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AP World History: Unit 2.5 - Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

Cultural Consequences of Connectivity (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Essential Question

  • What were the intellectual and cultural effects of the trade networks from c. 1200 to c. 1450?

Overview of Connectivity

  • Between c. 1200 and c. 1450, goods, people, and ideas traversed Afro-Eurasian trade networks with relative freedom.

    • Transportation Methods: Caravans through deserts (Sahara, Gobi), junks or dhows on seas (China Sea, Indian Ocean).

    • Reasons for Free Exchange: The stability and protection provided by the Mongol Empire for merchants and travelers, as its authority incorporated new peoples, goods, and ideas beyond previous boundaries.

    • Technological Diffusion: Technologies like gunpowder and paper originated in China and spread via trade routes.

    • Documented Cultural Exchange: Travelers such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta recorded their observations of new cultures and wonders, significantly expanding the known world for their audiences.

Religious, Cultural, and Technological Effects of Interaction
Religious Diffusion

  • The spread of religions between c. 1200 and c. 1450 had diverse impacts:

    • Unification and Justification: New religions sometimes unified people and bolstered a kingdom's leadership.

    • Cultural Influence: They often shaped the literary and artistic culture of new regions, inspiring themes, subjects, and styles.

    • Syncretism and Coexistence: In other areas, new religions either merged with native faiths or coexisted alongside them.

Influence of Buddhism on East Asian Culture

  • Arrival in China: Buddhism reached China from India via the Silk Roads, gaining popularity through figures like the 7-century monk Xuanzang.

  • Syncretic Faiths:

    • Monks connected Buddhism to existing Daoist principles, leading to the fusion of Buddhist doctrines with Daoist traditions to form Chan Buddhism (also known as Zen Buddhism).

    • Despite some Chinese leaders' concerns about diminishing native religions, Chan Buddhism remained popular among ordinary citizens.

  • Impact on Confucian Scholar Gentry: Under the Song Dynasty (960-1279), many Confucian scholar gentry adopted Buddhist ideals into their daily lives.

  • Literacy and Literature: The development of printing made Buddhist scriptures widely accessible. Buddhist writers further influenced Chinese literature by using the vernacular (common language) instead of the formal language of Confucian scholars, a practice that became widespread.

  • Artistic Influence: The Chan Buddhist painter Mu-ch'i (c. 1250) is credited with initiating the "sketch style" of painting, which used minimal lines to suggest a subject, profoundly influencing East Asian art.

  • Spread to Japan and Korea: Both countries, influenced by China, adopted Buddhism and Confucianism.

    • In Korea, the educated elite focused on Confucian classics, while Buddhist doctrine appealed more to peasants.

  • Neo-Confucianism:

    • A syncretic faith originating in China during the Tang Dynasty and developing further in the Song Dynasty.

    • It blended rational thought with the abstract concepts of Daoism and Buddhism.

    • Became widespread in Japan and Vietnam, and was adopted as Korea's official state ideology.

Spread of Hinduism and Buddhism to Southeast Asia

  • Trade routes facilitated the spread of Indian religions (Hinduism and Buddhism) to Southeast Asia.

  • Srivijaya Empire (Sumatra): A sea-based Hindu kingdom.

  • Majapahit Kingdom (Java): A later Buddhist kingdom.

  • Sinhala Dynasties (Sri Lanka):

    • These South Asian land-based dynasties became significant centers of Buddhist study, featuring numerous monasteries.

    • Buddhist priests often advised monarchs on governmental matters, reflecting Buddhism's strong influence.

  • Khmer Empire (Angkor Kingdom, Cambodia):

    • The most successful kingdom in Southeast Asia.

    • The royal monuments at Angkor Thom showcase both Hindu and Buddhist cultural influences.

    • Initially, Hindu artwork and sculptures of Hindu gods adorned the city. Later, as Khmer rulers became Buddhist, they added Buddhist sculptures and artwork to buildings while preserving the existing Hindu art.

