2025 WHH Ch. 10, Becoming the World, 1000-1300 CE PDF

Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce India as Cultural Mosaic India became an intersection for trade, migration and culture of Afro-Eurasian people due to its location, along land and sea based trade routes Ottoman Turks spilled into India, as they had into other Islamic heartlands, wit...

Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce India as Cultural Mosaic India became an intersection for trade, migration and culture of Afro-Eurasian people due to its location, along land and sea based trade routes Ottoman Turks spilled into India, as they had into other Islamic heartlands, with Islamic beliefs. They encountered a lot of ethnic and religious diversity Shifting Political Structures Before the Ottoman Turks arrived, India was divided into many regimes with rival leaders (rajas) These rajas gained support from Brahmans (religious leaders) by granting them land (**universalizing religions get govt support) Temples were built on these uncultivated lands, where indigenous hunter gatherers were converted to Hinduism and then taught how to cultivate the land (helps religion gain support) Led to Brahmans spreading Hinduism and creating a farming business model that expanded the tax base because it helped people earn income the government could tax Brahmans also compiled elaborate family backgrounds (genealogies) for rajas to legitimize their positions which created support for the rajas/political leaders (**quid pro quo-religion got govt support, govt got support due to religious support) Rajas demonstrated a high level “Sanskrit culture” (Sanskrit is the ancient Hindu/liturgical language of India) which included the following: Equestrian skills Courtly etiquette (manners of royal class) Knowledge (& willingness to financially support) artists, poets  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce India as Cultural Mosaic Shifting Political Structures When Ottoman Turkish warlords entered & invaded India, Rajas did not have will or resources to fight Turkish invasions in northern part, between Indus & Ganges Rivers although they had resisted invaders for centuries Ottoman Turkish Islamic ruler Mahmud of Ghazna (ruled 998-1030) launched expeditions from Afghan heartland into N. India & made his capital (Ghazni) a center of Islamic learning to gain status within Islam Indian rajas, who had led diverse, independent & fractured regimes/kingdoms were defeated in 1180s by Turks, who introduced their own customs while accepting local social structures (ex: hierarchical varna system); Turks constructed grand mosques, built impressive libraries Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526) Most powerful and enduring of Turkish Muslim regimes of northern India; Rulers brought political integration, strengthened cultural diversity & tolerance (did not force cultural homogeneity) Recruited local artisans for building projects (palaces & mosques) in Indian architectural style Islam never dominated South India because sultans (Turkish Islamic leaders) did not force conversion Sultans (Turkish Muslim leaders) allowed coastal trade to be controlled by locals (Persian Zoroastrians near Mumbai, Arabs on Malabar coast)  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce India as Cultural Mosaic What was India? Most diverse & in some ways, most tolerant region in Afro-Eurasia (1000s-1200s, 11th-13th c.) India was an impressive but fragile mosaic of cultures; invaders & immigrants were assimilated, eventually considered themselves Indian while holding on to their own religious (Islamic) beliefs, steppe ways/culture, clothing Local Indian populations embraced some invaders’ ways as well, ie: tunics & trousers of central Asian peoples Many languages spoken: sultans/leaders spoke Turkish languages, but because they regarded Persian literature so highly, they made Persian the administrative language while Hindus spoke their local languages Hindus/Indians/locals adhered to varna system of social hierarchy & practiced diverse forms of Hinduism Turkish Muslim rulers collected jizya tax was from non Muslim religious groups (allowed to worship as they saw fit and administer their own local/communal laws) Buddhism had been in decline in India for centuries, but Buddhist doctrines were absorbed into Hinduism (ex: ahisma/non violence; vegetarianism & the Buddha became a Hindu god- l Vishnu), Buddhist moral teachings became Hindu stories Later, 1200s/13th century, invading Turks destroyed monasteries and due to loss of Buddhist spiritual leaders, many Buddhists converted to Hinduism or Islam  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders In 1000, China was the preeminent world power despite turmoil (907-Tang dynasty split into regional kingdoms led by military generals) 960-Zhao Kuangyin, ended fragmentation, reunified China & assumed mandate of heaven for Song Dynasty (960-1279) Song Dynasty had much economic & political success, but was unable to fully control northern nomadic tribes & one of them, Mongols, brought the Song Dynasty to its end But by that time, the Song Dynasty had influenced SE Asia to the point of creating new identities in the groups/communities in the area  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders Economic and Political Developments China’s strong agrarian base (wheat, millet, rice) ensured its commercial success (people well fed) Crop cultivation benefited from improved technology in metalworking (stronger iron plows) Manufacturing also flourished (gunpowder, porcelains, clothing, handicrafts) Song Chinese saw world’s first manufacturing revolution in 1000s/11th century, producing goods on large scale, to be consumed far and wide Expanding