Exam Review Flashcards

Exam Review

Why 1200?

• Islam is dominant in the Middle East & North Africa.
• Mongols dramatically affect trade routes, cross-cultural integration, & technology exchanges.

Why 1450?

• Cut off before the world becomes globally connected – European exploration.

Big Picture Snapshots of This Time Period

• Trade increases on the Silk Road, Indian Ocean, and Trans-Saharan routes – Silk, Sand, Sea.
• Technology increases trade – Saddles, ships, gold.
• Trade impacts new cities (Swahili City States, Timbuktu) – Major cities are made by trade.
• Examples of major cities:
  • Calicut
  • Malacca
  • Tenochtitlan
  • Baghdad

Major Empires and Civilizations

• Islam dramatically affects history – Consider the breadth of the empire.
• Mongols – Largest land empire in history.
• Western Europe turns feudal and is compared to feudal Japan – Decentralized.
• Byzantine Empire – Highly centralized.
• China and its second golden age (Sui, Tang, Song dynasties).
• Aztec and Inca comparison in the Americas – Not connected to global trade – Will receive the Europeans.
• Mali in Africa.
• Oceania – Polynesian migrations.

Catalysts of Change During This Time Period

• Catalyst = something that causes a change.
  • Islam
  • Schism in Christianity
  • Manufacturing in Song China
  • Chinese and Middle Eastern technology
  • Mongols
  • Camels
  • Black Death

Comparisons

• Justinian Code/Hammurabi's Code
• Aztecs/Incas
• Turks/Vikings/Mongols
• Eastern/Western world development

Islam, Part 1

• Islam symbol (crescent moon).
• Monotheistic religion like Judaism and Christianity – Super-monotheistic – Challenges Christianity as being really monotheistic.
• Accepts Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as prophets – Accepts prophets of the past (Jesus was a prophet).
• Joins Buddhism and Christianity as a universalizing religion (easily adapted to other cultures).
• Islam means “submission” – Muslim means “one who submits”.
• Started by Muhammad (600s).
• Place of worship: Mosque.
• Holy book: Koran.

Five Pillars

• Prayer (5 times).
• Fasting during Ramadan (Holy month).
• Give charity.
• Confess there is one God.
• Make a trip to Mecca (Pilgrimage) – Moves people to a new place – Makes lots of interactions.
• Mansa Musa from Mali (Africa)
  • Goes to Mecca and gives tons of gold.
  • Turns Mali (Timbuktu) into a great Muslim learning city.
• Ibn Battuta (Morocco)
  • Went to Mecca, all over Muslim areas.
  • Can compare him to Marco Polo.
• By 711, (80 years) Islam reaches both India and Spain – Think of how far that is.
• Spread by merchants, missionaries, and conquering due to weaker surrounding areas.
• Dar Al Islam
  • House of Islam – Islam is not just in one area, the house is everywhere.
  • Territory of Islam includes the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain.
• When Muhammad dies, Abu Bakr is named Caliph (in charge of Muslim religion and government).
  • Ali becomes Caliph.
  • Sunni (majority) Muslims must select the next Caliph.
  • Shia (minority) Caliph must be related to Muhammad.
• Spread to Southeast Asia by Indian Ocean trade.
  • Indonesia is the most populated Muslim country in the world today.
• Islam is a perfect example of religious diffusion.

Islam, Part 2

• Umayyad Dynasty (661-750 CE).
  • First Islamic Dynasty.
  • Islam expands and the capital is Damascus.
  • Spiritual capital is always Mecca.
  • All Islamic areas share Arabic Language.
• Jizya is a tax on non-Muslims used in Islamic empires.
  • “Head tax”.
  • Shows religious tolerance.
• Al-Andalus:
  • Means “Islamic Spain”.
  • Spanish Muslims = “Moors”.
  • Mosque at Cordoba, Spain great example of diffusion of culture.
  • Center of Islamic learning with free education, medicine, and preservation of Greek and Roman learning.
  • Later turned into a Christian church.
  • Really good example of diffusion.
• Charles Martel defeated Muslims at the Battle of Tours.
  • Islam was moving through Spain and into France.
  • What if Muslims won?
  • Would you be Muslim today?
• Followed by the Reconquista.
  • Catholic Church made all Jews and Muslims get out of Spain.
  • Very different than Jizya, right?
• Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 CE).
  • Golden Age of Islam.
  • Capital moves to Baghdad.
  • Other major cities:
    • Cordoba, Spain and Cairo, Egypt
  • Trade flourishes on Silk Road.
  • Credit used by merchants
    • Bills, receipts
    • Helps trade grow
  • Abbasid = Trading and Learning.
  • Accomplishments include: Arabic numerals, advancements in algebra, geometry and trigonometry, perfection of the astrolabe, astronomical observatories, optic surgery, medical encyclopedias, and literature like the Arabian Nights.
• Arabesques
  • Mosques use of geometric patterns
  • No pictures
  • Never pictures of Muhammad (against Koran)
• Mosques
  • 4 minarets
  • Towers where someone goes to the top and calls for prayer five times a day
• Sufis
  • Mystical Muslims
  • Mix of Islam with tribal religions
  • Spread a lot of Islam
• Women in Islam
  • Better treatment under the Quran
    • Equal protection under religion
    • Not like Hinduism (women not getting moksha)
  • Society takes a lot of those protections away
    • Harem, 4 wives,
    • Veiling
    • Show patriarchal society

