World Civilizations Part 3

5 Pillars of Islam

1. There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the FINAL prophet and messenger and the Quaran is written exactly perfect--as God intended it. 2. Stop, face Mecca, and pray 5 times a day. 3. Alms--take care of poor/community. 4. Ramadan--we all fast together for a month (do not eat anything from dawn to dusk and feast all together after sunrise). 5. Hajj--every Muslim, if they can afford it, should go to the Hajj festival in Mecca at least once in their lives. There, they meet Muslims from all over the world. = BUILDS COMMUNITY! Muslims become super unified and tight-knit, They celebrate and love each other. -A lot of trade BEGINS here, when Muslims from diff places come together and take interest in each other's goods.

Chola Empire

-970-1300 CE -A maritime trading empire. -"Choke point." -Settled in Southeast India, connected to Indian Ocean web. -India had a lot of rich stuff = gold, gems, cloth, spices.... -Attacked/took over Srivijaya in 1025. -Trading Guilds = traders cooperate with one another to control trade of certain goods or a certain region. -This created an empire that lasted 300 years. -Perfect place for trading emps to emerge b/c of overseas interactions, which make places very wealthy and interconnected. -Song China starts to trade overseas. --> International dynamic = the Indian Ocean Web involved SO MANY countries!

Southern Song

-1127-1279 -More pressure from Northern enemies = capital moves South to Hangzhou. -Chinese culture continues to get more refined/extreme. -Footbinding, tea rituals. Frothing tea becomes a whole big thing. -People would have contests to see who could make the fanciest design in the tea froth. -->The foam is considered to be medicinal (just like bubbles were!) = the foam is the most important part. -Grand canal, seafaring are CENTRAL to trade. -Continued what Northern Song had been doing--exporting manufactured goods like silk, iron, porcelain.

Ming China

-1368-1644. -3rd of the Great Chinese Dynasties: Han, Tang, and Ming! -Economic boom drives a HUGE increase in trade! --> Zheng He, a sailor from China w/a huge fleet, goes on his famous seven voyages in the 1400s. --> Had dozens of ships, which were the biggest-ass ships in the world--called "treasure ships." --> Sailed around the Indian Ocean collecting goods and gifts from far away. Lots of people around the world paid tribute to/pledged allegiance to China. -Voyages stopped when advisors said China should turn back to inland trade and try to protect borders from the Mongols, who were invading again. = China lacked the restlessness, greed, curiosity, and religious faith to continue overseas trade and get into conquest. --> China's values (ex: independence, cultural superiority) were thus incompatible with overseas trade systems'. -China disbands its own navy and creates an inland army instead JUST as Europeans start to set sail, leaving them free to conquer the world. -Would history have been wildly different if China had kept its naval fleet? Possibly!

Eastern Empire--Byzantium Falls

-1453. -Byzantium was a thriving center of Greek-speaking culture. -Very different from the West. -Much wealthier--was the most urbanized and ecologically developed part. Contained all the good trade routes. --> Contained many of the places where civilization first began: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia.... -West Rome's military collapsed, but Byzantium's didn't! -Rule was absolutist--emperors had total control = no way for feudalism to develop. = "Everything held together better than in Rome." -Christian religion, Greek culture, Roman politics/administration. -BUT soon Byzantium began to have problems, too! --> Byzantium inherited the Roman tradition of religious persecution! --> Jews were discriminated against, any "heretics" exiled, executed. -Monophysite, Nestorian, and Arian Christians develop into their own branches, local churches. --> BUT the Byzantine Empire believed that if the empire wanted to stay together, it had to all believe the same thing, and tried to "stamp out" these new churches. = "Huge unruly groups who have a different belief in Christianity" emerge, cause disunity and conflict.

Ottoman Empire

-14th-20th century -Lasted A LONG TIME--only fell pretty recently in WWI, becoming the modern country of Turkey. -1st united the Turks. -This empire took over much of the important middle east places, like Byzantium, Rome... -Dependent on trade. -If Europeans want to get through Asia, they have to go through the Byzantine Empire. --> Ottoman empire raised prices on trade, make a profit. Europe could totally pay less for imports if they got rid of the Ottomans! --> Ottomans cut off Europe from trade, making it EVEN MORE expensive to trade. = European incentive to defeat and CONQUER/take over!! -When Christians, Muslims exile Jews, they flee to Ottoman lands, where they got treated well. Millet system--Each religious minority had its own mini-government, with courts, laws, wealth, etc. = Each religion has a little freedom/autonomy. Janissaries--Ottoman slave soldiers.

220 CE--China: Fall of the Han Dynasty

-220 CE-589 CE: Disunity in China--broke into different kingdoms ruled by different dynasties. --> "Three kingdoms and six Dynasties" = Chaotic, conflicted, NOT AT ALL UNIFIED!! Rulers would gain control of a little land for a while, then lose it again. -NO ONE COULD MAINTAIN CONTROL!! -UNTIL...The Sui Dynasty!!

Song Dynasty

-960-1279 CE -Golden age of good gov, administration. -"Confucian revival/Neo-Confucianism." As order is restored, Confucianism makes a comeback! --> Civil service exams prevalent. --> Confucian principles of meritocracy return. -Trade, commerce, prosperity... -Created beautiful art, writing, poetry, architecture, gardens, silk, ceramics, ironwork, calligraphy... -Exports manufactured goods like ironwork, porcelain. -"High elite culture" results in footbinding--women pressured to look good, have delicate, lily-like feet. Makes them immobile status symbols, cannot work, must be carried. --> Of course, only wealthy women are really forced to do this, because poor women can't afford to be disabled for looks and status like the rich can. = Downside of elite culture--things pressured to look as beautiful, ideal as possible, even at the cost of human freedom.

Sassanid Persia

-224-637 CE. -Whenever Persia fell apart, some new dynasty took control. -Sassanids were a lot like the Byzantines in that they wanted to put back together the old empires of their country. In Persia, this was the Achaemenid and Alexandrian Empires. -Also like Byzantines, religiously intolerant. Everyone HAD to be Zoroastrian and in the EXACT same way as the emperor was. -Involved in a LOT of warfare. Started to shrink and decay until defeated by Byzantium. -In the 600s, there were 2 great empires, 2 "superpowers" : Byzantium and Sassanids. -->BUT both were weaker than they seemed to be. -Both places had lots of cultural and religious differences (empire alert!). -In order to keep everyone together, on the same religious page, a military dictatorship emerged in the 6th-7th centuries that suppressed nobles, especially those with heretic beliefs. = Intimidate people into being just like the emperor in their religious beliefs. = The Persians, once diverse and tolerant (and proud of it), became more and more intolerant. = This makes people UNHAPPY, results in uprisings that weaken the empire. -Empire life lesson: treat your minorities kindly in your empire, allow them to keep their own identities and they won't revolt. = Minorities only started revolting b/c they were not treated well. = You have to give your people something they WANT in order for you to stay in power. In this case, religious toleration. = These 2 empires that seem strong but aren't = there is a HUGE opportunity for someone in the middle to take control of both. ...ENTER THE ARABS!!

Between Han and Tang

-2nd-6th centuries CE. -Downfall of Confucianism, political chaos leads to Daoism and Buddhism being dominant. -People move from North China (Yellow River) to South China (Yangtze River). --> BECAUSE of the chaos in North China! The civil wars in North China were especially bad--people wanted to get out of there! -They settled into this very open space. Not many people there, soil good for agriculture. -The Sui Dynasty conquered this area and first truly integrated it into regular Chinese society. --> WHY?? They had very fertile soil and were right near a river--easy to trade/transport stuff (like food!) on water. -Silk production travels south as the people do = new trade opportunities. -More tea is being grown, travels down the Yangtze River.

Gupta Empire

-320-550 CE -Most famous for math, science, poetry, astronomy...discoveries worthy of a GOLDEN AGE!! -Were Hindu, supported other religions. -Traded w/China (this was during a period between dynasties in China). -Broke down into smaller states, each headed by a small prince called a Rajput. --> They wouldn't cooperate with each other = it's easy for a conqueror to take them over.

Western Empire--Fall of Rome

-476 CE. -Rome threatened by Germanic tribes. -By then, Rome was in shambles, cities weakened, economy falling apart, slave labor declines, as did the papyrus trade, resulting in a decrease in literacy. = Roman culture and politics weaken because of all this. -Rome tries to survive by creating a feudalistic society--fortified churches and monasteries led by military leaders. Peasants do service/pay $ so the military leaders will protect them in times of war and won't attack them THEMSELVES during times of peace. -The only thing still unified in West Rome was the Christian church. The Bishop of Rome was the all-supreme pope, who claimed to be the universal leader of ALL Christians, and even of Rome itself!

Sui Dynasty

-581-618 CE -Connection to Turkish Steppes: one parent of the Sui Dynasty was Turkish, other was Chinese. -Only lasted for 2 emperors! -Resembles Qin--both unified China after a period of "Warring States," both built huge public works projects. -Grand Canal connects North and South China (Yellow River and Yangtze River, respectively). -Over a million people died while laboring during the reconstruction of the Great wall of China and the building of the Grand Canal. = "The Chinese never had much of a problem getting labor"--had a LOT of people, most of whom were peasants. -This dynasty DIDN'T LAST LONG because people hated them for spending so much money/lives on their public works projects and rebelled against them.

Tang Dynasty

-618-907 -Good, long dynasty--300 years. -Dynastic cycle--1st emperors of a dynasty are good, strong, energetic, while last are slow and weak. -Seen by China as perhaps the greatest dynasty OF THEM ALL! -Trade continued Buddhism from India to China--Indian monks were paid by rulers to go along trade routes converting people. -Buddhism was 1st introduced into China in the late Han, but really got big around these later dynasties. -Back in Han, Confucianism was hugely dominant--things were orderly and Confucianism loves order. -During periods of civil war, chaos, people want something that'll bring them peace--that's Daoism and Buddhism!

Turks in the West

-6th century, central Asia. -A threat to Byzantine and Persian empires as they moved west. -A warrior culture that revolved around the horse, most people in steppes speak Turkish languages. -Huge numbers, united culture, warrior skills = they are a FORMIDABLE threat! --> The Great Wall of China was actually built to keep Turks out! -Mercenaries for Persia, mamluks (slave soldiers) for Arabia. -Adopted Islam.

Northern Song

-960-1126 CE -Capital city = Kaifeng--the "great crossroads" between Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, @ the Grand Canal. -Qingming scroll: detailed depictions of daily city life. Either an accurate depiction of Kaifeng OR an idealized version of what it should look like. --> Either way, praised commerce, communication, scholars, religion, wealthy clothes, markets, cultural diffusion... -Song competes with pastoral peoples--the pastoral peoples start to form states--adapting Chinese ideas and forms of gov. = China has to fight with these other states who are starting to form powerful dynasties of their own. -Kingdoms Northwest of Song start advancing/ expanding into Song China, shrinking it and its influence. -Military problems: Song loses battles to Northern people (Liao and Tanguts). -Taxes + monopoly on tea. Song "cracks down" on people avoiding their taxes. Tea is heavily taxed... ...BECAUSE Song wants to TRADE all its tea away to Tibet and India so they can get horses from them, which they NEED to defeat the steppes people! -Tea is a VERY DEMANDED GOOD! Why should Song drink it all themselves when they can trade it to get horses to defeat the pastoralists they hate? = TEA/HORSE TRAIL goes down to Tibet and India. -Both sides cheated! The Chinese would just pick some leaves off crappy trees and mix them in with the real leaves to make it cheaper/produce more tea. -AND the people giving the horses would give China the WORST horses--the sick, old, and weak! -Unsatisfactory for everyone, but still necessary--horse people needed tea to get rich and tea people needed horses to defeat enemies. They'd even take the crappy stuff at this point.

Srivijaya 600-1290 CE

-A TRADING EMPIRE rather than a land empire = rule by influence overseas. --> Just like Phoenicia, Carthage... -More like a federation of trading ports working together to keep ocean safe from pirates. -People have to go through the water to trade = we can make them pay $ to do so = grow economy of the trading empire! = Controlled trade! -Rulers Buddhist, but most subjects Hindu. -Fell to another trading empire: Chola. -As Buddhism spread, NOT everyone adopted it, BUT traded tended to be rooted in Buddhist rules, principles, and customs. Like a "common guidebook" of things such as how to talk to people, create contracts, taxes...

Gangzhou trader communities

-A city on the Southern coast of China--wasn't that important when China was doing overland trade... ...BUT during overseas trade period, became a HOTSPOT of culture/commerce. -Many Arabs and Persians here. -BUT nativism increases, China blames foreigners for their problems. Arabs, Muslims, Buddhists, and Persians were attacked. -Yuan Dynasty employed foreigners as tax collectors SPECIFICALLY SO THAT Muslims would have a bad name/be seen as oppressive. -LEADS TO the idea of Chinese cultural superiority and, eventually, a closed-off China.

How did the Niger River, camels, and horse contribute to political centralization and incorporation of more of Africa into the "Old World Web?"

