1492 and its Impact on World History In 1492, Christopher Columbus – sailing for Spain – accidentally arrived in the

Americas By traveling westward, Columbus hoped to arrive in the East [Asia] When Columbus accidentally landed on an island in the Caribbean, history was

forever changed The Americas were incorporated into the global trading network Thus, the incorporation of the Americas into a broader global network of exchange

justifies the claim that the late 1400s mark the beginning of a new period in world history

It was a new period that greatly benefitted the Europeans as they claimed land and the fruits of enslaved labor in the Americas

For Native American Indians, it was a devastating change: as population declined due to new diseases and the encomienda system enslaved Indians

The loss of the lives of the indigenous Americans led to the importation of African slaves and the brutality of the Atlantic Slave Trade

The Chronological Order of the World’s Belief Systems and Sacred Texts Animism and polytheism are the oldest of the world’s religious beliefs Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Jainism,

and Christianity follow [in chronological order] Islam is one of the youngest of the world religions as it was not founded until the

600s C.E. in Arabia Thus, the Vedas [Hindu sacred texts], the Analects of Confucius, the Eightfold Path

[Buddhism], and the Gospels of the New Testament – all in chronological order – are older than the Qu’ran of Islam

The Qur’an was introduced after the Vedas, Analects, Eightfold Path, and Gospels

The Columbian Exchange It was a great global cultural diffusion that occurred as a result of Columbus’

arrival in the Americas It connected the Americas to Europe, Asia, and Africa Includes: African population to the Western Hemisphere; Western Hemisphere

food to Europe and Africa; and African and European diseases to the Western Hemisphere

African slaves were brought to the Americas to replace a dying Native American Indian population

Corn, potatoes, and peanuts were brought from the Americas to Europe, Asia, and Africa – impacting population as potatoes provide many calories to feed many people and led to an increase in population in Europe and Asia [in Africa, the slave trade led to a loss of population that was offset by the new crops from the Americas – thus not an increase but not a decrease either]

New diseases decimated the indigenous population of the America leading historians to refer to the loss of Native American lives from disease as the “Great Dying”

Crops, livestock, disease, and people “travelled” during this exchangeBeliefs of Islam

A single, omnipotent deity Monotheism Five Pillars of the Faith

- One God- Prayer five times a day facing the holy city of Mecca- Charity or alms to the poor- Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset- Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca

Qur’an – holy book Muhammad is the “Seal of the Prophets” or last Prophet All Muslims are equal in the eyes of Islam only actions determine God’s judgement

Appeal of Islam to Untouchables in India In Hinduism, a caste system exists A Hindu is born into his caste and remains in his caste throughout his lifetime There is no social mobility; the caste system lacks social mobility in that a Hindu

cannot change his caste during his lifetime A Hindu’s past life determines his current life in that through his actions (karma)

and his dharma (adherence to the rules of his caste), a Hindus reincarnation or samsara is determined

In the Hindu caste system, there are four castes: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras

A person who belongs to no caste is an untouchable or outcaste and an untouchable is viewed negatively and forced to perform jobs deemed unacceptable to other caste members

Thus, for an untouchable, Islam held great appeal In Islam, there is no caste system In Islam, all believers are equal in the eyes of Islam Islam in India had a strong appeal to members of lower castes because Islam

promised the spiritual equality of all believers

Status of Women in Post-Classical China Women had low status Post-Classical China was noted for its patriarchal attitudes Women were considered inferior to men Foot-binding was popularized by the Song Dynasty and foot-binding greatly limited

the mobility of women Yet all women were not subjected to the same treatment; class impacted the status

of women too Women of the lower classes tended to be freer from restrictions than those from the

upper classes because women from lower classes had to work in the fields; they had to contribute to the household; and they had to have some measure of mobility to perform all of their duties

