Global Tapestry (600-1200's)
How did the spread of disease impact Afro-Eurasia during this time period?
Already for centuries, smallpox, measles, and bubonic plague had moved back and forth throughout Eurasia, and they continued to do so. The deadliest epidemic to strike Eurasia in the premodern era was the so-called Black Death Of the early 1300s. From China, this particularly virulent Outbreak of bubonic plague migrated first to the Middle East and then by the 1340s to Europe via Mediterranean trade between each region it visited lost on average a third population, resulting in many millions of deaths and making the Black Death one of the worst medical disasters in world history. Tropical diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and sleeping sickness affected Africa.
How did the Trans-Saharan Trade flourish during this time period?
Animals capable of carrying large loads over long distances through such arid conditions were rare, and knew where to find oases, or sources of water: camels were domesticated. Arab and Berber traders played an indispensable role in this—not just economically but also religiously, by helping to spread Islam throughout the region. Gold; states like Mali supplied in sizable quantities and which many Africans, ironically, found less useful than the copper and iron they received in return. The expansion of the Arab slave trade - Arab merchants had transported African slaves across the Sahara since the 600s but greatly increased the volume of trade by the eleventh century. A major hub for trans-Saharan commerce was Timbuktu, in Mali, a famed center for Islamic scholarship as well as a key site in the salt and gold trades. Ports on Africa's Mediterranean coast and in Egypt were also important.
Describe one negative biological impact of the Mongols on Afro-Eurasia.
As a method of war and expansion, Genghis Khan rapidly reproduced in Afro-Eurasia to continue his legacy. Many researchers today will argue that he is related to at least 0.5 percent of the population today. In his time it was known that he was related to 8 percent of his population then. His goal was to be the leader of the greatest and largest empire ever. In addition, the revival of the Silk Road contributed to the spread of the Bubonic Plague. Since more people could travel on these reconstructed routes, there was more opportunity for disease to spread which occured. Starting in China, this disease reached the Middle East and hit really hard in Europe.
What types of restrictions were imposed on women's rights and freedoms?
Aside from secondary status, certain practices stand out as particularly repressive. Arranged marriages—especially common in places like India and China but also widespread in other regions—worked almost always to the groom's advantage and often promised young girls as brides to older husbands. Veiling and seclusion ranked among the most prominent ways to control female conduct. Concubinage, the practice of openly acknowledged lovers in addition to a wife, was a privilege open to men in China and other parts of Asia as well as in the Middle East. Polygamy, the taking of more than one wife, was also practiced, most famously in the Islamic world, where up to four wives were permitted. Witch hunts and foot binding also existed. Foot Binding, which exhibited extreme patriarchy in which woman would bind their feet at early ages hindering the growth of their bone structures to have smaller feet.
Discuss the movement of plants and foodstuffs far from their points of origin.
Bananas - From Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia to the Middle East. . Citrus - From Southeast Asia to the Islamic World and the Mediterranean. Sugar - From Papua New Guinea to Asian Mainland. . Champa Rice - From Vietnam to East Asia/China.
Describe the diffusion of the bubonic plague and its effects.
Beginning in China, this particularly virulent Outbreak of bubonic plague migrated first to the Middle East and then by the 1340s to Europe via Mediterranean trade between the Middle East and the Italian peninsula. Each region it visited lost on average a third of the population, resulting in many millions of deaths and making the Black Death one of the worst medical disasters in world history.
Explain how feudalism maintained a system of authority during Medieval Europe.
By the 700s, Charlemagne's empire in the Frankish Kingdom established feudalism. This meant monarchs awarded land to followers (vassals) for the use and protection of it. Nobles (aristocratic class) would become lords of their own land. Also, the military was a key function; knights in the code of chivalry were recruited. Then serfs were relied upon in the manorial system, tied to a feudal lord's land without the option to leave. Europe needed to further centralize so Charlemagne set the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire. A network of local administrators and the Catholic Church had power with this ruler.