commerce transformed role of money, which became widely circulated; but, the supply of coins could not keep up with the demand for coins. Meanwhile, in NW China, Shanxi developed paper money/“flying cash”; printed money became more common than coins (easier & lighter to carry) Song China started printing too many bills, which led to runaway inflation (large supply of cash makes it less valuable & prices go up quickly and by a lot)  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders Economic and Political Developments Song emperors expanded the central bureaucracy (number of government workers) made up of scholar-officials through competitive civil service exams (*to the right is the list of the results of the exams; Many people would become scholar-officials and enter the government because of this list.) Chinese emperors administered tests to those who made it to the final step/exam; symbolic of high level of achievement and to “demand” oaths of allegiance from those who became China’s new ruling elite Led to power shift from hereditary aristocracy to less wealthy, but more highly educated group/class of scholar-officials China’s Neighbors: Nomads, Japan, SE Asia Nomads: China’s northern neighbors, nomadic societies, formed dynasties & adopted Chinese institutions, while seeking to conquer & copy China Nomads then united against China, used Song China’s well known advanced technology & strategies against the Chinese (steel tips on arrows shot from crossbows & flamethrowers, crouching tiger catapults, incendiary bombs) Song Dynasty tried to buy off nomads, worked in the short term, but led to economic instability & military weakness (*to the right-Song China cavalry depiction) Due to Chinese strength, neighbors defined their own identities to keep from being swallowed up by China while increasing commercial transactions with China  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders China’s Neighbors: Nomads, Japan, SE Asia Japan: Kyoto, Japan was modeled after the Chinese capital and Chinese influence remained apparent at almost every level of Japanese society but outside Kyoto, military leaders, samurai warriors and wealthy landowners challenged the Japanese imperial court (headquartered in Kyoto) for power and cultural influence Early 1300s/14th century, Japan had various sources of political and cultural power Imperial family with prestige, but little authority Endangered and declining aristocracy/noble class Powerful landowners based in provinces Rising and ambitious class of samurai warriors  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders China’s Neighbors: Nomads, Japan, SE Asia SE Asia: During Song period, SE Asia became a crossroads of Afro-Eurasian influences: Malay peninsula had many entrepôts (intermediary centers of trade and transshipment), meeting places for traders traveling between India and China (connected Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean with S China Sea) SE Asia had fusion of religions & cultural influences Most powerful of the important kingdoms to emerge in the area was Khmer Empire (889-1431) with capital at Angkor in Cambodia (public works, magnificent temples-Angkor Wat) the Khmer and other neighboring kingdoms were buffers between China & India (blocked conflict, war, chaos between China & India); this created political stability and economic prosperity in SE Asia Angkor Wat-temple in Cambodia  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Song China: Insiders vs Outsiders What was China? Chinese felt distinct and culturally superior to others (called “outsiders” within their borders “barbarians” & treated them accordingly) 1300-Printing demonstrated distinct Chinese identity; Chinese were most advanced in use of printing, book publishing & circulation Calendars, Books (ex: medical, history, philosophical texts, literature, Buddhist publications, Confucian classics) established classical Chinese as common language of educated classes in E Asia (unifying force) China became wealthiest of the 4 major cultural spheres (Europe, Middle East, India, China) Despite Chinese concern over trading with outsiders whose intentions they feared, the Song government set up an office of seafaring affairs in port cities which registered cargoes, sailors & traders & monitored & taxed goods passing through China’s huge population, combined with strong agrarian base (food production) & manufacturing innovations made it wealthiest of 4 major cultural spheres (Europe, Middle East, India, China) Common language and opportunity for scholars/educated to obtain power (due to focus on education to work in government)  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Background/Review: Europe 500s-1000s: -476: Western part of Roman Empire fell after centuries of fragmentation, civil & political conflicts; imploded/fell apart from within; led to: many neighboring groups invaded (who Romans called barbarian/to whom Romans felt superior); these groups coveted Roman wealth and/or were running from the Huns (ex: Goths, Germanic tribes) -”barbarians” invaded & overran western part of the Roman Empire while holding on to ideas of what it meant to be “Roman” (cultured, sophisticated); lack of political control in western Europe/what had been the western portion of the Roman Empire led to reliance on Christian Church for support, guidance, continuity (central Christian Church founded in Rome/HQ were transferred to Rome & from there, church leaders ruled over Roman Empire & later western Europe) -because some invaders (ie: Franks, Germanic tribes) were from the north, Christianity is spread into northern Europe -feudalism (manors/compounds included lord, knights, serfs, each with specific duties) developed because