NOTE: This is a student made study guide and therefore, do not rely on this completely to study. If you use only this study guide and bomb the test, it isn’t my fault, but your own.

History

!ROME!

Republic

Established in 509 BCE after overthrowing the 7th Roman king.

On the Italian Peninsula, which allowed for it to be the center of trade and expanded quickly after winning the Punic Wars.

12 tables protect everyone equally and the Senate had 300 senators (mostly rich Patricians), 10 Tribunes (Plebeians), and 2 Consuls

As Empire expanded, legions had to go further and further away from capital, so their loyalty shifted from Rome to generals.

Main Points:

• Democratic and Republic

• Turns to empire

Empire

After Caesar dies, Octavian renamed himself as Emperor Augustus and starts Pax Romana.

Empire expands and Empire flourishes and bureaucracies are established while the Emperor’s get crazier and crazier

• Nero burns city for bigger palace

• Nero turns Christians into candles

• Nero made rich people make him their heirs and then made said rich people commit suicide

• Caligula went to war with the sea

• Caligula made his horse a senator, made him a marble stable, and made guests eat food with horse

• Commodus tried to rename the city of Rome after himself

Empire was dying because it was poor and they kept getting invaded by Germanics.

Constantine and Diocletian try to fix stuff with Diocletian dividing empire in 2: Greek East at Byzantium/Constantinople and Roman West at Rome.

Rome Falls in 476 CE

Main Points:

• Expanded too fast and faced the consequences

• After fall, territories became disconnected

China

Song 960-1279

Reasons for long reign

• They were the creators of bureaucracies and made them merit based (theoretically, anyone can become a civil servant). This kept the empire running properly

• Very rich

• Compact, so less area to protect

• Expansion of the Grand Canal allowed for greater cultural unity and paper allows for better storage of info.

• heavy manufacturing in steel and iron important and gunpowder was created (but not for explosives)

Tribute System was established in neighboring states such as Korea and Vietnam, which promoted Sinofication (to become more like China) and allowed stuff to go back to china, such as Champa Rice (which boosted population)

Class Hierarchy

1. Emperor

2. Nobles

3. Scholar Gentry

4. Farmers

5. Artisans

6. Merchants

7. Peasants

Overthrown by Mongols, but were already declining by then.

Main Points:

• Tribute system

• Rich due to precious industries

• Creators of Bureaucracies

Japan

VERY feudalistic (like Europe) and militaristic after the Heian period.

Classes :

0. Emperor: has no power and same family has stayed in power to even today

1. Shogun: Militaristic warlord and acted like European king. They changed during revolution

2. Daimyo: Local warlords who managed their territories

3. Samurai: Social class (not job so women included) and managed small territories

   • Had a habit of commit suicide whenever they lost because dishonor is worse than dislife

Main Points:

• Mostly independent, but sinofied

• A lot like medieval europe

Vietnam

They were the rebellious nation, always fighting against Chinese rule, mainly because Vietnamese people believed women should have more rights compared to China. They payed tribute for some time and they also gave champa rice to China.

The region was also home to the blending of religions as Hinduism moved in due to Indian merchants. Buddhism replaced Hinduism

Main Points:

• More women’s rights and rebellious

• Champa Rice People

Korea

Not much about it except for the fact that they were tribute states to Song and were on the Korean Peninsula.

Main Points:

• They are sinofied

Culture

Confucianism: founded by Confucius and is a philosophy, not a religion. It focuses on relationships and loyalty and honor. The son has loyalty to father, sister to brother, wife to husband, man to country, etc.

Daoism/Taoism: The other religion in China which focused on peace with nature

Shintoism: combination of Confucianism and local Japanese religions.

Neo-Confucianism: A version of Confucianism that added aspects of Daoism and Buddhism. This was most prominent in Song dynasty and was used for the Civil Service exams.

Dar-al Islam

Abbasids

They started the Islamic Golden Age (a period of much scientific growth) and are also rich due to their extensive trade networks.

Their leader is the caliph, but as the Seljuk Turks take over, they change the name to Sultan. They were wiped out by the Mongols in 1258. Even before the turks moved in, the caliphate was weakened by the official split between the Shia and Sunni

Main Points:

• Caliph at top

• Last major caliphate under Arab rule

• Golden Age of Islam

Delhi

Islamic caliphates had already gained access to NE India, but then the Turks moved into to Delhi and establish Sultanate. During their reign, they were able to somewhat unite Northern India

Islam vs. Hinduism:

• Muslim minority ruling over Hindu majority

• Hindus were deeply iconographic while Muslims were deeply iconoclastic

• Muslims inserted themselves into the upper echelons of the strict caste system

The presence of both religions allowed the mixture of the religions, forming the Bhakti movement and the Sikh religion (Syncretism).

