Note
Studied by 14 peopleAP World History - Unit 1 Heimler Notes
Unit 1: c. 1200 - c. 1450 (Overall)
Focus: State building and maintenance across major civilizations.
Definition of "state": A territory politically organized under a single government (e.g., the United States, Japan).
China
Song Dynasty (960-1279)
Ruling Methods:
Confucianism/Neo-Confucianism:
Revival of Confucianism, influenced by the Tang Dynasty.
Aimed to reduce the influence of Buddhism on Confucian thought.
Emphasis on hierarchical social order:
Citizens submit to the state.
Women submit to men.
Juniors submit to elders.
Children submit to parents.
Filial piety: Children obey/honor parents and ancestors to bind society.
Women's Position:
Subordinate role intensified during the Song Dynasty.
Legal rights stripped: property became her husband's.
Limited access to education.
Foot binding: Elite status symbol; restricted women's mobility and ability to work.
Imperial Bureaucracy Expansion:
Bureaucracy defined: Government entity arranged hierarchically to carry out the emperor's will.
Civil Service Examination:
Merit-based system for bureaucratic jobs.
Based on Confucian classics.
Theoretically open to all men but favored the wealthy.
Influence on Neighboring Regions:
Korea, Japan, and Vietnam: Influenced by Chinese traditions.
Korea: Adopted the civil service examination.
Adoption of Buddhism.
Buddhism in Song China:
Originated in India, spread to China before the Song Dynasty.
Four Noble Truths:
Life is suffering.
Suffering arises from craving.
Suffering ceases when craving ceases.
Moral life (Eightfold Path) leads to the cessation of craving.
Shared beliefs with Hinduism: Reincarnation, Nirvana.
Theravada Buddhism (Sri Lanka): Confined practice to monks.
Mahayana Buddhism (East Asia): Encouraged broader participation; bodhisattvas helped others attain enlightenment.
Economy:
Commercialization: Increased production of goods for sale.
Key trade goods: Porcelain and silk.
Agricultural Innovations:
Champa rice: Introduced from the Champa Kingdom.
Matured early, drought-resistant, multiple harvests per year.
Led to significant population growth.
Population doubled between 8th and 10th centuries.
Transportation Innovations:
Expansion of the Grand Canal: Facilitated trade and communication.
Dar al-Islam
Definition: "House of Islam"; regions where Islamic faith was the organizing principle.
Other Religions: Judaism, Christianity.
Monotheistic religions shaping societies.
Abbasid Caliphate:
Centered in Baghdad, ethnically Arab.
Declined by 1200.
Rise of Turkic Empires: Seljuk Empire, Mamluk Sultanate, Delhi Sultanate.
Seljuk Empire:
Established in the 11th century by Turkic pastoralists.
Initially hired as military help by Abbasids.
Later displaced Abbasids.
Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258, ending the Abbasid Caliphate.
Continuities in Turkic Empires:
Military administration.
Sharia law: Legal code based on the Quran.
Cultural and Scientific Innovations:
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Advances in mathematics, invented trigonometry.
Preservation of Greek philosophy: Translated works of Plato and Aristotle into Arabic.
House of Wisdom (Baghdad): Library and center of scholarship during the Golden Age of Islam.
Expansion of Muslim Rule:
Military Expansion: Seljuk, Mamluk, Delhi Sultanate.
Traveling Muslim Merchants: Trade in North Africa, conversion of the Empire of Mali.
Sufi Missionaries: Mystical Islam, adaptable to local beliefs; conversion in South Asia.
South and Southeast Asia
Focus: Influence of belief systems and state building.
Belief Systems: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam.
South Asia:
Decline of Buddhism: Reduced to monastic communities.
Hinduism: Most widespread religion.
Islam: Second most influential religion with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.
Bhakti Movement:
Devotion to a single Hindu god.
Challenged social and gender hierarchies.
Southeast Asia: Buddhism and Islam.
State Building in South Asia:
Delhi Sultanate: Difficulty imposing Muslim rule on the Hindu population.
Rajput Kingdom: Hindu resistance against Muslim intrusion.
