History Exam 3

Caliph rule

Muhammad dies

• No more prophets but four caliphs

  • Islamic successors (political and somewhat spiritual leaders)

Sunni

Succession

• Elected and qualified individuals -do not have to be related to Muhammad.

Religious authority

• -Quran, the Sunnah and any learned scholar.

Religious hierarchy

• -no formal hierarchy, any Muslim can lead prayer.

Veneration

• -Focus on God’s power in the world, no humans as saints.

Prayer

• -Five times a day, keeping hands folded.

Shi’a

Succession

• Leadership must come from Muhammad’s bloodline, specifically through his cousin and son-in-law.

Religious authority

• -Importance on the spiritual authority of the Imams (descendants of Muhammad) as direct embodiments of divine guidance.

Religious hierarchy

• -Complex, hierarchical clerical structure, senior religious scholars at the top.

Veneration

• -Imams and other holy figures as saints, visit shrines associated with them. Emphasize themes of sacrifice and martyrdom.

Prayer

• -Three daily prayer times, hands at their sides with a piece of clay from a holy site.

Islam spread through trade routes

Arab Merchant Scholars

• Conversion is voluntary.

  • Local merchants convert, local rulers convert

  • Gradual conversion - assimilation

  • There isn't usually coercion unless it's polytheists.

• Pressures to convert -

  • Tolerance tax

  • Government funding 

    • if you want to work in the government, you have to convert

Means of Conversion (Islam)

Voluntary

Merchant traders (usually Arab)

• Sub-Saharan Africa

• Southeast Asia

Mecca

Birthplace of Muhammad

• Islam’s holiest city

Umayyads

Temporary peace

Adopt the Persian model of government 

• Have to pay a tax 

New locus of power

Distinctive to Christianity

• Used Roman roads to spread Islam

Problems with Umayyads

• The Umayyad empire fell because it showed too much favoritism toward Arabs.

Abbasids

Multicultural Empire. 

• Less Arab favoritism

• Persian Model

• Byzantine influence

• Relationships with Christians in the empire

• Infrastructure

  • Gov built good roads

  • Really embrace science and technology

Cause of Fall

• Mongolians

Decline of Abbasids

Turkish dominance

• Abbasid Empire

• Sultan - Turkish

• No line of succession leading to inner conflict within the empire

Islam and Patriarchy

Initially isn't very patriarchal.

• Women could own property and get divorced

  • Some rights

• Starts to become patriarchal when Islam spreads East and West after Mohommed dies.

  • West to Byzantine Greeks

  • East to the Persians

• The Qu’ran

• Contact with the Byzantines

Islam loves Aristotle.

• VERY patriarchic views.

Swahili peoples

East Africa

• Independent city states

Sub Saharan Africa and Islam

Gold is a big draw.

• Arab merchant muslims arrive by ship in the east and camels in the west

Merchants gradually converts the people to Islam

• Initially it did not affect most people.

No impact on gender

• Women maintain the rights they had before.

Ghana

The first major Muslim kingdom is Ghana.

• Speak Soninke

• Iron producers

  • Demand for trade

• Gold is the basis of wealth

Government

• Indirect rule of a king

• Islam

• Kumbi-Saleh

  • Mosque, king lives there.

Religious toleration

• No one is forced to convert

Fall - Berbers

Mali

Gold is the basis of wealth

Islamic Unity

• A common religion

• Common language - Arabic

• Common set of laws

• Most muslims are required to take a trip to Mecca

Battle of Tours

France defeats the Muslims

• Led by Charlemagne’s grandfather. 

Maleka

Straits of Melaka 

• Trade and spices 

Diasporic Communities

Ethnically diverse merchants trading with one another

• Native language and foreign language - bilingual 

Caravan Trade

• More people speak Arabic as their first or second language.

Southeast Asia

Islam

• Merchants bring Islam.

Government

• Local kings convert. Spreading slowly; no one is forced to convert.

A source of unity

Sui Dynasty

Fragmentation then reunites and recentralizes China after the fall of the Han under the Sui Dynasty.

• Policies with Buddhism

• Builds the grand canal

  • Runs north to south

• Infrastructure

• The fall of the Sui

Tang Dynasty

Confucianism and Daoism

• Tried to convert Buddhists to Daoism.

Buddhist persecution

• Attacking more of the wealth of the religion than the religion itself.

Education

Infrastructure

Land distribution

• Equal land system based on how many family members in a family.

Eunuchs

The Fall of the Tang

• The land system falls apart

  • Elite families keep their land; more families are impoverished.

  • Military reverses

  • Decentralization of power

  • Loses the mandate from heaven

Song Dynasty

Song is confucianist

• Song is overthrown by the Mongolians

Chinese innovations

Paper, porcelain, woodblock printing, moveable type, magnetic compass, paper money.

Naval power in the Indian Ocean

Not a lot of focus on naval power, 

• Naval power was focused more  in Europe.

Features of Medieval Western Europe

Controlled by the Germans

• Visigoths vs Franks

Common religion

• Roman Catholic

Living in huts, tremendous amounts of poverty.

The political system is  feudalism. 

• Aristocrats.

Illiteracy 

• Kings, aristocrats, and especially the poor cannot read or write.

• Poor illiterate impoverished farmers.

Patriarchal society

• Basically no rights, but women are in the weaving guild.

  • Every person wears wool.

Early Middle Ages 

Feudalism is a hierarchy of power.

• The Monarch.

• Who’s really in charge?

  • The aristocrats (military)

    • Military aristocracy.

Charlemagne

Catholicism

Crowned Empire of Europe by the pope.

• Recognizes the Pope as the head of all Christians.

Didn’t have a good idea of bureaucracy.

• 350 counties under his rule alone.

Murdered the heathans (Pagans)

Mongolians

Polytheistic 

• Did not force people to convert