Main Points:

• Muslim vs Hindu problems begin here

• Minority rules over Majority

Golden Age

A period of much advances in sciences such as math, philosophy, and astronomy

• Nasir al-Din al-Tusi creates an annoying branch of math: trigonometry

• A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah is the most famous female Sufi writers till 1900s

• Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi creates algebra

• Large scale universities were established

Main Points:

• Muslims do a lot of advances

Other Areas

Islam spread to Western Europe, in which Spain became known as al-Andalus

• Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together harmoniously

• Islam expansion stopped at the Battle of Tours in France

• Started the period called the Reconquista in which Christian armies tried to expel Islamic forces

• Lasting Islamic impression on Spanish culture

Main Points:

• Muslims are in Europe, starting Christian-Muslim rivalries

Europe

Byzantines

With a capital centered at Constantinople, a shipping choke point and a connection between Asia and Europe, the city became extremely rich.

• They considered themselves to be the sole successor to Roman Empire and they considered themselves Romans (they were named Byzantines by historians)

• Though Roman, they were more culturally Greek and Christian

• Expanded under Justinian’s rule, but got pushed back due to Islamic expansion.

Much spending into arts, leading to the creation of magnificent structures such as the Hagia Sophia

They believed that the Emperor was head religious icon and all others had to serve him (Caesaropapism), which went against the Roman Papacy. Other differences included feast days, special saints, types of bread, etc.Such differences eventually led to the Great Schism which ended up creating the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire and the Roman Catholic Church in the West.

Main Points:

• Only point of connection between Asia and Europe

• EXTREMELY wealthy

• Caesaropapism vs Papacy

Western Europe

It is essentially in a state of decline ever since the fall of Rome, though the Holy Roman Empire (it’s not holy, nor Roman, nor an empire) tried to reunite it.

Due to the lack of a strong centralized authority, political devolution occurs, creating feudalism

• King is at top and gives fief (land) to Lords and in exchange, the Lords become the king’s vassals (essentially loyalty)

• Lords give land to knights and in return, he receives military loyalty

• Knights give land to peasants to farm on and get food in return

For the peasant, life was centered around the manor (knight’s land). They were born on the manor. They worked at the manor. They married those in the manor. They died in the manor. There have even been cases that if a couple from different manors wants to get married, they have to get permission from both lords of the manor.

If you’re thinking life can’t get any worse, guess what! Here comes the Bubonic Plague! Originating in Kyrgyzstan, the Plague spread quickly to Europe, traveling through fleas and the air and ended up killing 30%-60% of the population of Europe. Though a complete tragedy, the surviving peasants had an improved lifestyle as manors had a hard time finding enough peasants, and the cultural and religious systems were completely changed.

Life isn’t all bad as many new things are created, such as steel plows.

Main Points:

• Political devolution

• Life centered on manor

• Bubonic Plague changes everything

Americas

Maya 250 - 900

Not an empire, but a collection of city-states that fight more than siblings. Fighting also keeps the population under 2 million people.

• They are patriarchal, but women have positions of power too. sometimes. maybe.

• They had a bad habit of sacrificing humans, but they also created rubber and accurate calendars (like really really accurate calendars) and the idea of 0

Main Points:

• City-states

• Not much because it is out of time period

Aztec 1200-1519

Also known as the Mexico, their empire was centered on the city of Tenochtitlan on Lake Texcoco and that came with its own challenges. To grow food, they made chinampas (food islands) that were innovative, but ineffective. Due to the fact that they had to govern a large theocratic empire, from which they took human sacrifices, and had no wheels or pack animals, their empire was already in decline before the Spaniards even got there.

