Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Important to differentiate between regions such as East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East.

China, specifically the Song Dynasty, is a central focus.
China operates on a dynastic cycle: emperor rules until death, succeeded by another until a new dynasty takes over.
The Song Dynasty utilized a bureaucracy filled through the civil service exam, based on Confucian principles.
Confucian principles include mutual respect, filial piety, and personal ethics.
Belief systems remain relatively constant from Unit 1 through Unit 9.
Filial piety and Neo-Confucianism spread to Korea and Japan along with Buddhism.
East Asia's economy was significantly larger than Europe's around 1200.
Key economic aspects: Champa rice, paper, paper money, gunpowder, and porcelain, connected by the Grand Canal.

Dar al-Islam: "the world of Islam," covering much of the Middle East.
After the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate, the Turks rose to power.
Turkish empires dominated regions west of China.
Islam spread through warfare (South Asia), merchants and trade (Southeast Asia), and Sufis (Central Asia).
Sufis: mystical Islamic monks who sought a more personal relationship with Allah and spread Islam across Asia.
Dar al-Islam preserved and innovated in various fields:
- Algebra and trigonometry
- Sufi poetry
- Medical procedures and medicine
- Scientific classifications of plants, animals, and diseases
Dar al-Islam facilitated the transfer of technology and knowledge, including ancient Greek philosophy.
The House of Wisdom, a center of knowledge, fell with the Abbasid Caliphate.

Features a trio of religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Key states:
- Delhi Sultanate (Islam)
- Vijayanagara (Hindu)
- Srivijaya (Buddhist)
The Indian Ocean trade route is very important.
Bhakti movement: a more spiritual version of Hinduism competing with Buddhism.

State systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity.
Key civilizations:
- Incas: located in the Andes Mountains, used the Mita labor system and the Incan road system.
- Aztecs: known for their Chinampa farming system and human sacrifice.

The Trans-Saharan trade route connects West Africa to Dar al-Islam, exchanging Islam, salt, and gold.
Mali dominated Sub-Saharan Africa from 1235 to 1670.
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.
Timbuktu, the capital of Mali, was a major trade and intellectual center.
Other areas of interest: Great Zimbabwe and Aksum (Ethiopia).
The growth of Swahili culture, a mix of Bantu and Arabic influences in East Africa, due to the Indian Ocean trade.

Decentralized: Europe was divided into many small entities like duchies and principalities.
Organized around the feudal system.
Feudalism: land given in return for service or labor.
Manorialism: an estate (manor) owned by a lord, with peasants or serfs working the land.