Women were needed and perhaps more valued in peasant households Yes, poor peasants needed their wives and the more valued a worker is, the more

respected the worker will typically be given

Facts about Timbuktu in West Africa The historic town of Timbuktu is located at the precise point where the Niger flows

northward into the southern edge of the Sahara desert As a result of its unique geographical position, Timbuktu has been a natural

meeting point of Songhai, Wangara, Fulani, Tuareg and Arabs According to the inhabitants of Timbuktu, gold came from the south, the salt from

the north and Divine knowledge from Timbuktu Timbuktu is also the crossroad where the camel met the canoe From the 11th century and onward, Timbuktu became an important port where

goods from West Africa and North Africa were traded Goods coming the Mediterranean shores and salt were traded in Timbuktu for gold The prosperity of the city attracted African and Arabs who were both scholars and

merchants This unique combination of scholarship and business were the cornerstones that

made Timbuktu a city of wealth and truth and therefore a booming desert port Salt, books and gold were the main commodities that were traded in Timbuktu Salt was extracted from the mines of Tegaza and Taoudenit in the north, gold from

the immense gold mines of the Boure and Banbuk and books were the refined work of African and Arabs scholars

Timbuktu flourished as a result of its strategic position

Effects of the Neolithic Revolution People learned to farm and domesticate animals Effects include:

- Permanent settlements- Population increases- Reliable food source- Epidemic diseases due to proximity to domesticated animals- Class Divisions- Patriarchy- Slavery

Facts about Zheng He From 1405 until 1433, the Chinese imperial eunuch Zheng He led seven ocean

expeditions for the Ming emperor Over sixty of the three hundred seventeen ships on the first voyage were enormous

“Treasure Ships,” sailing vessels over 400 hundred feet long, 160 feet wide, with several stories, nine masts and twelve sails, and luxurious staterooms complete with balconies

During the first expeditions, Zheng He traveled all the way from China to Southeast Asia and then on to India, all the way to major trading sites on India’s southwest coast

In his fourth voyage, he traveled to the Persian Gulf But for the three last voyages, Zheng went even further, all the way to the east coast

of Africa

Zheng He was the great voyager and explorer of early Ming China Zheng He even brought a giraffe from Africa to the Beijing zoo thereby delighting

Emperor Yongle Impact of Introduction of Western Hemisphere Crops on China

New crops from the Americas – such as potatoes, corn, peanuts, and cassava – greatly benefitted Europe, Asia, and Africa

In China, new crops from the Americas increased population in China The new crops from the Americas were high in calories and were relatively easy to

grow These new crops provided peasants with cheap and nutritious sources of food and

prevented many Chinese peasants from dying from starvation

Status of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Post-Classical and Early Modern Eras Women in the small communities of sub-Saharan Africa tended to be valued as

fieldworkers and for educating children In these eras, women were primarily responsible for farming while men herded and

tended to other activities Since food production is highly valued, women were more valued in sub-Saharan

Africa than their counterparts elsewhere in the world In Africa, the plow did NOT replace the digging stick and as such, women continued

to farm – that is until the Age of European Imperialism when men replaced women in the farming of valuable cash crops

Yet until that time, women were valued as fieldworkers Yes, there was patriarchy but it was a lighter patriarchy than elsewhere in the

world

Facts about Bantu Migration The Bantu were agriculturalists originally from West Africa They migrated throughout sub-Saharan Africa as their population increased and

they required more lands These migrations occurred from approximately 1000 B.C.E. to 1000 C.E. The Bantu spread iron, agriculture, and their language throughout sub-Saharan

Africa The Bantu provided a common linguistic root for the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa

as many sub-Saharan African languages are derived from Bantu The Bantu also spread banana cultivation which entered Africa from Southeast Asia

Reason for the Fall of the Roman, Han, and Gupta Empires Intensified invasions and security issues along their frontiers Yes, invasions by borderland peoples Inefficient or corrupt rulers and high taxes

Facts about Mughal Empire Founded by the Central Asian warrior, Babur, the Mughal Empire was established

in the Indian subcontinent in the 1500s The Mughals were a Muslim minority ruling a Hindu majority

The Mughals made use of gunpowder weapons and therefore are considered one of the gunpowder empires of Asia [along with the Ottomans, Safavids, and Tokugawas]

Akbar was a significant ruler of the Mughal Empire and was religiously tolerant Akbar abolished the jizya or tax on non-Muslims and allowed Hindus to participate

in his government Aurangzeb was another significant ruler of the Mughal Empire; Aurangzeb was

intolerant of Hindus and reestablished the jizya, destroyed Hindu temples and abolished sati [widow immolation]

Facts about Ottoman Empire Founded by Osman Bey in the 1300s in Anatolia, this Ottoman Turkish empire

controlled the Eastern Mediterranean Sea The Ottomans – at their height – conquered Anatolia, the Balkans, parts of North

