Unit 3: Post Classical Era

Justinian/Justinian Code

Justinian was an important early Byzantine emperor who lived from 527b.c.-565b.c. in the capital of the empire, Constantinople. Known as "the sleepless emperor", Justinian worked hard to develop a great kingdom for his people. Because of Justinian's high

Theme system

During the Byzantine Empire, society was reorganized into a theme system. Military leaders such as generals were appointed by the government and recruited peasants to join, which made the free peasant class a lot stronger. The theme system helped the empi

Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia, meaning "Holy Wisdom", was a church built in 532c.e. during Justinian's famous rule of the Byzantine Empire. When Constantinople's people were rioting against the high taxes Justinian imposed, they destroyed most of the city. Justinian d

Caesaropapism

Caesaropapism was used by Constantine, the first Christian emperor of the west Roman Empire from 306 to 337c.e. Like the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, Constantine wanted to be associated with his religion as emperor. He claimed that he had divine favor as em

Iconoclasm

Iconoclasm, meaning "the breaking of icons" was started by Emperor Leo III, who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 717 to 741c.e. The Byzantine Empire was famous for its paintings of religious figures like Jesus and the saints. Leo III decided that painting

1054 Church Schism/Orthodox Christianity vs. Roman Catholicism

As Islam began to take over most of southwest Asia in the 7th century, Constantinople and Rome were the only centers of Christianity left. The two cities had both theological and religious disputes, including the iconoclasm movement in Byzantium and Rome'

Cyril & Methodius/Cyrillic Alphabet

Saints Cyril and Methodius of Thessaloniki, Greece were two brothers who helped convert the Slavs to Orthodox Christianity. In the mid 19th century, Cyril and Methodius went on missions to Bulgaria and Moravia to convert the people, and developed an alpha

Pillar Saints

In the 5th century a few people would show their ascetic enthusiasm to Christianity by sitting on top of poles for years at a time. The most famous pillar saint was St. Simeon Stylite, who was initially the first saint to try this custom. He attracted att

Dar al'Islam

Dar al'Islam, meaning "house of Islam" refers to all the land that was under Islamic rule. Muslim conquerors were very powerful, and by the eighth century the Muslims were just as powerful as the Byzantine Empire. The dar al'Islam stretched from West Afri

Muhammad

Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in 570c.e. in Mecca to merchant parents who both died by the time he was 6 years old. He was then placed in the care of his uncle and grandfather who also paid for his education. When he grew up he worked for a widowed woman

Ka'ba

The Ka'ba was a cube shaped shrine in Mecca, the capital city of Islam. Inside of the Ka'ba was a large black rock that was supposed to be the home of a god. The shrine brought many Muslims from all around Arabia to Mecca, which led to a lot of income for

The Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam were the rules and obligations one must follow to be Muslim.
1. They must acknowledge that Allah is the only God, and Muhammad is the prophet.
2. They must pray daily to Allah in the direction that Mecca is.
3. They must fast dur

Sufis/Sufi Missionaries

The Sufis were a group of Muslim's who didn't take the rules as seriously as the other Muslims. Instead of focusing on mastering the doctrine, they focused on devoting and uniting themselves to Allah. The Sufis lived very ascetic lives, and were very cari

Umayyad Caliphate

After Ali was assassinated in 661c.e. the Umayyad dynasty was established to take over and rule the dar al-Islam. The Umayyads were the most distinguished merchant class and they helped stabilize the dar al-Islam. The capital was placed at Damascus, a cit

Abbasid Caliphate

After many rebellions, the Umayyad Dynasty finally collapsed. Replacing them was the chief leader of the rebellions Abu al-Abbas in 1258c.e, founding the Abbasid Dynasty. The Abbasid Dynasty was much different than the Umayyad Dynasty. For one, they were

al-Andalus

Al-Andalus was a city in Islamic Spain that thrived in trade during the Abbasid era. Al-Andalus was an ally of the Umayyads, so when the Abbasid's took over, al-Andalus refused to accept the fact they were leaders. They made themselves their own caliph in