What were the Europeans' goals during the Crusades? Were they successful?
Catholic Europe fought crusades for many reasons: to convert nonbelievers to Catholicism, to crush Christian sects the pope considered heretical, and to combat non-Christian foreigners. During the First Crusade, the Middle East was controlled by European military and economic presence for two centuries. But over time, the Muslims improved their efforts to expel the Europeans, and the many crusades that followed were generally European responses to major Muslim victories. With the Fourth Crusade being a failure. So Europeans were not successful in regaining control over the Holy Land of Jerusalem.
Pick one of the technologies identified and explain how it encouraged interregional trade.
Chinese junks, or massive sailing ships were built to contribute to the Indian Ocean trade network and could transport a very large supply of materials. This ensured that China and Japan were incorporated into East African, Middle Eastern, South, and Southeast Asian trade.
Describe how two (2) advancements facilitated easier trade in Afro-Eurasia.
Commerce was boosted by the rise and the extension of credit in the form of checks, bills of exchange, and loans with interest. States supported currencies, whether that meant minting coins or printing paper money. Sakk checks meant people could trade with all kinds of money as long there was a bank to deposit or take out money from. Then, infrastructure: markets and trading outposts, and port cities were all vital to the movement of goods, as were the caravanserais, or wayside inns and settlements that lined routes like the Silk Road. Networks of roads and man-made waterways were just as crucial.
Define diasporic communities and explain their impact.
Diasporic communities and foreign enclaves formed in ports/cities along far-reaching trade routes. These communities were people of different places dispersed outside their traditional homelands. Travelers/traders of all sorts were included but centered on merchant families who took up long-term residence far from home. Diasporas to be aware of from this era include Chinese merchants throughout Southeast Asia; especially in Malaysia and Indonesia: Jews throughout Eurasia; and Muslim traders throughout the Indian Ocean trade network, as far east as China's pacific coast.
What were the main cultural developments in Islam & the Middle East?
During the Islamic Golden Age, Mathematical, astronomical, and scientific aptitude among Muslim scholars was great. They developed algebra and popularized the use of Arabic numerals (originally from India). The Canon of Medicine, by the Persian physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina, _980—1037), remained the most authoritative medical text in the Middle East and Europe until the 1600s. Chief centers of learning were madrasas, or religious colleges. The House of Wisdom, founded in Baghdad during the 700s by the early Abbasid caliphs. This was a grand collection of manuscripts and a vital center for scholarly translation work. Arabic was both the holy language of Islam and the principal language of cultural and intellectual life in the Muslim world. Sufism, a mystical strain of Islam that emphasizes union with Allah by means of spiritual exercises like chanting and dancing.
How were Muslims divided into two sects - what was the Sunni-Shiite split?
First caliphs, including Mohammed's father-in-law Abu Bakr, ruled the success enjoyed by the from Medina and presided over the early expansion of Islam. After the civil war that led to the Sunni-Shiite split (656—661), power passed to the Umayyad religious and political authority, and compare the Middle East's Caliphate (661—750), which governed from the Syrian city of Damascus. The Shiites thought leaders could only be prophets in the Quran, whereas Sunnis did not.
How did Byzantine Emperors use the concept of caesaropapism to maintain authority?
In Catholic Europe and Orthodox Byzantium, religion influenced society. But the Catholic Church had a larger role in the Byzantine Empire. Caesaropapism was exercising extreme authority and held the Byzantine emperor up as the supreme authority over worldly and spiritual affairs alike, leaving the Orthodox Church in a weak position on those occasions when it quarreled with the emperor.
How did the Bantu contribute to the development of sub-Saharan African society?
In sub-Saharan Africa, the Bantu completed continent-wide movements. In the process, they brought with them new agricultural techniques, which increased the extent of African land under cultivation, with all the environmental impacts that entailed, such as increased reliance on water and the need to irrigate. They also spread the secret of ironworking, which encouraged mining and metallurgy and placed even more stress on African ecosystems.
