6 th Century

1. 6th Century

2. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire late in the previous century, Europe fractured into many small Germanic Kingdoms, which competed fiercely for land and wealth. From this upheaval the Franks rose to prominence, and carved out a sizeable domain encompassing much of modern France and Germany. Meanwhile, the surviving Eastern Roman Empire began to expand under the emperor Justinian, who eventually recaptured North Africa from the Vandals, and attempted to fully recover Italy as well in the hope of re-establishing Roman control over the lands once ruled by the Western Roman Empire. Following Justinian's death, most of his gains were lost. 6th Century

3. During its second Golden Age, the Sassanid Empire (was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651) reached the peak of its power under Khosrau I in the 6th century. The classical Gupta Empire (was an Ancient Indian empire which existed approximately from 320 to 550 CE and covered much of the Indian Subcontinent) of Northern India, largely overrun by the Huna, ended in the mid-6th century. After being divided for more than 150 years into the Southern and Northern Dynasties, China was reunited under the Sui Dynasty toward the end of the 6th century. The Göktürks became a major power in Central Asia after defeating the Rouran. In the Americas, Teotihuacan (is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas) began to decline in the 6th century after having reached its zenith between AD 150 and 450. Classic Period of the Maya civilization in Central America. 6th Century

4. 7th Century

5. The Muslim conquests began with the unification of Arabia by Prophet Muhammad starting in 622. After Prophet Muhammed's death in 632, Islam expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula under the Rashidun Caliphate (632–661) and the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750). The Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century led to the downfall of the Sassanid Empire. Also conquered during the 7th century were Syria, Palestine, Armenia, Egypt, and North Africa. The Eastern Empire continued suffering setbacks during the rapid expansion of the Arab Empire. Although life in the countryside deteriorated, Constantinople grew to become the largest and wealthiest city in the world. It is estimated that the Plague of Justinian killed as many as 100 million people across the world. It caused Europe's population to drop by around 50% between 550 and 700. 7th Century

6. In the 7th century, Harsha united Northern India, which had reverted to small republics and states after the fall of the Gupta Empire in the 6th century. In China, the Sui Dynasty was replaced by the Tang Dynasty, which set up its military bases from Korea to Central Asia, and was next to the Arabian later. China began to reach it's top time. Silla allied itself with the Tang Dynasty to unite the Korean Peninsula under one ruler. 7th Century

7. Muslim conquests (632–732) also referred to as the Islamic conquests or Arab conquests, of non-Arab peoples began after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He established a new unified polity in the Arabian Peninsula which under the subsequent Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Caliphs) and Umayyad Caliphates saw a century of rapid expansion of Muslim power. Arab Empire

8. Abu Bakr, the first successor of Muhammad, according to Sunni beliefs, nominated Umar as his successor on his deathbed, and there was consensus in the Muslim community to his choice. Umar Ibn Khattab, the second caliph, was killed by a servant. His successor, Uthman Ibn Affan, was elected by a council of electors, but was soon perceived by some to be ruling as a "king" rather than an elected leader. Uthman was killed by members of a disaffected group. Ali then took control but was not universally accepted as caliph by the governors of Egypt, and later by some of his own guard. He faced two major rebellions and was assassinated after a tumultuous rule of only five years. This period is known as the Fitna, or the first Islamic civil war. Under the Rashidun each region of the Caliphate had its own governor. Muawiyah, a relative of Uthman and governor of Syria, became one of Ali's challengers and after Ali's death managed to overcome the other claimants to the Caliphate. Muawiyah transformed the caliphate into a hereditary office, thus founding the Umayyad dynasty. Arab Empire

9. Expansion of Islam

10. Under the Umayyads, the Caliphate grew rapidly in territory. Islamic rule expanded westward across North Africa and into Hispania and eastward through Persia and ultimately to the ancient lands of Indus Valley, in modern day Pakistan, and Abhisara, present-day Kashmir. This made it one of the largest unitary states in history and one of the few states to ever extend direct rule over three continents (Africa, Europe, and Asia). Although not ruling all of the Sahara, homage was paid to the Caliph by Saharan Africa, usually via various nomad Berber tribes. However, it should be noted that, although these vast areas may have recognised the supremacy of the Caliph, de facto power was in the hands of locals sultans and emirs. For a variety of reasons, including that they were not elected via Shura and suggestions of impious behaviour, the Umayyad dynasty was not universally supported within the Muslim community. Some supported prominent early Muslims like Al-Zubayr; others felt that only members of Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim, or his own lineage, the descendants of Ali, should rule. Ummayads

