600-1450 Flashcards

Flashcards on the time period of 600-1450.

Islam emerges; Islamic empire emerges

A major event causing change during 600-1450.

Industrial Revolution in China (Sung dynasty)

A major event causing change during 600-1450.

Spread of Neo-Confucianism (in China)

A major event causing change during 600-1450. It's a mixture of Confucianism with some Buddhism.

Schism in Christianity

A major event causing change during 600-1450. When the east and the west churches divided into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity; they divided over the issue of icons.

Camels in Sahara

A major event causing change during 600-1450. This increased trade.

Black Death

A major event causing change during 600-1450. This decimated Europe’s population, political, and economic systems.

Italian Renaissance

A major event causing change during 600-1450. This began the dominance of Europe in culture.

Tang Dynasty (618 – 906)

Emergence of new empires and political systems from 600-1450. A merit-based bureaucracy.

Caliphate System

Emergence of new empires and political systems from 600-1450. This is where the religious leader and the political leader are one in the same.

Feudalism

Emergence of new empires and political systems from 600-1450. King; Lords; Knights; Peasants

The Byzantine Empire

A major factor that remained. It held numerous different groups of peoples. Bureaucracy key to success – SIMILAR TO TANG

Viking raids

Challenged Europeans to get better protection – begins European feudalism; invaded rural areas rather than large towns and cities

The Crusades

Europeans travel to Holy Land – creating a desire to Eastern goods – leads to exploration

Mongolian empires

new group of “invaders” – from Mongolia; under the leadership of Genghis Khan

Mamluk rule in Egypt

non-Arab slaves in Egypt who overthrew the Egyptians

Dar al-Islam

Islam was a unifying force in culture aspects of Eurasia and Africa – similar religion (Islam), similar language (Arabic), similar art (forbids art of humans so has a lot of geometric designs. COMPARE TO EUROPEAN CATHOLICISM

Caliphate

Islamic political structure that was a theocracy with the political and religious leader the same. It included Sharia (Islamic Law).

Sultanate

Islamic political structure that is a monarchy

Arabesque design

Islamic art that includes geometric designs; no human figures in art

Miniature painting in Persia

Islamic art

Mosques with domes, pillars, and minarets

Islamic architecture

Algebra, Arabic numerals, decimal system, and concept of zero

Islamic mathematics

Trans-Sahara trade

Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange which included gold, ivory, slaves and spices from below the Sahara with salt, cloth, and metalware from the Sahara. Across the Sahara between North Africa and Europe beyond to West Africa and aided the rise of African empires and kingdoms in West Africa and spread Islam through West Africa

Indian Ocean trade

Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange which included slaves, ivory, gold, and iron from Africa; porcelain from China; pottery from Burma; cloth from India. It was a major route between East Africa and Asia; made possible by the monsoons; traded with China through Arabs, Indians, Malayans, and Indonesians; lasted until 1400s when direct trade began and brought prosperity to East Africa.

Silk routes

Development and shifts in interregional trade, technology, and cultural exchange with silks and porcelain from China; woolen and linen cloth, glass, horses, ivory from other trading partners. This road went from China across Asia to Middle East, spread Buddhism and Christianity, and spurred European interest in finding a water route to China.

Pax Mongolica

A peace often compared to the Pax Romana established in ancient times across the Roman Empire under Mongol rule.

Genghis Khan

Mongol khan (clan leader) named Temujin who unified the clans under his leadership. Commonly seen as one of the most talented military leaders in world history.

Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties

Led to Chinese hegemony during the era. China's economic growth in turn had implications for many other societies through the trade that it generated along the long-distance routes.

Increasing agricultural production

A characteristic of the Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Before this era, Chinese agriculture had been based on the production of wheat and barley raised in the north. The Tang conquest of southern China and Vietnam added a whole new capability for agriculture; the cultivation of rice.

Increasing population

A characteristic of the Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties. China's population about 600 C.E. was about 45 million, but by 1200 (the Song Dynasty) it had risen to about 115 million. This growth occurred partly because of the agricultural revolution, but also because distribution of food improved with better transportation systems, such as the Grand Canal and the network of roads throughout the empire.

Urbanization

A characteristic of the Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties. The agricultural revolution also meant that established cities grew and new ones were created. Because rice production was so successful and Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade was vigorous, other farmers could concentrate on specialty fruits and vegetables that were for sale in urban markets.

Technological innovations

A characteristic of the Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties. During Tang times craftsmen discovered techniques for producing porcelain that was lighter, thinner, more useful, and much more beautiful. The Chinese also developed superior methods for producing iron and steel, and between the 9th and 12th centuries, iron production increased tenfold.

Financial inventions

A characteristic of the Economic Revolutions of the Tang and Song Dynasties. Because trade was so strong and copper became scarce, Chinese merchants developed paper money as an alternative to coins. Letters of credit called "flying cash" allowed merchants to deposit money in one location and have it available in another.

Neoconfucianism

Classical Confucians were concerned with practical issues of politics and morality, and their main goal was an ordered social and political structure. Neo-Confucians also became familiar with Buddhist beliefs influenced philosophical thought in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan in all subsequent eras

Division of Christendom

The Church was divided in 1054 over the issue of icons, creating the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.

Maya

Amerindian civilization that had an agricultural trade, craftwork in jade, mathematics, astronomy, medicine and was located in city-states which faced diverse explanations for causes of collapse.

Aztec

Amerindian civilization with mercenaries, human sacrifice, and a capital in Tenochtitlan. It was a tributary state that collapsed due to a lack of immunity to AfroEurasian diseases and were allied with the Spanish.

Inca

Amerindian civilization with agricultural inherited array of domesticated plants and animals, e.g. potatoes, quinoa, guinea pigs, and trade. It was based on a rigid class system and collapsed due to a lack of immunity to Afro Eurasian diseases and allied with the Spanish.

Arabs

Nomadic people who conquered parts of North Africa, Spain, West Africa, Central Asia, and East Africa. This unified political units which spread religion.

Turks

Nomadic people who conquered parts of Central Asia, Middle East, and Asia Minor. They spread Islam and defeated the Byzantine Empire.

Mongols

Nomadic people who conquered Persia, China, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

Aztecs

Nomadic people that conquered central Mexico, had human sacrifices and a large trading network.

Vikings

Nomadic people that led to Europeans seeking better protection methods.

Growth and role of cities

Many cities became prominent due to trade (Canton, Samarkand, Timbuktu, Cairo, and Venice). They were centers of education and cultural diffusion.

Marco Polo

Left his home in Venice, and eventually traveled for many years in China. Met the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan (Genghis Khan's grandson), who was interested in his travel stories and convinced him to stay as an envoy to represent him in different parts of China.

Ibn Battuta

Traveled through Mesopotamia and Persia, then sailed down the Red Sea and down the east African coast as far south as Kilwa. He later traveled to India, the Black Sea, Spain, Mali, and the great trading cities of Central Asia. Detailed journal that has given historians a great deal of information about those places and their customs during the 14th century.