-A very durable empire centered around the river--the only not-arid place around. -Unstable environment = unpredictable flooding, droughts, wet and dry seasons... = People need FRIENDS (especially those from faraway places unaffected by their natural issues) to help them get through these tough times. --> Society values kinship and long-distance trade via canoe down the Niger River. = NIGER RIVER BECOMES HUGE CENTER OF TRADE AND TRAVEL!! -Niger people begin making permanent settlements, farming, and herding animals. -1st African empire--Ghana--emerges! --> It emerged BECAUSE of camel and horse travel, which allows them to expand and conquer inland, AWAY from the rivers! --> Camels don't need much water; they can survive in deserts. = People start to join together and form states to help defend themselves from camel-riding invaders and raiders. -North African had a LOT of gold and wanted to import salt to preserve their food b/c stuff in the desert dries out fast. =Start the trans-Saharan routes, the "Salt Roads," to trade West African gold for Eastern Africa's salt. -Islam travels thru Sahara, Ghana modifies it, when Mali comes to power, religion expands its usage, causing African society to become literate. -Mali starts trading gold, salt, AND slaves to North Africa and lower Europe in exchange for horses, which rulers needed to maintain power (by being faster/stronger than their subjects). = Sustained and expanded trade links beginning with Africa's own natural resources allow Africa to become part of the Old World Web!

What issues divided early Christians and how were they dealt with?

-After Constantine, now that there were so many MORE Christians instead of just a small, kind, tight-knit minority community, they began to FIGHT/disagree. -1st fight was over whether Jesus was a god, a man, or both. Compromise comes in worshipping Holy Trinity: God (god), Holy Spirit (man's spirit), and Jesus (half-and-half). -Fought over whether Mother Mary should be worshipped or not, a lot of fights over who to worship, who not to, what to believe... -A lot of "unpopular opinions" were deemed to be heresy = intolerance in monotheism! -A lot of poor folks didn't really care about this sh*t. They only worshipped Christianity b/c other people/leaders told them to or b/c its simple values like love, charity, community appealed to them. They didn't care about the rules/specifics! -Christianity expands, becomes led/controlled by trained "bossier" priests, Church becomes bigger and way more bureaucratic--almost like an autocratic/oligarchic government!

Sunni-Shi'a Schism

-After Muhammad's friends, the "companion" caliphs, died and Ali took control, a civil war broke out, killing Ali. -WHO is gonna succeed Muhammad NOW?? -Shi'a Muslims had supported Ali. -Sunni Muslims had NOT. They killed Ali and took control! -Differences between the 2 groups are POLITICAL, not religious. They believed basically everything the same about Islam EXCEPT who should succeed Muhammad. --> Differences between the 2 branches tend to still be only political today: "They don't believe differently."

How did Charlemagne and the Carolingian Dynasty connect to the spread of Christianity, the power of the pope, and the attempts at political centralization?

-After Roman empire dissolved, many tiny kingdoms emerged. -The Kingdom of the Franks--one of the group that had contributed to Rome's downfall--fell under the control of a dynasty called the Carolingians around 750 CE. -The Carolingians solidified "social order" in the form of feudalism--peasants (serfs) got access to land if they worked it for the landowners. They couldn't leave the land w/o permission from the landowner/lord. -Landowners would also protect them from knights from other farms. Without a lord, you were starving and defenseless! --> These lords were in turn servants to the king. They only owned land b/c the king let them (he could take it away, since it all technically belonged to him)--lords were dependent on the king (and thus won't overthrow him)! -This social system became LAW in Europe and was supported by the church. --> Charlemagne became king around 770 CE and made the kingdom into a big empire, conquering most of central Europe and Italy. -He FORCED pagans to adopt Christianity using brute strength, and declared himself the protector of the pope and successor of the Roman Empire. --> It really wasn't a good idea to mess with a strong ABSOLUTE MONARCH!! --> Using his absolute authority and power to keep old religions and traditions in line. -This system of terror, forced compliance, and religious intoleration kept Christianity and feudalism strong.

How did Buddhism spread through East Asia? Did it change as it moved from culture to culture?

-After the Han Dynasty "teetered and collapsed," a 360-year period of disunity and warfare (this CYCLE of unity and disunity is a recurring them in Chinese history) followed. THIS resulted in the rise of Buddhism in China! -Collapse of the Han and the warfare that followed deeply shook people's faith in Confucian values and society, ESPECIALLY the belief that the best-educated men should lead society (meritocracy). -DAOSIM takes its place as dominant religion as people try to withdraw from a chaotic world and find inner peace. -During this period, monks from India cross the Himalayas, bringing Buddhism to China. --> IT BLENDS WITH DAOISM!! --> Both emphasized values of contemplation, self-discipline, and withdrawing from the world to reflect/meditate/find inner peace. -Buddhism puts value on celibacy; attracted many Chinese women who were tired of submitting to their fathers/brothers/husbands. Put much less emphasis on the rigid dominance of males over females. -Political chaos urges people to try new outlooks/reconsider their beliefs. A time of EXPERIMENTATION--and Buddhism was right there for the taking! -Daoism and Buddhism both PROSPERED! -ZEN tradition emerges--less learning from texts/books and more person-to-person learning. Emphasized meditation, self-control, and contemplation of the world.

How did the Mongols influence China?

-After the Song Dynasty flickered out, the Mongols conquered China and began the Yuan Dynasty. -China's empire was BIG--required a new bureaucracy with Mongols in all the top positions. --> BUT managed to keep the Chinese elite somewhat happy by encouraging Confucianism and Buddhism (religious toleration) and promoting Chinese painters, writers, and sages (cultural toleration). -BUT the Yuan Dynasty was short-lived due to failure to conquer Japan, which damaged the economy (ah, the Mongols. Trying to be way too big as usual, I see?). -Chinese culture CHANGED!!! --> It was so much harder to snag a gov position now since they were all given to Mongols, so most Chinese gave up dreams of going into gov, instead turning to playwrighting, mathematics, medicine, and philosophy. -Religious toleration and scientific/cultural creativity flourished! -Epidemics and sickness resulted in female infanticide, since male heirs were valued much more. Results in a huge imbalance in power and number of males vs females that is still noticeable in China today. -Iron industry/factories of Song times disappeared, economy becomes much more unstable.

Aztec Empire--Creation

-After the city of Teotihuacan (located around today's Mexico) collapsed, big urban society vanished until the Toltecs, migrants from a big Northern city arrived, quickly winning the admiration/respect of the neighboring people due to their advanced military, weapons, art, wealth, and religious devotion. -These people became the Aztecs' neighbors, whom they admired and were inspired by. -The Aztecs most likely came from northern Mexico and migrated southwards. --> The migrated to places that were ALREADY INHABITED by other people and had to struggle to make their way to the top. -Through war, diplomacy, and alliances with other migrants stuck @ the bottom, they eventually overthrew the rulers and became the leaders of the Mexico basin region. -Their 1st leaders were strong and vigorous, causing their empire to grow quickly.

Jihad

-An important Muslim word meaning "struggle." -A lot of Muslims believe it involves the "struggle" to improve their faith and their community. -Some Muslims use it as a word meaning the "struggle" to fight and beat religious "enemies" = Crusades! -A lot of Muslim terrorists use it as justification for attacking non-Muslims. -NOTE: Most Muslims believe in the good definitions, NOT the "I gotta kill you" definition.

How did Islam build upon regional, and especially Arab, culture and history, including pre-existing religious beliefs?

-Arabia was dry and dusty--a hard place to make a living. -Its main export was leather. -Had only a few inhabitants, who survived by hunting in tribes or pillaging from passing trade caravans. -Had a long history of polytheism and oral poetry. -Muhammad was an Arab man who lost a lot of loved ones = no stranger to the Arab way of hardship, loss, and sorrow. --> Heard a voice and had visions that he was the messenger of God. -Spread his message/teachings and many listened, though the merchant class feared that the way he was intolerant of other religions would be bad for business (Arabia was a tolerant crossroads of caravans from all over Europe and Asia!) -In 622 CE, he fled Mecca and set up the first Muslim mosque in Medina. --> "Muslim" means "people who submit to the will of God." -Islam allowed Arabs to put aside their tribal differences and bond together in common faith. -The Qur'an mentions many Jewish and Christian prophets, and echoes many of these religions' teachings (tight-knit community of faithful, harsh punishments for nonbelievers/pagans, etc). -Muhammad believed he was the last in a succession line of great prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. --> BUT, he was reforming the religion of Abraham that Christianity and Judaism had ruined/corrupted. = Basically, a "better," more Arab-centric and Arab-unifying version of Christianity/Judaism. -Muhammad was the only founder of a major new religion to exercise real, direct political power (he was a chieftain ruling over several unified Arab tribes).

Who Were the Mongols?

-Around 1200, the most powerful force in Asia was NOT the mighty Song Dynasty...it was the Mongols! -The Mongols were a pastoralist people whose advanced horseback riding techniques and weapons brought them great military success. -Family and clan mattered most, and those most revered were those who could protect them from foreign peoples in this "Wild Wild East" of political disunity--hence, those skilled in military combat. -They conquered people after people and gained a reputation for ruthlessness, sometimes slaughtering entire populations. -After the Song Dynasty flickered out, the Mongols conquered China and began the Yuan Dynasty. -China's empire was BIG--required a new bureaucracy with Mongols in all the top positions.

Seljuk Turks

-Around 960--Turks unite more, form confederation of states. -As the Turks move west, they create 1st massive Turkic empire, which stretches from Afghanistan to Palestine. -1055--captured Abbasid empire, but left the caliphate standing = Turks rule politically but Abbasid caliphate (which once acted like a king AND a pope) keeps religious rule. -Seljuks remained mostly rural/pastoral, keep moving into Asia. -Mesopotamia declines.

Islam in South Asia and North India

-Arrived in India by sea from the Arab merchants. -Traveled by land through Central Asia, became dominant there. Small Turkish sultanates/kingdoms emerge from this region. They escape/"get pushed" into China and India as the Mongols take over Asia. -Muslims start to have conflicts w/the native Indian Hindus. When the Turkish Muslims try to take over, they do so by burning India's richest things--which just so happened to be Hindu temples! -Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526) comes to power. --> Resisted Mongols = keeps India from being taken over! -Were Islamic, ruled over majority Hindus, but didn't like or tolerate them. = North India becomes more and more dominantly Islam, while South India becomes a much more diverse center for global trade.

Incan Empire--Relationship w/those they ruled

-Because of all the bribes the rulers made to nearby elites, the commonfolk became the human factories who had to make all the rich stuff for these bribes! -The commonfolk usually didn't get any pay/rewards for this, and often had to work very far away from their homes. -Peoples who resisted Incan ruled were often slaughtered in very bloody ways. = Inca rule by generosity to foreigners who accept them and brutality to those who defy them. -Mita system = emperors must provide male laborers to build all the awesome roads and temples. --> The Inca rulers felt ENORMOUS pressure to squeeze more and more production out of their population, or else to conquer new lands. = They were always hungry for more "stuff" to make their empire even greater and brighter.

Muhammad and Hajira to Medina

-As Muhammad became more popular, he became seen as a threat to the elites of Mecca. -A lot of people from Medina saw him as a leader, asked him to mediate lots of religious conflicts. -Tensions with Mecca arise--conflict breaks out until Mecca surrenders to Medina. Lots of Meccans become Muslim. -The UMMA--the word for the supporters of Muhammad, who kept growing in number. -In 632 CE, Muhammad died w/o establishing succession rules. WHO would lead the community NOW? -Muhammad's friends take over, call themselves caliphs, meaning "successors." -The caliph is the leader of BOTH Church and State, just as the Byzantine emperor was. -As Muhammad's friends try to keep everyone together, lots of Muslims tried to leave the state b/c they had pledge allegiance to Muhammad, not to an empire. = His friends tried to force them back in = start of people trying to convert others to Islam by FORCE! -Muslims were VERY tolerant of other "people of the Book"--most other monotheistic religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism.... --> Were WAYYY less tolerant of polytheism, like when they one day capture Hindu India. = "It's easier to rule people if you don't force them to change too much" = they won't revolt!

Slave Trade in the Mediterranean

-As economy grows again (Islam expands and makes people rich, Europe recovers from economic crises), so does slave trade! --> Warfare tends to generate lots of defeated/conquered people, who become slaves to the victors. -Slavery abundant in Byzantines, Vikings, Mongols, Arabs, Africans.... -Germans conquer and enslave Slavic people, giving us the word "slave." = Slavery is NOT uniquely part of any one culture--almost all cultures practiced it and adopted each other's rules and methods.

Elites and Tea Culture in China

-As religions spread, the rich start to take notice of them AND their tea. -"Elites like to ritualize what they do." -Lu Yu writes, "The Classic of Tea," which details tea's history, preparation, varieties, how it should be boiled/processed, what it should look and feel like...went into HUGE detail! -Written in a very poetic, artsy style that appealed to the rich. -Peasants don't read or care about his book or about making perfect tea! Only the rich use tea like this! --> The rich begin to see this as a civilized ritual thar separates themselves from "peasant barbarians." Tea rituals become EVEN MORE complicated and even more "high-class," so the rich and poor separate even more! = Incredibly stylized "elite tea culture." -Different people use the same goods differently! Reveals a lot about a society!

Tang and the World--A Cosmopolitan Empire

-As tea becomes part of regional cultures (ex: Tibet, Mongolia), it becomes a trade good. -Traveled down a road called the Tea/Horse Trail. Travels from China through Tibet and back down to India where tea originally started. -Sugar, spices, wine get to China, THEN China, as usual, learns to make it all themselves and no longer needs to import it. -China becomes the economic superpower once again! The one who had everything everyone wanted. -Chinese art contains depictions of camels, monkeys--things from other places. -Through water-based trade, China becomes a COSMOPOLITAN EMPIRE of different ethnicities, religions--very diverse (but this won't last). -Arabs, Persians, Jews, Muslims, Tibetans, Syrians, Vietnamese....all come to China and settle in. -As China expands, it bumps into the Abbasids and the Muslim Empire! = It's good for trade! Both empires see trade as very important and send out soldiers to make sure trade routes stay safe for merchants to travel on. -Chinese and Arab govs make trade deals. -751 CE - Battle of Talas River--Arabia defeats China. --> THIS was about the time when Chinese paper started to move to the West--the Arabs probably picked it up! -Talas River was a sign the Tang were weakening--not nearly gone yet!--but weakening. -Turkish rivals get stronger, start to rival Tang China. -These rival Turkish nomads make land trade routes unsafe, so China goes to overseas trade instead. -Run into MORE Arabs and Persians on the other side--leads to even more global trade and an even more cosmopolitan empire!