Africa, parts of the Southwest Asia or the Middle East, and parts of Eastern Europe The Ottomans were a gunpowder empire and made use of gunpowder weapons as

well as a skilled cavalry or warriors on horseback Suleiman the Magnificent was the most significant Ottoman ruler and conquered

parts of Hungary but the Ottomans, although they tried twice, never conquered Vienna

The Ottomans were religiously tolerant of Jews and Christians and used the Millet System – allowing religious minority communities to follow their own laws and ways as long as the jizya or tax on non-Muslims was paid and the Sultan obeyed

The Ottomans used the Devshirme or the gathering or collecting as Christian boys as slaves

Janissaries were among these slaves and highly skilled soldiers in the Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453 and renamed the city Istanbul

Innovations from the T’ang-Song Era Considered the golden age of China, the T’ang and Song dynasties of China were

noted for their great innovations, their great inventions Beautiful scroll paintings of the T’ang Era Gunpowder too The magnetic compass and movable-type printing during the Song Era In the 11th century movable type (one piece of type for each character) was invented Movable type was never widely used in China because whole-block printing was less

expensive, but when movable type reached Europe in the 15th century, it revolutionized the communication of ideas.

Landscape painting The use of the magnetic compass for navigation and gunpowder was developed

Facts about the Tokugawa Shogunate Tokugawa Japan spanned from 1600 to 1868 For Japan, the Tokugawa era brought 250 years of peace and order, a long-term

stability that fostered great changes in Japanese society, readying it for entering the modern era

Before the Tokugawa period, Japan was a country of warring states, it was not unified, it was medieval

The Tokugawa shoguns created a centralized state The Tokugawa period is between the medieval and the modern eras During the Tokugawa era, shoguns ruled A shogun is a military dictator who ruled Japan while the emperor was a mere

figurehead, highly respected but without power The Tokugawa shogunate was a gunpowder empire but the shoguns had a

monopoly on the gunpowder and did not rely on gunpowder weapons The Tokugawa shoguns isolated Japan: no foreigners were allowed in and no

Japanese were allowed out Although the Dutch and Chinese were allowed to trade at the port of Nagasaki Still the Tokugawa shoguns did not want foreign ideas to lead to divisions within

Japan The primary goal of the Tokugawa shoguns was to keep Japan unified and prevent

civil war The isolationism of the Tokugawa government included forbidding Japanese from

going abroad

Facts about the Shoguns of Japan A shogun is a military dictator who ruled Japan while the emperor was a mere

figurehead, highly respected but without power During Japan’s medieval period, shoguns wielded the real power in Japan Under the shogunates of Japan, the emperor’s power was symbolic

Facts about the Janissaries The Janissaries were Christian boys taken from conquered territories and raised as

Special Forces The Janissaries were highly skilled soldiers in the Ottoman Empire The Janissary – also spelled Janizary or in Turkish, Yeniçeri – was a member of an

elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1826

Highly respected for their military prowess in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Janissaries became a powerful political force within the Ottoman state

The Janissary corps was originally staffed by Christian youths from the Balkan provinces who were converted to Islām on being drafted into the Ottoman service

The Janissary were part of the Devshirme System or the gathering or collecting of Christian boys in the Ottoman Empire

Subject to strict rules, including celibacy, they were organized into three unequal divisions (cemaat, bölükhalkı, segban) and commanded by an ağā

In the late 16th century the celibacy rule and other restrictions were relaxed, and by the early 18th century the original method of recruitment was abandoned

The Janissaries frequently engineered palace coups in the 17th and 18th centuries, and in the early 19th century they resisted the adoption of European reforms by the army

Their end came in June 1826 in the so-called Auspicious Incident

On learning of the formation of new, westernized troops, the Janissaries revolted Sultan Mahmud II declared war on the rebels and, on their refusal to surrender,

had cannon fire directed on their barracks Most of the Janissaries were killed, and those who were taken prisoner were

executed

Facts about Suleyman the Magnificent Considered the greatest of the Ottoman sultans, Suleyman brought the empire to its

height when the empire stretched to its greatest reaches and a golden age occurred Suleyman was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566 who not only

undertook bold military campaigns that enlarged his realm but also oversaw the development of what came to be regarded as the most characteristic achievements of Ottoman civilization in the fields of law, literature, art, and architecture

