POST-CLASSICAL AGE

1. POST-CLASSICAL AGE • 6th century CE to 1450 CE • Began with rise of Islam • First trans-regional civilization • Spans Eurasia and Africa • Era of two great powers: Islam, China • Ended due to Turks, Mongols, Black Death • Characteristics • Spread of universalizing religions, philosophies • Saw rise of new civilization centers • Emergence of network of global contacts • Ages of Faith, Aristocracy, Increasing Inequalities

2. THEMES • State Structure • Most systems were aristocratic in nature • Most systems were decentralized • Influence of system was often more important • Agents of Change • Often trade or economic • Pastoral nomads and migration less important • Universalizing Faiths • World System or Global Contacts • No world system yet (Americas, Oceania not included) • Afro-Eurasia was a system though • Women in the Era • Less Centralized states: women have more influence • Less Aristocratic states: women have more influence • Increasing institutionalization means fewer rights

3. INTERREGIONAL NETWORKS • An Age of Faiths: Religions and Missionaries • Christianity • Roman Catholicism • Orthodoxy: Cyril and Methodius • Buddhism • Merchants spread it to East Asia, Southeast Asia • Pilgrimages to South Asia • Islam • Pilgrimage • Dar al Islam as created by the vast conquests • Sufi missionaries and merchants • Jews and Nestorians • Southeast Asia: Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam • Trading Patterns • Muslim system including Sub-Saharan Africa • Indian Ocean Systems: East Africa to Southeast Asia • East Asia • Central Asia: The Silk Road and Nomads • Western European – Mediterranean and North Sea

4. THE ISLAMIC WORLD • Bedouin Origins • Muhammad and Early Islam • The Quran, The Jihad • The Sharia and Ulama • The Five Pillars • The Orthodox Caliphs • The Caliphate • The Sunni-Shia Split • The Umayyads and Abassid • Dhimmi status and “People of the Book” • The Sultan and Vizier • The Roles of the Turks and Mongols • Other Muslim Worlds • Muslims in Spain • Muslims in Central Asia • Muslims in Africa • Muslims in Southeast Asia • Structural Change: Fragmentation:,Sultans, Viziers, Harem • Dar al Islam provides cultural, religious unity to region

5. THE PERIPHERIES • Sub-Saharan Africa • Sahel: Ghana, Mali, Songhai • East Africa: Swahilis, Ethiopia • Southern Africa: Kongo, Zimbabwe • Tribute empires, syncretic blending • South Asia • Post-Harsha: Regional divisions, caste stability • From Muslims to the Sultanate of Delhi • Arabs conquer Al-Sind, raid, trade into N. India • Turks establish a Mameluk Sultanate • Southern India: A Hindu Renaissance, commercial • Vaisaya caste expands with commere

6. CHUNG KUO: CHINA • The 2nd Warring States Period 220 – 589 CE • Nomadic conquerors intermixing with sedentary Chinese • Spread of Buddhism • Sui Dynasty reunited China; the Grand Canal • Tang Dynasty • The Golden Age of China • Bureaucracy and Civil Service through Confucian exams • Scholar Gentry • Song Dynasty • Merchants have upper hand • Great technological and commercial innovation • Gunpowder, compass, porcelain, movable type printing • Why was China so strong • Twice flowering rice increased harvests • Settlement of marginal lands, use of terraces • Capitalism as opposed to mercantilism • Currency based economy • Neo-Confucianism blends Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism

7. ON CHINA’S PERIPHERY • Sinification vs. Indigenous Development • Tribute System vs. Annexation • Japan • Yamato Clan unifies Japan (Shinto) • Nara: Prince Shotoku copies Chinese style of state (Confucianism) • Buddhism enters through contacts • Heian: Japanese develop their own culture • Court Elite vs Rural Elite vs majority of population • Military elite assumes increasing power not scholar gentry • Korea • Korguyo; Silla unifies Korea • Confucian but not as rigid; Buddhism as balance • Slavery continues to exist in large numbers • Vietnam • Chinese attempts to control area until 1000 CE • Vietnamese independence: Sinified elite different from commoners • Women have great influence at court, in local matters

8. SOUTHEAST ASIA • Transition between Indian Ocean, China • Decentralized State Structures, Feudalism, Tribute • Funan • Khmer Empire • Srivijayan Empire • Malacca • Interactions • Commerce and Trade • Spread of Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam • Syncretism • Hierarchical Systems Different: Gender

9. THE BYZANTINES AS BUFFERS • The Byzantines • Insulated Europe from Arabs, Turks • Civilized, Christianized the Slavs especially Russians • Preserved Greco-Roman Culture • Helped spread Arabic learning to the west • Monasticism was an Eastern development • The Schism • A contest of wills between the pope, emperor • When west was young, pope was weak • As west emerged, pope got stronger • The split was over the authority of the pope • What occurred in 1054 was many centuries in coming

10. DEVELOPMENTS IN EUROPE • Blending Traditions • Christianity, Germanic Custom, Roman Law • The Structures from 5th century to 1000 CE • From Kingdoms to the Franks to the Holy Roman Empire • The Roman Catholic Church • Caesaro-papism or Papal Supremacy • The Investiture Crisis • Monasticism • Feudalism • Aristocracy, reciprocity, and primogeniture • Local rule, local self-defense, fiefs, vassals • Manorialism including serfdom, manors, autarky • Vikings: Raid, Trade, Settle, New States • A Changing Europe: After 1000 CE • Rise of Towns and with it the rise of the bourgeoisie • Commerce and Great Fairs: use of money rather than barter • Scholasticism and Chivalry • The Black Death leads to labor shortages • Peasant Rebellions • Wars devastate the aristocracy • Rise of centralizing monarchs using law, taxes not custom • The Crusades as Contacts for Change