In what various ways is foreign influence seen in Song China? How did they interact with and influence others?

-As the Tang Dynasty's strength dwindled, nomadic groups rose to power and started to actually exploit CHINA. Many managed to conquer Northern China. -Southern China had to pay tribute to the nomads to avoid meeting the same fate. -East Asia and China fragment into different kingdoms again. -Until...1st Song Dynasty emperor becomes victorious--has an extra need and incentive to keep China unified in order to get out of this troubling time. -Afraid of the hostile powers that had now gained strength in the rest of East Asia, the Song Dynasty decided overseas trade would be a "safer" route. -Foreign languages, culture come to China, shipbuilding and navigation tech improve. China gets a HUGE fleet! -Korea becomes much stronger, uniform, and feudalistic, due in part from less influence from China and frequent struggles against still-prevalent foreign invaders. -Japan, being an archipelago, never had to deal too much with foreign invaders. -Japan had once encouraged influence from China, but when the Tang's power waned, China's influence fell completely and Japanese culture became so much more independent. -They started to become much more creative and individualistic about their religion, art, leisure, and literature. They see themselves as very refined and superior to everyone, even China. -Southeast Asia as a whole, while still retaining influences from China, becomes much more independent during Song period. Each nation starts to develop more of their own "thing."

What issues divided Muslims and how did those divisions relate to political change? Do you see any similarities/differences compared to Christianity?

-BIG division over who should succeed Muhammad and become the caliph (leader). -Should the caliph be Muhammad's blood relative, or the best/strongest leader regardless of blood? -The 1st 4 caliphs were not related to Muhammad, but were close friends of his who had shown their strength in battle (kind of a compromise??). -Sunni Muslims believed caliphs should be whoever is most worthy/gets the most votes. -Shi'a Muslims believed caliphs should be descended from Muhammad. -Ali, the 4th caliph, was overthrown by Sunni Muslims, who established a new dynasty: the Umayyad Caliphate. -Shi'a Muslims' champion, Muhammad's grandson, tried to take the throne but failed and was murdered by the Sunni guys. -Shi'a Muslims are still salty about this. Are seen as heretics by the Sunni Muslims, the majority in Arabia today. -YOUNG RELIGIONS ARE ESPECIALLY PRONE TO SCHISMS/DIVIDES!! -When religions are adopted by the state, the tensions rise, because the majority religion will be adopted and all minorities will be outlawed/deemed heresy. -When religions become international, like Islam soon did, no one state can stamp out all heretics = results in regional branches/sectors of a religion. -All Islam people believe there is only one god, charity is good, Mecca is holy...etc.

Arabs Emerge

-Between Syria and Mesopotamia. -Urban and pastoral (dependent on horses and camels), survive by pillaging trade caravans -They were trade "middlemen" for Persia and Byzantium--very much a merchant people, had lots of big colorful merchant cities. -LOTS of different religions: some Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, but united in a shared culture and language: Arabic. -In a trading culture, you send members of your family to different places to get stuff, and they interact and intermarry with the people of different cities/religions. = Kinship ties, culture ties between cities.... -During Sassanid-Byzantine wars, both sides paid Arabs to fight for them as mercenaries = Arabia learned to fight! -THEN both of these sides fired the Arabs! --> If you teach someone to fight and then treat 'em bad, do you really expect something GOOD to happen?! = Arabs start fighting other people, carving out their own land/territory. ...One day, they'll take over the Sassanids AND Byzantines! (Well, ok, they don't really take over Byzantium. They do push it out of Asia, though.)

What were the main Viking activities as their influence spread, where did they come to rule, and how did they influence the Old World Web?

-Big states like the Abbasids and Byzantines fell due to being unable to keep control/loyalty. If a ruler wasn't REALLY FORCEFUL, then, whoops, there goes the empire... -Many formidable tribes make things worse for the empires by invading and plundering these wealthier lands. --> The Vikings were pros at this, BUT they used ships instead of the standard camels and horses, to get the advantage of being able to pillage overseas. -Vikings weren't motivated by religion, but by trade and money. They became pirates and pillagers. --> Their ships gave them the advantage of both moving in AND fleeing quickly, AND they could hold tons of stuff! -They stole valuables like gold and gems, and sold them to markets to get the essential survival stuff they REALLY wanted (= make a living by stealing). -Viking chiefs end up taking over some parts of Europe, like France and Britain. -They linked trade between Russia, Byzantium, & the Arab World, and worked as merchants, warriors, and pirates supporting different empires, or none at all. --> They EXPANDED the Old World Web to include Russia, and TIGHTENED connections everywhere else!

How did the fall of old states and the rise of new ones change the "Old World Web?" (This was around the time of the fall of West Roman Empire).

-Biggest economic and social changes were associated with the breakup of Roman Empire and the reunification of much of the Romano-Persian world under the banners of Islam. -LOTS OF VIOLENCE!! As Germanic tribes ravaged Roman Empire, pillaging, raping, burning, and enslaving became way more common. -Byzantine-Sassanid wars brough horrific violence to non-military people living in the middle of these 2 back-and-forth-bickering enemies. -Having religion as a motivator only caused armies to fight harder and MORE brutally! -Crumbling of big empires leads to "gang" violence between populations/groups. Public order/structure was no longer a thing now that empires were gone. -Literacy declined in the West. The economy and money almost vanished completely. Trade in the Mediterranean shrivels up. -Places once ruled by Roman Empire (ex: Italy, North Africa) suffer the most. -In Greece, complex society almost COMPLETELY VANISHED = hit hardest of all! -Aristocrats became poor/beggars, but commonfolk were actually happy to be free of their oppressive emperors and taxes. -Fewer people spoke Latin/Greek, more people spoke Germanic/Gothic. -Europe was FRAGMENTED, no longer unified in language or currency. -In Asia, social complexity and market economy survived. Trade routes and craftsmanship were still up and running. -Prosperity in Islamic lands opened up new trade routes and strengthened the older ones. Imported LOTS of goods and slaves from India, Asia, Africa.

Christian Rome

-By 400 CE, other religious (non-Christian) beliefs outlawed, including old polytheistic beliefs. Non-Christian philosophy/religious schools burned. -Olympics disappeared--seen as "worshipping other gods." -Rome became Christian and ONLY CHRISTIAN!! -Christians argued with EACH OTHER over things like the nature of Christ. Monophysites--believed Christ was divine/a god. Nestorians--believed Christ was dual-natured: part god, part human. Arians--believed Christ was a human. -These beliefs all remained in local, and even national divisions/branches of Christianity. -Constantine saw this as an issue--could cause disarray, civil war. -SO... he called the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE to decide which one to believe in. Others would be outlawed, seen as heresy--everyone in empire would practice same thing. =A political solution!! -"Compromise" = God, Christ, and Holy Ghost. One god, one human, and one both (Christ).

How and why did Christianity spread beyond the Roman Empire?

-By 450, Christianity had become the dominant religion in Rome/Byzantium. -Byzantium encouraged others to adopt Christianity. -Other kings in Armenia, Nubia, Egypt took interest, converted their people. = "Top-down conversions" = power of the state causes citizens to convert. -In places w/o kings, monks traveled around the Silk Road, converting high chieftains/landowners who would then influence everybody else (same concept of "top-down conversions, but with other leaders beside kings). Converted Asians, Indians... -Became a minority religion in India (still is to this day!), but did NOT spread through China much! -In places w/ lots of political fragmentation, different branches/sectors of Christianity emerged. -Ultimately, Christianity tended to do better in places with absolutist kings w/ a lot of power, and places w/ little political division or tolerance of opinions other than the king's. --> THINK--places that resembled medieval France, England...in terms of structure! -Augustine = a North African bishop, wrote many books that helped solidify Christian beliefs (holy texts are important!). -Helped establish fundamental Christian concepts like sin, the Holy Trinity, and God's grace--laid the foundation for Catholicism, which took hold in the west, Latin world!

Indian Ocean Choke Points

-CHOKE POINTS = places people HAVE to go through/cross if they want to get from one place to another. -Ex: places you have to stop and wait for the monsoon winds to blow a different way in order to go somewhere else or return home. -Choke points on Indian Ocean Web = Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Sunda Strait, Strait of Malacca. --> People would stop in these places for months/years and trade their goods/form communities. = TRADE NETWORKS have been going on here since the ancient days, and were only getting more and more complex! -Didn't just trade goods--also exchanged culture, religion, diseases, etc. And built economies, wealth, and sprawling cities!

Rediscovering Central Asia

-Central Asia (Right around west of China, that area) during this time was a bustling center of many different cultures and religions = religious toleration! -Trade traveled all over, from all directions. -"Great Age" of art, science, math, philosophy, medicine. IDEAS EXCHANGED EVERYWHERE! -Had one of the greatest libraries in the world! -Europe had lost Greek and Roman philosophic works, BUT they survived HERE, through Arab translations! -A great place for the development of ideas because people were free to communicate and exchange ideas. -Lots of languages spoken = people used to many languages, cultures, people from all over. --> THAT'S why knowledge spread so freely! -NOW this place is considered an unimportant "middle of nowhere." WHY?? -Flow of knowledge slows down as TOLERANCE slows down! -Mongols invade, then Muslims start to care about Sunni-Shi'a split and "crack down" on those with different beliefs. -Mathematics seen as an "Art form" by Islamic world--architecture designed around geometric patterns/shapes. --> Arabia Silk carpets = a demanded art form, also used geometry math! Chinese material, Arabic/Turkic style = definitely a Silk Road thing of blended culture! --> Arabs made many of the important math discoveries, remember? -Math along the Silk Road developed into a strong numerical system we still use today. -Discovered Earth revolves around the sun.

How did the States of Chola and Srivijaya differ from most other states/empires we've studied so far? How did they interact with each other and why?

-Chola Kingdom: 970-1300 CE. -More than ANYONE ELSE in Indian History, Chola made most of its $ from overseas trade. --> They DOMINATED harbors and ports in the Indian Ocean Web and became very rich and powerful. -The Chola State was an alliance of merchant trading guilds who would pool their resources together, becoming strong enough to bribe KINGS with their wealth! = Merchants can be more powerful than rulers! -The Chola launched a naval brigade against another maritime powerhouse, the state of Srivijaya. = An expedition NOT to conquer this state...but INSTEAD to take "pirate control," trying to subdue Srivijaya just enough to pass through their waters safely and get access to goods in places near them, like China. =NOT direct control imposed by rulers, but rather, "access control" imposed ONLY BY MERCHANTS! -No one else in history has EVER done something like this--usually if nations wanted control of an area, they'd just conquer it. -Chola continues trend of religious toleration and patronization of the arts. -China and Chola adopted parts of each other's cultures, like architecture! --> That's right, this "merchant empire" even had influence on China, specifically the tolerant Gangzhou region.

Women in Islam and Christianity

-Christianity and Islam BOTH offered women NEW OPPORTUNITIES! -Women in sacred roles, as admirable figures (Mary, Sarah, Fatimah). -Holy texts argued marriage should be consensual, listed rules for how to properly treat a woman/wife. ISLAM: -Husbands must support their wife/wives. If they had multiple wives (as was a longstanding tradition), they must treat them all equally. --> Wives should obey their husbands and all girls must marry, preferably before they turned 18. --> Women inherit a share of their parents' property! They only get half as much as their brother, but STILL! -Not perfect, but were DEFINITELY improvements for women in Arabia, Iran, Syria. CHRISTIANITY: -Girls also expected to marry as teens. -Wives could inherit their own property; a few women became very wealthy. -Many women able to become preachers for a while (eventually were unallowed to again). ...Ultimately, for most women, Islam and Christianity gave them a little more freedom. --> Improved the lives of lots of children, too! These religions condemned infanticide and praised helping orphans!

Islamic World--"Recentering the Old World Web"

-Christianity and Islam spread all over. --> Christianity first, then Islam "takes over." --> BUT many Christian/Jewish minorities still live fine and happy in Muslim-led world. -A lot of Christianity conversions were done top-down. King converts and makes his people do the same by FORCE ("Do you wanna be Christian or do you wanna be dead?")! -Muslims more tolerant, more people CHOOSE to convert than forced to. --> More acceptance of other religions in the East, while in the West things tended to be more restrictive and absolutist. --> Was because Islam came from a very diverse area--it was always exposed to other people and knew how hard and bad it would be to try to convert them all. -Arab Empire/Islamic rule was wealthy, powerful, and happy, while West/Europe was doing pretty bad. = Trade shifts to the EAST, favoring Asia, while Europe is "left out." --> Europe doesn't really have much wealth or goods people want = THIS is what provokes Europe to become CONQUERORS!!

How did Christianity spread through Rome? How did Emperor Constantine involve himself in issues of Christian Doctrine?