Suleyman even captured Belgrade and laid siege to the city of Vienna Difficulties of time and distance and of bad weather and lack of supplies, no less

than the resistance of the Christians, forced the sultan to raise the siege on Vienna but Suleyman nonetheless conquered many other lands

Süleyman surrounded himself with administrators and statesmen of unusual ability, men such as his grand viziers (chief ministers) İbrahim, Rüstem, and Mehmed Sokollu

Ulama (specialists in Islamic law) made the period memorable, as did the great Turkish poet Bâḳî and the architect Sinan

Süleyman built strong fortresses to defend the places he took from the Christians and adorned the cities of the Islamic world (including Mecca, Damascus, and Baghdad) with mosques, bridges, aqueducts, and other public works

In general, Süleyman completed the task of transforming the previously Byzantine city of Constantinople into Istanbul, a worthy center for a great Turkish and Islamic empire

“People of the Book” in Islam Islamic law made a distinction between two categories of non-Muslim subjects—

pagans and dhimmis (“protected peoples,” or “peoples of the book”; i.e., those peoples who based their religious beliefs on sacred texts, such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians)

The Muslim rulers tolerated the dhimmis and allowed them to practice their religion

In return for protection and as a mark of their submission, the dhimmis were required to pay a special poll tax known as the jizya

The jizya was a head or poll tax Effects of the Development of Agriculture

Sedentary villages Class divisions Patriarchy Slavery Epidemic diseases Population density increased

Primary Centers of Learning in Medieval Western Europe The Roman Catholic Church unified Western Europeans in a time of political

fragmentation and monasteries served as the primary centers of learning in Western Europe during the feudal era

Many monasteries performed important tasks within their community They were the only source of some form of medical treatment Some monasteries were renowned centers of learning and culture Others, such as the priory at Lindisfarne, gained fame for the piety of the monks

who lived and worked there Life in a place such as Lindisfarne was harsh even if the monastery itself was

wealthy. Only Oxford and Cambridge Universities could surpass some monasteries as centers

of learning All monks had to read and write as these were fundamental skills for the role they

had within the monastery

Facts about the Atlantic Slave Trade Over the period of the Atlantic Slave Trade, from approximately 1526 to 1867, some

12.5 million slaves had been shipped from Africa, and 10.7 million had arrived in the Americas

The Atlantic Slave Trade was likely the most costly in human life of all of long-distance global migrations

The volume of slaves carried off from Africa reached thirty thousand per year in the 1690s and eighty-five thousand per year a century later

More than eight out of ten Africans forced into the slave trade made their journeys in the century and a half after 1700.

By 1820, nearly four Africans for every one European had crossed the Atlantic About four out of every five females that traversed the Atlantic were from Africa Well over 90 percent of enslaved Africans were imported into the Caribbean and

South America Only about 6 percent of African captives were sent directly to British North

America. Yet by 1825, the United States had a quarter of people of African ancestry in the

New World The Middle Passage was dangerous and miserable for African slaves. About twelve percent of those who embarked did not survive the voyage African slaves replaced a dying Native American Indian population European slave traders’ account books would be a useful source of evidence for

research about the profits of Portuguese and British slave traders in the period 1600-1800 as these books would show the number of slaves sold and the prices received

Treatment of Christians in Tokugawa Japan Christians were brutally persecuted and driven into secrecy

Before the Tokugawa shoguns came to power, in 1543 the Portuguese traders reach Japan (were actually shipwrecked there) and were soon followed by the Jesuit missionary order (established in 1540) in the person of St. Francis Xavier who arrives in Japan in 1549

The Jesuits worked among the daimyo of the samurai class and were initially well received by leading daimyo

However, the reunification of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1600 brought with it an emphasis on the reestablishment of order following a century of civil war and turmoil

Aware of the political and religious domination of the Philippines since the Spanish colonized the country in 1565, the Japanese political leaders were suspicious of the Dominican and Franciscan missionaries that arrived in Japan from the Philippines and worked among the non-samurai classes

The Japanese daimyo moved to curtail missionary activity beginning in the 1590s In 1606, the new Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, proscribed Christianity (just at a time

the Jesuits were being received at the imperial court in China), and by 1614 a concerted effort to end all Christian practice was underway