Explain how the environmental knowledge of monsoon winds helped expand/intensify trade in the Indian Ocean.
Indian Ocean sailors took advantage of seasonal monsoon winds, which were forceful enough to propel ships over long distances at great speed. Knowing the pattern of monsoon winds enabled traders of great masses to travel to a specific place. Since the Indian Ocean Complex was nearest to India, this created a boom in of trade in the areas they ventured into. This would mainly be the Swahili City-States on the coast of East Africa. Also, the dhow style of shipbuilding caught on throughout the Indian Ocean, from East Africa to South Asia. This entailed more people eager to trade because there was a new method of shipbuilding available. Overall, this equated to intensified trade.
What is the significance of Genghis Khan? What was Pax Mongolica? (Note: You may have to look a little further into the reading)
Interregional Contact and Conflict: The Mongol Khanates during the early 1200s the Mongols, nomadic horse warriors united in 1206 by Genghis Khan, burst out of the Central Asian steppes, rapidly creating one of the largest empires in world history. Their brief semi unification of Eurasia during the 1200s is known as the pax Mongolica ("Mongol peace"), and even after their empire broke apart into separate khanates, the Mongols facilitated the transfer of technologies, scientific and medical knowledge' cultural practices, and trade goods across Eurasia, with the Silk Roads.
What were the main cultural developments in Africa?
Islamic culture powerfully shaped artistic and intellectual life in many parts of Africa. The Benin bronzes and other metalworks from West African states are particularly renowned and exhibit bold colors and patterns. Architecture varied across regions owing to diverse cultural influences, both Islamic and indigenous. The mud-and-timber constructions of West Africa, best exemplified by the Sankore Mosque in Timbuktu. African literature of this period was preserved by oral tradition. Professional storytellers—best known by the West African term griots—chronicled history and social custom.
Define Dar al-Islam & Sharia Law
Islamic theology divided the world into two spheres, Dar al-lslam ("house of peace"), where Sharia law was dominant and Muslims were therefore guaranteed the ability to worship freely, and Dar al-Harb ("house of war"), where Islam was not established. In early times, Muslim authorities viewed it as their duty to expand Dar al-lslam as far as possible, but they did not generally force non-Muslims to change their faith. Sharia Law was a guideline for Muslims in how they should they live their lives derived from the Qur'an.
How did the Mediterranean Sea & Europe flourish during this time period?
It coincided with a significant revival of trade within Europe itself, including the creation of new shipping routes in the Baltic and North Seas and even the larger Atlantic expanse. It also increased European access to and appetite for goods from Asia and the Middle East. Commerce in the region depended above all on galleys: oared ships with small square sails, well adapted to coastal navigation. When Constantinople fell, Europeans shifted more of their economic efforts to trade routes of their own: the Hanseatic League took shape—leading to the experiments with sailing ships and Atlantic navigation that would soon propel the European age of exploration.
Explain how Buddhism diffused throughout East and Southeast Asia and discuss the effects of that diffusion.
Key themes here include cultural fusion throughout the Indian Ocean basin as well as the wider regional Impact of Buddhism (both from China and India) and Hinduism. Sometimes the influence of both religions intertwined, in which the long reach of Indian Buddhism is evident as far away as the Indonesian island of Java, where another architectural monument, the Srivijayan temple of Borobudur, stands. Religious change came to South Asia in the 1200s.
How did Indian Ocean trade flourish during this time period?
Lateen-sailed shows took advantage of seasonal monsoon winds, as Chinese junks, and other vessels plied an expanse wider than 6,000 miles from west to east. The Indian Ocean sea lanes linked East Africa and the Middle East directly with South and Southeast Asia. Land routes and straits opening into the south China sea and the western Pacific ensured that China and Japan were part of this trading system too. This network included the Swahili city-states of the East African coast, Mecca in Arabia, Hormuz in Persian, the Malibar metropolis of Calicut in western India, and the Malaysian city of Melaka (Malacca).