-Christianity was, at its beginnings, a very minor religion in Rome. -Became popular b/c it had an afterlife, which other Roman religions didn't. It offered SALVATION, which resonated with a lot of Roman peasants, who only knew pain and suffering. -Repeated plagues, violence, and chaos only made Christianity MORE appealing! -Christians were kind and selfless towards each other through it all, making them appear noble/appealing. -Diocletian tried to get rid of/execute Christians but failed miserably! -Constantine ENDED RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION and was a patron of Christianity! W/o him, Christianity would've never "made it big" in Rome! -He built Christian churches and donated land to them. Churches became more hierarchal/organized/structured, bringing in lots of new followers!

How did changes in culture ("flowering") and religion respond to cultural exchange and trade across the Old World Web?

-Crumbling empires and rampant invaders brought turmoil to the Old World Web between 800 and 1400 CE. --> BUT, economic and cultural growth happened anyway, perhaps BECAUSE of this! -Economies suffer due to the pillaging and looting done by groups like the Vikings, but interactions between people expanded commerce in the long-term scale. --> Conquerors, pirates, and looters had to learn how to use/maintain markets to sell their stolen riches to buy the essential survival stuff they really needed. --> Emperors and conquerors learn to make money by taxing trade/imports. -Pax Mongolia = when the Mongols take over everything, much of Eurasia became a safe free-trade zone. --> Even after their reign was up, trade was STILL promoted and expanding between Europe and Asia...the Mongols only started this still-burning fire! -During this time, trade routes were expanded into new areas and tightened in existing ones. --> China and India interact more with Europe, and places far North (Russia) and far South (Africa) join the fray. --> Societies grew rapidly in population, wealth, productivity, and sophistication! --> High culture actually FLOURISHED despite it all! Many philosophers, poets, mathematicians, architects, and astronomers made lasting impacts on the world. ....BECAUSE so many migrations, commerce, and refugees expose cultures to each other. --> ex: Baghdad became a center of multicultural arts and science. Chinese paper helps literary works prosper, things are translated into many different languages. --> Mathematics improve as different cultures spread, share, and preserve their knowledge. --> People delight in, study, and debate the ideas of people from all over! -As for religion, both Islam and Christianity spread, attract new followers in new regions. --> Religions change, adopt different rules and traditions in the new cultures and regions it expands to, often appalling the original founders of said religions. --> People try to defend THEIR specific way of practicing religion as the only correct one, resulting in hostility, assaults, and eventually warfare. -Even ISLAM starts to try to enforce stricter laws, customs, and codes--becoming more like Europe's religions. --> BUT attempts to control what religions are practiced and how they are practiced ultimately fail, because as authorities try to "clamp down," more people rebel, lose faith, or try to establish their own branches. = Trying to control people's religions only makes them want to rebel/practice their own thing even MORE!

What does the story about Khazaria @ the start of chapter 13 tell us about cultural exchange along the Silk Roads during the medieval period?

-Khazaria was a Jewish Kingdom (with religious minorities) = IMPORTANT! --> Located in Southern Russia. -Traded along the Silk Road, picked up artifacts originating from China, Sweden, Mesopotamia. -Had an army, fought with both Christian Byzantium and Muslim Arabia. = Early medieval period around the Silk Road was religiously and culturally tolerant, for the most part. --> BUT, tensions, especially between the two "Bigs"--Islam and Christianity (catching the minorities like Judaism in the middle)-- were starting to rise, which would forever change this region AND the world.

Buddhism, Daoism, and Tea

-Daoism is all about balance and nature! -Daoist sages spent a lot of time in nature, trying to figure out where they fit into it. -SO...they start experimenting with wild plants and create a WHOLE BUNCH of new kinds of "wild tea." -They share these teas with people and start to grow it all around their Daoist temples. -As people start to drink tea and adopt Daoism, they live longer, are healthier, and have more children because boiling the water (done to extract the flavor--hot tea has a richer/better taste!) kills bad germs. -Around this time, the wealthy were drinking these weird, rare and expensive elixirs said to give them long lives. They were made from minerals and metals (Not really a good or effective idea). -So as Daoism spreads, the poor eventually start to become healthier than the rich! -Buddhists start growing tea too = A CONNECTION TO DAOISM! -Buddhists come up with their own origin for tea: --> A Buddhist monk was going to a cave to meditate for days on end, but he can't do it because he just falls asleep. --> He feels ashamed of this, so he cuts out his eyelids so he can't sleep anymore. Where his eyelids land, the 1st tea bushes grow. = Tea has a connection to meditation and Buddhism! -Buddhist monasteries have very big tea gardens. -SO...the spread of these religions leads to the spread of tea, which is very good/healthy for the population! -As religions spread and become more popular, so does tea! -Tea becomes part of high culture.

In what various ways is foreign influence seen in Tang China? How did they interact with and influence others?

-During Tang period, China influence Korea SO MUCH! China helps create the Silla Dynasty there, which had to declare loyalty to the Tang. --> China was pretty happy, satisfied, and friendly w/Korea during Tang period. -China influenced Japan, helping it grow from a nation of tiny states to a bigger, bustling empire. -No one felt Tang China's influence more than Vietnam, which adopted China's religions (Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism) and writing system. -In ALL of these places, China's influence had a BIG impact, but they all managed to hold onto many elements of their own cultural and political identities = NOT the same as actually being conquered! -China was friendly w/Asian neighbors and wanted to influence them more than anything. Created a huge "Sinosphere" of influence that made Asia into an interconnected web with China as the grand, glowing centerpiece. -The cultural influence of China was profound and enduring.

Indian Ocean Web Conclusion

-Eurasia connected through rich, growing trade networks. -Indian Ocean connected the Mediterranean, Africa, Arabia, China, Central Asia, India... -Peaceful, profitable, and diverse, though governed heavily by Muslims and Muslim values (trade, integrity, honesty, friendliness, openness). -MEANWHILE...Western Europe was self-righteous, violent, intolerant. and greedy, soon starting the AGE OF CONQUEST!!

Moluccas = "Spice Islands."

-Europeans knew them, loved them. -This was what Columbus was trying to find. -Europeans try to get there and bump into Swahili city-states. -Swahili = mix of African Bantu, Indian, and Arabian languages and cultures. -Religion was a variation of Muslim (religions change as cultures adopt and modify them). -Europeans were thrilled to find trading ports, but disappointed to find out the people were Muslim (because religious intolerance).

China & the World Economy

-Everyone wanted Chinese goods because China had all the good rich stuff (silk, porcelain, tea, paper, gems...), but all China wanted was silver, which it didn't have available to mine as a natural resource. -Everyone else tries to trade with each other EVEN MORE to get silver to trade to China. = China is indirectly the CAUSE of this sharp increase in trade, because everybody wanted to trade with China but you had to be REALLY STINKIN' RICH to get the silver needed to do so.

Islam's Northward Expansion

-Expanded into Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt... -INCREDIBLY RAPID SPREAD!!! -WHY were they so fast??? -RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE--a lot of these people had been ruled by other leaders (like the Byzantine emperor), who weren't religiously tolerant. SO, they WELCOMED these new and better leaders! --> Muslims seen as "liberators" for these people. They freed them from oppressive bad kings! -The Arabs had a common language, culture, belief system--they were unified like crazy! --> SO... they had the zeal and numbers to expand! -Were warrior cultures who had once fought for Byzantium and Sassanids. --> NOW... they knew how to fight, and especially how to fight THESE particular empires! -Arabia may have been too overpopulated, causing a drought. So they had a lot of reasons to send people OUT of Arabia!

How did Islam come to India? Who brought it? Under what circumstances?

-India in 200 BCE was a land of many religions, most notably Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. -Rulers didn't try to control/suppress any religions = RELIGIOUS TOLERATION! -BUT, between 200-1400 CE, in reaction to unpopular features of Hindu customs, Islam became the DOMINANT religion, with Zoroastrian majority. Buddhism almost went extinct! -BHAKTI MOVEMENT--people began to practice dedication to only 1 god, like Shiva or Vishnu. --> NO MORE NEED for Buddhist priests or Hindu Brahmin, people begin to disregard/rebel against caste system. --> Spread by "saints" who were often low-caste. = People no longer like Buddhism--is confined to only small parts of India. -Islam brought to India by ARAB TRADERS, but really influenced India when the Turks from Central Asia destroyed and conquered India, setting up Islamic states. -These Muslim rulers didn't try to control the conquered people's religions. --> By Islamic law, non-Muslims were taxed higher than Muslims, so if you'll remember, Islamic states often WANTED non-Muslims...because they made good money! -Over the centuries, as much as 1/4 of India eventually adopted Islam from this simple, non-oppressive exposure.

What was the relationship between the decline of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire?

-Half of Roman Empire fell in 476 CE, other half lasted another thousand years! -WESTERN Roman empire fell accidentally, from people trying to take it over and preserve it for their own benefit. -Rome used to be very victorious in war and got most of its money and stuff that way. BUT Rome's enemies, including the Persian/Iranian Sassanids, had gotten STRONGER! -When Rome traded w/ barbaric Germanic tribes, the goods it gave them unified the barbarians, giving them a hierarchy and more of a civilization, making them STRONGER. = Rome's own trade web caused its demise! -Span was running out of silver and bandits stole some of Rome's = Rome can't pay for its military anymore! -Diocletian--a military man--stopped these crises when he became emperor by reforming empire's coinage and tax system (=unified Rome, kept it from falling apart!) -Made the political & military system more rigid so no one could take the emperorship away from him and so everyone would be only loyal to him. -Constantine, his successor, declared that the Roman Empire was too big to be controlled by only one leader, so he divided it in half. -When he died, his sons fought each other for control, causing civil wars that left Rome weak. It now lacked the money to defend its borders, so invaders stole its empire BIT BY BIT. --> Despite Diocletian and Constantine's best efforts, Rome fell back into its old problems. -An empire that RELIED on expansion to live was not built to last! -Attila the Hun's forces swiped Rome's goods and "battered," until the final blow was dealt by some nobody Germanic tribe, the Goths. -->After that, there was NOTHING left to steal. West Rome was GONE!! = "Rome ended with a series of whimpers, not a bang." -Pathetic.

Southeast Asian States

-Hindu States influenced by India =Funan and Chenla -Buddhist Thailand -Vietnam = Chinese Influence. -Religions change as they are adopted by different cultures, especially in countries with tolerant, unoppressive rulers, and especially religions w/o rigid rules and Holy books.

How did new crops like sugar and cotton enter Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean and how did they change these societies?

-In Mesopotamia + Mediterranean, NEW crops from Southeast Asia came over from Indian Ocean Networks. -Some were food crops like watermelon, coconuts, bananas, SUGARCANE. -Others were for material industries, like cotton, good for making clothing. -SUGAR and COTTON ESPECIALLY stimulated the growth of urban industries. --> Inspired BUSINESSES dedicated to the harvesting of these crops (often using SLAVES because most people didn't wanna do this super-hard labor willingly). --> Since these crops were harvested in rural places, but their market was in big urban cities, these crops HEAVILY PROMOTED REALLY-LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL AND TRADE!! --> More commerce and exchange = economy, population, and nutrition grow, as do trade networks and CULTURAL DIFFUSION/GLOBALIZATION!!

What did Gupta Era India contribute to the world in culture and learning?

-In early times, Indians figured out quite a bit of astronomy, such as how eclipses were caused. -Early Indian Mathematics explored trigonometry, developed the concept of zero and the 1st base ten system, and calculated the value of pi. -They had drawn on and preserved Greek and Mesopotamian precedents! -Indian monasteries influenced and attracted scholars from all over the world! -Gupta rulers were Hindu, but supported Buddhists and Jains = continued religious toleration trend. -Gupta kings also supported math, science, art, and poetry, producing amazing works of art worthy of Golden Age Status! -Overall, general support of science, religion, and art in a time when Europe was intolerant. Kept a lot of ancient accomplishments alive, but also built on them and made them even better!

How did Turkic peoples come to rule in Muslim states from Central Asia and India to Egypt and Anatolia (keywords: mamluks, Seljuks)?

-In the Abbasid empire, caliphs were struggling to keep a hold on their empire. -They had to rely on Turkic slave soldiers to guard the fragile empire from looters and invaders. = They were DEPENDENT/AT THE MERCY of these Turks, who often killed/overthrew caliphs = the slaves had more power than the rulers! = Islamic world gradually falls apart, becomes politically fragmented into tons of little kingdoms. = Turks begin their world domination scheme as SLAVES (called mamluks) purchased by Muslim empires to serve as elite soldiers. =Turks become known as soldiers the way Greeks were as philosophers and Chinese were as craftsmen. --> Slave soldiers used their skills, often better than the Muslims who ruled them, to get promoted to positions of really high power, like generals. -SOON, they become the power behind Muslim thrones, killing caliphs as they see fit. --> In many places, like Egypt, they overthrew the rulers entirely and started their OWN dynasty! -Later, the Seljuk Turks arrived in huge numbers into the Muslim world from Central Asia. --> Were a pastoral people who practiced/worshipped Sunni Islam. = Due to their huge numbers and profound military skills, they took over Baghdad and pushed Byzantium influence/borders all the way back to Constantinople. = "Turkification" and "Islamification" of the once-Christian Byzantium Mediterranean. =Islam and Christianity lived peacefully side by side for many generations. Sometimes they intermarried, but they ALWAYS learned from each other's cultures!

What were "commercial colonies" or "merchant communities," how did they form, and what function did they serve?