There were an estimated 300,000 Christians in Japan at this time.) Apprehensive about the spread of Christianity, Ieyasu expelled all Portuguese and

Spanish missionaries, among them Joao Rodrigues, and persecuted Japanese Christians thereby greatly reducing the Christian presence from Japan

Christianity was viewed as a divisive and foreign threat that could lead to civil war or dissension in Japan

Facts about the Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League dominated trade in the Baltic region The Hanseatic League, also called Hansa, German Hanse, was an organization

founded by north German towns and German merchant communities abroad to protect their mutual trading interests

The league dominated commercial activity in northern Europe from the 13th to the 15th century

Hanse was a medieval German word for “guild,” or “association,” derived from a Gothic word for “troop,” or “company”

Northern German mastery of trade in the Baltic Sea was achieved with striking speed and completeness in the late 12th and early 13th centuries

While overseas, the German merchants had tended increasingly to form associations (“hanses”) with each other in order to secure common action against robbers and pirates

From the mid-13th century this cooperation became much more extensive and regularized, and by 1265 all the north German towns having the “law of Lübeck” had agreed on common legislation for the defense of merchants and their goods

The Hanseatic League attempted to protect its ship convoys and caravans by quelling pirates and brigands, and it fostered safe navigation by building lighthouses and training pilots

Most importantly, it sought to organize and control trade throughout northern Europe by winning commercial privileges and monopolies and by establishing trading bases oversea

The Hanseatic League’s aggressively protectionist trading practices often aroused opposition from foreign merchants

The league typically used gifts and loans to foreign political leaders to protect its commercial privileges, and when this proved inadequate, it threatened to withdraw its trade and occasionally became involved in embargoes and blockades

The league died slowly as England contested with the Netherlands for dominance in northern European commerce and Sweden emerged as the chief commercial power in the Baltic Sea region

The Hanseatic League’s diet met for the last time in 1669

Facts about Muslims in Northern India Over two hundred years, between the 1000s and 1200s, Muslims seized parts of

northern India The Delhi Sultanate was the principal Muslim sultanate in north India from the 13th

to the 16th century Of course, even before a Muslim kingdom in a predominantly Hindu subcontinent,

Muslim merchants interacted with Indians as early as the seventh century C.E. The power of the Delhi sultanate in north India was shattered by the invasion

(1398–99) of Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), who sacked Delhi itself And of course, by the 1500s, the Mughal Dynasty was established by Babur, a

descendant of Timur (Timur was a son-in-law of Chinggis Khan) The Delhi sultanate made no break with the political traditions of the later Hindu

period – namely, that rulers sought paramountcy rather than sovereignty It never reduced Hindu chiefs to unarmed impotence or established an exclusive

claim to allegiance The sultan was served by a heterogeneous elite of Turks, Afghans, Khaljīs, and

Hindu converts; he readily accepted Hindu officials and Hindu vassals Threatened for long periods with Mongol invasion from the northwest and

hampered by indifferent communications, the Delhi sultans perforce (by force of circumstances) left a large discretion to their local governors and officials

Similarities Buddhism and Christianity Although different in many ways, there are similarities Buddhism and Christianity provided alternatives to marriage for women Women could become nuns in monastic orders Yet nuns were still subordinate to monks In monastic orders, women had some degree of autonomy within their convents Buddhism and Christianity are also similar in that their founders were members of

other religions and modified those religions Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was raised a Hindu Jesus was a Jewish carpenter and teacher In addition, both belief systems owned monasteries, spread across trade routes, and

appealed to a variety of social classes

Yes, Buddhism and Christianity spread on trade routes and appealed to a variety of social classes because it promised a kind of salvation for all people

Buddhism promises an end of suffering for all people Christianity promises salvation for all people Both Buddhism and Christianity place an emphasis on missionary activity

Concepts of Dharma and Karma in Hinduism and Buddhism Both Hindus and Buddhists accept the concepts of dharma and karma Both Hindus and Buddhists believe that all actions have consequences or that

karma exists Hindus believe in dharma as the rules of the caste Buddhists believe in dharma as the teachings of the Buddha Both Hindus and Buddhists also believe in samsara or reincarnation

