheistic; worshiped many gods, goddesses, and demons
Yet interacted with Jews and Christian converts who were monotheistic

What happened to Muhammad in 610?

Experienced visions and messages from Allah delivered by the Archangel Gabriel

What did Allah want Muhammad to to do?

To be a prophet to spread Allah's message (Islam):
Allah is the one true god as there are no other gods
Allah punishes those who do not follow
Allah rewards those who do follow

What happened to Muhammad by 620?

Muhammad began to spread Allah's message to family, friends, and citizens of Mecca

What is the Quran?

Islam Holy book written in poems
Includes written texts of Muhammad's teachings
Created in 650 by followers after Muhammad's death
Argues Allah is the only god
Those who follow are rewarded; those who don't are punished
Recognizes the Five Pillars of Islam

What East Asian history should I know before postclassical period?

Ancient China: Shang and Zhou dynasties
Spring and Autumn -> Warring States Period
Classical China: Qin and Han dynasties
Three Kingdoms Period -> Decentralized kingdoms
Postclassical China: Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties

What was life like in China after the fall of the Han Dynasty?

Three regional kingdoms attempt to centralize power
AKA Three Kingdoms Period; Wei, Shu, and Wu
Jin Dynasty centralizes for a short period then invaded by nomadic peoples in the north, leading up to decentralized rule

Who is Yang Jian and why is he important?

Ruler from north China
Embarked on military campaigns in the 6th century to centralized rule in China
Establishes the Sui Dynasty (589-618)

What is the Grand Canal? Who built it?

An artificial waterway that ran from northern China to southern China
Constructed by Sui's second emperor, Sui Yangdi

What was the purpose of the Grand Canal?

Allowed boats to flow inland
Improved irrigation systems
Facilitated trade
Sent crops from Yangtze River Valley to north China

What are the causes of the fall of the Sui Dynasty?

Construction of the Grand Canal led to high taxes, leading to rebellions
Conscription of labor for Grand Canal and the Korea military campaign lead to rebellions and hatred
China's loss to Korea further undermined the people's trust to the emperor
Large rebellions began in 610
Sui Yangdi was assassinated in 618 CE

What is the Tang Dynasty and how was it established?

Founded by a rebel leader and former Sui government official
Second postclassical Chinese state
618-907

Who is Tang Taizong and why is he important?

Second emperor of Tang Dynasty
A Confucian ruler; believed educated leaders should run the government with moral
Created a stable government for a while the first time since the Han Dynasty
Made Tang Dynasty prosperous and flourishing

What are the three policies that allowed the Tang Dynasty to flourish?

Development of transportation networks: Roads and Grand Canal
Equal field system
Government of bureaucracy based on merit

What is the equal field system? What problems did it eventually face?

Division of agricultural land based on fertility and needs of recipients
Allowed equal distribution of land
Only 20% of the land could be passed from generation to generation
Problems:
Overpopulation in the 8th century due to prosperity, which led to limited food
Wealthy families have bought or taken all the land for themselves

What is the bureaucracy of merit?

Government workers based on merit in education and qualification
Influenced by Confucius

What was military expansion like in the Tang Dynasty?

Extended north to Manchuria
Extended south to north Vietnam
Extended west to Aral Sea
Conquered northern Tibet
Vassalized the Silla Kingdom in Korea

What was the relationship between the Silla and the Tang?

Tributary relationship
China was responsible to bring order to Silla Kingdom
Silla sent gifts to China and perform the kowtow before the emperor, which i to kneel and touch the ground with forehead in worship

What are the causes of the fall of the Tang Dynasty?

Emperors start to neglect state policies, which led to General An Lushan to rebel in 755 (An-Shi Rebellion 755-763)
Emperor hires Turkish peoples to defend against rebellions which led to Uighurs' recapturing and sack of Chang'an and Luoyang in 757
Deterioration of equal-field system
Rebel Huang Chao's domination of eastern China (875-884)
Increasing numbers of rebellions
Last emperor abdicated to cause power vacuum

What was China like after the fall of the Tang Dynasty?