-In this web, people had a bit of a reputation for cheating, plundering, pillaging, and stealing. --> You needed to know AND be careful about who you trusted! -People worked closely with those from the same kinships, countries, or castes, working as their own little alliance systems. --> BUT the more people you can safely trust, the more profit you can make, so alliance systems started to combine into bigger guilds. A merchant would try to join as many guilds as he could. -As a result of this need for trustworthy partners, a lot of trade took place in commercialized colonies--little city port regions built on merchants/trade. -Merchant communities intermingled and intermarried a lot, people of diff races and places interacted and formed friendships. -Long-distance traders welcomed, ports had to have good reputations, appear tolerant and hospitable so they could receive the yearly traders their economies depended on. -Linked together the Indian Ocean trade network. Almost like its "skeleton!"

What are monsoons and "choke points" in the Indian ocean and how did they work to organize travel, trade, and politics in the Indian Ocean basin?

-India stood right @ the center of the watery web built on Indian Ocean travel and trade. -The key reason the Indian ocean world became a "web" as early as 100 CE is because of the MONSOON and the knowledge of it. -Came to understand its seasonal patterns well enough to sail out into the open sea even before the days of careful navigation. --> Going out to sea w/o knowing where you're going is VERY dangerous. But thanks to the predictable monsoons, the Indians DID know where they were going! -Could easily sail to Arabia and East Africa, later Southeast Asia. -Sailors, traders, navies, missionaries, travelers, and armies strategically located near the coasts and the monsoons, "knitting together" these places and "building ties bound by the monsoon winds." -As monsoon knowledge spread, risk, fears, and costs of sailing the Indian Ocean decreased. -BUT the Indian Ocean was still dangerous to the unwary. An unprepared ship could be swept away into the monsoon and crushed into a coral reef! = Invention of the DHOW, a ship with tough, flexible hulls built to withstand a little battering. -The Indian Ocean is ONLY easy to sail if you know what you're doing = people write maps and guides to help = spreading knowledge!

What types of goods were most traded across the Indian Ocean and why? What else was traded? How did those types of goods appeal to different regions and classes of people?

-India traded manufactured foods, spices, gems, and cinnamon. -Iran was famous for its pearls, which India always needed. -Chinese traded horses to India, as well as manufactured goods, especially silk and porcelain, which had become quite famous. -Mediterranean world contributed wine, silver, coins. -Africa exported mangrove poles, slaves, and ivory. -Long-distance trade = luxury goods = traded overseas by rich rulers and merchants. -Short-distance trade = cabotage = everyday items traded locally across land/small bodies of water by smaller merchants and commonpeople. -East African Slave Trade BOOMS! Thousands of slaves taken to work as soldiers (male), domestic servants (female), or farm/plantation workers (mostly male, some females). -ZANJ REVOLT--slaves in Abbasid Arabia become so numerous that they successfully revolt and make an army, killing hundreds of Arabs and forming a brief "nation" of their own w/its own minted currency. -Caused Iran to be cut off from Indian Ocean for a while, shifting the "Economic Engine" of this web to Egypt. -Many merchants formed alliances, called guilds, with those they trusted. Eventually, what guild you belonged to determined your trustworthiness more than your ethnicity.

Was the Indian Ocean web violent or peaceful? Were there any exceptions?

-Indian Ocean trade was REMARKABLY NONVIOLENT and free...that is, until Europeans arrive and bring greed, hostility, and intolerance. -Most Europeans lived in undiverse societies and viewed multicultural ones as bad. -When Europeans come in, they get a bad rep for not following the rules, being greedy and dishonest in trade, spreading violence, being too stupid to figure out how the multicultural society works, and basically just being a huge drag. -A lot of Europeans get kicked out of the trade communities. Desperate for wealth, they turn to a life of PIRACY AND CONQUEST!!

Malaysia and Indonesia.

-Interesting fact: today, Indonesia is the country with the highest percentage of its population identifying as Muslim. Srivijaya: A Buddhist federation of trading ports. Buddhism connects religions! Islam--More and more merchants and cultures become Muslim. People of different places interact more b/c of this, and make more wealth. --> Muslim empires, because of the values of their religion, are given a good rep for being honest and friendly. SO... people visit Muslim ports more often! Malacca: 1403-1511. -Descended from Srivijaya. Becomes HUGE and rich! -Zheng He and Ming China go there and support it = this place unites China, Asia, India, EVERYONE, becoming one of the biggest trade centers IN THE WORLD! = Trade makes money for EVERYONE!!

Sugar in World History

-Introduced to the Western world by MUSLIMS as Arabian influence spreads through Mediterranean. -A hard-to-grow crop--requires lots of painful manual labor. --> = People don't wanna do this. Hence why slavery is associated w/sugar--you have to really FORCE people to do this! -Grows in hot, tropical climates. -Was 1st domesticated in New Guinea, spreads to Persia through Alexander the Great, then to Byzantine (during Byzantine-Sassanid Wars!), Indus River, Egypt... -Spread at a VERY slow speed. -Sugar associated w/purity and reincarnation. You wanted to make your soul as pure and sweet as sugar! -Entered the Mediterranean Basin with Muslims (they had conquered Byz and Sassanids, remember?) -Agriculture technology makes growing sugar easier, spreads faster now. -West (Christians!) later learn sugar farming from Muslims and bring it to Europe. --> When it becomes popular in Europe, SO DOES THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE!! --> THIS affects American history SO MUCH! = Nations' histories affect each other's! -Used as a sweetener, preservative, medicine, eventually used to make rum. -Elites/royals use it to make sweet, elaborate decorative foods = this is where we start using it for today's purposes!

How can we explain the rapid spread of Islam and of Arab political power in the 7th and 8th centuries?

-Islam was a political AND religious movement! -Muhammad's friends and kin made his unified Muslim tribes into a formidable Muslim army after his death. -They broke out of the Arabian Peninsula and into lands ruled by the Sassanids and Byzantines. --> These 2 had wasted a lot of money fighting each other, and didn't see the puny Arabs as a threat. --> BIG mistake! Before they knew it, the Arabs had captured Jerusalem (Byzantine's holy city), and the Sassanids' capital, and then all of Egypt! -Oftentimes, the people the Arabs conquered liked Islam better than their previous religions. Especially in places that had been under Byzantine rule (like Egypt), since Byzantine was Christian zealot and had very little religious freedom. (If you didn't practice religion EXACTLY like the emperor, you were committing treason and could be killed for that!) -The Arabs conquered so much w/o advanced weapons or a naval fleet by mastering CAMELS--an advantage in this desert environment. -By 650, the Sassanids were gone and Islam Arabia had taken Byzantium's best provinces. --> Arabia has ALWAYS been good at pillaging and plundering, just now @ a larger scale!

Byzantine expansion, Justinian

-Justinian attempted to restore ("put back together again") the old Roman Empire. -Battled and defeated a bunch of Germanic tribes, took back Rome's old lands. -Was doing pretty good until 2 things got in his way. 1. The Plague of Justinian 2. Attacks/warfare from Huns and Persians. -At the end of his rule, the Byzantine empire had basically the same amount of land as before his rule = all in all, he accomplished nothing! =This story is IMPORTANT because it shows that Byzantine thought of themselves as a continuation of the old Roman empire = wanted to put that back together instead of going off in a new and different direction.

What long-term dynamic did the Huns first demonstrate and how did this affect other pastoral peoples?

-Lots of Germanic tribes were running away to escape the Huns, who attacked everyone they could reach! -Movement of the Huns upset the geopolitical balance in Eurasia, just like Persia and Rome had done earlier. -Huns started a PATTERN--the movement of Turkish peoples of the steppe into other areas, mostly to escape drought (climate shock, remember?) or political violence (caused by Huns). -A lot of these Turkish/Germanic tribes were allowed into the Roman Empire (usually to join the military), but their stubborn, "rough-and-tumble" nature made them hard to control. -They "helped themselves" to whatever land they wanted--even land the Romans didn't give them--they took it BY FORCE! (Talk about bad houseguests!) -They hadn't actually intended to destroy the Roman Empire--they just wanted to enjoy it for themselves!--BUT, their actions damaged Rome's economy and security, leaving it weak against ACTUAL invaders, who delivered the final blows.

Authority based on trade connections

-Many rulers of overseas empires would claim that they were from rich trading countries or descended from famous merchants. --> Sime were mythical cities/people. = Using an age-old practice of claiming to be "godly" to maintain rule. -Ex: many claimed to be descendants of Chinese or Muslim merchants to signal they had a lot of trade connections. Asia was dominated by Chinese influence, and the Indian Ocean web was becoming more and more Islamic.

Mamluks

-Means "owned." -Abbasid caliphate, 9th century, army controlled by a feudal nobility. --> It wasn't a good thing --this nobility had enough power to overthrow the caliph if they wanted to! = Caliph doesn't even trust his own army! -He begins to hire mercenaries (Turkish soldiers) from central Asia, who are moving west to get away from Tang China. -Turks are a warrior culture--where status depends on military combat skills. --> Islam tended to use slaves for combat, not as much for plantations like in Europe. = Slavery looks different in different places! -This period had a LOT of wars. When you defeated someone in battle, they became your slave. --> SO, many slaves know combat! -Eventually, caliph's army consists of mostly slave soldiers, these mamluks. --> These slaves are treated really well--they HAD to be, or else they wouldn't want to STAY slaves and they'd just rebel! -Some of these slaves formed a state of their own, took over Egypt and founded Mamluk Dynasty (1250-1517). --> Mamluk Dynasty: "Emperor was a slave." -Slaves has their own social class--it was just that NOW this class was on the top and choosing the next emperors. -They're still slaves in name, because only slaves are allowed in the military now, but now they're a RULING slave class! =These emperors import slaves, who train in the military to be slave soldiers. --> BUT you couldn't have a dynasty, because the children of Mamluk Dynasty slaves were free people. SO.. emperors were literally imported.

How did the Mongols influence Asia?

-Mongols' unification of much of Asia brought it into much more contact with Europe. -Silk Road becomes a "superhighway." -"Pax Mongolia"--Asia is unified and at peace, which means it's safer for merchants to go traveling around. -Indian ocean trade network--trade with Iran and Arabia--grows significantly. THIS becomes the most important "connecting strand" of the Old World Web. -Chinese cities become bustling metropolises--magnificent rich cities. -The POV of Mongolia by China, which was they they were barbarians with no manners or art of their own, leads China to believe more and more that they are CULTURALLY SUPERIOR to everyone else. -Foreign influences bring new groups, religions, and people to China = more TOLERATION... ...Which the NEXT Chinese dynasty, the Ming, will desperately try to get rid of in favor of Chinese cultural superiority and purity.

Why does the author combine the Muslim and Christian west and limit the use of the word "medieval?"

-Most Islamic lands had minority Christians, and most Christian-ruled lands had many Muslims living under them. --> Both places also hosted other religious minorities, such as the Jews. Don't forget them! -Their dominant religions may in some ways make them both distinct and different from each other, but in the context of the Old World Web, there is so much more that unites them TOGETHER as a singular entity. --> Both experienced huge agricultural revolutions during this time, which spurred rapid population growth and improved people's quality of life. -In both, political empires like the Abbasids and Charlemagne's kingdom broke apart into little fragments. -In both, conquerors, looters, and migrants, like the Turks, Mongols, and Vikings, damaged these great empires. -In both, the economy and culture flourished, bringing rise to worldwide, free-market economies, and religious conflict/persecution, especially towards each other. -Medieval is a weird term b/c we don't exactly have a concrete definition for where it begins or ends, or whether it talks about the whole world or just Europe. --> The author uses the term sparingly to refer to the whole world between 50-1400 CE.

Islam is created

-Muhammad was a merchant from Mecca, which was both a bustling multicultural trade center and a sacred place to many religions (shared a connection to Abraham--a role model for Jews and Christians, the one who led the Hebrews, remember?) = VERY SACRED AREA with ties to ancient history! -So, in the year 610, Muhammad was visited by the archangel Gabriel and given the foundational rules for Islam. ("Muslim" means "submission.") -He couldn't write, so he told other people, who wrote down what he said and made the Holy book, the Quaran. --> Was originally written in Arabic and ONLY Arabic = unifies people because as they convert to Islam, they must also learn Arabic. = Language and culture spread through a big area = Arab language and religion travel TOGETHER!! -Islam is meant to be the "sequel" to Judaism and Christianity--Muhammad is the last in a long line of prophets, like Moses, Christ, and Muhammad. =Muslims had a lot of respect for Judaism and Christianity--they had the same message as Arabs but didn't have it down EXACTLY right. -Because Muhammad was the LAST prophet, trying to rewrite the Quaran was heresy, because Muhammad had it down perfectly, exactly how it was supposed to be. = THIS causes problems later down the road. (Islamic absolutism in Saudi Arabia, Turkey...remember how bad it is today?)

Were the Crusades strictly or even primarily wars between Christians and Muslims?

-NO!! The Crusades were NOT a titanic struggle between a big unified Christianity and a big unified Islam, although they are often remembered this way. -They were a series of small-scale wars, usually raids or sieges. -Christians fought Christians and Muslims fought Muslims all the time, especially since the different BRANCHES of both these religions, as we know, didn't get along too well. --> Greek Christians and Roman Christians especially had a lot of fights, especially in Constantinople. --> Other religions were part of the conflict, too, such as Jews. Sometimes they allied with Islam or Christianity, and sometimes fought against them both. --> People from ALL OVER, such as Egypt, France, Germany, Mongolia, Spain, Turkey, Arabia, and England, joined the conflict. --> THOUGH... most Europeans were the Christians and the Africans/Asians were mostly the Muslims. = NOTICE THE DIFFERENCES between western (European) and eastern (Asian) religious cultures, and how the East was slowly becoming more intolerant, just like Europe.

