Chapter 7: Really Old Stuff: Around 600 C.E. to Around 1450

I. Chapter Overview
II. Stay focused on the Big Picture
III. Review of History Within Civilizations 600-1450 C.E.
A. The Rise of Islam
Monotheistic. Followers called Muslims. Believed Allah (God) transmitted words to faithful through Mohammad. Qu'ran. Five Pillars of Islam-

• confession of faith
• prayer five times per day
• charity to the needy
• fasting during month-long Ramadan
• pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime

Jihad. Struggle to be better Muslim and struggle against non-believers. Accepted Abraham, Moses, and Jesus as prophets (Jesus not accepted as God's son). Two groups: Shia and Sunni. 622 C.E. Mohammad and followers found support in Medina. In 630, returned to Mecca and destroyed pagan shrines- except for the ka'ba, which became the focal point of Muslim pilgrimage. Islam spread rapidly through Middle East, Africa, toward Europe. Abu Bakr became caliph (emperor and religious leader), head of state, military commander, chief judge, and religious leader when Mohammad died in 632. Islamic Empire was theocracy. Because ruled by caliph, referred to as caliphate. Caliphs began to behave more like hereditary rulers. No clear line of succession. Umayyad Dynasty would enlarge empire dramatically. Capital moved to Damascus, Syria. Mecca still center. Chose not to convert to Islam, forced pay tax. Charles Martel, Frankish leader, stopped Muslim advance toward Paris. Umayyad Empire defeated. Abbasid Dynasty reigned from 750 to 1258, until Islamic Empire defeated by Mongols. Abbasids built capital at Baghdad, Islamic Empire built around trade. Merchants introduced idea of credit. System of receipts and bills. Manufacturing. Steel produced for swords. Advancements on medical and mathematics fields. Important person: Mohammad al-Razi, massive medical encyclopedia. Islamic mathematicians made contributions to algebra. An Abbasid army defeated a T'ang Chinese army, discovered paper money. In Arabia, women viewed as property of men. Baby girls seen as less valuable than baby boys. Female infanticide- killing of unwanted baby girl. Qu'ran changed much. Women had more rights. Infanticide strictly forbidden. Women had to be veiled in public. Islamic Empire overran by Mongols, Baghdad destroyed.

B. Developments in Europe and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire a lot more centralized and organize than western empire. Both practiced Christianity, not same way. Byzantine Empire used Greek language; its architecture had distinctive domes; its culture in general had more in general had more in common with eastern cultures like those of Persia; and its brand of Christianity became an entirely separate branch known as Orthodox Christianity. Used coined money. Important person: Justinian, who reigned from 527 to 565. Justinian Code. Flowering of arts and sciences.Hagia Sophia. In contrast to Roman Catholic emperors of west, who regarded pope leader of Byzantium's church, secular rulers headed church. Important person: St. Cyril, Orthodox Christian who used Greek alphabet to create Slavic alphabet. Important person: Vladimir, Russian prince from Kiev, abandoned traditional pagan religion and converted to Christianity. Franks, Germanic tribe, united under King Clovis, converted to Roman Catholic. Important person: Charles Martel- led revolt against advancing Muslim armies, in 732 defeated them at Battle of Tours. Founded Carolingian Dynasty. Important person: Pepin, Charles Martel's son, chose to have his succession certified by pope. Important person: Pepin's son, Charles, crowned by pope in 800 and became known as Charlemagne ("Charles the Great"). Empire came to be called the Holy Roman Empire. Important person: Otto the Great, coronation in 962. 843- Treaty of Verdun. Vikings from Scandinavia, Magyars from Hungary. Vikings perhaps most successful raiders. Vikings converted to Christianity. By Middle of Middle Ages, Catholic Church had become very powerful. Feudalism had strict hierarchy. King, then nobles, then vassals, then peasants. Feudal system male-dominated. Even noblewomen had few rights. Peasants, male or female, had few rights. Eventually, towns formed alliances. Architecture. Romanesque and Gothic style churches. Heresies. Universities where men could study. Scholasticism. Important person: Pope Innocent III. Important person: Pope Gregory IX. Universal Church or Church Militant. Important person: Thomas Aquinas, a famous Christian realist. Europe broken up into feudal kingdoms during Middle Ages. Began to organize along cultural and linguistic lines. French- France, English- England. Germany entered period known as interregnum. England formed strong monarchy. Important person: William the Conqueror. Important person: King John, forced to sign Magna Carta. France. Important person: King Hugh Capet. Important person: Joan of Arc. Hundred Years' War. Bourbons. Spain. Important person: Queen Isabella. Ruler of Castille. Married Ferdinand, heir to Spanish kingdom of Aragon. Spanish Inquisition. 1242 Russia succumbed to the Tatars (a group of Mongols from the east) under Genghis Khan. Ivan the Terrible.