What economic benefit did the Europeans gain from their participation in the crusades?
Long-term effects of the Crusades included the worsening of the relationship between European Christians and the Muslim Middle East. Also important was the greater awareness of the wider world, especially the lands of the East, that the Crusades stimulated among Europeans. Along with this came an increased knowledge of, and desire for, the economic wealth to be gained by greater interaction with the Middle and Far East. There was also technology transfer, as Europeans learned much castle architecture from their experience in the Middle East and also came into contact with some of the innovations that Middle Eastern peoples had adopted from China. Lastly, there was an increase in trade & demand for Asian luxury goods like silk and porcelain.
What is the significance of Mansa Musa? How did he contribute to the spread of Islam?
Mali's most powerful ruler was Mansa Musa (r. 1312—1337), a devout Muslim who gained fame throughout Africa and Europe as one of the world's wealthiest monarchs. Mansa Musa centralized the government and expanded trade. In 1324—1325, his hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, proved an international sensation, he single-handedly caused a major devaluation of gold in the region. In the 1400s and 1500s, Mali's might weakened due to foreign attacks.
What were the main cultural developments in Asia?
Neo-Confucianism—reinforced China's cultural tendency toward hierarchy and obedience, in line with the ideal of filial piety. Civil service examinations, which, among other things, tested knowledge of the Confucian classics. After about 600 CE, a new form of Buddhism, Ch'an (known as Zen in Japan), emerged in China. Stressing simplicity and meditation, it became very popular, both in China and abroad. An architectural masterpiece of the early Ming period is the Forbidden City, the imperial residence erected in Beijing during the early 1400s both to serve as a seat of government and to impress onlookers with the regime's power and grandeur. The Tale of Genji, a story of love and court life by Lady Murasaki, dates to this period. It is considered by some to be the world's first true novel. Religious change came to South Asia in the 1200s. Most notably, this was due to the arrival of Islam. Also important was the growing prominence of the Bhakti movement within Hinduism.
What were the Swahili city-states of East Africa? What economic significance did they play during this period of time?
On the shores of East Africa, Swahili city-states flourished between 1000 and 1500. Here, nearly forty autonomous, or self-ruling, urban centers were sprinkled along 1,500 miles of coastline. All were heavily involved in the Indian Ocean trade network, and all were multiethnic, with Persians, Arabs, and others migrating here and mixing with the local Africans. Also adding to these cities' populations were migrants from India and Southeast Asia. Islam, along with other religions and traditions, played a prominent role on the East African coast, and a few of these city-states came to be ruled by Arab sheiks or merchant families. Key ports included Mogadishu, Mombasa, Sofala, and Zanzibar. The arrival of European colonists and merchants in the early 1500s would change this region beyond recognition.
What does it mean to say that Europe was politically fragmented?
Once Rome collapsed in Medieval Europe, no Western or Central European authority took its place. Being politically fragmented, small/short kingdoms rose and fell and were weakened by decentralization. Rulers didn't have money, military strength, or administrative tools to govern lands effectively.
How did Marco Polo create important ties between distant societies?
One of the first Europeans to cross the breadth of Eurasia, the young merchant Marco Polo traveled from Venice to Asia along the Silk Road during the mid-to-late 1200s. His journeys occupied nearly a quarter-century, from 1271 to 1295, and if he is to be believed, he befriended Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of Yuan China. Marco Polo's writings played an enormous role in familiarizing medieval and Renaissance Europeans with the luxurious riches and cuItura1 advancements. Europeans ventured to China which led to an increase in trade & a demand for Asian luxury goods.
Other than fear, describe one way the Mongols established authority.