Opium and Ritual: Ancient Greece through Christian Rome

-Opium seen as cursed, poisonous, but also magical and holy. -Egypt got opium from Greece (Remember Egypt?)! -Opium in Greece was produced near a temple for Demeter = opium was always connected to HER! -So.. opium is linked to fertility! -Opium in Greek religion and in the mystery cults in Rome was used to enter through a gateway into a dreamlike state where one can communicate with the afterlife. = This drug heavily influenced views/beliefs about the afterlife. -Shamans (a high class made up of priests) controlled access to the afterlife, and thus access to opium. -Believed it was a very powerful drug/medicine. --> A cure to lots of ailments, like deafness, leprosy, "woman problems" (period pain, aggression) -Greeks and Romans were aware that it could kill someone or cause someone to get addicted to it. -When Christianity took hold, both Shamans and opium were outlawed b/c they were seen as a threat to Christianity, who was intolerant of everyone else. -Christian Rome banned it, thought it was made by the Devil. And associated it with old "magic" and religions--seen as a THREAT b/c it was an opposing view to Christianity. -Disappeared from Roman/Western medicine almost entirely because of this.

Indian Ocean Trade: Indianization

-Over 2000 years ago, trade brought religion, politics, and alphabet. --> Indian culture spreads, people around Indian Ocean become Hindu/Buddhist, create centralized political states and theocracies like India's, adopt Indian alphabet (Sanskrit). -South China begins to trade overseas during Song = cultural exchange. -When there is war on land, overseas trade is relatively unaffected. It continues on.

Indian Ocean Monsoons

-Predictable patterns of wind tell you where and when you can/should sail from one place to another. = Sailors develop calendars. = People know EXACTLY where they're going to end up = low risk. =Sailors develop communities, technologies, maps...

Decline and Fall of Tang

-Pressure from the Steppe people cause Tang to move their capital to Luoyang. -Soon after...Tang defenses deteriorated, results in civil war. 907 CE: Tang defeated. 907-960: "5 Dynasties and 10 Kingdoms" period. --> A LOT of these kingdoms were ruled by outsiders, mainly Turkish people from the steppes. -Disunified until...SONG DYNASTY!

Islam and Trade

-Prophet Muhammad was a merchant; Arabs and Persians had traded together for a long time. --> Made Islam the ONLY major religion that was positive towards business, trade, and having lots of wealth. Most religions condemn wealth and think of it as greedy, praise selflessness and sacrifice. --> THIS MEANS SOMETHING!! -Hindu religion had put merchants on the bottom of their caste, Chinese religions saw merchants as parasites that had no value on society. -BUT Islam thought of trade as a VALUE--associated it with virtues like honesty, friendliness, tolerance, integrity. = Islam eventually beats Buddhism and becomes the TRADE LAW for the Indian Ocean b/c it worked for everyone. = Many Hindus convert to Islam to get out of being stuck in a lower caste and become part of a wealthy, interconnected merchant community and thus get a better life. = Islam dominates the Indian Ocean, but not through violence! -Islam was very tolerant and protective of diversity. --> Many minorities develop their own trade networks--they shared a religion, culture, language, and family ties. = VERY EASY to do trade with people faraway IF they resemble you! -Armenians, Indians, Jews, Christians, and Muslims all had their own little communities--a bunch of "scattered all over" people from diff countries who shared culture. = Diverse neighborhoods! Tolerance is a STRENGTH of trade!

What were the accomplishments of the Sui Dynasty? Why didn't it last?

-Reformed coinage and land distribution to boost economy and silk trade. -Built canals to link Northern and Southern regions. North produced rice and south had soldiers guarding against pastoral raiders. --> Soldiers need to eat so it MAKES SENSE to link them to farm fields! -2nd ruler of this dynasty, Emperor Yangdi, had dreams of grandeur just like Alex the Great or Shi Huangdi. -Decided to invade Korea and expand on his father's (1st emp) canals. --> THE GRAND CANAL = one of the most important public works projects EVER!! --> Allowed emperor to move food and soldiers quickly and easily = BIG military boost! ("Like a Nile made by human hands!") --> Quick-moving soldiers stamp out rebellions easily. --> Can grow more rice, support a bigger army and general population. = THIS UNFIES CHINA AGAIN!! CYCLE OF UNITY!! --> Merchants have a safe route to travel on. --> Rice transport makes it easy to support a bigger population. --> Emperors need to take extra-control to keep the canals running = strong emperors! -ALSO, Yangdi rebuilt the Great Wall of China, which had crumbled. ...BUT, people were SO angry @ how much money and lives (people died) were spent by Yangdi on public works projects that eventually his generals MURDERED him! = Emperors NEED to find a balance! Yangdi tried to do WAY too much stuff at once, way too quickly!

Key Takeaways of Tang and Song Foreign Influence

-Remember that TANG had a lot more direct influence and friendship with Asia, and Asia liked and encouraged this more. -While SONG dynasty, due to the political fragmentation that ended Tang, turned much of its focus overseas where the other nations were much less hostile. This left much of Asia to become more independent and develop much more of their own unique, separate cultures. -BUT their cultures still contained some influence from China--they always did and always will!

Christian Rome: From Papyrus to Parchment

-Remember! Rome had taken over Egypt AND its papyrus trade, resulting in Rome having a very literate society that produced a lot of books. --> Many of these books were later burned by Christian zealots. -When Rome shrunk, these trade routes disappeared/dissolved and Rome lost its connection to Egypt. --> Papyrus became really RARE in Rome! = Had to switch to parchment--paper made from animal products. -Could be folded and cut = led to the shape of the modern book. -Unfortunately, you have to write slowly and carefully on parchment, not nearly as fast as papyrus. = Less books made = very little access to books/literacy @ this time in Europe. -Books became a LUXURY!! Books took a year to make and cost nearly as much as a HOUSE!!! -We go from a literate society with ideas being shared all over the place to a society where much ancient knowledge was ignored and destroyed. -AND they weren't creating more knowledge = a period of illiteracy/IGNORANCE!! = The true cost of Christian Rome!!

Janissaries = "New Troops"

-Remember--in Ottoman Empire, each religion had its own little community/gov (millet system)., -In Ottoman emp, it was illegal to enslave Muslims. -BUT most of their population WAS Muslim! -SO... the gov officials went around the empire and beyond, taking young Christian boys away from their families. They converted the boys to Islam, educated them, and trained them to be soldiers. --> Were elite soldiers, trained really well. -Janissaries could NOT be emperor, but could rise to have ANY other high position other than emperor! -Once again, SLAVE SOLDIERS HAVE SERIOUS POWER--way more than other slaves in other places. --> Many peasants WANT their kids to get abducted and become Janissaries b/c the Ottomans will treat their kids well and give them an actual opportunity to become rich. = Christian moms BRIBE the Ottomans into taking their sons! -Better to be a slave soldier than a free peasant?? -These slaves had an impact on CHOOSING the rulers = had lots of political power, too. -Turkish societies were militaristic ones, so it MAKES SENSE that soldiers would have lots of power, even if they are technically slaves.

Battle of Manzikert

-Seljuks defeat Byzantium and push it out of Asia (BUY is still in Europe!) = Opens Asia minor up to Turkish settlement. --> Then, Turks take over gradually, letting their horses and people run wild, until the conquered subjects gradually adopt Turkish culture and Islam. -Constantinople remains capital of an ever-shrinking Byzantium. -Turks take over Anatolia, Egypt, start to differentiate into different cultures.

The Fatimids

-Shi'a (minority) Muslims who were allowed to basically do and go wherever. -Were isolated from most of the Muslim world, settled far away from the centers of Muslim Powers. --> Ex: they settled in Yemen, Egypt, Arabia, Persia...all popular places to trade in the sea! -Through this, they created networks that strengthened this niche community. --> They end up conquering Egypt, controlling some Mediterranean Islands... -GREAT example of how minority communities profit through trade empires. There aren't a lot of them, but they can scatter around the world while staying unified in culture and gain much more influence than if they had just stayed in one country.

Tang and the World--Regional Cultures

-Since one of Tang's founders was Turkish, Turkey had an influence on Tang China. -Tang spread all the way into central Asia and interacted a lot with their neighbors, spreading tea, silk, and religion. -A Tang princess married a Tibetan prince to make and alliance. She brought silk eggs, Buddha statues, and tea with her to Tibet. -She is said to have spread the conversion of Buddhism to Tibet along with introductions of silk and tea there. -Buddhism started in India, then went to China. Spreads out of China along with tea, goes to Tibet, Korea, Japan, Vietnam... -Places adopted Chinese religion and tea, but re-shaped it a little to make it their own. Japanese tea rituals were especially unique and significant. -"Every place tea goes, it changes, because that's what cultures do!" ex: Tibet has lots of yaks/dairy products, so they make yak butter tea. ex: Mongolia has yaks, goats, and horses (like, a TON of horses!), so they made milk tea with salt in it. = "Regional tea cultures!"

Europe: Serfdom and Slavery

-Slavery weakened by fall of Rome and political fragmentation of Europe. --> BUT Roman law regarding how slaves were treated remained. = Later English kingdoms took it up and began feudalism. --> Feudal deal = feudal lord would protect serfs (peasants), but the serfs owed him a certain amount of labor. -Once feudalism becomes actual LAW, serfs literally CAN'T LEAVE or renegotiate their contracts.

Islam And South India

-South India was WAY more connected to/dependent on overseas trade that on ANY of their inland neighbors. -Pirates = ONLY violence here = trade empires become powerful by GETTING RID of pirates and making the ocean safe. --> Merchants decide which ports to go to based on which places are safest and friendliest/tolerantest. Malabar and Coromandel Coasts: -Made up of independent city-states that all shared a common culture. -Muslim rule. -Strong navy kept seas safe from piracy, made sure everyone was treated fairly. -Population = COSMOPOLITAN MIX of religions/ethnicities. -Ruler was Hindu, but many gov officials were Muslim! --> THIS place did NOT have the religious conflict struggles of North India. Here, people were super chill and tolerant. -Interracial/Interreligious families (Hindu mothers, fathers merchants of all-over races and countries).

Islam "Convivencia"

-Spanish term--"living together." -Muslim conversion seldom forced, "people of the Book" tolerated. -More taxes on non-Muslims, so if you had lots of those, business was boomin'! The empire wanted them! -They trade and preserve knowledge--keep Greek science and ideas alive while Byzantine Christians were destroying them. -Baghdad becomes BIG center of trade, culture, and knowledge. -In the Middle Ages, this was the only place where diff religions lived happily together, openly debated (even about religion!) and shared knowledge. They survived the Dark and Middle Ages pretty well! (SO NOT TRUE in Byzantium, remember?) -LOTS of libraries, palaces, mosques....lots of books preserved and translated.

Christianity: Why was it successful in Rome?

-Started as a "mystery cult" with a special connection to a single, kind God. -Resurrection, or paradise after death appealed to peasants who wanted salvation after death b/c their actual lives sucked. -Preached openly to the public while most mystery cults made you work hard in secret to learn their secret passwords and rituals = Christianity was less work! -A universal god spoke to everyone. -*Right place @ right time!* --> Rome was a free-for-all for religion--you could practice and preach whatever you wanted as long as you did your legal ritual duties and didn't disturb the peace. --> Good gov-regulated postal system--religion could spread fast and far easily. -Most persecution of Christianity was by the general common public, not by the state/gov. -As Christianity spread, many people decided NOT to do their legal ritual duties (as Christians became more intolerant of anything that was different from them, they viewed these as sins!). --> NOW they were causing trouble and disturbing the peace (committing treason/heresy)!!! -When Christianity became popular, it got harder for gov to suppress them/force them to do what they're told. Christianity was now a THREAT to the gov! -BUT b/c it was so popular, it could be used for good. The state could use it to UNIFY the dwindling empire! -Constantine converts himself and empire to Christianity, unifies empire w/it, moves capital to Constantinople. = Stops Eastern Roman Empire from falling!! -Constantine chose the bishop (religious leader) of Constantinople = started a precedent of political leaders choosing/naming religious leaders. --> = Cooperation/unification of church and state. -Creates issues for those who did not believe in Christianity. Other beliefs were soon being OUTLAWED!

Early Roman Religion

-Started off as a very social religion--family and community-oriented worship. -When Rome started having emperors, religion was governed by the state--you had to do your yearly religious rituals regardless of whether or not you believed in it. -Not doing these rituals was treason against Rome = church and state were joined. -Foreign gods added to Roman pantheon as empire expanded into new areas. When they died, Roman emperors were added to the god pantheon. -Religious pluralism = Rome had many religions. As long as you carried out your legal ritual duties, empire didn't care what you believed. -Hellenistic = Rome adored Greek science and philosophy. -Rome nobles practiced stoicism--seeing only what's there, not gods/spiritual stuff. -BUT peasants tended to want more. They NEEDED to believe in something more to feel like they had a life's purpose. -Mystery religions ("cults") dealt with/explained the mysteries of the universe. Often had secret passwords/rituals. --> These appealed to people who seemed lost/confused by religion--was a way to "solve" these problems. --> A lot of emphasis on the afterlife and on rebirth/reincarnation = gave the peasants a purpose in life. -Many holidays revolved around fertility/the harvest/winter.