Saljuq Turks

The Saljuq Turks were a group of Turkish Muslim invaders coming in from the west who conquered the Abbasid Empire in 1055c.e. For two centuries the Saljuq caliphs stayed as figureheads in the Empire. They also threatened the European expansion of the Byza

Sui Dynasty

The Sui Dynasty lasted from 589-618c.e, and was founded by Yang Jian after claiming the Mandate of Heaven. He had very intense discipline on the state he originally ruled, and as the land he ruled got bigger he extended this discipline on the entire land

Grand Canal

The Grand Canal was the Sui Dynasty's most useful structure built. Built during Sui Yangdi's reign of the dynasty (604-618c.e.), it was made to make trade between northern and southern China much easier and frequent. Since it was difficult to bring rice a

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was the succeeding dynasty of the Sui Dynasty. When Sui Yangdi was assassinated, a rebel leader took the capital Chang'an and decided he was the emperor of the new Tang Dynasty. The dynasty lasted for almost 300 years (618-907c.e.) and ma

Song Dynasty

The Song dynasty lasted for more than three centuries (960-1279c.e.), but never got near the power of the previous Tang dynasty. The first Song emperor was Song Taizu who reigned from 960 to 976c.e. and was proclaimed emperor by his troops. Song Taizu wou

NeoConfucianism

During the Song Dynasty, people not only studied the classic Chinese works of art for Confucianism, but they also studied the writings of Buddhism. Both of these ways together was to be known as NeoConfucianism. They found inspiration in Buddhism texts, a

Silla Kingdom

The Silla Kingdom was the native "dynasty" in Korea during the seventh century. To avoid costs and conflict, the Tang Dynasty and the Silla Kingdom created a compromise. The negotiation outlined that the Chinese would withdraw their forces from Korea, and

Shinto

Japan inherited many ideologies such as Buddhism and Confucianism from China. However, they did have their own indigenous religion called Shinto. Shintoism was based on the worshiping of ancestors and nature deities, the emphasis of purity, clan loyalty,

Shogunate

During the decline of Heian Japan, the equal-field system fell out of use. This led the aristocratic clans to fight for land. Eventually the two clans, Minamoto and Taira, became the major owners of the island and they began fighting for authority in Japa

Japanese Feudalism/Diamyo/Samurai

Japanese feudalism began in during 1185-1573 CE in the Kamakura and Muromachia periods. Feudalism was a decentralized form of government in which lords, called Diamyos, held the power in their province. The provincial lords would "hire" vassals called sam

Mahmud of Ghazni

Mahmud of Ghazni was the leader of the Turks in Afghanistan. In 1001-1027, he led seventeen raiding expeditions into India, and annexed states in India and Punjab. Mahmud was interested in the wealth he would gain from raiding the temples, rather than rul

Sultanate of Delhi

In the late 12th century, Mahmud's successors led a more organized campaign into India. This time, however, they were not only interested in converting India to Islam, but conquering it as well. The campaign led to the dominance of Hindu Kingdoms in north

Vishnu and Shiva

Vishnu and Shiva were two of the most important deities of the Hindu faith. Vishnu was the preserver of the world. It was believed that he observed the universe from the heavens and entered the world as a human. He disguised himself as a in order to stop

Carolingians/Charlemagne

The Carolingian Dynasty was a Germanic dynasty. It received its name from Charles Martel, also known as "Charles the Hammer". Charles was the deputy to the last of Clovis's descendants, and he did not rule the Franks as their king. Charles also conquered

Monasticism/St. Benedict and St. Scholastica

Christian Monasticism originated in Egypt. Its creation came about due to many Christians seeking ascetic and holy lifestyles in Egypt during the second and third centuries. The legalization of Christianity during the fourth century increased the populari