Comparison – Impact of fall of Rome and Collapse of Han on Respective Regions The collapse of empire was more severe in Western Europe than it was in the

eastern Mediterranean or China because continual waves of nomadic invasions made recovery difficult

Both the Western Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty collapsed due to borderland invasions

Yes, invaders led to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty

However, in the Western Roman Empire, wave after wave of “barbarian” invaders threatened Western Europe and thus, in the early Medieval period in Western Europe it was a very dangerous time with people huddled together on manors for protection

In China, the collapse of the Han Dynasty was devastating but it led to internal power struggles for several centuries before a strong dynasty could reunify China again

The Medieval period in Western Europe lasted one thousand years and though over time, peace and stability returned to the land, political fragmentation continued whereas China was reunified again under the Sui Dynasty

Sunni and Shi’a Divide in Islam Muhammad died unexpectedly before picking a successor Thus, disagreement over leadership succession issues arose Sunni Muslims believe that any pious Muslim man can lead the Islamic umma or

community Shi’a Muslims believe that leadership of the community should be through ʿAli, the

Prophet’s son-in-law ʿAli was the fourth of the Righteously Guided caliphs and was assassinated After the assassination of ʿAli, Shi’a believed that the rightful caliph was murdered

and have believed that only a descendant from the Prophet’s family should rule the Islamic umma

Thus, a clear line of succession was NOT established after Muhammad’s death

Johannes Gutenberg Johannes Gutenberg was responsible for the invention of movable type in the West Yes, the Chinese invented woodblock printing and even movable type printing but

in China, there was less reliance on movable type printing as woodblock printing was very efficient

However, Johannes Gutenberg was the first Westerner responsible for movable type printing in Western Europe

Johannes Gutenberg was born 14th century in Mainz [Germany] German craftsman and inventor who originated a method of printing from movable

type that was used without important change until the 20th century The unique elements of his invention consisted of a mold, with punch-stamped

matrices (metal prisms used to mold the face of the type) with which type could be cast precisely and in large quantities; a type-metal alloy; a new press, derived from those used in wine making, papermaking, and bookbinding; and an oil-based printing ink

None of these features existed in Chinese or Korean printing, or in the existing European technique of stamping letters on various surfaces, or in woodblock printing

The printing press greatly increased the production of books thereby leading to a drop in the price of books – allowing more people to purchase books and thereby increasing literacy

Diffusion in Africa [Think Islam on trade routes] Diffusion is the spread of cultural ideas and objects Trade is a great conduit for the spread of cultural ideas and objects Islam spread into sub-Saharan Africa along trade routes [i.e. the Trans-Saharan

trade routes in West Africa and the Indian Ocean trade routes in East Africa] Islam in Africa is an example of diffusion as Islam originated in Arabia A mosque erected in the fourteenth century in the modern-day West African

country of Mali best exemplifies the spread of religion along trade routes

Facts of Confucianism Confucius lived during the Zhou Dynasty in the period known as the “Age of

Warring States” In this time of chaos and disorder, Confucius sought to restore peace and harmony He came to believe that when people act according to their stations in life, there is

order and when there is order, there is peace He spoke of Five Relationships (Emperor-Subject, Father-Son, Husband-Wife,

Elder Brother-Younger Brother, and Friend and Friend) In a relationship, there is a superior and an inferior When the superior acts like a superior and rules benevolently by providing for the

inferior and guiding the inferior and the inferior obeys the superior, there is peace and harmony in society

Confucius also believed that men were pretty much alike but that education them better men

Patriarchy was definitely a feature of Confucianism as a woman is always an inferior according to the Five Relationships

Confucius encouraged his followers to follow the ethical rules that promoted harmony and order

Facts of Turks The Turks were groups of people entered the Middle East in the eleventh century

C.E. and came to dominate most of Anatolia The Turks were Central Asian nomads They migrated into Anatolia and under Osman Bey, established the Ottoman

Empire The Turks were skilled warriors on horseback The Turks are considered the third carriers of Islam after the Arabs and Persians

Impact on Disease in Sixteenth-Century Mesoamerica The largest decline in percentage of global population in history occurred as a result

of epidemics in sixteenth-century Mesoamerica New diseases from Western Europeans decimated the indigenous populations of the