China and Trade--The Tribute System

-Started with the ancient idea that the Chinese were the Middle Kingdom--they saw themselves as the best and most important country. --> BUT because they saw themselves as being in the center of everything (MIDDLE kingdom!), they thought they were invaded to an insane degree, way more than anyone else (which wasn't exactly wrong). = China's motivations: they wanted to stay the biggest economic power BUT also protect themselves. -Confucian beliefs--the nation was a FAMILY with the emperor as the great head father whom people should respect and pay tribute to--also contributed. -Newcomer merchants would meet w/Chinese king's advisors and give them stuff, but these were seen as necessary and respectful TRIBUTE to someone more powerful than them, not mere gifts. --> Though oftentimes the gifts Chinese advisors gave in return were worth more than the actual tribute. -The Chinese believed the way the system worked was: the merchants gave the emperor required tribute, and the emperor gave them nicer gifts just to show off his wealth and generosity. -BUT the Mongols believed that the Chinese were actually paying THEM tribute b/c the emperor gave them wealthier stuff than they themselves gave him. BUT China just view this as a display of their own superior power and a desire to make peace with Mongols--NOT as a display of submission to them. = These were "bribes to not invade." -A slight subversion of the gift exchange systems of other nations.

Guangzhou, China: Trader communities

-Yuan Dynasty = foreign rule in China by the Mongols. -Mongols hire Muslim/other outsider as gov officials, making China hate them. = Religious/cultural conflict. -Ming Dynasty comes to power and tightens control--makes it so that all merchant communities are headed by Chinese once again.

How did Africa, India, China, and the Empires of the Mid-East (Rome, Persia, Islamic States) fit into the trade networks of the Indian Ocean and connected bodies of water?

-TRADE heavily defined the Indian Ocean world. -Mostly traded LUXURY GOODS--silk, porcelain, ivory, gold, gems, spices, slaves. = Important to the identity and formation of elite classes! -BUT short-distance trade (between close neighbors, NOT sailing way across the sea) also contained CABOTAGE--everyday items like salt, rice, mangrove poles, cotton, and pottery were traded locally by merchants and even ordinary people = the rich weren't the only ones who benefitted from this web! -Indian Ocean was very much a cosmopolitan space shared by many peoples. --> Cultural diffusion! For example, Arabic, Persian, and African Bantu tongues all combine to create the language Swahili. Simplified/blended languages sprang up all over the place! -Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, AND Buddhism all mingle and spread across this web. -Prosperity of Roman Egypt had 1st set off a flurry or trade between India and Mediterranean. Traded silver, wine, and slaves for India's paper and pearls. -Only India and China contributed manufactured goods (porcelain, glassware, iron, etc), while other places most contributed raw materials. -SPICES from India and Asia added flavor to European, Egyptian, Arabic, and African cuisines = adopted other cultures' foods as theirs! -Usually used currency rather than bartering. -Countries' cultures/histories, especially still-developing ones like Africa's, were heavily influenced by the globalized exchange of goods/culture/religion.

How is the Song Dynasty remembered by Chinese history and what were its accomplishments?

-Tang Dynasty ends in a civil war, warlords duke it out until one military force conquers all its rivals: the Song Dynasty! -They ruled over a much smaller territory than Han or Tang China--they were unable to unite ALL of China. They had quite a few unruly neighbors (remnants of other warlord-kingdoms) that caused problems/conflicts. -Had a reliable, skilled bureaucracy based on Confucian beliefs. -Civil Service Examinations very hard and rigid--only the BEST of the best were eligible to work in gov. -Foot binding 1st became widespread during Song. Women with bound feet were immobile--little more than status items/symbols for men. -BUT women could own property, study history and literature. Many became famous writers. -Had a HUGE military with 1st military industrial "factories" where iron was mined and smelted. -Extensive rice farming and irrigation result in population boom. -Foreign trade even huger than under Tang. Song turns to overseas trade when neighbors on land get hostile. = Many foreign languages such as Arabic and Persian spoken in China for 1st time in a LONG while. -Ship technology improves A LOT (big ships and navigation tech!)!! And silk exported. -Song lacked the super-strong influential power over Asia that Tang had, but made up for it with new overseas links! -1st banks, paper money (no more metal coins b/c all the metal goes into making them weapons). -Invented the compass, astronomical clocks, ship rudders, and the PRINTING PRESS!!

How did Muslim rulers treat other monotheistic communities? Part 2, Abbasid Dynasty

-The ABBASIDS, rebels from Iran, overthrew the Umayyads and started their own caliphate! -Followed Iranian/Persian traditions: profited from Silk Road, supported scribes/artists, and translated old Greek and Latin science and poetry. -Baghdad becomes best center of learning in the world while Europe's in the Dark Ages = preserved a lot of Greek books and knowledge the Byzantine Christians would've burned. -Byzantium and Arabia both became champions of a different religion. Together, they had most of the good luxury cities, wealth, power, and knowledge. No one else could really compete with either of them (they'd used religion to unite their states and get powerful!). -BUT Arabia had much more of the knowledge part right now because it had more RELIGIOUS TOLERATION and admiration for Greece and its past/traditions. -The Arabs, unlike the Byzantines, did not hate or destroy anything that was different from them.

Aztec Empire--Relationship w/those they ruled

-The Aztecs destroyed their conquered enemies' history (a common Mesoamerican practice) when they came to power, but oddly, they also destroyed records of THEIR OWN HISTORY!! -King invented a NEW history for the Aztec--one that linked them with lords and gods and claimed they were the ones to keep the world in balance/order by looking after the sun god. --> In order to keep the world in harmony, the sun god demanded constant human sacrifices, usually prisoners of war. = The Aztecs NEEDED to conquer people to keep the world from anarchy!! = Religion MADE the Aztecs militaristic! = Aztecs were at constant war and needed a huge population, lots of wealth, and a good military to stay afloat. --> A lot of neighbors are conquered and sacrificed. -Warriors move up the social hierarchy quickly, gain respect and fame. --> "Warrior aristocracy." -Strong fighters hold the power = rule by "monopolizing violence."

What did it mean to its residents when "the Crusaders redeemed Jerusalem for their faith in 1099?"

-The Crusades were when Christian knights launched waves of invasions on Muslim lands to try to "take them back" and convert them back to Christian. --> Originated when the Muslim Seljuk Turks threatened Christian Byzantium--motivated Christians to try to take Jerusalem, the "Holy Land," away from THEM! -Pope promised that any Christian who died during the Crusades would go straight to Heaven = religious incentive! --> When the Christians "redeemed" Jerusalem, what we really mean is that they SACKED it, massacring thousands of Muslim, Jewish, and other non-Christian inhabitants. = A huge SLAUGHTER of pagans, stemming from centuries of religious hostility and intoleration by BOTH Christians and Muslims! = A BIG MOMENT!

How were the Roman and Byzantine Empires alike/different?

-The Eastern Empire survived these batterings, mostly due to the thick walls protecting their capital city, Constantinople. (Located near the Black Sea = VERY strategic location!) --> This became the Byzantine Empire, though its inhabitants called themselves Romans 'till the very end. -Empire considered themselves the champions of Christianity and heirs of the Roman Empire. -One emperor, Justinian. launched a series of conquests and managed to successfully take back much of the land that had once belonged to the old Roman Empire. -BUT then lost much of this land/economy again when he spent a lot of money building a fancy bigass church, the Hagia Sofia. =NOT nearly as successful in conquest as old Rome, relied heavily on the protection/fortification of capital Constantinople, where much of the rich stuff was kept. -Always "teetered on the brink of collapse." Emperors were overthrown/usurped a lot and couldn't hold onto territories. -There were times when Byzantium only controlled a few snippets of land. Tended to gain land, then lose it, then gain some, then lose some.. -Land fluctuated between bigs and smalls, unlike the Romans, who started out getting bigger and bigger then smaller and smaller until nothing.

Indian Ocean Monsoon Area

-The Indian Ocean is split in half by India! -WESTERN HALF: Africa, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, India (Malabar coast). -EASTER HALF: India (Coromandel Coast), Bengal, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia. -Oftentimes, WATER connected people MORE than LAND! (ex: Greece and Rome were held together by Mediterranean Sea. Greece had little connection to inland neighbors like France and Germany) -The Indian Ocean and South China Sea linked cultures together! --> There is often a myth that Africa was isolated and primitive. This was NOT the case. Africa had a distinct culture and interacted with a ton of people!

How did political rule impact religious diversity and tolerance in India before Islamic conquests to the region and after?

-The Mauryan Dynasty, as you know, had tons of religious diversity, as Vedic beliefs emerged and shaped into Hinduism. -Disdain for Hinduism resulted in Buddhism and Jainism, which spread quickly thanks to Hinduism's growing unpopularity. -Rulers didn't oppress religions or claim that only one was correct. They supported all versions of faith. -Hinduism has NO church/orthodox to control what people believe (like the Byzantines did!) So variations in religion popped up all the time! -"Variety, cross-fertilization, and change prevailed in Indian religion." -AFTER the Muslim state took over, Buddhism had grown unpopular, but NOT because of Muslim oppression. --> The new Muslim rulers, aside from the occasional burned temple or massacre, were uninvolved in their subjects' religions. -Hinduism remained the most common religion despite all the hate, and despite the rulers being Muslim. -"People of the Book" was extended to Hindus, Muslims, and Jains, so Muslims usually respected them. -Financial incentive--non-Muslims were taxed higher than Muslims, so religious diversity quite literally paid off. -Overall, continued the MUSLIM RULING TRADITION OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND TOLERATION!!!

Song Falls

-The Mongols conquered the pastoralist states around Song China, then Song China itself! -Genghis Khan creates a MASSIVE EMPIRE using great mobility (horses), advanced weapons, terror, exaggerated violence. -Used merchants as spies to tell them which cities and rulers were weak/strong. -Once they conquered stuff, they moved gov officials around (ex: a Persian official put in China or a Chinese official in Iran knows what they're doing/how to govern, BUT not that much, so they're dependent on the Mongols for overarching rule and can't really rebel.) = Kept empire together, but ALSO ensured no one else was powerful enough to dominate and then revolt. -Sacked Baghdad and ended the Abbasid caliphate. -Genghis's successor grandson Kublai Khan split up the empire into several pieces called Khanates to preserve the empire and keep it together (= BIG empires don't stay together long!) -One of these Khanates was China, ruled by Kublai Khan. -1st firearms/gunpowder tech created, moves west through Mongol influence. -Kublai Khan claimed the Mandate of Heaven, claimed he was the next true Chinese emperor. --> BUT Mongols didn't really mingle much with the Chinese. They were a separate ruling class while Chinese were subordinates who were not allowed in gov positions.

What new Persian Dynasty arose in the 3rd century CE? How do you see continuity and change compared to earlier Persian Dynasties?

-The Sassanid Dynasty! -Expanded on Mesopotamian irrigation and farming, started growing alfalfa (a foreign crop from Iran) to feed their cows/horse. Animals eat better = humans eat better, too! Population growth! -Increased population/urbanization + long distance trade/interactions with diverse people of other nations = bigger, deadlier disease epidemics! Many spread by vermin who lived in cities, like RATS! -"The human race is wasted by the desolation of pestilence!!" -"Climate shocks" = dark skies, dust, and lack of rainfalls caused crops to die out. Some places became freezing cold. Caused by a series of volcanic eruptions. -*DISEASE AND CLIMATE SHOCKS* during this time period hit cities/empires especially bad = gives nomadic tribes an advantage. This probably assisted in the eventual fall of Roman Empire, Byzantium, and Sassanids! -Sassanids took Persia from Parthians, establishing their own Dynasty. -Unlike their predecessors, they were explicitly ANTI-GREEK--opposed Hellenization! -Like their predecessors, encouraged long distance trade. Traded w/ Africa, India, China.... -Had to fight off invaders from Rome and China = had a VERY strong military (spend a lot of their budget on it) and fought many wars, always managing to hold onto their richest cities. -Like their predecessors, often won wars/battles against nomadic tribes (invading Asian pastoralists) through trickery, pitting one enemy against another. -BUT only lasted about 400 years before taken over by Arabs with a new faith: ISLAM!

The Umayyads and Abbasids

-The Sunnis (hated Ali) took control, moved the capital to Damascus. -Lasted about a century. 650-750. -A lot of Non-Arab Muslims thought the empire was "too Arab" and they felt left out. -SO... when the Abbasids take control, they switch from being so Arab to being much more universal/cosmopolitan. = Adopt Persian views, Greek philosophy/science. -Move capital to Baghdad, a center of knowledge that was connected to more trade ports/waterways. It was closer to diff trade connections--like the Silk Road! -Much closer to Asia's expanding trade route--THIS was where all the money and stuff were! -Islam spreads across Mediterranean to North Africa and to islands. -Mainly spread to COASTAL areas--easy to access from Arabia. -It was easy to take over--the Muslims had practically been INVITED into these areas, which had been ravaged by religious prosecution, political disunity, civil wars, bad kings... -If these people helped the Muslims overthrow the kings, they'd get religious freedom! -Religious minorities, mingling of races, urbanization, and improved agriculture (such as the introduction of SUGAR!) into these Mediterranean areas. -The Arab Empire PROSPERS!

How did slavery in the early Muslim world differ from the slave systems we have already discussed?