Vijayanagara Empire (1336):
Established in the South due to a failed attempt by the Delhi Sultanate to extend Muslim rule.
Former Hindu emissaries converted back to Hinduism.
Rebelled against Delhi Sultanate
State Building in Southeast Asia:
Sea-Based Empires:
Majapahit Kingdom (1293-1520):
Java-based Buddhist kingdom.
Controlled sea routes for trade.
Decline due to China supporting its rival, Sultanate of Malacca.
Land-Based Empires:
Khmer Empire:
Founded as a Hindu kingdom, leadership converted to Buddhism.
Angkor Wat: Hindu temple with Buddhist elements, representing religious continuity and change.
The Americas
Mesoamerica:
Aztec Empire (founded 1345):
Founded by the Mexica people.
Capital: Tenochtitlan, the largest city in the Americas before European arrival.
Alliance with other Mesoamerican states in 1428.
System of tribute states: Conquered people provided labor and goods.
Enslaved people: Used for human sacrifice.
Andean Civilization:
Inca Empire (early 1400s):
Stretched across the Andean Mountain Range.
Incorporated land and languages of older Indian societies.
Elaborate bureaucracy: Rigid hierarchies of officials.
Mita system: Required labor on state projects.
Highly centralized rule, unlike the decentralized Aztecs.
North America:
Mississippian Culture:
First large-scale civilization in North America.
Grew around the Mississippi River Valley.
Agriculture-focused.
Large towns politically dominating smaller settlements.
Monumental mounds (Cahokia mounds): Burial mounds constructed by the Cahokia people.
Africa
East Africa:
Swahili Civilization:
Cities organized around commerce along the East African coast.
Grew with Indian Ocean trade.
Independent politically but shared a common social hierarchy.
Influenced by Muslim traders.
Swahili language: Hybrid of Bantu and Arabic.
Conversion to Islam increased integration into Islamic trade.
West Africa:
Powerful and centralized civilizations: Ghana, Mali, Songhai Empire.
Growth driven by trade, influenced conversion to Islam (mostly among elites).
Hausa Kingdoms:
City-states acting as brokers of the trans-Saharan trade.
Common language and culture.
Great Zimbabwe:
Capital city built between 1250 and 1450.
Economic base: Farming, cattle herding, shifted to gold.
Maintained indigenous shamanistic religion, did not convert to Islam.
Kingdom of Ethiopia:
Flourished due to trade.
Christian state, amidst African states dominated by Islam and indigenous belief systems.
Hierarchical power structure.
Europe
Belief Systems:
Christianity: Two main forms: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic.
Byzantine Empire: Represented the eastern half of the Roman Empire; practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Kievan Rus:
United by the adoption of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in 988.
Integrated into Afro-Eurasian trade networks.
Western Europe: Dominated by the Roman Catholic Church.
Muslims: Conquered much of the Iberian Peninsula.
Jews: Lived in pockets throughout Europe, faced anti-Semitism.
State Building:
Decentralization and political fragmentation.
Feudalism:
System where powerful lords and kings gained allegiance from lesser lords (vassals).
Vassals received land in exchange for military service.
Manorialism:
Economic and social organization centered on manors (land owned by a lord).
Peasants (serfs) worked the land in exchange for protection.
Serfs were bound to the land but not personal property.
Land-owning lords (nobility): Held political and economic power.
Monarchs began to grow in power after 1000 CE, leading to centralized states.
1.1 — Developments in East Asia
Song Dynasty (1200-1450)
China held significant power during this period. The focus will be on how the Song Dynasty maintained and justified its power.
Maintaining and Justifying Power
Song rulers utilized two primary methods to maintain and justify their power:
Revival of Confucianism (Neo-Confucianism):
Confucianism, originating in the Han Dynasty (around 200 BCE), established a hierarchical society:
Fathers > Sons
Husbands > Wives
Rulers > Subjects
Proper functioning of society relied on:
Greater entities treating lesser entities with concern and benevolence.
Lesser entities obeying superiors.
Filial piety (honoring ancestors and parents) was a key concept, reinforcing the idea of honoring the Emperor.
