This unit is the āsetting the stageā unit. Itās all about what life looked like across different regions before Europeans started crossing oceans. Every region had their own thing going on ā empires rising, religions spreading, cities booming. So letās hit theĀ MAJOR civilizations, belief systems, and themesĀ FAST and HARD. šŖ
Government: Merit-based bureaucracy āĀ Civil service examĀ based on Confucianism = āsmart = power.ā
Social structure: Based on Confucianism. Filial piety (respect for parents) reinforced patriarchy.
Economy:Ā Champa rice, Grand Canal = big population growth + urbanization.
Tech: Gunpowder, paper, printing, compass = W.
Religion: Neo-Confucianism (Confucianism + Daoism + Buddhism).
ā Ā TLDR: The Song were smart, rich, organized, and Confucian. They wereĀ #1 in AsiaĀ before the Mongols showed up.
Abbasid CaliphateĀ (Middle East): Fragmented but culturally rich. Think science, philosophy,Ā House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
Delhi SultanateĀ (India): Muslim rule in Hindu-majority land = conflict + cultural blend.
Al-AndalusĀ (Spain): Muslim Spain = major center of learning + religious tolerance (sometimes).
Islamic Innovations: Math (algebra), medicine, translations of Greek works, architecture.
ā Ā TLDR: Islam spread through trade, war, andĀ cultural excellence, influencing Africa, Europe, and Asia.
India: Still Hindu-dominated butĀ Delhi Sultanate = Islamic ruleĀ starting in 1206.
Bhakti MovementĀ (Hindu): Emotional devotion to gods ā helped bridge Hindu-Islamic gap.
SufismĀ (Islam): Mystical and spiritual Islam, superĀ convert-friendlyĀ = spread Islam.
SE Asia: Influenced by India (Hinduism & Buddhism). Powerful states =Ā Khmer EmpireĀ (Cambodia) with Angkor Wat.
ā Ā TLDR: India = tension but blending. SE Asia =Ā Indianized, Buddhist & Hindu kingdoms.
Mali Empire: GotĀ rich off gold-salt trade.
Mansa Musa: FLEXED on his Hajj, showing off Maliās wealth + spread Islam.
Swahili Coast: East Africa =Ā Indian Ocean tradeĀ ā Islamic + African culture mix.
Great Zimbabwe: Southern Africa, built massive stone structures, controlled trade routes.
ā Ā TLDR: Africa was powerful, wealthy, and connected toĀ global tradeĀ (trans-Saharan & Indian Ocean).
Feudalism: Lords, vassals, peasants = decentralized but stable-ish.
Manorialism: Local self-sufficient villages = economic life.
Catholic ChurchĀ = CENTER of life, power, and education.
Crusades: Failed religious wars, but boostedĀ trade and knowledge exchangeĀ with Muslims.
High Middle AgesĀ = universities, Gothic architecture, more urbanization.
ā Ā TLDR: Europe = decentralized but slowlyĀ reconnectingĀ to the world via Crusades + trade.
MayaĀ (declined earlier),Ā AztecĀ (Mexico),Ā IncaĀ (Andes):
Aztecs: Tributary empire, human sacrifices, TenochtitlÔn = mega city.
Inca: Mita system (labor tax),Ā quipusĀ for record-keeping, built ROADS in the mountains.
IsolatedĀ from Afro-Eurasia ā no wheel, no large animals,Ā less disease resistance.
ā Ā TLDR: Highly advancedĀ but isolatedĀ civilizations with strong govs + complex societies.
Trade = religion + tech + disease + ideas move.
Silk Roads: Luxury goods (silk, spices), Buddhism spreads, cities grow (Samarkand).
Indian Ocean: BULK goods, monsoon winds, Swahili coast cities, Islam spreads.
Trans-Saharan: Gold, salt, camels, Islam spreads into Mali.