Main Points:

• Capital on lake

• Can’t have long distance connections

• Theocracy

Inca 1438-1533

Based in the Andes mountains and with a capital at Kuzco, this empire was a lot better as it had better roads, more integration, and a better system of governance (tax was in public service instead of money)

They started to decline due to their belief that after someone died, their property is still theirs and can’t be divided to others. This forced them to expand, stretching army. By the time Spaniards came, there already was much infighting and they had been devastated by smallpox

Main Points:

• Better than other American civilizations

• Not that important because outside of time period

Religions and Other Stuff

Christianity

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the only thread tying Western Europe together was the Church, headed by the Pope. On the other side of the continent, the Byzantines were having a great time and didn’t like the Pope telling them what to do because they thought the Pope was inferior to the Emperor. So they broke the Church in 2, The Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Back in Western Europe, churches became the sole center of education as monks were the only ones who could read.

Islam

After the death of Muhammad, their was a division among muslims if the next caliph should be related to Muhammad or be like Muhammad. This division was the source of the Sunni-Shia schism and the resentment can still be seen today.

Another group worth mentioning are the Sufis, a mystic Islamic sect that believe that being spiritually connected to Allah is more important than following the Quran word for word. They were persecuted, but were very effective in getting converts.

Hinduism

The last and only major polytheistic religion on the planet, Hinduism builds upon thousands of years of cults and local practices that have been compiled into 2 epic poems, Ramayana and Mahabharata. The most major aspect to Hinduism for this time period is of the Caste System.

The Caste System is a social structure which allows for no space for upward mobility. The system puts the priests, Brahmins, at the top while puts the Dalits at the bottom.

Hindu society is based around the local temple, which serves similar purposes the churches did in Western Europe, mainly education, holy place, orphanage, etc

Buddhism

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in Northern India, he left his home and became the Buddha, the Enlightened One, and created the philosophy (not religion as there is no god) of nonviolence, prayer, reincarnation. The philosophy focuses on how to reduce suffering by getting out of the reincarnation cycle.

The philosophy was really popular with poorer Hindus as it promoted equality and greater freedoms.

Their are many branches of Buddhism with their key characteristics:

• Mahayana: This sect is followed more commonly in East Asia and has more culturally Chinese aspects to it

• Theravada: This buddhism is more commonly followed in South and Southeast Asia and they are the faction that follows the old ways of Buddhism

• Tibetan: More common in Tibet and the Himalayan mountain ranges, and shares more aspects with Hinduism.

Other Stuff

Empires

• Usually have a large military

• Fluid borders (always changing)

• Core extracts resources from periphery

• Usually have a sort of ruler (not always though)

English

Julius Caesar

Written by Shakespeare (meaning it is hard to read), this covers the events of Caesar’s assassination, and the following civil war

1. Brutus joins the Liberators to conspiring against Caesar

2. Caesar is assassinated in the senate (23 stabs and “Et tu, Brute“)

3. Octavian rallies the people against the Liberators

4. Civil war breaks out and the Liberators are killed/executed

5. Octavian is renamed Emperor Augustus

Important notes:

• Chances that Brutus is Caesar’s son

• While trying to save something from the bad, a greater evil takes its place

• Utilitarianism

• May include a part where Brutus talks to Caesar’s ghost

Henry V

Written by Shakespeare (even harder) and covers the events of King Henry V

1. Henry prepares to go to war with France

2. Some of Henry’s friends are executed for trying to kill Henry

3. Henry wins some battles

4. Henry marries the Princess of France, ending the conflict

Important Notes:

• Most of the story takes place in France during the British Invasion

• Part of the 100 Years War

• In my opinion, this play is a lot more confusing than Julius Caesar

• Part of a series on the reigns of the Henry’s

Ballad of Mulan

Written by some Chinese guy (so it is readable), and covers the tale of Mulan as she goes through 13 years as a soldier

• Father too old to serve and brothers too young

• Dresses up as a man and joins army, leaving behind her duties

• Falls in love with a guy, who ends up marrying a princess

• Comes back home after 10 years and tells everyone that she was a she and not a he

Important Notes:

• Baddies are not Mongols, just horse-riding nomads

• No dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy or a Chinese-printing cricket

• No records proving she is real, mostly a folklore

• Legal name is Hua Mulan

• Emperor is called “Son of the Heaven“ or “Great Khan“, suggesting that it could be during the Yang dynasty.

Creation Myths

They follow a generally similar structure

Beginning:

• Out of chaos comes the world

• A god/gods emerges and creates the universe

Life:

• Life is created

• Animals and plants usually come before humans

• Humans are created out of natural material

• Humans are made to look like the God/gods

Notes:

• Every creation myth is different and all of them have their own aspects, so be wary

• Most myths come in poetic style, so you have been warned.