Confucianism declined after the fall of the Han Dynasty but experienced a revival starting in the Tang Dynasty.
Neo-Confucianism: A new implementation of Confucianism influenced by Buddhist and Taoist ideas.
Demonstrates historical continuity between ancient China and the Song period, also illustrates innovation.
Tang and Song rulers adapted Confucianism to suit their contemporary purposes.
Song rulers used the hierarchical view of society to maintain their rule and justify their leadership.
Impact on Women:
Women were relegated to a subordinate position in the hierarchy.
Legal rights were restricted (e.g., a woman's property became her husband's).
Widows and divorced women were often forbidden to remarry.
Foot binding was practiced, especially among elite members of society, as a status symbol, limiting women's mobility and ability to perform manual labor.
Imperial Bureaucracy:
A bureaucracy is a governmental entity executing the emperor's will.
The imperial bureaucracy grew during the Song Dynasty.
Civil Service Examination:
Eligible men had to pass a civil service examination based on Confucian classics to get a job in the bureaucracy.
Staffed the bureaucracy with qualified members based on merit, not personal connections.
Increased the competency and efficiency of bureaucratic tasks.
Cultural Influence of Song China
Song China's influence extended to various states:
Korea:
Politically independent but maintained a tributary relationship with China.
Acknowledged China's supremacy and paid tribute to maintain friendly relations.
Adopted aspects of Chinese culture:
Similar civil service examination.
Confucian principles impacted family structures.
Marginalized the role of women.
Chinese cultural influence was mostly limited to the elite members of Korean society.
Japan:
Separated from China by ocean, influencing culture voluntarily.
Cultural borrowing primarily occurred before the Song Dynasty (7th-9th century CE).
Adopted and adapted elements of China's imperial bureaucracy.
Chinese Buddhism and writing system influenced the Japanese elite.
Vietnam:
Bordered China and had a similar tributary relationship like Korea.
Elite members adopted Confucianism, Buddhism, Chinese literary techniques, and the civil service examination system.
Women were not as marginalized as in China.
Several female deities were present.
A female version of the Buddha.
Vietnam did not adopt foot binding.
Buddhism in China
Buddhism originated in South Asia and spread to China by the Han Dynasty.
Four Noble Truths:
Life is suffering.
Suffering is caused by craving.
Suffering ceases when craving ceases.
The Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.
The Eightfold Path outlines principles and practices, including a moral lifestyle and meditation.
Buddhism retained concepts like karma and rebirth from Hinduism.
Theravada Buddhism:
Originated in Sri Lanka and was close to the original form that emphasized escaping the cycle of birth and death.
Practice was mainly restricted to monks.
Mahayana Buddhism:
Emerged in East Asia, emphasizes that Buddhist teachings are available to all.
Emphasized compassion and treated the Buddha as an object of devotion.
Tibetan Buddhism:
Emerged in Tibet with all the same basic doctrines as the others.
Emphasized mystical practices.
Chan Buddhism:
Chinese version of Buddhism.
Song Economy
Song Dynasty experienced significant economic prosperity, building on trends from the Tang Dynasty.
Commercialization: China produced more goods than needed and sold the excess.
Increased use of paper money, credit, and promissory notes.
Iron and Steel Production: Home industries exploded.
Large-scale manufacturers and home-based artisans produced iron and steel.
Metal used for armor, coins, and agricultural tools.
Agricultural Innovations: The introduction of Champa rice from Vietnam was drought-resistant and harvested twice a year, doubling the agricultural output.
The widespread use of iron plows and rakes
Led to a population explosion.
Transportation Innovations: Expanded the Grand Canal (linking the Yellow and Yangtze rivers).
Magnetic compass perfected improved navigation.
New shipbuilding techniques - watertight bulkheads and stern-mounted rudders on junks.
Increased trade and economic prosperity.
1.2 — Developments in Dar al-Islam
Dar al-Islam: "House of Islam"
Refers to regions where Islam was the majority religion around 1200.
Major Religions Interacting
Three major religions interacted during this period: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Understanding their core beliefs and societal impact is crucial.
Judaism
Ethnic religion of the Jews originating in the Middle East.