Over this massive expanse, the Mongols imposed a single political authority, revived Silk Road trade, and enforced law and order. They maintained rule not just by force but by a high level of administrative sophistication. They skillfully organized their army into decimally based units and quickly learned new military techniques—such as siegecraft—from neighbors and conquered peoples.
What were innovations in transport that defined this time period.
Overland transport during the premodern era required more time and effort and was more subject to banditry and political disruption. Land movement of large amounts of cargo depended on domesticated pack animals. Wheeled vehicles like carts and wagons were helpful on roads and on flat ground, but rough terrain render them useless, so animals sometimes had to carry the loads themselves. Horses, ox, llamas, or camels were vital to trade in the Sahara, the Middle East, and along the Silk Road. Large processions of pack animals and/or vehicles were called caravans. Where possible, water transport was easier and preferable to overland - maritime technology made overseas trade more efficient than ever. Dhow, monsoon winds, stern rudder, sealed bulkheads, sailing ships with cogs, carracks and caravels, astrolabes, and magnetic compasses were used.
Explain how the scientific/technological innovation of printing diffused during this time period and what the effects were of this Diffusion.
Revolutionary technologies of accurate water clocks, paper currency, gunpowder, the magnetic compass, and methods of printing demonstrated excellence in various fields. The most important invention was the movable-type press that made it easy to mass-produce texts, improving literacy rates, the speed at which information spread, the impact of new ideas and scientific theories, and the expansion of libraries and universities.
Describe the process by which Islam spread throughout Africa.
Some areas were incorporated into Dar al-lslam by force. In others, the conversion proceeded peacefully, in many cases facilitated by trans-Saharan trade or Indian Ocean commerce along Africa's east coast. Arab traders played a crucial role in this process—although an unfortunate result was a significant expansion of the Arab slave trade. Or, Berbers (camel herders) helped conversion.
How did the Silk Road flourish during this time period?
Stretching from the Middle East and Persia to China and the Pacific coast, the road passed through desert, steppe wilderness, and mountains, especially in Central Asia. Breaking up the journey was a network of oasis towns and caravanserais (roadside settlements providing safety and shelter), as well as key cities such as Baghdad in the Middle East, the Central Asian metropolis of Samarkand, and Kashgar in far western China. The Silk Road also served as Eurasia's principal artery for the transfer of cultural and religious practices, technological innovations, and new diseases. (Thanks to missionary efforts and cultural diffusion, Christianity and Islam moved eastward along the Silk Road, and Buddhism spread along it as well.)
Explain how Islamic Caliphates maintained order and stability by using a caliph and the concept of "circle of justice."
The Muslim world was governed by the caliph ("successor"), who combined political and religious power in one person. A key political principle here was the circle of Justice, which predated the rise of Islam but nevertheless guided the caliphates and the Ottoman Empire that followed them. According to this notion of good government, the ruler gives justice to the people, the people pay taxes to the treasury, the treasury ensures that the army receives its salary, and the support of the army allows the ruler to compare the Ideal of exercise to give justice to the people, thereby continuing the Christendom espoused by Europe's medieval popes with cycle.
Identify two (2) pieces of maritime technology which encouraged trade in the Indian Ocean.
The dhow, invented by Arab mariners in the Red and Arabian seas, was suitable for open-water navigation. Not only was it constructed more sturdily than the galley (its planks were not nailed together but drilled, tied with ropes, then sealed), but its tall, triangular lateen sail was stronger and more efficiently rigged than the square galley sail. This allowed Indian Ocean sailors to take advantage of seasonal monsoon winds, which were forceful enough to propel ships over long distances at great speed. Another ship capable of open-water navigation and of carrying large amounts of cargo was the Chinese junk, which often featured a stern rudder for improved steering and sealed bulkheads to prevent a single breach in the hull from sinking the entire vessel.
How did Ibn Battuta create important ties between distant societies?