Viking Migrations

The Vikings were nomadic invaders from the north who raided norther France during Charlemagne's rule in the ninth century. The Vikings, also known as Norsemen, expanded due to population pressures, agricultural needs, and conflict with Christians. The Vik

Feudalism (in Europe)/Fief/Vassal

Due to the ninth century invaders, the Carolingian empire became decentralized. The decentralization led to power distribution among local rulers. The local rulers, such as Carolingian courts, authorities, and nobles, took control of their own territories

Manor System

The Manor system was created from the decentralized society of the Carolingian Empire, and from the feudal interactions between lords and vassals. The Manor system was based on the concept that the vassals, or knights, becoming lords themselves. Their lor

Silk Road

The Mongols created the Eurasian routes which were very similar to the earlier silk roads. The Eurasian routes were highways for the spread of religions, culture, and philosophies. The spread of religion converted many people along the routes. The Sufi mi

Temujin/Chinggis Khan

Temujin was a Mongol and was born into a noble family in 1167. His father was a warrior who was a powerful leader and successful at creating alliances between the Mongol clans. Unfortunately, when Temujin was ten-years-old, his father was poisoned by a ri

Yuan Dynasty

Khubilai, Chinggis Khan's grandson, followed in his grandfather's footsteps. He was ruthless in combat and a successful conqueror. Khubilai was also interested in cultural matters and spreading Buddhism, unlike his grandfather. He spread the Mongol rule i

Tamerlane

Timur was a "self-made" Turkish conqueror. He walked with a limp and was therefore nicknamed, "Timur the Lame" which gradually transformed to Tamerlane. He was born in 1336 near Samarkland and idolized Chinggis Khan. Tamerlane came from a noble family and

Osman

Osman was a leader of the nomadic Turks who had migrated to ilkhanate from central Asia. He created a state for himself during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries in northwestern Anatolia. Osman pronounced himself independent of the Saljuq

Kingdom of Ghana

The Kingdom of Ghana developed in the fourth to fifth centuries C.E. It was located between the Senegal and Niger river straddling the borders of modern day Mali and Mauritania. It was the center of African gold trade. The gold was imported from the south

Mali Empire/Sundiata/Mansa Musa

The Mali empire was founded by Sundiata. Sundiata was the "lion prince". He reigned from 1230-1255. He founded the Mali empire in the thirteenth century after his return from banishment. Sundiata was a follower of the Islam faith but only for trade benefi

Axum

In the middle of the fourth century Christianity was established in the the Ethiopian Kingdom of Axum. The first converts were merchants who traded with Christians and as missionaries visited Axum, they also converted the kings. Another possible reason fo

Zanji Revolt

The Zanji Revolt was a slave uprising in Mesopotamia. This occurred in 829. The term Zanj was pertaining to the black slaves from the Swahili coast. The revolt was started by Ali bin Muhammad and included fifteen-thousand salves. The revolt captured Basra

Zimbabwe/Great Zimbabwe

The name Zimbabwe means, "dwelling of the chief". Great Zimbabwe was a city of stone towers, palaces and buildings. All of the buildings were built in the early thirteenth century. Zimbabwe had a complex and organized society. Their organized society was

Swahili City-States

During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, a great amount of trade was taking place on the coast of Africa. The local chiefs in that eastern area began to tax all the trade taking place there, which gave them more authority and influence in the surroundin

Holy Roman Empire

After the decline of the Carolingians in the ninth century, local authorities took control of their own regions, and some built larger states by expanding their influence. One example is Otto of Saxony who, by the mid-tenth century, had proclaimed himself

Norman Invasion of 1066 (Battle of Hastings)

The founders of the English monarchy were the Normans, who descended from the Vikings. In 1066 Duke William of Normandy launched an attack on England. He succeeded in conquering it, and from then on he ruled over those descending from the Angles, Saxons,

Hanseatic League

Despite the fact that most of the trade during medieval times was located in the Mediterranean Basin, there was still a good deal of commerce in the northern seas, particularly the Baltic and the North seas. They were part of a trade network called the Ha