Rise of warlord rule from former Tang military officials
China becomes decentralized

Who is Song Taizu and why is he important?

First emperor and founder of Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Began career as junior military officer for a warlord
Proclaimed emperor in 960 and subjected all warlords under his authority
Ended the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period

How did Song Taizu treat his military?

Persuaded military generals to retire
Tightly supervised the military to ensure no displacement

How did Song Taizu treat his state officials?

State officials were scholar bureaucrats chosen by merit and loyalty
Bureaucracy was expanded; salaries were increased and began to run the military

What financial problems did the Song Dynasty face?

Expansion of bureaucracy led to more pay
Increased taxes in response to financial pressure

How did Chinese peasants react to Song Dynasty's financial problems?

Became aggravated due to high taxes
Launched two rebellions in the 12th century

Who are the Khitan? Who are the Jurchen? How did they impact the Song Dynasty?

Khitans are semi-nomadic peoples from Manchuria; demanded and received tributes from Song
Jurchens are nomadic peoples from north China who conquered the Khitans in the 12th century; took over north China and captured Song capital at Kaifeng; establishes the Jin Empire
Song moves capital south to Hangzhou yet its territories decreased

What military problems did the Song Dynasty face?

Little talent or military education to due bureaucrats running the military
Little army and became open to invasions

What happened to the Song Dynasty in 1279?

Mongols invade and conquer Song
Mongols establish the Yuan Dynasty in China

What are the causes of the fall of the Song Dynasty?

Internal problems:
Increase of bureaucracy led to financial problems
Peasant rebellions due to high taxes
Weak army ran by bureaucrats
External problems:
Khitans demanded tributes
Jurchens capture Song capital and downsizes Song territories
Mongols invade and conquer Song in 1279

Why did Chinese armies venture into Korea and Vietnam?

Imperial expansion and military campaigns

What is the Silla Dynasty and what happened to it in the 7th century?

Native Korean state
Tang conquers large part of Silla

What political compromise did the Tang Dynasty make with the Silla Dynasty?

Vassalization
Silla king must recognize Tang emperor as overlord and conduct tributes to them
Chinese forces withdraw from Korea to avoid long and expensive war

How did China's tributary relationship with the Korean Peninsula impact the Korean state?

Silla kings sent gifts and performed the kowtow to Chinese emperors
Silla king received gifts from China
Korean merchants began to trade in China

How did China influence Korea in regards to education and religion?

Social: Confucian educational system
Political: Scholar-bureaucrats
Culture: Chan Buddhism

Despite their many Chinese influences, how did Korea differ from China?

Political power remains among the wealthy
No bureaucracy based on merit

What is Nam Viet and what did the Tang Dynasty do there?

Tang Dynasty conquers some northern Nam Viet towns (Vietnam)

What did Vietnamese peoples adopt from China?

Interactive: Chinese agricultural methods and introduction of irrigation systems
Social: Chinese Confucian schools
Political: Chinese administrative techniques

What did Nam Viet do in the Tang Dynasty when it fell?

Became independent
Resisted later Chinese efforts of expansions

Despite their many Chinese influences, how did Nam Viet differ from China?

Nam Viet maintained indigenous religions
Nam Viet had matriarchal society; women dominated the markets

In regards to their relationship with China, how did Japan differ from Korea and Vietnam?

No invasion or imperial expansion

Who were the earliest inhabitants of Japan?

Migrants of nomadic people from northeast Asia 35,000 years ago who set the language and culture
Later migrants of nomadic people from Korean Peninsula who brought agriculture, iron metallurgy, and horses

What was early Japan like?

Small decentralized regional kingdoms dominated by aristocratic clans

What is the Nara period and what was it like?

