Unit 1: The Global Tapestry
Overview of the World’s Major Religions in 1200
Buddhism:
Originated in 600 B.C.E , Northern India (Present Day Nepal), founded by Siddhartha Gautama , Holy Book is the “Tripitaka”
Siddhartha Gautama:
Wanted to find reason for human suffering
Meditated under a bodhi tree and became Buddha
Believed in the 4 Noble Truths
All life is suffering
Suffering is caused by desire
One can be freed of desire
Can be freed by following the enlightened path
Practiced in India, China, Southeast Asia, and Japan
The Death of Buddha led to the split of Buddhism into TWO:
Theravada Buddhism:
Emphasized meditation
Human consciousness and way of self
Mahayana Buddhism:
Believed Buddha did not cover enough spiritual comfort
Opened to other cultures
Became reabsorbed into Hinduism in India, its dominant belief system
Can be applied to anyone anywhere, allowed it to spread rapidly in Southeast Asia
Popular in lower ranks due to the rejection of social hierarchies
Spread through trade routes?: YES
Christianity:
Originated in 0 C.E. in Northern Israel, founded by Jesus of Nazareth, the Holy Book is the “Bible”
Based on the Old and New Testaments of the Bible
Spread throughout Europe, Northeastern Africa, Middle East
Began as a splinter group of jews, and Jesus claimed to be the Messiah they were long awaiting for.
Attracted the devotion of god and love for human beings
Roman and Jewish Leaders were not among them and crucified him
Became popular to lower classes and women
Christians belief in one divinity, death, and the resurrection of Christ
The official religion of the Roman Empire
Spread through trade routes?: YES
Confucianism
Originated in 400 B.C.E and onward in Ancient China, founded by Confucius, Text is the Analects
Was developed specifically for Chinese culture throughout 400 B.C.E.
Believed in a system of society where everyone is treated with respect
Delt almost solely on how to restore political and social order instead of religious issues, making it compatible with other religions
Embraced in governments to create an orderly society
Had no significant impact on the world because of its context on Chinese Culture
Spread through trade routes?: NO
Hinduism:
Originated around 5000 years ago, present day Northwestern India and East Pakistan, as evolved beliefs of several different groups of people combined
Believed in a supreme force called Brahma, with Hindu gods being manifestations of him
The goal of Hindus is to be closer with Brahma, determined by your past life, and roles (caste) associated to you for the future life
dharma: rules and obligations of the caste you are born into
Incorporated South Asian traditions to Indian civilization
Became more appealing in 1000 C.E. due to the bhakti movement
Spread through trade routes?: NO
Islam:
Originated in the 7th century in the city of Mecca, founded by Muhammad through the words of Allah (God), recorded into the holy book the Quran
Initially lived under caliphates (Islamic Kingdoms)
Spread throughout North Africa, Central Asia, and parts of Europe
Salvation is won through submission to the will of God, can be accomplished through the 5 Pillars of Islam:
Shahada: Confession of faith
Salah: Prayer five times a day
Zakat: Charity to the needy
Sawm: Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
Spread rapidly through the Middle East under the Umayyad, replaced by the Abbasid in 750 with the continued growth of Dar al Islam
Split into Shia and Sunni early on due to the dispute over who should succeed Muhammad
Spread through trade routes? YES
Judaism:
Originated in 1800 B.C.E by Abraham, starting from a tribe in the Middle East known as the Hebrews
Hebrews were original practitioners of Judaism, becoming Jews
God selects a certain group of people, where staying faithful would preserve them for all of time
The first great monotheistic faith
Believe the world and themselves were created to enjoy life
Spawned Christianity and Islam
Spread through trade routes?: NOT DIRECTLY
Developments in the Middle East
The Abbasid Dynasty: Golden Age to Remember
Abbasid Dynasty reigned from 750 C.E. to 1258, and was defeated by the Mongols
Capital at Baghdad (Iraq)
Oversaw a golden age where arts and sciences flourished
Grand library where scholars across the globe would meet at called the House of Wisdom, became a center for innovations in medicine and mathematics
al Tusi: contributed to astronomy, law, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine
Presented knowledge from Ancient Greece and Rome, increased Muslim and European contact
Islamic Empires built around trade - merchants introduced credit and increased safety of traders
Decline of the Islamic Caliphates:
The Islamic Empire endured regular threats and civil wars, due to Sunni and Shia sects and diverse groups in the rapidly expanding Muslim world
Shia Dynasty in North Iraq with constant threats from Sunni Seljuk Turks
Mongols overran the empire and destroyed Baghdad during Crusades in the 14th century, but the Ottoman reunited Egypt, Syria, and Arabia into a new Islamic State
