State-Building (1200 CE - 1450 CE)

Flashcards about State-Building and developments between 1200 CE and 1450 CE

What is a state?

An organized political community under one government.

How did the Song Dynasty maintain and justify their rule?

The revival of Confucianism (Neo-Confucianism) due to its ancient history in China, and the imperial bureaucracy.

What were some of the main ideas of Confucianism?

Society is hierarchical, harmony depends on keeping the proper relationships, and filial piety.

What was life like for women in Song China?

Women were in a subordinate position and were stripped of legal rights, with limited education and the practice of footbinding in elite circles.

How did China influence its neighbors in East and Southeast Asia?

Civil service exam adoption and Buddhism.

What are the basic tenets of Buddhism?

Suffering exists due to desire, and the way to stop suffering is the Eightfold Path, with the ultimate goal of achieving nirvana.

What are some of the different forms of Buddhism?

Theravada Buddhism (original form) and Mahayana Buddhism (encouraged broader participation).

What helped Song China to have such a strong economy?

Inherited prosperity, population doubling, commercialization, and the expansion of the Grand Canal.

Why was the introduction of Champa Rice so important for the Song Dynasty?

It was a drought-resistant crop that matured early, increasing food availability and population.

What was the Chinese Tribute System?

It was a way for countries to acknowledge China's superiority and gain access to trade rights.

What is the connection between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity?

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are all monotheistic faiths practiced in Dar al-Islam, sharing a lineage of prophets

Describe the condition of the Abbasid caliphate c. 1200.

The Abbasid caliphate had begun to break up and lose its powerful position in the Muslim world.

Describe the rise of the Seljuk Empire.

The Seljuks were Turks from Central Asia who created their own empire and became a dominant force in the region.

What practices in the new Islamic empires were borrowed from previous empires?

Sharia law, a legal code based on the Quran.

What were some of the intellectual innovations of Dar al-Islam and their effects?

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi invented trigonometry, and Muslim scholars preserved the works of Greek philosophers.

Describe the expansion of the Islamic World c. 1200-1450.

Empires spread through military expansion, travels of Muslim merchants, and the work of missionaries like the Sufis.

What religions could be found in South Asia and what effect did they have on society?

Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. Most people in South Asia were Hindu. Bhakti Hinduism was a new movement that challenged social and gender hierarchies in Hindu India.

What religions could be found in Southeast Asia?

Buddhism and Islam.

Describe the emergence of new states in South and Southeast Asia and how they kept power.

The Delhi Sultanate was in Northern India, while the Rajput kingdoms were rival warring Hindu Kingdoms who held the Delhi Sultanate back from conquering more land.

Describe the development of the Aztec Civilization.

Founded in Mesoamerica in 1345 by the Mexica, their capital was the magnificent Tenochtitlan. Conquered people were forced to pay tribute in goods or labor.

How did the Inca maintain and improve their empire?

The Inca had an elaborate bureaucracy throughout the Andean region to control conquered territories and used the mit'a system as a source of labor for state projects.

Describe Mississippian Culture.

Located in North America around the Mississippi River Valley, they focused on agriculture and were known as mound builders.

Describe the development of the Swahili Civilization in East Africa.

Swahili city-states grew powerful due to Indian Ocean Trade and were very influenced by merchants from Dar al-Islam. The language Swahili is a combination of Bantu and Arabic.

Describe the development of the empires of West Africa (Ghana, Mali, and Songhay).

They were powerful and highly centralized. They also grew due to trade with Dar al-Islam. The elites of society converted to Islam, but most subjects held onto indigenous beliefs.

How was the Hausa Kingdom, also in West Africa, different from the empires there?

They were decentralized city-states, more like the Swahili civilization. They shared a common culture and grew powerful through trade because they acted as brokers for trans-Saharan trade.

Describe how the development of Great Zimbabwe in Southern Africa was similar and different from other African states in this time.

It became wealthy due to trade, farming and cattle herding. Its main source of wealth was the gold trade. It rulers and people never adopted Islam but maintained their indigenous shamanistic faith

Describe how the development of Ethiopia in East Africa was similar and different from other African states in this time.

They had a monarch and strict hierarchy like other states. They grew due to trade with the Mediterranean and Arabian peninsula. The big difference is that they were Christians.

Describe the belief systems of Europe and how they affected European society.

Christianity dominated Europe. Muslims were primarily in the Iberian Peninsula. Jews were a minority group who faced waves of anti-Semitism.

What was feudalism?

The political system of decentralized Europe where powerful lords and kings gained allegiance from lesser lords, who became their vassals. Vassals got land in exchange for military service.

What was manorialism and what was serfdom?

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