TIMELINE

Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BCE)

Zhou Dynasty (1122-221 BCE)

Springs and Falls Period (770-480 BCE)

Warring States Period (480-221 BCE)

Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE)

Han Dynasty (206-581 CE)

Three Kingdoms (220-581 CE)

Sui Dynasty (581-648)

Tang Dynasty (618-907)

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960)

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368)

Ming Dynasty (1368-1677)

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

1.1 Developments in East Asia 1200-1450

East Asia

• early beliefs in confucianism, crating social hierarchies

• Good governments must have good leaders (ex: civil service exam in Han Dynasty)

• after the fall of the Han Dynasty, confucianism decreases on popularity- lead to the rise of buddhism on Silk Road trade routes.

• Zhou Kuangyin established his own dynasty (Song) and took name of Emperor Taizu in 960

• Unifies a shattered Chine over 20 year period.

  The Song dynasty:

• developed governmental practices

• viewed buddhism as a threat to bureaucracy and brings back confucianism and emphasizes education

• neo-confucianism: brings back filial piety and relationships with some elements of buddhism

• brought back civil service exam

Age of Achievement (Sui-tang-song)

• Sui developed advanced irrigation Canals (589-618) to connect China North-south

• champ rice: fast ripening rice, resistant to drought (food surpluses)

• leads to economic boom, population growth, and urbanization (urban, merchant middle class)

• high iron production, woodblock printing, early gunpowder, cheap transportation, paper money, the grand canal, porcelain.

  Women in China

• In the Tang Dynasty, elite women enjoyed some freedoms

• under the song, confucianism was revived and china became a strict patriarchy

• Foot Binding: breaking of women’s bones in feet to create smaller, desirable feet. Restricted women

  Chinese Influence in Korea, Vietnam, and Japan

• Korea / Vietnam had their own cultures but borrowed ideas from china (ex. Daoism, buddhism, civil service exam)

• Japan and China Traded often and fought often

• cultural influence included buddhism, written Chinese language (later developed into Japanese, confucianism)

• military strategies / weapons

1.2 Developments in Dar Al-Islam 1200-1450

Back story: Muhammad was born in 570 and had a rough childhood with many deaths , muslims believe that the angel Gabriel came to Muhammad and told him that he was a messenger of Allah and is the final prophet- Islam spreads quickly. Muhammad died in 632 with no successors - causes a split

➚ Sunni ⟶ Believed any pious Muslim could rule

Islam

➘ Shi’ite ⟶ Believed the ruler had to be a descendant of Muhammad

Back story: Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam continued to influence Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Islam spread quickly in the centuries after the prophet Muhammad (extended from India to Spain). Christians and muslims tolerated each other in Spain.

Back story Umayyads: First major islamic empire (661-750) practiced Sunni Islam. collapsed due to over-extensions (government could not properly monitor borders). Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads in 750 CE (Shia) (won popular support by over citizenship to non-crab muslims)

Back story Abbasid empire: Lasted from 75—1258 CE. 3rd islamic caliphate. Capital city in Baghdad. Caliphate (a state under the leadership of a ruler with the title of caliph) (Caliph: considered successor of Muhammed). advances in algebra and medicine. center of learning at the Baghdad house of wisdom. Abbasids are officially ended when Hulagu Khan sacks Baghdad, burns the library, and murders the Caliph in 1258. Land that formerly belonged to the Abbasid empire is taken over by different groups in different regions. Not one unified government but regional islamic empires, collectively, these are known as Dar al-Islam.

Empires of Dar Al-Islam

Caliph = Religious Leader rulers could be

Sultan = Civil Leader both/or Caliph and Sultan

Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517)

• empires of slave soldiers, kidnapped boys from Turkey and trained exclusively in military to serve the sultan.

• Being used as slaves in Egypt when they turned on their masters and seized government control

• Controlled trade between the Islamic world and European eventually, they fall to the Ottomans in 1517.

  “The Great Seljuk Empire” / Seljuk Turks

• Seljuk leader called Sultan

• Conquered large areas in Middle East and sacked Baghdad

  Al-Andalud in Spain

• Muslim empire in Spain that represents tolerance and collaboration between numerous religions in Muslim occupied territories.

• Al-Andalus today shows lots of Muslim influence in both its architecture and art.