Mamluks were able to defeat the Mongols before retreating to Egypt and establishing a sultanate
Developments In Europe
Introduction to the Middle Ages during the decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries but before the Renaissance period
Roman Empire centered in Constantinople became a highly centralized government known as the Byzantine Empire
Even though both segments of the empire followed Christianity, they practiced different forms of the religion - populations competed for supremacy
European Feudalism: Land Divided
Feudalism
A political organization based on a system of exchanges of land for loyalty
Strict Hierarchy:
Kings: power over an entire territory - his kingdom
Nobles: members of a high social class that held land, in exchange for military service and loyalty to the king
Vassals: a person who owed service to another person of a higher status
Peasants: those who worked the land
Fiefs
Tracts of land
Manorial System
Large fiefs or estates that provided economic self-sufficiency and defense; produced everything needed for the people living inside required
Serfs: peasants that were not enslaved, but tied to the land and couldn’t leave without permission - led to highly skilled self sufficient workers
Three-field System
Crops rotated into three fields; one that provided food, second for fertile land, and the third for fallow, unused land
Code of Chivalry
An unwritten set of rules for conduct focusing on honor, courtesy, and bravery to resolve disputes
Primogeniture Laws: The right of giving a mans land and title to his eldest son, males only inheritance
Allowed for the emergence of a “middle class” made up of skilled workers and craftsmen which led people to move to Europe in hopes for making more money or learning new skills - 11th century marked Europe’s re-engagement with the world.
The Emergence of Nation - States
Emerged through cultural and linguistic lines
Interregnum: a time between kings (e.g. Germany had no suitable successor in the 13th century)
Germany and Italy became decentralized similar to city - states
Northern Germany - Hanseatic League: led the regions progress in international trade and commerce
William the Conqueror had a tradition of strong monarchy
During the rule of King John, he was forced by English nobles to sign the Magna Carta in the early 13th century, which required the king to respect certain rights of the people such as -
The right to a jury trial
Scutage: Paying instead of doing military service
Parliament
House of Lords (Nobles and Clergy’s)
Legal issues and advised the king
House of Commons (Knights and Wealthy Burghers)
Issues of trade and taxation
Joan of Arc -
During the 15th century, England ruled over France - Joan of Arc led the French army to move British troops out from Orléans, but was captured and burned at the stake
Hundred Years’ War (14-15th century)
England’s withdrawal from France
Spain was united by Queen Isabella
Ferdinand - heir to the Spanish Kingdom of Aragon, uniting most of Spain in a single monarch
Catholic Church
Enlisted by Queen Isabella and Ferdinand - ended religious tolerance and forced Christian conversions - marked the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition
Russia:
The Eastern Orthodox Church lost to the Tatars, a group of Mongols under Genghis Khan - ruled a large chunk of Russia and further implemented a split in Western and Eastern Europe
czar: Russian for Emperor or Caesar
Ivan the Terrible - became a ruthless leader using the secret police in the mid - 1500s
Developments In Asia
The Song and Ming Dynasties developed Golden Ages
Ming entered power after Mongol invasions
China had enormous cultural and political impacts on Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia
Chinese Women Under the Song Dynasty
foot binding: A woman’s feet would be bound at a young age to retain a small shape - large feet were considered masculine and ugly
Lasted for centuries among elite families - showed elite status that women could rely on husbands to work
Religion in China: Diverse Beliefs
Confucian + Buddhist ideals = Neo Confucianism
Daoist’s saw Buddhism as a rival religion
Japan:
Relatively isolated for thousands of years
Ideas, religions, and material goods traveled between Japan and the rest of Asia, especially China, but at a limited rate of exchange
Feudalism in Japan developed at around the same time as feudalism in Western Europe, but independently
Birth was more important than outside influence or education
Mainly Shintoism
Hierarchy:
Emperor
Shogun - chief general
Daimyo - owners of large tracts of land - powerful samurai
Vassals
Peasants/Artisans
similar to European feudalism as it was bound together in a land-for-loyalty exchange
Code of Bushido
Similar to the code of chivalry in Europe
Stressed loyalty, courage, and honor
Failing to do so would expect the samurai to commit suicide
European noble women were given few rights while Japanese women lost any freedom and were forced to live in harsher, more demeaning lives.