average, everyday people were vulnerable to invaders as kings could not protect them; chivalry developed-damsel in distress, knight in shining armor, prince charming; move towards manorialism (more of a production compound) -800-Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor (head of Holy Roman Empire in central Europe) by Pope; established some control and continuity, but feudalism continued; then, when Charlemagne died, HRE was split, Vikings invaded  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Background/Review: Europe 500s-1000s -Feudalism lasted until about 1100s in W Europe as things became less dangerous, trade increased, people flocked to cities Christian Europe 1000-1300-Europe was region of strong contrasts: localized power balanced by shared sense of Europe’s place in the world (ie: Christian identity), more and more, people were referring to themselves as “European” (included “Cristian”), especially as contrast to Islamic World to east & south Localization of Power: Western Europe Power was localized, which means that those who actually held power were not the kings/emperors but lords of manors, local religious leaders (**kings/emperors could not protect people from invaders) after Charlemagne’s empire collapsed (had included parts of Belgium, Holland, France, N. Italy, Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe), Franks controlled the fragmented manor-based economy & social structure (feudalism/manorialism) in which peasants (serfs) were ruled by knightly class (soldiers who protected manors or conquered other manors to increase landholdings of lords)  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Christian Europe Localization of Power: Western Europe Manors had: Lord’s fortified home/castle Fields (controlled by lord, farmed by serfs/peasants who were tied to land) Village in which peasants lived (often included church, social gatherings based on religious celebrations like weddings, baptism, mass on holy days) Products: agriculture (main); brought in extra cash: manufacturing, trade (in later/high middle ages) **feudalism became manorialism where manors became more organized and higher tech production compounds  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Christian Europe Localization of Power: Eastern Europe 1100-1200-many peasants migrated from feudalist/manorialist societies (Belgium, Holland, N. Germany) into E Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) seeking freedom from random/arbitrary justice of feudal lords & forced labor Peasants created farmsteads, villages & small towns resembling W European ones (continuation of highly localized power in Europe) Russians modeled themselves after Byzantium (named Constantinople in 330 CE), not Rome; Russian cities were at crossroads of overland trade & migration; were not agrarian centers, but hubs of expanding long distance trade Russians looked to Byzantium’s Hagia Sophia (church, then mosque, now museum in Istanbul) & Eastern Orthodoxy as source of religious authority Kiev (Ukraine) became urban center/small scale Constantinople with its own Hagia Sophia  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce What was Christian Europe? In Eastern & Western Europe, Christianity became a universalizing faith Before 1200, Christianity was a religion of monks & most dynamic centers were great monasteries; by 1200, internal conquests of Europe ensured parish churches arose throughout and the clergy reached more deeply into private lives Christian orders evolved and encouraged all, whether poor or elite, to strive to be better Christians Universities were being formed by intellectuals who sought to prove that Christianity was the only religion that fully addressed concerns of all rational human beings (ex: St. Thomas Aquinas)  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Relations with the Islamic World For a few hundred years after the western Roman empire fell in 476, Muslims conquered areas previously under Roman control where many Christians lived (ex: Palestine/modern day Israel & Christian Holy Land, Turkey as well as other areas in Mediterranean like Sicily, Northern Africa, Spain) Late 1000s-Seljuk Turks, who were Muslim, began threatening the borders of the Byzantine Empire through military attacks and Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land were being attacked 1095-Pope Urban II called on warrior nobles of France to take the Holy Land/Jerusalem back from Muslim rule, many knights and even poor people joined the cause, which was considered a just war Crusaders traveled south to cities near or on the water (Genoa, Pisa, Venice) to board ships going via the Mediterranean to the Holy Land (lots of money gets dumped on N. Italian city states) Crusades began and lasted 200 years/did not recapture Holy Land for Christians & created resentment against European Christians and even those Christians who lived in Muslim areas  Ch. 10, BeComing “The World”, 1000-1300 ce Relations with the Islamic World Crusaders returned to Europe with a new vision of the world (during Middle Ages, Europe, under feudalism/manorialism was cut off from many discoveries, innovations & even knowledge of the world beyond Europe); many items, ancient discoveries & writings were brought back to Europe from the Middle East as a result of the Crusades & the Crusades also introduced Europeans to things they desired Christian Europeans were successful in retaking Sicily in late 1000s & in Spain, Christian “Reconquista” led by Ferdinand & Isabella was successful in returning political control to Christian leaders & reuniting Spain by 1492 Crusades helped encourage more exchange of ideas, introduction of innovations from East of Europe, trade, travel