The great explorer of the Islamic world was Ibn Battuta of Morocco, who began a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1325 and, instead of returning, embarked on a journey lasting almost thirty years and covering over 70,000 miles. Not only did he visit most of Islamic Africa, he also ventured throughout Central Asia, East Asia, and South Asia, going as far as the Indonesian islands. His journal, Travels, reveals the remarkable diversity of customs and cultural practices among Muslim people, and Ibn Battuta was often surprised—and sometimes shocked—by how different lifestyles could be among various peoples technically joined together by allegiance to a common faith.
How did Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty maintain authority?
The homeland, which included Mongolia and Yuan China, went to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan conquered the Song Dynasty and established the Yuan Dynasty in China. This was only the introduction to his newfound power though. To win the peoples and gain more authority the Great Khan forced his neighbors to pay tribute, unified China under one rule, embraced Buddhism, made Mandarin Chinese the official language, restored trade in the West, reconstructed the Silk roads/canals, and built new cities.
What were science, medicine & math discoveries that defined this time period.
The scientific method in the modern sense of Aristotle's views on science. Physicians in many societies possessed a high degree of surgical skill and anatomical knowledge. medicine (heavily influenced by Daoism) and, in India, various yogic disciplines. Geometry and basic mathematics were known to most societies, but at least in Afro-Eurasia, mathematical writings from India and ancient Greece proved invaluable. During this period in particular, Muslim scholars played a vital role in popularizing the use of Arabic numerals (which they themselves had imported from India) and formalizing algebra—itself. Greek philosophy and science accelerated Europe's transition away from medieval scholasticism for the Renaissance.
Other than increased trade, describe one positive impact of the Mongols.
They were adept cultural borrowers. They adopted Uyghur as a written script from Furkic neighbors; they took their paper currency and their law code (the yasa) from China; and they embraced Buddhism or Islam, depending on where they settled. They used their own aptitude as horse riders to create one of the premodern world's most efficient postal systems (the yam). From their subject peoples, the Mongols conscripted or enslaved soldiers, artisans, and others who possessed skills they needed.
What were the main cultural developments in Medieval & Renaissance Europe?
Throughout the medieval period, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches provided employment opportunities for artists, architects, and musicians. The dominant philosophy of the Middle Ages was scholasticism, an attempt to reconcile Greco-Roman learning from the past with Christian teachings. The church chose to adopt the geocentric theory, which proposed that the sun revolves around the earth. Secular music arose in the form of troubadour poems, which celebrated love, the gentlemanly code of chivalry, and adventuresome heroes like King Arthur and his knights. Europe's first universities appeared during this time, both as centers of religious training and as places to learn law and medicine. Invention of Johannes Gutenberg's movable-type printing press during the early 1400s.
How did the West African Trading Kingdoms of Ghana & Mali maintain authority?
West Africa was home to powerful Hausa kingdoms, located between Lake Chad and the Niger River and heavily involved in the region's salt trade, but most dominant politically were the Mande-speaking states closer to the Atlantic. Most famous of these before 1200 was Ghana, which played a prominent role in trans-Saharan commerce thanks to large deposits of gold. Ghana welcomed Muslim traders, and many of its people adopted Islam on a personal basis, but in the late 1000s, the state's failure to officially convert triggered an invasion from the north by the zealous Berbers. Ghana survived until the 1200s, when it was succeeded by another Mande state: Mali (mid-1200s—1600s), which Islamized with less violence. Well-positioned in the Niger River basin, an important north-south trade route, Mali was blessed with gold and other metals.
What were key technologies that defined this time period?
accurate water clocks, paper currency (nicknamed "flying cash" among the Chinese), gunpowder, which revolutionized warfare when it reached Europe and the Middle East in the 1200s and 1300s (ironically, the Chinese themselves were slower to adopt gunpowder weaponry, the earliest versions of which did not suit their military needs), the magnetic compass, methods of printing (block or movable type printing)