Monotheistic: Worship of one God.
Significance: Served as the foundation for Christianity and Islam.
Christianity
Established by Jesus Christ, a Jewish prophet.
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah.
Followers spread his message of salvation by grace after his crucifixion.
Early Christians were a persecuted minority.
The adoption of Christianity by the Roman Empire significantly influenced society.
Organized states in Europe and Africa under a hierarchy of popes, bishops, and cardinals.
Islam
Founded by the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula.
Muhammad claimed to be the final prophet in the line of God's messengers.
Salvation is achieved through righteous actions (almsgiving, prayer, fasting).
After Muhammad's death in 632, Islam spread rapidly throughout the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and South Asia, forming Dar al-Islam.
Islam affected societies through trading connections.
Muhammad was a merchant before becoming a prophet which encouraged trade.
Islamic states became more prosperous than Christian states before 1200.
The Rise of Islamic Empires
Islam facilitated the rise of large empires. Understanding the Abbasid Caliphate is important in understanding developments in Dar al-Islam from 1200-1450.
Abbasid Caliphate
Founded in the 8th century.
Ethnically diverse.
Empowered during the Golden Age of Islam:
Significant innovations and advancements in science, mathematics, literature, and technology.
By 1200, the Abbasid Empire was fragmenting.
The Abbasids replaced the Umayyad Caliphate in the mid-8th century.
After defeating them in battle, the Abbasids invited 80 members of the Umayyad court to a dinner, and subsequently killed them.
Rise of Turkic Muslim Empires
New Islamic empires began to rise as the Abbasid Caliphate declined, largely made up of Turkic peoples rather than Arabs.
Seljuk Empire
Established in the 11th century in Central Asia.
The Seljuks were a pastoral people from Central Asia.
Initially brought in by the Abbasids as a professional military force.
By the 1200s, the Seljuk warriors began to claim more power.
Abbasid caliphs remained in power nominally, but the Seljuks held political power.
Mamluk Sultanate
Located in Egypt.
Prior to the Mamluks, the Ayyubid Sultanate ruled Egypt under Saladin.
Saladin enslaved Turkic warriors known as Mamluks to advance his state's goals.
Mamluk means enslaved person.
After Saladin's death, the Mamluks seized power due to incompetent successors.
Delhi Sultanate
Established in South Asia by invading Turks.
Ruled over the Indian population for about 300 years.
Arab Muslim empires were replaced by Turkic Muslim empires.
In these new states, the military was in charge of administration.
Continued the Islamic practice of implementing Sharia law based on the Quran.
Expansion of Islam
Islam expanded across Afro-Eurasia through:
Military expansion: establishment of the Delhi Sultanate.
Merchant activity (trade): North Africa was ruled by Muslims, stimulating trade, and the Empire of Mali converted to Islam to increase access to trade within Dar al-Islam.
Muslim missionaries (Sufis):
Sufism emphasized mystical experience available to anyone.
Became a significant force for the spread of Islam, despite criticism from Islamic scholars due to lack of theological rigor.
Intellectual Developments in Dar al-Islam
Significant intellectual advancements occurred across Dar al-Islam.
Mathematics
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi invented trigonometry to better understand planetary movements.
(\text{Al-Tusi's trigonometry}) influenced Nicholas Copernicus's heliocentric theory.
House of Wisdom
Established in Baghdad during the Golden Age of Islam under the Abbasid Caliphate.
A world-famous library where scholars studied religion and natural sciences.
Scholars preserved Greek works of philosophy (Plato, Aristotle) by translating them into Arabic and providing commentaries.
Arabic translations of classical texts were transferred to Europe, forming the basis for the Renaissance.
1.3 — Developments in South and Southeast Asia
South Asia and Southeast Asia Around 1200
Introduction
Overview of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Focus on the impact of belief systems: Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism around the year 1200.
South Asia refers mainly to the Indian subcontinent.
Southeast Asia encompasses a diverse region where Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam were practiced.
South Asia: Religions
Hinduism
Dominant religion in India for millennia.
Polytheistic belief system.
Belief in many gods, unlike monotheistic religions.