Byzantine Empire and Western Europe, Part 1

• Byzantine Empire
  • Eastern part of the Roman Empire
  • Why split? Too big to rule
  • Other part is Holy Roman Empire
    • West falls to the Goths (476)
  • East will survive until 1453
• Justinian (Most important Byzantine Emperor)
  • Gotta compare Justinian’s Code to Hammurabi’s
  • Influenced later law codes
  • Builds Hagia Sophia (church)
    • Converted to mosque by Muslims
  • Started making silk
    • Outside of China
  • Well defended by walls, forts
• Highly centralized while western Europe is very decentralized
• 1054 Holy Roman Church splits with Byzantine Church (Great Schism)
  • Because of icons used by Byzantine Church
  • Becomes the Eastern Orthodox Church
  • Compare Schism to Sunni/Shia split and Catholic/Protestant split (Luther)
• Eastern Orthodox Church
  • Icons
  • Bible in vernacular
  • Priests could marry
  • Compare all of that to Luther
• Huge influence on Russia
  • EO moves to Russia after Muslims take over
  • Moscow becomes “Third Rome” (After Rome and Constantinople)
• Comparison of European and Japanese feudalism:
  • Knight/Samurai
  • Chivalry/Bushido
  • Lords/Daimyo
  • Women in Europe mainly midwives and healers/ Some Japanese Samurai
    • European women were damsels in distress, in the home
  • SEPPUKU! (Hari-kiri) – ritual suicide if you dishonor the daimyo
  • Chivalry only for knights, bushido for men and women

Byzantine Empire and Western Europe, Part 2

• Western Europe
  • Decentralized government but centralized religion
  • Glue that holds it together
  • Gothic Architecture
    • Tall spires, flying buttresses, stained glass
    • Pointing up to God, look @ heaven
  • Churches
    • Places of learning
    • Not allowed to dissect like Muslims
    • Banned by Church
• Crusades:
  • Catholic Church wants to get the Muslims out of Holy Lands
  • After 1054 Schism
  • Wants to show that the Church was powerful and together
  • Wouldn't let Muslims hurt the Church like EO did
  • Won the first Crusade, lost all the others
  • Began in 1095 CE, tried but failed to bring unity to the Christian world
  • Lasting impact was the return of knowledge from the Middle East to Europe
    • Antiquity works
    • Astrolabe, compass
    • Will spark the Renaissance
• Black Death:
  • Began in China and spread through trade routes
    • Silk Roads
    • Big part of spreading disease
    • Mongols played a big part
  • Killed 1/3 of European population (circa 1348 CE)
  • Collapses feudalism because serfs become more valuable
• Nation states develop:
  • England: Magna Carta -1215 and Parliament – King can’t raise taxes without consent of ppl
  • Germany and Italy are city-states (NOT COUNTRIES UNTIL 1880s)
  • France: 100 Years War – ENG v. FR over ENG taking FR land
    • FR wins with help of Joan of Arc
  • Spain: Ferdinand and Isabella, Reconquista and their use of Catholicism
    • Country completely based on religion
  • Russia: Mongol Horde eventually lose power, Moscow emerges
• Economics
  • Hanseatic League
    • North Sea (Atlantic) trading alliance of countries
    • Leads Netherlands and England to become strong due to trade
  • Reasons why Europe is lifted from the Middle Ages into the Renaissance
    • Gunpowder, longbow, Crusades, Marco Polo’s Travels, Black Death and the Printing press.