11. The Umayyad dynasty was overthrown by another family of Meccan origin, the Abbasids, in 750. The Abbasids had an unbroken line of Caliphs for over three centuries, consolidating Islamic rule and cultivating great intellectual and cultural developments in the Middle East. By 940, however, the power of the Caliphate under the Abbasids was waning as non-Arabs, particularly the Berbers of the Maghrib, the Turks, and the Mamluks in Egypt, gained influence. During the period of the Abbasid dynasty, Abbasid claims to the caliphate did not go unchallenged. The Shiʻa Ubayd Allah al-Mahdi Billah of the Fatimid dynasty, which claimed descent from Muhammad through his daughter, claimed the title of Caliph in 909, creating a separate line of caliphs in North Africa. Initially controlling Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, the Fatimid caliphs extended their rule for the next 150 years, taking Egypt and Palestine, before the Abbasid dynasty was able to turn the tide, limiting Fatimid rule to Egypt. The Fatimid dynasty finally ended in 1171. The Umayyad dynasty, which had survived and come to rule over the Muslim provinces of Spain, reclaimed the title of Caliph in 929, lasting until it was overthrown in 1031. Abbasids

12. End of 7th Century

13. During this century, the Middle East, the coast of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula rapidly come under Islamic Arab domination. The westward expansion of the Arab Empire is famously halted at the Siege of Constantinople by the Bulgarians (718) and the Battle of Tours by the Franks (736). The tide of Arab conquest came to an end in the middle of the 8th century. Late in the century the Vikings, seafaring peoples from Scandinavia, begin raiding the coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean, and go on to found several important kingdoms. The Pala Empire is founded in Bengal. Chinese Emperor Xuanzong brings the Tang Dynasty to its pinnacle. The Mayas in Yucatan are at their peak at this time. Very little is known of their history. 8th Century

14. End of 8th Century

15. In 751, with the approval of the papacy and the nobility, Pepin the Short deposed the last Frankish Merovingian king, Childeric III, and had himself crowned, inaugurating a new dynasty, the Carolingians. The unification of most of what is now western and central Europe under one chief ruler provided a fertile ground for the continuation of what is known as the Carolingian Renaissance. Despite the almost constant internecine warfare that beset the Carolingian Empire, the extension of Frankish rule and Roman Christianity over such a large area ensured a fundamental unity throughout the Empire. At the beginning of the 800s, Charlemagne's Frankish Empire was by far the strongest Christian power that Europe has seen since the time of Theodosius four centuries earlier. After Charlemagne's death, Franks divided into East and West Franks. They could not resist the raids of the Vikings, which was a major problem for Western Europe in the 9th century. 9th Century

16. The raids of the Vikings were the unifying force for most of Europe. England united under Alfred against the Danes and even defeated them in 866. The Picts combined with the Scots, about 850, to form the nation we now call Scotland. Moravia was the first Slavic state of note. It had been part of Charlemagne's Empire, but had become independent after his death. The prince of Moravia, Rastislav, made a treaty with Byzantine Empire in 862, and the next year two Greek monks were sent to Moravia. These were two brothers Cyril and Methodius. In order to translate the Bible into the Slavic tongue, the brothers invented an alphabet, based on that of Greek. This is the “Cyrillic alphabet” and it is still used today by several Slavic nations, notably Russia. 9th Century

17. End of 9th Century

18. The 10th century is usually regarded as a low point in European history. In China it was also a period of political upheaval. In the Muslim World, however, it was a cultural zenith, especially in Spain. Additionally, the 10th century was the zenith for the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires. In 919, the first use of gunpowder in battle occurred with the Chinese Battle of Lang-shan Jiang (Wolf Mountain River), where the naval fleet of the Wen-Mu-King defeated Chien Yuan Kuan because Wen had used 'fire oil' of gunpowder-fuse ignited flamethrowers to burn Chien's fleet. Seljuks convert to Islam. Viking groups settle in northern France—Norse become Normans. 10th Century

19. End of 10th Century

20. ... around 650, the first Chinese Paper money is issued... ... in 672, Greek fire invented in Constantinople.... ... around 680, the stirrup introduced to Persia from China... ... around 690, earliest known record of the game Chatrang, predecessor to Chess... ... around 690, the first uses of a "goose-egg" sign for zero appear in Cambodia and Sumatra, although the Chinese had longed used an empty space as a placeholder and later Mesopotamian numeration also used a sign as a placeholder; it is not clear when 0 comes to be understood as a number and not just a placeholder... ... around 720, the Chinese Buddhist monk Yi Xing applies a clockwork escapement mechanism to operate and rotate his astronomical celestial globe... ... around 750, horse collar in use in Northern Europe, perhaps introduced from Asia... ... around 750, papermaking introduced from China to Arabs... ... around 770, iron horseshoes came into common use... … to 800 AD ...

21. ... around 800, first under-arm deodorant was used... ... around 800, first beauty parlour... ... around 800, first oil well in Azerbaijan was in use... ... around 830, Al-Khowarizmi's Al-jabr wa'l muqabalah, known in the West as Algebra, gives methods for solving all equations of the first and second degree with positive roots... ... around 850, Abbas Ibn Firnas produced first clear colourless high-purity glass... ... around 850, Taoist monks or alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality had serendipitously stumbled upon gunpowder... ... in 868, first known printed book, the Diamond Sutra, printed in China using woodblock printing... ... around 900, Al-Battani calculates the length of the year; he also determines more accurately than his predecessors the precession of the equinoxes... ... in 953, Al-Muizz Lideenillah of Egypt built the first fountain pen... … to 1000 AD ...