Goal: reunite the individual soul with Brahman (the all-pervasive world soul).
Reincarnation: souls cycle through death and rebirth over many lifetimes to achieve reunion with Brahman.
Caste System
Structured Indian society into a five-tiered system.
Social status was generally fixed during one's lifetime.
Reincarnation into a higher caste was possible based on virtuous behavior.
Buddhism
Founded in India, sharing beliefs with Hinduism.
Reincarnation: belief in the cycle of birth and death.
Goal: dissolve into the oneness of the universe, similar to Hinduism.
Differences from Hinduism
Rejection of the caste system.
Emphasis on the equality of all people.
Ethnic vs. Universalizing Religion
Hinduism: ethnic religion tightly bound to a specific people and place, making it difficult to spread.
Buddhism: universalizing religion that can be integrated into any culture.
Buddhism's influence in India was waning by 1200.
Islam
In 1206, Turkic Muslim invaders established the Delhi Sultanate in South Asia.
Islam became the second most important belief system in India.
Became the religion of the elite in many parts of India.
Changes in Belief Systems
Hinduism: Bhakti Movement
New expression of Hinduism.
Worship of one particular god in the Hindu pantheon.
Rejection of the Hindu hierarchy.
Encouraged spiritual experiences for all, regardless of social status.
Islam: Sufism
Mystical, spiritual experience-based version of Islam.
Similarities between Bhaktis and Sufis
Emphasis on mystical experience.
Rejection of elaborate doctrines and religious requirements of the elite.
Emphasis on access to spiritual experience for all people.
Facilitated the spread of their respective faiths.
Changes in Buddhism
Buddhism in South Asia had become more exclusive by this time.
Mostly confined to monks in monasteries.
Buddhism was declining in South Asia.
State Formation and Maintenance of Power in South Asia
Delhi Sultanate
Established in 1206 by Muslim rulers in Northern India.
Difficulty imposing Islam on India due to Hinduism's strong cultural and social entrenchment.
Islam remained a minority religion.
Resistance to Muslim Rule
Rajput kingdoms: rival Hindu kingdoms that resisted Muslim rule
Some Rajput kingdoms were conquered, while others maintained independence.
Vijayanagara Empire
A powerful Hindu kingdom founded in the south in the 14th century.
Established by Hindu emissaries who rejected Islam after being sent by Muslim sultans.
State Building in Southeast Asia
Sea-Based States
Srivijaya Empire
Ruled from the 7th to 11th century.
Buddhist state influenced by Indian Hindu culture.
Source of power: control over the Strait of Malacca.
Taxed ships passing through the strait.
Majapahit Kingdom
Established on Java in the late 13th century.
Hindu kingdom with Buddhist influences.
Maintained power through a tributary system with other states in the region.
Exerted control by requiring tribute (goods and services).
Land-Based States
Sinhala Dynasties (Sri Lanka)
Buddhist state existing for approximately 2,000 years.
Power derived from land-based resources rather than sea control.
Khmer Empire
Located in present-day Cambodia.
Founded as a Hindu empire, an exception to the rule that Hinduism doesn't spread.
Built Angkor Wat, a magnificent Hindu temple representing the Hindu universe.
Later rulers converted to Buddhism and added Buddhist elements to Angkor Wat.
Syncretism: blending of Hindu and Buddhist elements in the temple.
1.4 — State Building in the Americas
Mesoamerica
Historical Context: Maya Civilization (250-900 CE)
Built huge urban centers.
Sophisticated writing system.
Complex math, including the concept of zero.
Decentralized collection of city-states frequently at war.
Sought to create tributary states, where conquered regions remained somewhat independent but paid tribute (textiles, weapons, building materials).
Emphasis on human sacrifice: Believed the sun deity needed the energy of human blood to combat darkness.
Aztec Empire (1345-1528)
Mexica people: Semi-nomadic group who migrated south in the 14th century.
Built military prowess and strategically married into powerful families.
In 1428, they allied with two other Mesoamerican states to establish the Aztec Empire.
Continuity with Older Mesoamerican States (e.g., Maya):
Decentralized political power structure with tributary states.