Americas Smallpox in particular was a devastating disease In some parts of the Americas, 90% of the indigenous population died – leading

some historians to refer to this tragedy as the “Great Dying

Comparison – Ships of Zheng He and Columbus From 1405 until 1433, the Chinese imperial eunuch Zheng He led seven ocean

expeditions for the Ming emperor Over sixty of the three hundred seventeen ships on the first voyage were enormous

“Treasure Ships,” sailing vessels over 400 hundred feet long, 160 feet wide, with several stories, nine masts and twelve sails, and luxurious staterooms complete with balconies

The likes of these ships had never before been seen in the world, and it would not be until World War I that such an armada would be assembled again

During the first expeditions, Zheng He traveled all the way from China to Southeast Asia and then on to India, all the way to major trading sites on India's southwest coast

In his fourth voyage, he traveled to the Persian Gulf Zheng eventually went all the way to east coast of Africa The European Caravel on the other hand was a significantly smaller vessel A Caravel was a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th

century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean

The lateen sails gave the caravel its speed and the capacity for sailing to windward Find images of both to visually recognize the ships and their differences

Griots in West Africa Oral historians of West Africa

Societies in the Sahel and Savanna regions of West Africa have long kept their own history, in their own languages, orally, in the form of epics

Griots were masters of words and music The male griots and female griottes were historians, genealogists, advisers to

nobility, entertainers, messengers, and praise singers The griot established his authority by connecting himself to the past – through his

memory, the griot preserved the story of his people

Gunpowder Empires The Islamic gunpowder empires were the Safavid, the Ottoman, and the Mughal The gunpowder empires of Asia are the Safavid, Ottoman, Mughal and Tokugawa These empires all had gunpowder weapons and gunpowder technology

Patriarchal Society In a patriarchal society, male dominance is the norm Women are considered inferior and must be protected In a patriarchal society, power resides with men

Mosque An Islamic house of worship Geometric patterns and designs are used to decorate a mosque

Art in Islam In general, geometric art is preferred in Islam As only God is the creator, Muslims prefer that art not be an imitation of God's

creation but rather based on patterns and beautiful geometric designs Geometric designs prevent idolatry

The Islamic Umma The Islamic umma was the concept of the community of the faithful that

transcended clan boundaries Umma is the Arabic word for the Islamic community Membership in the Umma is based on belief not birth Umma means the “community of the faithful” All Muslims are members of the umma

Beliefs of Buddhism The Four Noble Truths

- Life has suffering- Desire causes suffering- Suffering can end

- Follow the Noble Eightfold Path - Eight actions to provide a path to end suffering such as Right Speech and Right Concentration

Nirvana is the end of suffering There are two major sects of Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana

Theravada Buddhism requires practitioners to find their own way to nirvana but adhering to the dharma or the teachings of the Buddha

Mahayana Buddhism has a belief in Bodhisattvas or spiritual beings who have attained enlightenment but remain on Earth to bring other suffering beings to the shores of nirvana or to the end of suffering

Importance of Point of View in World History Point of View analysis occurs when the reader identifies the author of the text and

determines who the individual recording the information is What class is the author from? What gender? What information can I gather from

the individual that will provide insight into why the author might express his thoughts as he does?

When we read a primary source, we want to reflect on the author for a moment in order to better understand the passage

Of course, we do not want to jump to conclusions either Each text will speak for itself The African proverb, “Until the lions have their historians, tales of hunting will

always glorify the hunter,” conveys the idea that history usually reflects the viewpoint of the victors

Cash crops in Americas [1450 – 1750] In the period 1450-1750, cash crops such as sugar and tobacco were produced on

large plantations by slave labor and were significant commodities in the growing world market

Sugar and tobacco were grown on plantations with African slave labor

Indian Ocean Trade in the Early Modern Era Indian Ocean commerce flourished and was conducted by a mixture of Asian,

Middle Eastern, and East African merchants Indian Ocean trade connected Southeast Asia, South China, India, Arabia and East

Africa in commercial activity In East Africa, Swahili city-states flourished as a result of Indian Ocean Trade Indian Ocean Trade even flourished in 1000 to 1450 but flourished even earlier Zheng He, the great Chinese explorer from the Ming Dynasty, traveled along the

Indian Ocean trade routes all the way to East Africa and brought a giraffe back to the Beijing Zoo