11. THE 14TH CENTURY IN EUROPE • Expanded Warfare • 100 Years War: Technology vs. Aristocratic Chivalry • Reconquista in Iberia • The New Monarchy and Nationalism • Centralizing royalty vs. decentralized feudalism • Spain, England, France • The Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism • The papacy was undermined by squabbling • Never theological but was always political • People began to question need for the pope • Heresies occurred as did some attempts to reform church • The Renaissance • An expression of commercial prosperity • Began in Italy in the 1300s with emphasis on arts • The “We/Sacred” gave way to “I/Secular” • Glorification of the Classical produced new ideas • Humanism and Science

12. THE END DISRUPTIONS • The Impact of the Mongols • Destroyed all existing state structure • Destroyed agriculture in some areas • Left a vacuum upon collapse, helped create new systems • Forced states, peoples to adapt, adopt to survive • Increased contacts between distant Eurasian parts • Spread Diseases • Exchanged Technologies • Movement of Peoples

13. DISCONNECTED: THE AMERICAS • Paleolithic, Neolithic Peoples Existed During this period • Americas also had these phases, which lasted longer • Nomadic hunters, gatherers, fishers • Settled agricultural communities in many places of Americas • Subsistence vs. surplus; Irrigation systems • Differentiated labor systems and hierarchy • Ceremonial centers and pyramids • Americas Post-Classical Civilizations • Centers • Mesoamerica • Toltecs • Mayans • Aztec • Andean South America • Chimu, Mohica • Incas • Contacts Between Centers Limited but corn did spread • Technology had not changed much over millennia • Roles of Merchants, Roles of Diplomats

14. URBAN CENTERS • Cities • Cosmopolitan cultures • Centers of exchanges and commerce • Dar al Islam and China • Both civilizations were centered on cities, urban cultures • Had most of the world cities with large populations • Geographic World • China: Chang-an (Xian), Hangzhou, Canton • Central Asia: Samarkand • West Africa: Timbuktu • East Africa: Swahili Cities • Dar al Islam: Baghdad, Cairo, Cordoba • Western Europe: Venice, the Hansa • Southeast Asia: Srivijaya, Malacca • Southern Asia: Calicut • Eastern Europe: Kiev, Constantinople, Novgorod • Meso-Americas: Teotihuacan, Tikal, Tenochitlan

15. DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES • Cultural Diffusion through migration or Indigenous Development • Migrations • Agricultural Peoples: Bantus • Comparable to Germanic migrations (but Bantu were usually not invaders) • Settlement of East, Central, Southern Africa • Diffusion of iron-making, farming, herding • State building: Kongo, Swahili trading cities • Nomadic Peoples • Comparable to Hunnic and Indo-European migrations • Arab Bedouins • Turks: Seljuk and Ottoman • Disrupted Abbasids, Byzantines, Central Asia • Introduced mameluk armies, Sultans • Produced the first European crusades • Mongols and Mughals • Disrupted most of Eurasia • Created a power vacuum • Contacts as Migration • Pilgrimage: Buddhist, Muslim, Christian • Commercial contacts along caravan and sea routes • Scholarly exchanges between Muslim and non-Muslim worlds

16. DEMOGRAPHY: DISEASES • Demographic Shift • A change in demographic patterns • Abrupt decrease in population due to illness • 6th century Bubonic Plague • Preceded spread of Arabs • Strongest impact was in SW Asia, East Africa • Black Death or 14th Century Bubonic Plague • Originated in China • Spread by Mongols throughout Eurasia • Spread throughout Mediterranean by contacts • Results • Labor Shortages: fostered growth of free, paid labor • Attacked old elites in cities producing new urban elites • Broke back of Mongols, small states • Forced states to create new means of taxation, military formations

17. SOCIAL HIERARCHY • Aristocracies: Called Gate Keepers • European classes of “those who fight” and “those who pray” • Capulis of the Aztecs and the nobles of the Mayans • Brahmins and Kshatriyas of South Asia • The landed scholar gentry (shi) of China • The daimyos and samurai of Japan • The Peasants: Those Who Work • Shudras and Pariahs of South Asia • The Peasants of East Asia • The Serfs and peasants of Western Europe, Eastern Europe • The serf like capulis of Aztecs, Mayan caste peasants • The sharecroppers and tenant farmers of the Arab world • The commercial classes are agents of change • Gender Roles • The patriarchical system increases with aristocratic societies, warrior societies • Increasing examples of subordination of women • Footbinding in China; painted faces in Japan • Veils, purdah in SW Asia and India; suttee in India • Women as legal minors, disenfranchised in Western Europe • Women as baby factories: Aztecs • Exceptions to the Rule • Women in the Catholic Church: renounce sexuality and acquire equality • Women in Bantu Africa – farmers, merchants, some rulers, matrilineal descent • Women in Southeast Asia – merchants, commerce, some rulers, matriarchy

18. DEVELOPMENTS IN ARTS & SCIENCES • The Muslims including South Asia • Preserved Past Learning Especially the Greeks • Created New Learning • Spread other civilizations‘ accomplishments • Science, Math, Geography, History, Philosophy • The Chinese and Japanese • Golden Age of Art and Poetry under Tang and Song • The Heian Age in Japan – first novels, pillow books • Ming tend to preserve culture or turn the clock backwards • The Byzantines • Icons, Hagia Sofia, Cyrillic • Western Europe • Romanesque and Gothic Architecture • Epics and Romances • Scholasticism • Mesoamerica • Higher mathematics • Astronomy and Calendars • BUT: Most of Technology remained borderline Neolithic