  Delhi Sultanate- Sufis

• Sufis accommodate local gods and religious festivals to develop a “popular Islam” (represented islams mystical dimension- sought a direct and personal experience of the divine)

• participated in music, chanting, dancing to become closer to Allah (blending in a little bit of Hindu Ideas. Followed behind conquering armies with devotional teachings, modest way of living, and reputation for supernatural powers gained a hearing for their faith.)

  Cultural Innovations

• A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah (1460-1507): was a female muslim writer (Sufi master and poet). Many of her works were lost but known for being deep and personal.

• Women in Islam: Generally had more freedoms than christian and jewish women. Could inherit property, get divorced, and remarry. Rise of towns and urban life is going to limit women’s rights.

Spread of Islam

• for the most part, Islam is spread peacefully. Trade plays a huge role. Sometimes military role. Sufi missionaries. Most muslim empires focus more on expansion and education than converting. Tolerant to other religions (Jizya)

1.3 Developments in South and Southeast Asia 1200-1450

India

• after the fall of the Gupta in 550 CE, India is disjointed for the next 1,000 years

• conquered by Muslim armies in 1200’s (Delhi Sultanate - before this : Rajput Kingdoms were warring Hindu kingdoms without centralized governments and weak leadership. Multiple Hindu / Buddhist states.)

  South / Southeast Asia

• monsoon winds play a large role in trade

• winds blew eastward in summer and westward in winter- allows for new trade route (Indian Ocean Trade)

• improved shipbuilding techniques and understanding monsoon winds = increased trading !

• trade changes the political structure (rulers gain more wealth, use wealth to build larger / centralized states)

• cultural diffusion (confucianism, islam, hinduism, buddhism)

• Southeast Asia had particular advantage (between India and china)

• Indian Ocean trade directly led to establishment of new wealthy states

South / Southeast Asian Empires

• Srivijaya Empire: (670-1025) dominated very important location for trade. Led to plenty of gold, access to sought after spices, taxing passing ships. Bureaucratic government with very effective military / naval force. Followed Mahayana Buddhism (emphasizes knowledge over nirvana). Bureaucracy: a system for controlling or managing a country, company, or organization that is operated by a large number of official employed to follow rules carefully.

• Khmer Kingdom: (802-1430) modern day Cambodia. Culturally very Indian (Hinduism) (built Angkor Was as a temple to Vishnu- a Hindu God). socially, did not follow the caste. Wealthy trading state.

• Bhakti Movement (Hinduism): Similar to Sufism in Islam, More easy going, less rigid, and more mystical interpretation of Hinduism. Popularized around the 12th century (1100 CE). Started in southern India. Strong attachment to a particular deity rather than reading texts and performing rituals, was easy and accessible to most people. Popular because it did not discriminate against women or those of low social status. Created a surge in Hindu literature and poetry.

• Chola Dynasty: (300 BCE - 1279) at its height, the chola empire controlled not only southern India and Sri Lanka, but also the Maldives. Took over port cities from Srivijaya empire and kept friendly relations with Song China. Region referred to as “Tamil”

• lasting cultural influence: Hindu Temples and Literature / poetry

• Viojayanagara Empire: Resisted invasion by the muslims, it fostered the reconstruction of Hindu life and administration after the chaos of the 12th and 13th centuries. Got along ok with Muslims. Sanskrit language unified people. Preserved ancient Hindu ideas.

• Delhi Sultanate (north): Known for destruction of Hindu temples. contributed to Indian fine arts and introduced Islam.

  World Explorers in the Region

• Ibn Battuta (1304-1377): Moroccan explorer known for his world travels. published the “Rihla”.

• Marco Polo (1254-1324): Italian explorer who lived in China for 17 years. Wrote “Il Milione”

• Zheng He (1371-1433): Sent out by Ming Dynasty China to impress the world. Distributed gold and gifts.

  South / Southeast Asia 1200-1450 summary

• S/SE Asia focuses primarily on 3 religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.

• These religions were able to defend against the Mongols

• India during this period was mostly Hindu but becomes Muslim under the Delhi Sultanate

• visited by major world travelers including Marco Polo

• By 1498, the first European Conquerors reach the region and it is the end of S/SE Asian Independence

1.4 State-building in the Americas

• Historical developments: In the Americas, as in Afro-Eurasia, state systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, and expanded in scope and reach. State systems in the americas include Maya city states, Mexico / Aztecs, Inca, Chaco, Mesa verde, Cahokia.

