Unit One + Two
1200 to 1450
➢ The spread of religion and the increase in trade helped unification
○ Neo-Confucianism solidified cultural identity
■ A blend of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
○ Dar al-Islam (House of Islam) helped the exchange of knowledge flow through
Afro-Eurasia
○ Christianity and the Catholic Church unified Europe
➢ Centralized empires continued building up from the past
○ Arab Caliphates
■ Abbasid Caliphate (capital Baghdad) preserved existing Greek knowledge
and built up from that knowledge + helped spread it
○ Song Dynasty
■ Modified civil service exam, continued bureaucracy, and meritocracy
➢ Decentralized areas developed political organizations to deal with issues
○ Europe
■ Feudalism : European social, economic, political system of Middle Ages
● Military service + loyalty in exchange for land
■ Emergence of nation-states
■ England followed tradition of monarchy since William The Conqueror
■ English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta
● Gave nobles more power, more power to growing burgher
(middle-class merchants) class
■ Establishment of the English Parliament
○ Japan
■ Yortiomo Minamoto given title of chief general (shogun) by emperor
● Emperor is a figurehead, no actual power
■ Feudalism
➢ Development of large political structures
○ Inca Empire in the Andes
■ Expansionist
■ Human sacrifices
■ Temples of Machu Picchu
○ Mississippian culture
■ Cahokia: Large artificial dirt mounds
○ Aztecs in central Mexico
■ Capital Tenochtitlan
, ■ Expansionist
■ Human Sacrifices
➢ Movement of people
○ Disruption of Asia’s political structure
○ Turks founded :
■ Mamluk Sultanate
● Group from Egypt
● Defeated Mongols in a battle
■ Delhi Sultanate
● Islamic
● Many tired converting Hindus
● Jizya: Tax paid by non-Muslims (under sultans + Umayyads)
○ Mongols
■ Destroyed Baghdad
■ Took over remaining Abbasid territory
■ Mongol rule in Russia under Genghis Khan (group called Tatars)
➢ Growth in long-distance trade
○ Led to the spread of ideas, religions, technology
○ Silk Road
■ Kashgar: Trade city
■ Samarkand: Trade city
■ Caravanserais: Small inns
■ Silk, porcelain, paper, technologies, religions, food, etc
○ Indian Ocean
■ Sailors learned about patterns of Monsoon seasons and directions of
wind
■ Traders stayed at trading destinations + created families
● Cultural diffusion
■ Mombasa: Port city of Swahili-speaking people
○ Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
○ Mediterranean sea
■ Constant warfare
➢ Technological advancements
○ Compass
○ Ship-building improvements
○ Gunpowder
○ Astrolabe
➢ Travelers led to cultural exchanges
1200 to 1450
➢ The spread of religion and the increase in trade helped unification
○ Neo-Confucianism solidified cultural identity
■ A blend of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism
○ Dar al-Islam (House of Islam) helped the exchange of knowledge flow through
Afro-Eurasia
○ Christianity and the Catholic Church unified Europe
➢ Centralized empires continued building up from the past
○ Arab Caliphates
■ Abbasid Caliphate (capital Baghdad) preserved existing Greek knowledge
and built up from that knowledge + helped spread it
○ Song Dynasty
■ Modified civil service exam, continued bureaucracy, and meritocracy
➢ Decentralized areas developed political organizations to deal with issues
○ Europe
■ Feudalism : European social, economic, political system of Middle Ages
● Military service + loyalty in exchange for land
■ Emergence of nation-states
■ England followed tradition of monarchy since William The Conqueror
■ English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta
● Gave nobles more power, more power to growing burgher
(middle-class merchants) class
■ Establishment of the English Parliament
○ Japan
■ Yortiomo Minamoto given title of chief general (shogun) by emperor
● Emperor is a figurehead, no actual power
■ Feudalism
➢ Development of large political structures
○ Inca Empire in the Andes
■ Expansionist
■ Human sacrifices
■ Temples of Machu Picchu
○ Mississippian culture
■ Cahokia: Large artificial dirt mounds
○ Aztecs in central Mexico
■ Capital Tenochtitlan
, ■ Expansionist
■ Human Sacrifices
➢ Movement of people
○ Disruption of Asia’s political structure
○ Turks founded :
■ Mamluk Sultanate
● Group from Egypt
● Defeated Mongols in a battle
■ Delhi Sultanate
● Islamic
● Many tired converting Hindus
● Jizya: Tax paid by non-Muslims (under sultans + Umayyads)
○ Mongols
■ Destroyed Baghdad
■ Took over remaining Abbasid territory
■ Mongol rule in Russia under Genghis Khan (group called Tatars)
➢ Growth in long-distance trade
○ Led to the spread of ideas, religions, technology
○ Silk Road
■ Kashgar: Trade city
■ Samarkand: Trade city
■ Caravanserais: Small inns
■ Silk, porcelain, paper, technologies, religions, food, etc
○ Indian Ocean
■ Sailors learned about patterns of Monsoon seasons and directions of
wind
■ Traders stayed at trading destinations + created families
● Cultural diffusion
■ Mombasa: Port city of Swahili-speaking people
○ Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
○ Mediterranean sea
■ Constant warfare
➢ Technological advancements
○ Compass
○ Ship-building improvements
○ Gunpowder
○ Astrolabe
➢ Travelers led to cultural exchanges