Guilds (In Europe)

Medieval Europe was a stratified society, but even so the working class was not disregarded. Merchants and artisans created guilds, which controlled the production and sale of their items. By the thirteenth century, guilds in Europe regulated the majority

St. Dominic/St. Francis

In response to the increasingly materialistic Roman Catholic church, some devout individuals organized campaigns to promote spiritual virtues over materialistic virtues. Two of the most prominent were St. Dominic and St. Francis. In the thirteenth century

Chivalry

Chivalry was the church sponsored code of conduct for knights, which was originally created to stop fighting within the Christendom. It stated that knights must observe the following: order, piety, Christianity, protection of women, and love. This code wa

Pope Urban II

Pope Urban II established the crusades in 1095. At the council of Clermont, he asked Christian knights to take back the holy land. He promised forgiveness of all sins and a guarantee of salvation to any who died during this expedition. Knights responded e

First and Fourth Crusades

After the failure of the original group that set out to take back the holy land, a few nobles organized a much more put-together military group for the expedition known as the First Crusade. In 1096 they set out for Palestine, and captured Jerusalem in 10

Saladin

Salah al-Din, known as Saladin, was a Muslim leader who recaptured Jerusalem from the First Crusade in 1187. His victory sealed the fate for the Christian forces in the Mediterranean, who were forced out or killed. Despite having defeated the Christians c

Toltecs

The Toltecs began migrating to central Mexico around the eighth century from northwestern Mexico. They settled in Tula, and tapped water from a nearby river called River Tula to use for the irrigation of their crops such as corn, beans, peppers, tomatoes,

Mexica/Aztecs

The Mexica migrated to central Mexico from the northwest in the mid-thirteenth century. They are also known as the Aztecs, and had a reputation for kidnapping women and stealing land from neighboring regions. This rowdy behavior did not sit well with the

Incas

Around the mid-thirteenth century, the Inca's settled around Lake Titicaca. At first they lived as their own separate region from the others, but in 1438 Pachacuti, the Inca ruler at that time set out on a series of military conquests that greatly expande

Cahokia Mounds

Mounds were the most impressive constructions of the woodlands throughout the eastern half of North America. These mounds served many purposes, such as sites for ceremonies and rituals, platforms for dwellings, and burial sites. The biggest surviving moun

Pueblo/Navajo

The Pueblo and Navajo peoples were able to maintain a settled society with a large population by having an agriculturally based economy. To irrigate their maize, which made up about 80% of their diet, the Pueblo and Navajo people tapped river water. In ad

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was the best known long-distance explorer in Mongo times. When he was 17 Marco went along with his uncle and father to China, who had both been there before, and the great khan immediately favored Marco. For seventeen years they stayed in China

Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta, who lived 1304-1369, was the best know Muslim traveler. Most of the lands he visited were ruled by Islamic rulers. Because he had legal credentials, finding a government position was easy for him. He became qadi, or advisor to the sultan of D

Ming Dynasty

The first Ming emperor came from a poor family, and had risen up in the military ranks until he was proclaimed Emperor Hongwu in 1368. Hongwu erased all evidence of Mongol rule, and instead modeled the government after traditional Chinese dynasties. He di

Zheng He

Zheng He was one of the men sent out by Emperor Yongle in a series of expeditions from 1405 to 1433. Zheng He was a eunuch Muslim admiral from southwestern China who had become a trusted advisor of Yongle. On every expedition, Zheng He was accompanied by

Renaissance

The Renaissance refers to the period of time between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries in western Europe. This time period shows artistic and intellectual creativity, along with the furthered development of urban society. Instead of getting inspirati

Hundred Years War

The Hundred Years War was brought about by hostilities between the King of France and the King of England, and it lasted from 1337 to 1453. It consisted of a series of campaigns in which they both fought for control of land in France. The Hundred Years Wa