  States in the Americas

• Cahokia (600ish-1450ish): Considered part of Mississippian culture in modern day Illinois (largest city north of Mexico before colonization). Cahokia mounds (square bottomed/flat topped pyramids where civil leaders lived on top.) Center of a trading network linked to other societies over much of North America. Matrilineal Society (traced family lines through mothers). Women carried high status and buried with mean; most stone figures found are female.

• Maya city states (250 CE-900): Major city called Mayapan. Yacatan peninsula/northern Central America located in the jungle. Advanced astronomy calculated when lunar / solar eclipses would happen and planned festivals. Human sacrifice as nourishment for the gods for only high status people. Great warriors, architects, and merchants (cocoa as currency). Extensice trade within the empire (obsidian considered valuable for tools and weapons.) Social structure: priests → nobles → commoners → slaves. some debates over the decline in natural disasters, overcrowding, and soil exhaustion.

• The Mexica / The Aztecs 1300-1521: Established on lake texcoco i’m 1325 and by 1425 they united with two other nations to form a large, very loosely structured and unstable united empire. Conquered neighboring civilizations and forced them to pay tribute (rebelled often). Capital Tenochtitlan featured numerous public works/ state building projects: Canals, causeways, and bridges. Surrounding the city were “floating gardens” — artificial islands created from swamplands that supported highly productive agriculture (chinampas). Large marketplace. The sun would lose energy every day and struggled with darkness; Mexica believed that human blood gave energy to the sun leading to human sacrifice usually slaves. Mexica typically left conquered people alone, outside of paying tribute and using them for human sacrifice (made no effort to assimilate). also had garrisons / military outposts built as a reminders of Aztec authority. Culturally, paper held great value and was used to pay tribute by conquered areas. Women cooked, cleaned and took care of children but also served as officials, priestesses, merchants, and teachers. Not complete equality because men help top political / religious positions. Polytheism emphasized on the Sun God (Huitzilopochtli).

• Incan Empire (1438-1533): Largest imperial state in the western hemisphere - MUCH larger than Mexica (10 million subjects). Terrace farming allowed growth on the mountains, leading to extensive trade using Incan roads. More bureaucratic than Mexica but also worked more with local level government. Emperor reigned at the top because considered to be descendant from the creator god (Viracocha). Forced conquered people to assimilate (learn to speak Quechua). very few human sacrifices. Treated women similarly to Mexica both had gender parallelism. Men and Women operate in two separate but equally important spheres. The Mita System: System of forced labor for citizens of the empire. Everyone must eventually work for the government. Later used by Spanish to force native to mine for silver.

1.5 State building in Africa

• The Bantu Migration: Large population of Bantu-speaking people from north / central Africa into Southern Africa. Desertificarion was expanding causing them to migrate, as they migrated, they disseminated language, Irony metallurgy, agricultural techniques. Of all of the language spoken in Africa, many come from the root of Bantu.

  African States

• Hausa Kingdoms: Collection of farming city-states (based on Kinship) in the area of Nigeria and Benin. Spoke a common language. Local rulers used horse armies to control their land. Gained wealth from farming and trans-saharan trade (slave trade) Islam introduced and popularized in 1300’s.

• Sudanic Kingdoms (Ghana, Mali, Songhai) 700-1500’s: thrived from controlling the salt/gold trade. Palaces, armies, bureaucracy. Islam spread through trade- most mixed Islam and animistic beliefs.

• Zimbabwe: Established by 9th century in East Africa in modern day Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Known for its stone architecture. Most powerful East African kingdom between 12th and 15th centuries. Prosperity built on agriculture, grazing, trade, and gold. Traded with the Swahili city states- tied to Indian Ocean Trade. Connected East Africa, Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia. Rise and fall depended on stone walls. 30 feet tall by 15 feet wide walls.

• Great Zimbabwe: Medieval stone city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe- could have help up to 1800 people. Believed to have been a palace. Eventually, the city was abandoned.

• Ethiopia: Rulers of Azu,m had adopted christianity in the 4th century. Developed independently from other churches- combined local traditions with christianity. Over the centuries of islamic expansion, Ethiopia became a Christian island in a Muslim Sea