ā Ā TLDR: Trade =Ā connects the world. Goods + culture = spread like wildfire šš„
REGION | GOV | RELIGION | TRADE | INNOVATION |
---|---|---|---|---|
China | Confucian bureaucracy | Confucianism/Buddhism | Silk Road | Paper, gunpowder |
Dar al-Islam | Caliphates/Sultanates | Islam (Sunni & Shia) | Indian Ocean, Silk | Math, science, medicine |
India | Fragmented, Delhi Sultanate | Hinduism, Islam, Bhakti | Indian Ocean | Textiles |
Africa | Kingdoms (Mali, Zimbabwe) | Indigenous + Islam | Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean | Iron, architecture |
Europe | Feudal monarchies | Catholicism | Local trade, Crusades | Gothic cathedrals, universities |
Americas | Aztec/Inca empires | Polytheism | Regional trade | Roads, chinampas, terrace farming |
Confucianism's influence on Song China
How Islam spread (trade + Sufis + conquest)
Role of trade routes in cultural diffusion
Similarities/differences in empiresā use of religion/government
Isolated vs. connected regions (Americas vs. Afro-Eurasia)
Learning Objective:
Explain the systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties and how they developed over time
Historical Developments:
Empires and states in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in the 13th century. This included the Song Dynasty of China, which utilized traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule
Learning Objective:
Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time
Historical Developments:
Chinese cultural traditions continued, and they influenced neighboring regions
Buddhism and its core beliefs continued to shape societies in Asia and included a variety of branches, schools, and practices
Learning Objective:
Explain the effects of innovation on the Chinese economy over time
Historical Developments:
The economy of Song China became increasingly commercialized while continuing to depend on free peasant and artisanal labor
The economy of Song China flourished as a result of increased productivity capacity, expanding trade networks, and innovations in agriculture and manufacturing
Illustrative Examples:
Cultural traditions:
Filial piety in East Asia
Influence of Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism in East Asia
Confucian traditions of both respect for and expected deference from women
Chinese literary and scholarly traditions and their spread to Heian Japan and Korea
Branches of Buddhism:
Theravada
Mahayana
Tibetan
Technological innovations:
Champa rice
Transportation innovations, like the Grand Canal expansion
Steel and iron production
Textiles and porcelains for export
Learning Objective:
Explain how systems of belief and their practices affected society in the period from 1200 to 1450
Historical Developments:
Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the core beliefs and practices of these religions continued to shape societies in Africa and Asia
Learning Objective:
Explain the causes and effects of the rise of islamic states over time
Historical Developments:
As the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented, new Islamic political entities emerged, most of these were dominated by Turkic peoples. These states demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity
Muslim rule continued to expand to many parts of Afro-Eurasia due to military expansion, and Islam subsequently expanded through the activities of merchants, missionaries, and Sufis
Learning Objective:
Explain the effects of intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam
Historical Developments:
Muslim states and empires encouraged significant intellectual innovations and transfers
Illustrative Examples:
New Islamic political entities:
Seljuk Empire
Mamluk sultanate of Egypt
Delhi sultanates
Innovations:
Advances in mathematics (Nasir al-Din al-Tusil)
Advances in literature (āAāishah al-Baāuniyyah)
Advances in medicine
Transfers:
Preservation and commentaries on Greek moral and natural philosophy
House of Wisdom in Abbasid Bagdad
Scholarly and cultural transfers in Muslim and Christian Spain
Learning Objective:
Explain how the various belief systems and practices of South and Southeast Asia affected society over time
Historical Developments:
Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, and their core beliefs and practices, continued to shape societies in South and Southeast Asia
Learning Objective:
Explain how and why various states of South and Southeast Asia developed and maintained power over time
Historical Developments:
State formation and development demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, including the new Hindu and Buddhist states taht emerged in South and Southeast Asia
Illustrative Examples:
Beliefs and practices:
Bhakti movement
Sufism
Buddhist monasticism
Hindu/Buddhist states:
Vjayanagara Empire
Srivijaya Empire
Rajput kingdoms
Khmer Empire
Majapahit
Sukhothai kingdom
Sinhala dynasties
Learning Objective:
Explain how and why states in the Americas developed and changed over time
Historical Developments:
In the Americas, as in Afro-Eurasia, state systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, and expanded in scope and reach
Illustrative Examples:
State systems in the Americas:
Maya city-states
Mexica
Inca
Chaco
Mesa Verde
Cahokia
Learning Objective:
Explain how and why states in Africa developed and changed over time
Historical Developments:
In Africa, as in Eurasia and the Americas, state systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity and expanded in scope and reach
Illustrative Examples:
State systems in Africa:
Great Zimbabwe
Ethiopia
Hausa kingdoms
Learning Objective:
Explain how the beliefs and practices of the predominant religions in Europe affected European society
Historical Developments:
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and the core beliefs and practices of these religions continued to shape societies in Europe
Learning Objective:
Explain the causes and consequences of political decentralization in Europe from 1200 to 1450
Historical Developments:
Europe was a politically fragmented and characterized by decentralized monarchies, feudalism, and the manorial system
Learning Objective:
Explain the effects of agriculture on social organization in Europe from 1200 to 1450
Historical Developments:
Europe was largely an agricultural society dependent on free and coerced labor, including serfdom
Learning Objective:
Explain the similarities and differences in the processes of state formation of 1200 to 1450
Main Key Concepts:
State formation and development demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in various regions
As the Abbasid Caliphate fragmented, new Islamic political entities emerged, most of which were dominated by Turkic peoples. These states demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity
Empires and states in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity in the 13th century. This included the Song Dynasty of China, which utilized traditional methods of Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy to maintain and justify its rule
State formation and development demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, including the new Hindu and Buddhist states that emerged in South and Southeast Asia
In the Americas, as in Afro-Eurasia, state systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, and expanded in scope and reach
In Africa, as in Eurasia and the Americas, state systems demonstrated continuity, innovation, and diversity, and expanded in scope and reach