India:
The birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, introduction to Islam (10th century)
The Delhi Sultanate:
Islamic invaders defeated Hindus and set up shop in Delhi under the sultan (Northern India)
Insulted by polytheism
Non - Muslims had to pay a tax
Hindu architects built mosques, colleges, and more advanced irrigation systems
Split North India and South India due to conflicting conversions and ideals
Rajput Kingdoms:
Rajput Kingdoms were to resist Muslim forces but were put down by Muslim Mughal forces
Southeast Asia:
Khmer Empire: the complex irrigation systems and drainage systems led to economic prosperity
Became Buddhist and added sculptures to Hindu ones
Controlled by women
Practiced tolerance of other religions
Hindu beliefs were carried to Southeast Asia to Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand
Migration rapidly increased during Mongol Conquests
Wars with the Thais ended the Khmer Empire
Developments In Africa
The spread of Islam in the 7th and 8th century led to the introduction of African trade to the larger Mediterranean economy
Islamic traders pushed toward the fertile sub-Saharan
African traders pushed toward Carthage and Tripoli
The desert acted as a trade barrier
Africans search for salt led them to Islamic encounters on the salt road, ending up with trade more than salt - consequences was an explosion in trade
Hausa Kingdoms:
Cultivated state systems in various kingdoms
Became a solid Islamic region by the 15th century, achieved economic stability and religious influence similar to the Mali and Songhai through long trade
Established wealth through salt and leather
Hausa’s populous city, Kano, became a destination for traders venturing in central and western Africa
Internal wars led to its political and economic downfall in the 18th century
Developments in the Americas
Mayans - began around the major classical civilizations
Aztec and Incas - conquered by Europeans after 1450
The Aztecs: Trade and Sacrifice
Arrived in Mexico in the mid 13th century and built the capital at Tenochtitlan (Modern day Mexico City)
Known for their expansionist policy and professional army, which allowed them to dominate and demand heavy taxes and captives from nearby states
Warriors were the elite class, pochteca were merchants that sold luxury goods, and majority were peasants and enslaved
Built an empire of around 12 million people
Conquered areas were allowed to govern themselves if they paid tribute
Roads were built to link far flung areas of the empire along with the increase in trade
Aztec women could inherit property and were primarily charged with running the household
Aztec religious systems were tied to the military because of human sacrifices
matrilineal system: social standings were determined by the women’s side of the family
Built floating gardens called chinampas that increased space for food production
theocracy: ruled by religious leaders
The Mayans:
Covered parts of Southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala
Were a city - state, usually ruled by kings, if no king was available, a woman would rule
Peasants paid taxes with crops and provided government labor
The Inca: My Land Is Your Land
Covered parts of the Andes Mountains and were said to have controlled over 2000 miles of South American coastline
Controlled the territory by using a professional army, established bureaucracies, a unified language, and a complex system of roads and tunnels
Cahokia
Largest North American city north of Mexico prior to the arrival of European settlers
Population rivaled European cities in the 13th century
Dominated by a huge network of Monks Mound, which were tall artificial hills that consisted of soil transported to the site by hand in baskets
Prime source of labor was human
Peasants worked the land and construction
Incan women player similar roles to Aztec women
Practiced human sacrifice but chose to sacrifice materials and animals instead
Contained strong moralities, holding rewards and punishments
Were polytheistic, with the most important being the Sun god
Incan rulers were mummified after death
Rulers were told to be descended from the Sun
An Incan tribal leader named Pachacuti flourished the foundation of the empire
mit’a system: a mandatory public service with men between 15 and 50 providing agricultural labor and construction
The Temple of the Sun is Cuzco was made to honor the Sun
Never developed a system of writing
quipu: a set of knotted strings that recorded numerical data