C. Developments in Asia
1. China and Nearby Regions
Three powerful Chinese dynasties: T'ang (618-907 C.E.), Song (960-1279 C.E.). Important person: Emperor Xuanzong, the T'ang expanded Chinese territory into parts of Manchuria, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea. Important person: Emperor Taizu, 960, Song Dynasty. Fell to the Jurchen and then the Mongols. The Mongols were driven from China and in 1368 the Ming Dynasty was established. Civil service examination continued to be modified. T'ang tribute system. During Song Dynasty, early form of movable type invented. Song had powerful navy, participation in international trade throughout southeast Asia. Gunpowder, magnetic compass, watertight bulkheads, stern post rudders. Iron production. introduction of Champa rice from Vietnam increased food supplies. Important person: Wu Zhao, T'ang Dynasty, first (and to date only) Empress of China. Song Dynasty, foot binding. Woman's feet bound shortly after birth in effort to keep small. Religion had greatest impact on China: Buddhism.

2. Japan
The first important ruling family was the Yamato Clan. First and only dynasty-current emperor is descendant of this same clan. Shinto religion. Important person: Prince Shotoku, borrowed bureaucratic and legal reforms from China. Taika Reforms. Japanese largely rejected Confucianism. Fujiwara intermarried with Emperor's family. Important person: Yorimoto Minamoto, given title of chief general, Shogun. Samurai. Peasants and artisans. Code of Bushido.

3. Vietnam and Korea
Confucianism and Chan Buddhism spread to Korea. Koreans became vassal-state of T'ang. Viet people actively resisted T'ang armies.

4. India
Delhi Sultanate Kingdom. Islam spread throughout much of Northern India. Hindu temples sometimes destroyed, occasional violence broke out in communities. Colleges founded, irrigation systems, Mosques built. Important person: Timur Lang, leader of Mongols.

D. The Rise and Fall of the Mongols
Important person: Genghis Khan, unified Mongol tribes. Mongol Empire eventually spanned from Pacific Ocean to eastern Europe. The Golden Horde conquered region of modern-day Russia. Important person: Kublai Khan, ruled in China. Genghis Khan established first pony express and postal system, gave tax breaks to teachers and clerics. Armies very strong.

E. Developments in Africa
Kush and Axum civilizations. Kush had capital at Meroe, became center for ironworks and trade. Axum. Converted to Chritianity in fourth century, seventh century many converted to Islam. Ghana, Mali, Songhai. Ghana and Mali, tons of gold. Important person: Mansa Musa, one of greatest Mali rulers. Important person: Sonni Ali, Songhai ruler-conquered entire region of western Africa and established Songhai Empire. Oral literature (story telling) in Africa. Sculptures made of pottery and bronze.

F. Developments in the Americas
Decline of Maya remains source of debate. Aztecs. Expansionist policy and professional army. Built empire of some 12 million people. Aztec women had subordinate public role but could inherit property. Incas. Andes Mountains in Peru. Also expansionist. professional army, established bureaucracy, unified language, complex system of roads and tunnels. Primary source of labor was slaves. Large cities. Incan women were expected to help work fields, weave cloth, care for household. They could pass property on to their daughters, play a role in religion. Excellent builders, stone cutters, and miners.

IV. Review of Interactions Among Cultures 600-1450 C.E.
A. Trade Networks and Cultural Diffusion

• The Mediterranean Trade between western Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Empire
• The Hanseatic League
• The Silk Road
• The land routes of the Mongols
• Trade between China and Japan
• Trade between India and Persia
• The Trans-Saharan trade routes between west Africa and the Islamic Empire

Religions and languages spread through trade. Bubonic Plague carried by merchants all along trade route. Indian Ocean Trade. Silk road- carried silk, porcelain, paper, military technologies, religions, food. Global trade network.

B. Expansion of Religion and Empire: Culture Clash

• The Mongol expansion into Russia, Persia, India, China
• The Germanic tribes into southern Europe
• The Vikings' expansion from Scandinavia into England and western Europe
• The Magyars push from eastern Europe into western Europe
• The Islamic Empire's push into Spain, India, Africa
• The Crusades
• Buddhist missionaries to Japan
• Orthodox Christian missionaries into eastern Europe

Conquest and religious expansion. Important person: Pope Urban, 1096 C.E., initiated First Crusade. Set out to conquer the Holy Land. 9 crusades, failed.

C. Technology and Innovations 600-1450 C.E.
Many of new innovations came from eastern societies- China and India, filtered through Islamic world. (Table of innovations from Islamic world and China).

VI. Changes and Continuities in the Role of Women
Women's freedoms depended on which caste or class they belonged to. In African societies women had a great deal of freedoms.

VII. Pulling It All Together
Interaction, centralization, and the growth of religion all had impacts on civilizations. Cultural areas, "East" and "West". Cultures that interacted and those that didn't.