First early centralized Japanese state (710-794)
Created by the Nara aristocratic clan by claiming imperial authority
Made Nara, its capital, a replica of the Tang capital, Chang'an
Implemented the equal field system
Supported Confucianism and Buddhism

Despite their influence from China, how did Japan differ in regards to religion?

Shinto, the indigenous religion, remained popular
Veneration of ancestors, nature spirits, and deities persisted

What did the emperor of Japan do in 794?

Moved the imperial court from Nara to Heian, changing into the Heian Period

How was Japan ruled politically in the Heian Period?

Second classical Japanese state (794-1185)
Emperor rarely ruled and was a ceremonial figurehead
Real political power was in the Fujiwara clan

What is the Tale of Genji and why is it important?

Novel about court life in Heian Japan by Murasaki Shikibu
Written in Japanese as opposed to most novels at the time (Shikibu was female and was not granted education in Chinese)

What are the causes of the decline of the Heian Period?

Fail of equal-field system
Domination and power struggles of aristocratic clans
Civil war between Taira clan and Minamoto
Minamoto wins in 1185 and establish the Kamakura Shogunate

What two periods make up medieval (postclassical) Japan?

Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333) by Minamoto shoguns
Muromachi Shogunate (1336-1573) by Ashikaga shoguns

What was Japan like politically in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods?

Politically decentralized and theoretically centralized
Provincial lords known as daimyo wielded effective power and authority in local regions where they controlled land and economic affairs
Shogun was a position above all daimyo yet allowed autonomy

What is a samurai? What was their purpose in the social structure of medieval Japan?

A samurai is a professional warrior who specialized in use of force and arts of fighting
Enforced the provincial lords' authority in their territories and frequently extended claims to other lands
Received agricultural surplus and labor services of peasants

What role did feudalism play in medieval Japan?

Confucian values, Buddhism, a universal system of writing, and centralized imperial rule were suppressed

Why is the Tokugawa Shogunate important?

Marked the end of a civil war after Muromachi Japan and start of early modern Japan
Effectively enforced centralization more tightly
Unified Japan in 1600

What South Asian history should you know so far?

Ancient South Asia: Migrations to South Asia by Aryans
600 B.C.E.: regional kingdoms fight for centralized power
Classical India: centralized Mauryan and Gupta dynasties
Postclassical South Asia: India divided into decentralized kingdoms

What was India like politically in mid-sixth century?

Gupta Dynasty collapses
Led to development of decentralized, regional kingdoms

What is India's geography like?

Punjab in the north
Sind in the northwest
Gujarat in the west
Bengal in the east
Deccan Plateau in the south
Ceylon (island) off the coast in the south
Indus River in north India
Ganges River in south India

What was northern India like politically after the fall of the Gupta Dynasty?

Local regional kingdoms that fought for power and territory
Intermittent wars
Nomadic Turkish peoples invade form central Asia

Who is King Harsha and why is he important?

Leader in northern India
Established Harsha's kingdom (only king reigned 606-648)
Centralized northern India in 612
Led strong cavalry, infantry, and war elephants
Government was loose through a federation of Indian princedoms
Buddhist yet tolerated other religions
Attempted to redistribute wealth
Assassinated in 648 by local leaders

What are the causes of the decline of Harsha's kingdom?

External problems:
Couldn't overcome regional rulers
Unable to restore permanent centralized rule

Internal problems:
Assassinated in 648
Left no heir

What happened to northern India in 711?

Umayyad forces conquer Sind
Originally wanted to explore yet conquered the region

What are the three ways in which Islam entered and spread throughout India?

Arab military forces in Sind
Muslim merchants through trade
Migrations and invasions of Islamic Turkish speaking peoples from central Asia

Who is Mahmud of Ghazni and what did he do between 1001 and 1027? What was his goal in India?

Leader of Muslim Turks from Afghanistan
Conducted 17 raiding expeditions in India from 1001 to 1027
Annexes Indian regional states in Punjab
Sought to steal riches