-The caliphates drew their slave labor from afar, because by law Muslims could not enslave other Muslims, OR people of most other religions in their empire. -Due to intense warfare and bouts of plague, slave labor was in VERY high demand in cities. Plantation workers in rural areas were also very much needed because big population equals big demand for food. -The Islamic Empire used slavery and slave trades at a MUCH larger scale than the Byzantines or Sassanids had. -Pagans from Russia, Central Asia, and Africa were the closest, and often prime, targets for Arab slavery. -Islamic states PIONEERED THE USE OF SLAVE SOLIDERS, called mamluks. --> Captured as young boys, these slave soldiers underwent grueling training. If they were loyal to the caliph, they'd get better rewards and treatment than non-soldier slaves. -"A steady supply of male slaves became important to the security of many Islamic rulers." Because every ruler needs loyal fighters to help them guard their throne. But THIS was the 1st instance of using SLAVES in particular as these "bodyguards." = Results in political unity, which expands commerce and trade routes farther out, to places as faraway as Spain. The slave trade also strengthened Arabia's bonds with its closest neighbors, Asia and Africa, whom it got the slaves from. -This growing commerce network resulted in an increasing gap in social inequality (rich become richer, poor become poorer). --> BUT Arabia had little wealth (because barren desert), so few could make a fortune in the empire. -SO...Arabs get wealthy by traveling far away to trade--OTHER places had all the stuff, after all! -Many Arabs felt "left behind" because they couldn't travel far to trade and thus couldn't even get rich in their own empire. Some rumors spread that the caliphs aren't fit to rule, threatening the caliphs' security....

China and Paper

-While in Europe, parchment was so expensive that even a single page cost a fortune, Chinese paper, which no one else @ the time knew how to make, was cheap and easy to produce. =Paper is a huge, flourishing industry in China. = Calligraphy, drawing, and poetry are fine and prided arts in China during Tang and Song. -Paper is SO easy to make that even way back then, one could buy blank notebooks = even common people had a place to write down their thoughts, while in Europe, so many great thoughts probably went unrecorded. -When paper is fully introduced to the Islamic world after the battle of Talas River (was introduced before this point, but really got popular AFTER Talas), the Muslims adopted it, but made it glossier to allow for even smoother, prettier calligraphy. = Results in an ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE!! Huge advancements in math, numbers, science that we still use today. --> Kept science alive when the Holy Romans were burning books. Kept the great Greek scientists from being lost forever. =If paper is cheap and easy, literacy and transfer of knowledge flourish and grow!!

How and why did "ethnic and religious trade networks" spread through the early Islamic caliphates?

-The new Islamic caliphates were a "fertile ground" for ethnic/religious trade networks to take route. -Minorities were VERY tight-knit communities who loved to trade and interact with people of the same race/religion from other cities. -In other words, people usually only traded with people who were the same religion. They tended to be interested in similar things/goods (ex: Christians were into alcohol, but NOT Muslims because the Quaran bans them from drinking that). -Jews, Armenians, and Christians all had these little mini trade networks within this big Muslim empire. This wouldn't have been possible without RELIGIOUS TOLERATION!! -Muslims LOVED when wealthy Jews and Christians settled into their empire b/c NON-MUSLIMS WERE TAXED HIGHER THAN MUSLIMS, remember? -The Islamic Empire was SO PROSPEROUS (as a result of this inter-city trade system) that it opened up new trade networks with Africa and Asia, whom they imported gold, metal, and slaves from. They also traded w/people along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. -You could say religious diversity/toleration was in many ways a STRENGTH of the Muslim Empire. It preserved wealth and knowledge, and opened up new trade relations!

What were the immediate and longterm effects of the Mongol conquests?

-Their political conquests united broad regions of Eurasia. --> People could move and travel long distances without having to worry about getting attacked by local bandits/tribes/rulers. -"Paradoxically, the brutal conquests of much of Eurasia by the Mongols created these peaceful and prosperous conditions." -"Old world web" is humming with more activity than ever before! East Asia becomes so much wealthier and more interconnected. = More than anything else, TRADE linked the regions of East Asia. -When large states/empires keep the peace, risks are smaller, so trade grows = commerce ENCOURAGED in Asia! -During this period, China carried most of the weight in Asian affairs. China was WAY stronger and more unified than anyone else...UNTIL the Mongols took over for awhile. -China continues to have economic, political, and cultural influence on all of China because of its remarkable unification.

How is the Tang Dynasty remembered by Chinese history? What were its major accomplishments?

-They guy who assassinated Yangdi started the new Tang Dynasty. --> This dynasty became the most powerful state in the world. Later, China would regard it as the IDEAL SOCIETY!! -Tang, unlike most other dynasties, inherited China when it was super rich and prosperous. They used this wealth to conquer new states and expand their borders. -Reformed gov. Officials weren't allowed to serve their home districts (reducing corruption). Established a postal system and legal code rooted in Confucian principles. (Makes sense Confucianism would start to come back. People are at peace again--less need for Daoism now.) -CIVIL SERVICE EXAMS used to choose gov officials. Established schools to teach Confucian beliefs. --> Society based on learning and meritocracy rather than on family name or brute strength. -Wu Zhao--a female ruler of China who was once the most powerful person in the world = a super-strong, admirable female leader! -Tang continued to be a very nice and stable era for China. -Confucianism, Buddhism, AND Daoism celebrated. Buddhism opens up a lot of trading opportunities w/Asia, because Buddhist monasteries were centers of cultural and commercial exchange. -Tang poetry celebrated nature--EVERY literate person aspired to be a poet, even royals! -Cosmopolitan empire--indulged in luxury goods, tolerated foreign immigrants and religions. -Women's status improved. They were involved in politics and public life. --> Due to Tang rulers' descent from Northern China, where women had more freedom and gender roles were more relaxed. -Tang China dominates foreign affairs--bribes, controls, or intimidates basically everyone else in China. China is unstoppable and undefeatable. -Chinese language, culture, art, goods continue to influence and inspire Asia. = "Sinosphere" = China-centric sphere. -Ultimately, a really good and prosperous place to live.

Multicultural, cosmopolitan Indian Ports

-Trade = decentralized, independent. = "Independent emporia"--marketplace empires with a whole lot of stuff. -Trading empire rather than land empire. -Rulers of land empires tried to be friendly/get along with trade empires in order to get access to the goods. -Locations of emporia? @ "Choke points!" --places EVERYONE relied on/crossed through! -Emporia negated the need to travel inland from one end of a continent from the other--sea travel was WAY better and faster. --> Overseas empires relied on and were more culturally connected to other emporia than on inland empires, which they didn't even really need. -Multireligious, multicultural empires--something the religiously intolerant EUROPEANS weren't used to! Comparing these different regions reveals A LOT about both societies at this time!!

How did Muslim rulers treat other monotheistic communities? Part 1, Umayyad Dynasty

-Umayyad Dynasty followed in Rome's footsteps by forming NO official state church and left the appointment of religious leaders to the commonfolk. (UNLIKE in Byzantium, where church and state were tightly linked and the emperor picked the bishop). -Allowed Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians (all also monotheistic) to run their own religions/do their own thing as long as they didn't challenge the caliphs or try to overthrow Islam. -Non-Muslims were taxed heavier than Muslims = incentive to convert/be Muslim. -Christianity and Judaism survived in Arabia, fared WAY better than religious minorities under Christian zealousy/paganism. -The Umayyads ruled people who had lots of religious/ethnic diversity (Empire alert!). ...HOW?? Built architecture/monuments to show power of the state. --> And used conquered people as "advisors" who taught leaders how to sustain irrigation, finance, and agriculture in these different conquered areas. --> "Relied on the wisdom of the conquered people."

Incan Empire--Creation

-Unknown exactly where they came from, created a settlement at Cuzco, which started off as a VERY small village. -Strong emperors come to power, take control of a LOT of land very quickly ("lightning conquest") through conquest, intimidation, and diplomacy. --> Often convinced elites/small rulers to join their empire by offering them wealth/positions of power in it. -Difficult to conquer land b/c of mountainous terrain. -Huge expansion = LOTS of bribes of wealth to get other people to join their empire.

Indian Ocean Trade and Gifts

-When someone (ANYONE!) showed up to a port, they were welcomed, given food/water/shelter/clothes. --> It DIDN'T MATTER where you were from, what religion/culture you were, or what you brought, you were WELCOMED AND ACCEPTED regardless! -Newcomers would meet with the Muslim king and/or his advisors (called factors) and they would exchange gifts. --> This was very much a ritual of sorts! --> Traders would give gifts to rulers to demonstrate goodwill and thanks (for taking care of us, letting us stay here), and to show off their goods and stuff. --> Terrible gifts made you look disrespectful and also poor. --> If a trade empire saw a PLACE as poor, they wouldn't conquer it, persay, the way a land empire would. Rather, they just wouldn't interact or be bothered with that place; it wasn't worth their time. -Newcomers got a place to live (called a warehouse or factory) and a spot in the market to sell their goods. -Many people stayed in this "Trade Utopia" for a long time or forever, creating multicultural communities and even families. = THESE are called "commercial colonies!" -People here were good translators and tour guides--taught newcomers how to get around, socialize, AND stay safe. --> Knew the value/quality of all goods AND the customs of each culture = community based on TRADE AND DIVERSITY!!

Two Empires, Two Churches

330 CE: Capital of Roman Empire moved to Constantinople--no longer Rome! --> Would continue to be the capital of the Byzantine Empire until 1453, when Byzantium falls. -After the Roman Empire officially split in two, usually there'd be two emperors, who each ruled one half of the empire. --> "A Latin-Speaking East ("The language of intellectuals"), and a Greek-Speaking West." -West fell, East continued. -The Church SPLIT when the empire did. -In the EAST (Byzantium), emperors were in charge of BOTH the state and church (emperor was the Pope). However, most "laws" and rules of the Church were decided by a group of equal-power patriarchs from all the Byzantine cities, called Bishops. = The emperor was in charge, but local churches still had lots of independence. -In the WEST, the Bishop of the city of Rome (this was NOT the emperor) was the leader of the church, and claimed to rule over ALL Christians. -This formal schism was a gradual process, complete by 1054. = Produces different orthodoxies--national churches. -1204--Crusaders sacked and attacked Constantinople and its Christians = the Crusades!

Christianity & the Roman Empire--Roman Chronology

509 BCE--Roman Republic 31 BCE--Roman Empire 476 CE--Fall of Rome/Western Empire (Rome is no longer imperial capital) 1453--Fall of Byzantium (Eastern "Roman" Empire, imperial capital @ Constantinople)

Christian Rome: The Price of Intolerance

= "The Dark Ages!!" --> Happened b/c of what was LOST when Rome became intolerant Christian. -Egypt's Temple of Serapis in Alexandria was seen as the most beautiful temple in the world. -In 392 CE, Christian zealots attacked and destroyed it. --> It had contained the last tens of thousands of books from the Library of Alexandria, which had been accidentally burned earlier. --> The significance of the Temple in contrast being burned ON PURPOSE!!! -Christian zealots destroyed A LOT of beautiful temples/accomplishments made by previous religions. --> NOT the fault of Christianity, but IS the fault of zealousy/intolerance, which did the REAL damage! --> Religious intolerance is still a big problem today. --> "Get rid of anything that isn't exactly us." -Classical knowledge texts/works were destroyed and not preserved b/c they were different = "encouraged ignorance." -99% of ancient Latin literature was lost due to society changing so that it was no longer valued. Due to this ZEALOUSY!! ...Knowledge, medicine, architecture vandalized and destroyed = THIS is why it's called the Dark Ages!!!!

Yuan China

= Period of time/Dynasty where Mongols rule. -Song culture--art, writing, architecture, exports--continued and prospered. -Rebuilt cities and Grand Canal, which had been destroyed in the wars. -Paper money and postal system! -Highest taxes on tea EVER--to get people to trade with each other! -This is where and when tea pets originate. You pour the 1st cup of tea from a brewing on a little animal figure for good luck. -Trade was stabilized b/c big empires mean no borders to cross, no enemies to meet = merchants can travel safely and far. -"Pax Mongolia" = law and order in Eurasia! -HUGE flow of goods, tech, culture, religion, art... ...BUT also DISEASES (Black Death)!!

Major Persecution of Non-Christians in Christian Rome

= The "Dark Ages." -After Rome became Christian, there's major persecution of non-Christians. -Result of imperial politics + intolerant nature of monotheism. -OLD Rome didn't mind what you believed as long as you did your religious duties. -NEW Rome: religion was "all or nothing." You believed what the state did, or you were evil. -Anything else was heresy. -PAGAN means "outsider." This word was assigned by Christian Rome to non-Christians. -What this did was make all non-Christian religions into one word--one category which was all the people who worshipped/were in cahoots with the Devil. --> To be a pagan was to be "not one of us" = not worthy of being a citizen. = RELIGION WAS TIED TO CITIZENSHIP!! = NATIONALITY IS ASSOCIATED WITH RELIGION!! -To be non-Christian was to be different and politically dangerous.

Slavery: Islam vs Christianity

ISLAM: -Hundreds of thousands of slaves imported into Muslim empire. Imported about twice as many woman slaves as man slaves. -Most of these women worked in domestic slavery--housework, textile work, childcare. -As you know, the male slaves became soldiers. They were fiercely loyal to the emperor and protected him because being in the military gave them better lives/rights than other slaves. CHRISTIANITY: -Christians in Byzantium didn't import nearly as many slaves. Most of the ones they did import were Slavic women (the word "slave" comes from "Slav!") -Due to the nature of religious texts, slaves were given little sympathy/empathy. -Male slaves HATED being soldiers/farm workers. Weren't nearly as happy as Muslim male slaves.

Song Developments

NORTHERN SONG: -Tea/horse trade! -Silk, tea, iron, porcelain. -Overland trade, influenced Asia greatly. -Northern invaders start to form states, become threats. SOUTHERN SONG: -Northern invaders continue to "push" Song into smaller and more southern territories. -Huge ships (called junks). -Compasses, advanced rudders, clocks. -Weapons. -Cut off from Asia as pastoralists become more organized/aggressive, so turned to overseas trade. -Commerce increased in Indian Ocean due to Song's massive exports!