Spread of Islam

  • Islam spread across vast regions of Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia through merchants, missionaries, and conquests.

    • Influences in Africa:

      • Swahili language: A hybrid of Bantu and Arabic, still widely spoken today.

      • Timbuktu: Emerged as a prominent center of Islamic learning.

      • Pilgrimages: Leaders of African states reinforced Islamic ties through pilgrimages to Mecca.

    • Influences in South Asia:

      • Religious Landscape: Prior to Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism were prevalent.

      • Conversions: Buddhists converted to Islam more readily than Hindus, partly due to disillusionment with corruption among Buddhist priests.

      • Appeal to Lower Castes: Islam's emphasis on equality attracted lower-caste Hindus.

      • Architecture: Hindu designs were blended with Islamic patterns.

      • Urdu language: Developed with influences from Sanskrit-based Hindi, Arabic, and Farsi (a Persian language).

      • Religious Syncretism: Bhakti poets and missionaries actively sought connections between Hinduism and Islam.

    • Influences in Southeast Asia:

      • Cultural Blending (Java): Muslim rulers on Java integrated Mughal Indian features, local traditions, and Chinese-Buddhist and Confucian elements.

      • Arts: Traditional Javanese stories, puppetry, and poetry incorporated Muslim characters and techniques.

Scientific and Technological Innovations

  • Science and technology circulated extensively along trade routes.

    • Islamic Scholarship: Islamic scholars preserved and translated Greek literary classics into Arabic, preventing works by figures like Aristotle from being lost.

    • External Knowledge: They also acquired mathematics texts from India and papermaking techniques from China.

    • Medical Advances: Building upon knowledge from ancient Greeks, Mesopotamians, and Egyptians, Islamic scholars made significant advancements in hospital care, including surgery.

    • Agricultural Efficiency: Improvements like the use of Champa rice spread from India to Vietnam and China, contributing to a reliable food supply.

      • This agricultural surplus led to population growth, the expansion of cities, and the development of industries (e.g., porcelain, silk, steel, iron production).

    • Papermaking and Printing: Papermaking reached Europe from China in the 13th century, and along with printing technology, facilitated a rise in literacy.

    • Seafaring Technology: Advances included lateen sails, the stern rudder, the astrolabe, and the magnetic compass. These improvements stemmed from the expanded knowledge of astronomy and the natural world among Chinese, Indian, and Southwest Asian cultures.

    • Warfare Technology: The production of gunpowder and guns spread from China, significantly impacting warfare.

Urbanization and Decline of Cities
Growth of Cities

  • Trade networks significantly supported urbanization.

  • Hangzhou (China):

    • Described by Marco Polo as large, home to approximately 1 million people (though Chang'an had about 2 million).

    • Served as a cultural hub in southern China, attracting poets (Lu Yu, Xin Qiji) and artists.

    • Strategically located at the southern end of the Grand Canal, making it a major trade center.

    • Trade fostered diversity, including a thriving community of Arabs.

  • Other Thriving Trade Cities: Novgorod (Russia), Timbuktu (Africa), Calicut (India), Samarkand, and Kashgar.

    • Samarkand and Kashgar were known for Islamic scholarship, bustling markets, and providing essential resources (fresh water, food) for Silk Road merchants.

Factors Contributing to Growth of Cities

  • Political stability and a decrease in invasions.

  • Safe and reliable transportation networks.

  • A rise in commerce and trade.

  • A plentiful labor supply.

  • Increased agricultural output.

Declining Cities

  • Kashgar: Experienced decline after a series of conquests by nomadic invaders and was ravaged by Tamerlane in 1389-1390.

  • Constantinople (present-day Turkey):

    • A heavily walled city that suffered traumatic setbacks.

    • Weakened by mutinous Crusader armies after the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

    • Hit by the bubonic plague in 1346 and 1349, which killed about half of its population.

