Mid Terms Study Guide: World History

For 9th graders at Collegiate High School

Emperor Diocletian

Roman emperor who divided the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern halves to make it easier to manage

Roman Empire dates

27 BCE – 476 CE

Western Roman Empire (WRE)

Latin-speaking western half of the Roman Empire; fell in 476 CE

Eastern Roman Empire (ERE)

Greek-speaking eastern half; later called the Byzantine Empire

Reasons for Roman decline

Economic issues, high taxes, overspending, corruption, selling government jobs

Constantine

Emperor who moved the capital from Rome to Byzantium

Constantinople

New capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, renamed in 330 CE

Edict of Milan (313)

Legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

Effect of Christianity on emperor

Weakened emperor’s authority as loyalty shifted to the Church

Fall of Western Roman Empire

476 CE when Germanic leader Odoacer invaded Rome

Byzantines’ identity

Saw themselves as the continuation of the Roman Empire

Justinian I

Byzantine emperor (527–565) who expanded the empire and reformed laws

Theodora

Justinian’s wife; influential empress and co-ruler

Belisarius

General who reconquered much of the Western Roman Empire

Hagia Sophia

Famous Byzantine church built under Justinian

Corpus Juris Civilis

Justinian’s code of Roman laws; foundation of modern law

Plague of Justinian

Deadly disease that killed millions and weakened the empire

Iconoclasm

Movement to ban religious images (icons)

Iconoclasts

People who opposed the use of icons

Iconodules

People who supported the use of icons

Cause of Iconoclasm

Belief that icons violated the Ten Commandments

Leo III

Emperor who banned icons in 726 CE

Impact of Iconoclasm

Caused divisions within the Byzantine Church

Great Schism of 1054

Split Christianity into Roman Catholic (West) and Eastern Orthodox (East)

Roman Catholic Church

Western Christian church led by the Pope

Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Christian church led by the Patriarch

Double Disaster of 1071

Byzantines lost territory to Normans and Seljuk Turks

Fall of Constantinople

1453 to the Ottoman Empire

Greek knowledge preserved

Byzantine scholars preserved ancient Greek and Roman learning

Roman law preserved

Justinian’s Code influenced modern legal systems

Byzantine art

Known for mosaics and religious imagery

Christian division legacy

Split between Catholic and Orthodox churches still exists

Bedouins

Nomadic Arab peoples of the Arabian Peninsula

Pre-Islamic Arabia

Polytheistic with animism; Mecca was a trade center

Mecca

Important religious and trade city

Muhammad

Founder of Islam

Hijra

Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE

Significance of Hijra

Beginning of the Islamic calendar

Monotheism in Islam

Belief in one God (Allah)

Shahada

Declaration of faith

Salat

Prayer five times daily facing Mecca

Zakat

Charity to the poor

Sawm

Fasting during Ramadan

Hajj

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Umayyad Caliphate

First Islamic dynasty; capital in Damascus

Abbasid Caliphate

Islamic dynasty that moved capital to Baghdad

Baghdad

Center of learning and trade during Abbasid rule

House of Wisdom

Major center of scholarship in Baghdad

Islamic Golden Age

Period of advances in science, medicine, math, and literature

Algebra

Mathematical concept developed during the Islamic Golden Age

Feudalism

Political and social system based on land ownership and loyalty

Manorialism

Economic system based on self-sufficient estates

Feudal pyramid

King → Nobles → Knights → Peasants

Role of peasants

Farmed land in exchange for protection

Magna Carta (1215)

Limited the power of the English king

Scholasticism

Combined faith and reason; associated with Thomas Aquinas

Crusades

Religious wars to reclaim the Holy Land

Pope Urban II

Called for the First Crusade in 1095

Holy Land

Jerusalem and surrounding areas

Impact of Crusades

Increased trade, weakened Byzantines, religious tension

Black Death

Bubonic plague that killed millions in Europe

Effects of the plague

Population decline, labor shortages, social change

Hundred Years’ War

Conflict between England and France (1337–1453)

Joan of Arc

Inspired French forces during the Hundred Years’ War

Rise of nationalism

Loyalty shifted from lords to kings

End of Middle Ages

Around 1500, transition into the Renaissance

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty known for economic growth, innovation, and scholarship

Song China economy

One of the richest and most advanced economies in the world at the time

Civil service exams

Exams based on Confucian learning used to select government officials

Scholar-gentry

Educated officials who passed civil service exams

Neo-Confucianism

Revival of Confucian ideas emphasizing order, morality, and education

Movable-type printing

Innovation that increased book production and literacy

Gunpowder

Chinese invention used for weapons and fireworks

Paper money

First widely used paper currency, developed in Song China

Iron production

Song China led the world in

Rice cultivation

Improved farming methods increased food supply

Role of women in Song China

Women had fewer rights; foot binding became common

Mongols

Nomadic warriors from the steppes of Central Asia

Steppe environment

Grasslands where Mongols herded animals and lived nomadically

Temujin

Birth name of Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan

Mongol leader who united the tribes and built the Mongol Empire

Meaning of Genghis Khan

“Universal Ruler”

Mongol military advantage

Skilled horseback riders and archers

Stirrups

Allowed Mongol warriors greater control on horseback

Mongol army structure

Highly organized, disciplined, and mobile

Psychological warfare

Mongols used fear and terror to force surrender

Largest land empire

Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous empire in history

Pax Mongolica

Period of peace and stability across Mongol-controlled lands

Effect of Pax Mongolica

Trade and cultural exchange increased along Silk Roads

Silk Road under Mongols

Trade routes were protected and flourished

Mongol tolerance

Allowed religious freedom and local customs

Mongol governance

Relied on local officials and administrators

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-ruled dynasty in China

Kublai Khan

Grandson of Genghis Khan; founder of the Yuan Dynasty

Capital of Yuan Dynasty

Beijing

Mongol rule in China

Mongols held highest government positions

Social hierarchy under Yuan

Mongols ranked above Chinese citizens

Mongol view of Chinese

Distrusted scholars and Confucian officials

Problems of Yuan Dynasty

Heavy taxes, corruption, and resentment from Chinese

Mandate of Heaven

Chinese belief that rulers must govern justly to keep power