Conquered peoples provided regular tribute payments (food, animals, building materials).
Wars of expansion motivated by religious beliefs (human sacrifice for the sun god).
Claimed heritage from older, renowned Mesoamerican people to secure legitimacy.
City-Building Projects:
Tenochtitlan: Capital city with a population of 150,000-200,000.
Vast marketplaces indicating a commercialized economy.
Elaborate palaces and pyramid temples (one 200 feet tall).
Andean Civilizations
Wari: Significant earlier society that collapsed around 1000 CE.
Inca Empire (mid-1400s):
Established in roughly the same area as the Wari and borrowed from older civilizations, including the Wari.
Similar to Aztecs: Outsiders who rose to power through military strength and rapid expansion.
Differences from Aztecs:
Centralized power structure with a massive bureaucracy to ensure the ruler's will was followed.
Mita system: Required labor payments from conquered people for state projects (mining, military service) for a period of time each year.
Used systems employed by earlier civilizations like the Wari: religion-centered political structure and the use and expansion of infrastructure, including vast networks of roads and bridges.
North America
Mississippian Culture (8th-9th century CE):
Established in the Mississippi River Valley.
First large-scale civilization in North America.
Society developed around farming due to fertile soil.
Political structure dominated by powerful chiefs known as the Great Sun, ruling each town and extending power over smaller settlements.
Hierarchical society.
Extensive mound-building projects as burial sites and for religious ceremonies.
Cahokia: Largest urban center with the biggest mound.
Chaco and Mesa Verde Societies (Southwest US):
Developed after the rise of the Mississippian culture.
Dry climate required innovative water transport and storage methods.
Chaco:
Carved sandstone blocks and imported timber to build massive structures.
Mesa Verde:
Built housing complexes into the sides of cliffs using sandstone.
1.5 — State Building in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Region below the Saharan Desert.
Swahili Civilization
Emergence: Africa's East Coast, around the 8th century.
Structure: Collection of independent city-states.
Rise to Prominence: Strategic location on the coast, facilitating access to the Indian Ocean trade.
Trade Goods:
Exports: gold, ivory, timber, enslaved people (to a limited degree).
Imports: Relied on goods from the African interior (farmers and pastoralists).
Islam's Influence:
Dominant belief system due to thriving trade.
Muslim merchants were prominent in the Indian Ocean.
Voluntary conversion among the Swahili elite.
Connected Swahili civilization to the broader economic world of Dar al-Islam.
Swahili Language:
Hybrid: Bantu family of languages (indigenous) + Arabic.
Political Structure:
Each city ruled by its own king.
Intense competition between city-states.
Comparison: Swahili States vs. Song China
Similarities:
Expanded wealth via trade beyond borders.
Hierarchical class structure.
China: Confucian ideals.
Swahili states: Elevated merchant elite.
Differences:
China: Centralized political structure with an emperor.
Swahili states: Lacked a unified political structure.
Great Zimbabwe
Location: Further inland in Southern Africa.
Economic Foundation: Participation in Indian Ocean trade via controlling coastal ports.
Exports: Primarily gold, also farming and cattle herding formed economic base.
Capital City:
Massive construction using wealth.
Largest structures in Africa after the Egyptian pyramids.
Housed royal court; seat of power.
West Africa
State Structures: Mixture of different state structures.
Large Centralized Empires: Ghana, Mali, and Songhai (to be discussed in Unit 2).
Hausa Kingdoms
Location: Scattered throughout the region.
Structure: Collection of city-states, politically independent.
Power Source: Trans-Saharan trade network.
Comparison: Hausa Kingdoms vs. Swahili Civilization
Similarities:
Urbanized and commercialized city-states.
Acted as middlemen for goods from the interior.
Integrated into trade patterns with other states in West and North Africa.
Ruled by kings with social hierarchies.
Conversion of rulers to Islam facilitated trade with Muslim merchants.
General Trend
Adoption of Islam by influential African states to organize societies and facilitate trade within Dar al-Islam.
Ethiopia
Exception to the Trend: Christian kingdom.
Rule: Christian rulers commissioned construction of massive stone churches, to communicate power.