Calicut in India was the pepper capital of the world Monsoons winds, blowing predictably for half of the year in one direction and then

in the other direction for the other half of the year, were used by navigators in the Indian Ocean basin

India was the fulcrum of the trade route In recent decades, many world historians have challenged the commonly held view

that Europeans controlled the largest share of world trade in the seventeenth through the eighteenth centuries because European merchants transported only a fraction of the goods shipped globally

Comparison – Ottomans and Mughals Both the Ottoman and Mughal empires were established by skilled warriors on

horseback who came originally from Central Asia The Ottoman and Mughals were both Islamic empires The Ottomans ruled over a culturally diverse community of Muslims, Jews, and

Christians The Mughals were a Muslim minority ruling a Hindu majority in the Indian

subcontinent The Ottomans and the Mughals were both gunpowder empires

Swahili Swahili was a language that developed after 1000 C.E. as a direct result of

expanding global trade patterns Swahili is a Bantu language that has been greatly influenced by Arabic The language dates from the contacts of Arabian traders with the inhabitants of the

east coast of Africa over many centuries Under Arab influence, Swahili originated as a lingua franca [a common language

among speakers whose native languages are different] used by several closely related Bantu-speaking tribal groups

In the early 19th century, the spread of Swahili inland received a great impetus from its being the language of the Arab ivory and slave caravans, which penetrated as far north as Uganda and as far west as Congo

Facts about West African Kingdom of Mali The Mali Empire was the second of three West African empires to emerge in the

vast savanna grasslands located between the Sahara Desert to the north and the coastal rain forest in the south

The Mali Empire was strategically located between the West African gold mines and the agriculturally rich Niger River floodplain

Mali’s rise begins when the political leaders of Ghana could not reestablish that empire’s former glory following its conquest and occupation by the Almoravids in 1076

Consequently a number of small states vied to control the salt and gold trade that accounted for Ghana’s wealth and power

In 1235 Sundiata Keita, the leader of one of these states, Kangaba, defeated its principal rival, the neighboring kingdom of Susu, and began consolidating power in the region

Sundiata’s conquest in 1235 is considered the founding of the Malian Empire Under Sundiata’s successors Mali extended its control west to the Atlantic, south

into the rain forest region, including the Wangara gold fields, and east beyond the great bend of the Niger River

The emperor or mansa ruled Trade was centered in three major cities, Timbuktu, Djenne and Gao Between 1324 and 1325 Mansa Musa, the most famous of the Malian Emperors,

made an elaborate pilgrimage to Mecca in Arabia, bringing thousands of followers and hundreds of camels carrying gold

Through the highly publicized pilgrimage and indirectly through an elaborate trade that sent gold to the capitals of Europe and Asia, Mali and its ruler became famous throughout the known world

Mali’s power, however, was eventually weakened by palace intrigue that prevented an orderly succession of imperial power and by the desire of smaller states to break free of its rule to reap the benefits of the salt and gold trade

Medieval Europe After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Western Europe entered a period of

political fragmentation as competing kingdoms warred with one another for land and power

Feudalism developed in this age of warfare In feudalism, land is exchanged for military service As kings are weak; they depend on their lords to provide them with more knights,

more soldiers In return for military service, kings give land to their lords The manor is the lord’s land and serfs lived and worked on manors in return for

protection A serf is a worker bound to his lord’s land A serf owes his lord labor and fees and in return is protected from dangerous

invaders The social hierarchy of medieval Europe consisted of kings, lords [vassals], knights,

monks, and serfs Manorialism is the economic system of the medieval period as people lived and

worked on self-sufficient manors as trade was dangerous However, by the High Middle Ages, invasions had stopped and commerce and

urbanization began to increase One reason that helps to explain why the collapse of political institutions was more

devastating to the Roman civilization than to Han China or Gupta India was that Han China and Gupta India had strong religious/philosophical traditions to provide continuity

Hindu Concept of Samsara Samsara is the Hindu and Buddhist concept of rebirth or reincarnation The Hindu concept of samsara is BEST described by a belief that one’s soul

lives, dies, and is reborn many times, until it is pure enough to escape the cycle of rebirth

In Hinduism, release from samsara occurs when the soul is perfected and reunited with Brahman or moksha

In Buddhism, release from samsara occurs when suffering ends and nirvana is achieved