    • Ultimately fell to the Ottomans in 1453 after a 53-day siege, an event some historians consider the end of the High Middle Ages.

Factors Contributing to Decline of Cities

  • Political instability and invasions.

  • Widespread disease.

  • Decline in agricultural productivity.

Effects of the Crusades

  • Increased Knowledge: Crusaders' encounters with Byzantine and Islamic cultures expanded Western Europeans' knowledge of the world.

  • Economic Impact: Increased demand in Europe for goods from the East.

  • Disease Introduction (Black Death):

    • Opening to global trade also exposed Western Europeans to disease.

    • The bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, was introduced to Europe via trading routes.

    • A major epidemic occurred between 1347 and 1351, with additional outbreaks in subsequent decades.

    • As many as 25 million people in Europe may have perished from the plague.

    • Economic Decline: Drastically reduced populations led to a decline in economic activity.

    • Feudal System Impact: A severe shortage of labor (people to work the land) had lasting effects on the feudal system.

  • Intellectual and Cultural Shifts: Exposure to new ideas from the Byzantine and Muslim worlds contributed to the eventual Renaissance and the rise of secularism.

Travelers' Tales

  • As exchange networks intensified and literacy spread due to paper and printing technology, more travelers wrote detailed accounts of their journeys across Afro-Eurasia.

Marco Polo (late 13th century)

  • Background: An Italian native from Venice.

  • Travels: Visited the court of Kublai Khan in China.

  • Observations: Deeply impressed by the high levels of urbanization in Chinese cities, which he extensively documented.

  • Writings: After returning to Italy in 1295, he authored a book about his travels. His descriptions of China's immense size, wealth (e.g., use of paper money, prevalence of silk clothing in Hangzhou), and wonders were initially met with disbelief in Europe.

  • Validation: It was only when other Europeans followed his route that his accounts of China's prosperity and innovation became widely accepted.

  • Perspective: As a merchant, his point of view led him to focus on trade-related matters.

Ibn Battuta (1304-1353)

  • Background: A Muslim scholar from Morocco.

  • Motivation: Set out at age 21 with a strong personal desire to visit illustrious sanctuaries and learn about the world.

  • Extensive Journeys: Over 30 years, he traveled through Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, China, Spain, North Africa, and Mali, primarily visiting Muslim lands.

  • Writings: Dictated his experiences to scribes, resulting in A Gift to Those Who Contemplate the Wonders of Cities and the Marvels of Traveling.

    • This book offers rich details about the places he visited, their cultures, rulers, distinguished scholars, and pious saints.

  • Perspective: Unlike Polo, Battuta's point of view was that of a devout Muslim, primarily motivated to learn about Islam, its people, and their achievements.

Margery Kempe (c. 1373-c. 1440)

  • Background: An English mystic, known for The Book of Margery Kempe, one of the earliest — if not the first — autobiographies in the English language.

  • Authorship: Illiterate, she dictated her book to scribes.

  • Pilgrimages: Her book describes her pilgrimages to places like Jerusalem, Rome, Germany, and Spain, including vivid details such as being overwhelmed by the sight of Jerusalem.

  • Significance: Provides a unique firsthand account of a middle-class medieval woman's life.

  • Content: Conveys both intense spiritual visions and mystical experiences, alongside the practical trials of daily life (e.g., raising 14 children).

Key Terms by Theme

  • ENVIRONMENT: Disease

    • Black Death

  • CULTURE: Language

    • Swahili

    • Urdu

  • SOCIETY: Cities

    • Hangzhou

    • Samarkand

    • Kashgar

    • Constantinople

  • CULTURE: Travel Writers

    • Marco Polo

    • Ibn Battuta

    • Margery Kempe

  • TECHNOLOGY: Nautical Improvements

    • Lateen sail

    • Stern rudder

    • Astrolabe

    • Magnetic compass