Wealth: Grew through trade in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean network, especially in salt.
Structure: Centralized power with a king and stratified class hierarchy.
1.6 — Developments in Europe
Europe (1200-1450)
Religion: Christianity
Christianity became the official state religion of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine.
It united Romans but the Western Roman Empire fell in 476 CE.
The Eastern Roman Empire, or Byzantine Empire, maintained Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which rulers used to consolidate their centralized power.
By 1200, the Byzantine Empire had lost territory to Islamic powers but still had influence until 1453 when the Ottoman Empire sacked Constantinople, renaming it Istanbul, ending the Byzantine Empire.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity was then embraced by the Kievan Rus, who adopted Byzantine architectural styles, the alphabet, and church-state organization.
In Western Europe, Roman Catholicism provided a common structure with the church hierarchy (popes, bishops, cardinals) despite political fragmentation.
The Church initiated the Crusades, religious wars against Muslims, which connected Europeans to larger trade networks.
Islam and Judaism existed as minority religions.
Muslims controlled the Iberian Peninsula after an invasion in the 8th century.
Jews, scattered throughout Europe, facilitated trade but faced anti-Semitism.
Political Organization
Around 1200, Europe lacked large empires, unlike the Americas (Aztecs, Incas), China (Song Dynasty), and Islamic empires.
Western Europe was characterized by decentralization and political fragmentation, organized around feudalism.
Feudalism
A system of allegiances between powerful lords and monarchs.
Greater lords and kings gained allegiance from lesser lords and kings, with land exchanged for loyalty.
Manorialism
Patches of land were independently owned and ruled, organizing peasants into serfs.
Serfs were bound to the land and worked in exchange for protection from the lord and his military forces.
Serfs were not owned but were bound to the land.
Around 1200, monarchs began to centralize power by creating large militaries and bureaucracies, challenging the power of the European nobility.
Increased centralization led to competition and wars of conquest among monarchs vying for influence and territory.
WHAP CED SIMPLIFIED
Topic 1.1 — Developments in East Asia from 1200–1450
Learning Objective: Systems of government in China
Song Dynasty: Chinese dynasty (960–1279) known for a strong central government, use of Confucianism, and an efficient bureaucracy.
Confucianism: A philosophy focused on respect for elders, family loyalty, and order in society.
Imperial bureaucracy: A system where officials are trained and appointed to run the government based on merit, often using the civil service exam.
Learning Objective: Effects of Chinese cultural traditions
Filial piety: Respect and obedience that children, especially sons, owe to their parents and ancestors.
Neo-Confucianism: A blend of Confucianism with Buddhist and Daoist ideas, emphasizing moral behavior and social order.
Buddhism: Religion from India that spread throughout Asia, teaching the end of suffering through enlightenment.
Confucian gender roles: Women were expected to obey men (fathers, husbands, sons) and remain modest and obedient.
Literary and scholarly traditions: Chinese ideas about writing, education, and government spread to other East Asian regions like Japan (Heian) and Korea.
Branches of Buddhism:
Theravada: Focuses on personal meditation and wisdom, mostly practiced in Southeast Asia.
Mahayana: Offers more flexible beliefs and focuses on compassion and helping others reach enlightenment.
Tibetan: Emphasizes rituals, mantras, and meditation practices, popular in Tibet and Mongolia.
Learning Objective: Effects of innovation on the Chinese economy
Champa rice: A fast-growing rice from Vietnam that allowed more harvests, feeding more people.
Grand Canal expansion: An improved waterway that helped transport goods and people across China.
Steel and iron production: Helped improve tools, weapons, and construction during the Song Dynasty.
Textiles and porcelain: Important Chinese exports, known for quality and traded along the Silk Roads.
Topic 1.2 — Developments in Dar al-Islam from 1200–1450
Learning Objective: Systems of belief and society
Islam, Judaism, Christianity: Monotheistic religions that influenced social and legal systems in Afro-Eurasia.
Sufis: Muslim mystics who spread Islam by focusing on emotional connection with God.
Learning Objective: Rise of Islamic states
Abbasid Caliphate: Once the main Islamic empire, it weakened and fragmented by 1200.