China

• Spread of Buddhism from India to China, Korea and then to Japan
• Xuanxang – Chinese monk who visited India
  • Brought back teachings of Buddhism to China
  • Traveled 17 miles
  • Still hailed as a hero today
• Song Dynasty:
  • Iron manufacturing makes China manufacturing giant of the world at this time
  • Largest cities in the world
  • Golden Age of innovation with the compass and printing
  • Neo-Confucianism combines both Buddhism and Confucianism
  • Foot binding shows patriarchal society
• Yuan Dynasty – Mongol rule in China (prejudice towards the Chinese )
• Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) – Kicked out the Mongols and Chinese culture reemerges

Japan & India

• Japan
  • Shinto
  • Feudal Japan and Feudal Europe comparison
  • Shogun held all the power while the Emperor was a figurehead
• India
  • Delhi Sultanate
    • Islamic rule in Northern India
    • Hinduism remains a constant especially in Southern India

600 to 1450 CE: The Mongols

• Mongol Must Know Information:
  • Largest continuous land empire in world history
  • Loss to Japan (tsunami) in East
    • JPN never attacked again until 1945
    • Thought gods protected them with Kamikaze (Divine Winds)
  • Ogedei died in Austria in West
    • All Mongols have to return to Mongolia to choose new Khan
• Nomadic and pastoral
  • Stunts Mongol culture (religion, written language etc)
  • Because without crops, culture is harder to foster
  • Think of culture as flowers growing in a garden
    • No garden = no flowers
• Facilitated the 3rd Golden Age of the Silk Road (Pax Mongolica)
  • Mongol peace
  • Religiously tolerant
  • Government = meritocracy
    • High positions come from good works, (nepotism) not who you know
• Mongol Khanates
  • Golden Horde- Russia
  • China- Yuan dynasty
    • Forbade the Chinese from marrying Mongols and learning the Mongol language
• Important Mongols
  • Genghis Khan (Chinggis)
    • Started it
    • Kahn means “Ruler of the universe”
  • Ogedei Khan
    • Genghis’ son
    • Died in Austria
  • Kublai Khan
    • Genghis’ grandson
    • Focused on taking China
    • Yuan Dynasty
    • Receives Marco Polo

Africa

• Two areas where Christianity remained in Africa was Egypt and Ethiopia
  • Coptic Christianity
• Remember gold and salt as the major products of Africa
  • Salt for flavor and to replenish your body from sweating
  • See, it’s hot in Africa and you sweat a lot.
• East Africa
  • Swahili is a mixture of Bantu and Arabic language
  • Swahili city-states thrived due to trade (gold, salt, ivory)
    • Kilwa, Mombasa, Sofala, Mozambique
• Trans-Saharan trade
  • Camel saddle in the 300s CE and the motivation of gold accelerated trade
• Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Bantu migrations
    • Iron technology, farming techniques, influence of language
• Stateless societies (kinship groups)
  • Civilizations without formal governments (IMPORTANTE`!)
• Diffusion of bananas from Malaysia increases population
  • Major food
• Ghana
  • Islam and Gold
• Mali
  • Sundiata
  • Mansa Musa (pilgrimage)
  • Mosque at Jenne-Jenno
• Songhai
  • Sonni Ali (Founder)
  • Took large area
  • Took Timbuktu

The Americas & Oceania

• Americas
  • Llama: only large domesticated beast of burden
    • Kept Americas from large scale agriculture and trade
      • Plows, transportation
  • Lack of agriculture stunts culture growth
    • See Mongols
• Aztec (1200 – 1500)
  • Capital Tenochtitlan
  • Central Mexico (Mexico City)
  • Expansionistic, warriors prized
  • Very capitalistic
    • Trade encouraged by government
    • Few trade restrictions
  • Chinampas showed agriculture advancement
    • Floating gardens in lakes
    • Like growing plants on lily pads
  • Like Mongols, collected tribute from conquered groups
• Incas (1200 – 1500)
  • In Peru
  • Major city: Machu Picchu
  • No written language (Quipu instead)
    • Like Mongols
  • Terrace farming
    • Because the land was mountains
  • Expansionistic
  • Established a bureaucracy unlike the Aztecs
  • State controlled all commerce (communistic)
  • Like Romans, built many roads and bridges
• Oceania
  • Polynesian migrations (600 CE)
    • Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii and New Zealand
    • People migrating around these areas
    • Not connected to the rest of the world
  • Agricultural and fishing based
  • Regional kingdoms established