Seljuk Empire: A Turkic empire that took over parts of the Abbasid region and spread Islam.
Mamluk Sultanate: A Muslim kingdom in Egypt ruled by former slave soldiers (Mamluks).
Delhi Sultanate: Muslim rulers who controlled parts of northern India.
Turkic peoples: Nomadic groups from Central Asia who converted to Islam and took political power in many places.
Learning Objective: Intellectual innovation in the Islamic world
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi: Muslim scholar who contributed to astronomy and mathematics.
‘A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah: A female Sufi poet and writer in the Islamic world.
Advances in medicine: Muslim scholars improved hospitals, surgical tools, and medical texts.
Preservation of Greek philosophy: Muslim scholars translated and expanded on Greek ideas about science and philosophy.
House of Wisdom: A major learning center in Baghdad where scholars studied many subjects.
Muslim-Christian Spain: A place where Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars shared ideas and culture.
Topic 1.3 — South and Southeast Asia (1200–1450)
Learning Objective: Belief systems
Hinduism: Ancient Indian religion based on karma, dharma, and reincarnation.
Islam: Religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad.
Buddhism: Focuses on ending suffering through the Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths.
Bhakti movement: A Hindu movement that emphasized personal devotion to gods.
Sufism: A spiritual form of Islam that spread the religion through emotion, love, and devotion.
Buddhist monasticism: Communities of monks and nuns who devoted their lives to meditation and study.
Learning Objective: South/Southeast Asian states
Vijayanagara Empire: Hindu kingdom in southern India, known for resisting Muslim invasions.
Srivijaya Empire: A Buddhist maritime empire in Indonesia that controlled trade routes.
Rajput Kingdoms: Small Hindu warrior kingdoms in northern India.
Khmer Empire: A powerful Buddhist and Hindu empire in Cambodia, known for Angkor Wat.
Majapahit: A Hindu-Buddhist empire in Indonesia that dominated maritime trade.
Sukhothai Kingdom: Early Thai kingdom that practiced Theravada Buddhism.
Sinhala dynasties: Buddhist rulers in Sri Lanka, known for irrigation and temple building.
Topic 1.4 — State Building in the Americas
Learning Objective: Development and change of American states
Maya city-states: Independent cities in Mesoamerica known for math, astronomy, and writing.
Mexica (Aztecs): Central Mexican empire that built a strong military and tribute system.
Inca: South American empire with advanced roads and centralized rule.
Chaco & Mesa Verde: Ancestral Pueblo societies in the American Southwest with large cliff dwellings and trade.
Cahokia: A major mound-building society near the Mississippi River.
Topic 1.5 — State Building in Africa
Learning Objective: Development and change of African states
Great Zimbabwe: Powerful trade-based kingdom in southern Africa with stone buildings.
Ethiopia: A Christian kingdom in East Africa with strong religious and trade ties.
Hausa Kingdoms: Collection of city-states in West Africa, involved in trade and Islamic learning.
Topic 1.6 — Developments in Europe
Learning Objective: Religion and society
Christianity, Judaism, Islam: Continued to influence European society, including laws and education.
Learning Objective: Political decentralization
Decentralized monarchies: Kings had limited power; local lords ruled their own lands.
Feudalism: A system where lords gave land to vassals in exchange for loyalty and service.
Manorial system: An economic system where peasants worked on a lord's land in exchange for protection.
Learning Objective: Agriculture and society
Serfdom: A labor system where peasants were tied to land and worked for lords.
Free and coerced labor: Both voluntary and forced labor supported Europe’s farming economy.
Topic 1.7 — Comparison 1200–1450
Main Concepts:
Continuity, innovation, and diversity: All major world regions (Asia, Africa, Europe, Americas) developed in different ways, often mixing new ideas with old traditions.
Turkic Islamic states: As the Abbasid Caliphate declined, Turkic-led Islamic empires rose.
Song China: Continued traditional rule through Confucianism and bureaucracy.
South and Southeast Asia: Saw a mix of Hindu and Buddhist state-building.
Americas and Africa: State systems grew more complex and expanded.