Empires of Southeast Asia and Trade Cities - AP World History PDF

Notebook Page 9 Empires of Southeast Asia and Trade Cities AP World History: Modern – Period 1  The Champa and Khmer Empire The Champa kingdoms were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is today central and southern Vietnam from 2 nd-19t...

Notebook Page 9 Empires of Southeast Asia and Trade Cities AP World History: Modern – Period 1  The Champa and Khmer Empire The Champa kingdoms were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is today central and southern Vietnam from 2 nd-19th century CE While it was absorbed and annexed by Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mang in 1832 CE, it is well known for its adoption of Hinduism and its cultivation of drought resistant rice To the west of the Champa was the Khmer Empire, or the Angkor Empire; It existed as a Hindu-Buddhist empire in Southeast Asia from 802-1431 CE The Khmer Empire’s greatest legacy is Angkor, in present-day Cambodia, which was the site a major capital city during the empire's zenith Satellite imaging has revealed that Angkor, during its peak in the 11th to 13th centuries, was the largest pre-industrial urban center in the world Angkor Wat  Religion in Southeast Asia Originating in India, Hinduism spread easily to the kingdoms of Champa and Khmer, shifting and consolidating their state systems Firstly, Hinduism’s appeal for Southeast Asian rulers was the caste system’s reinforcement of their position at the top of the hierarchy Secondly, the ruling classes of Southeast Asia also tended to admire the Hindu deities– particularly the Shiva and Vishnu Lastly, the rulers of Southeast Asia were eager to emulate Indian civilization and culture due to its historical legacy and prestige, inspiring grand architectural works such as the Angkor Wat temple The emergence of Buddhism in the region came at roughly the same time, but was generally more popular amongst the lower classes; this was due mostly to the fact that Buddhism had a more egalitarian outlook on life  Srivijaya and Majapahit Empire Srivijaya was a vast, dominant maritime Indonesian kingdom based on the island of Sumatra, which influenced much of Southeast Asia Srivijaya was an important center for the expansion of Buddhism from the 8th to the 12th century CE and was the first-known major unified kingdom to dominate the Indonesian archipelago It’s successor state, the Java-based Majapahit Empire, was a maritime Empire in Southeast Asia that was largely responsible for the fall of the Srivijaya in 1290 Majapahit was one of the last major empires of the region (1290- 1500) and is considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia The Majapahit are also well known for the repulsion of the Mongols under the Yuan Dynasty defeating Kublai Khan’s invasion several times in the 13th century Religiously, Islam gradually made its way to Majapahit through trade and, over time, replace Buddhism as the majority religion in that region Trade City-States: Europe & Southeast Asia Around the 11th and 12th centuries CE, trade expanded in the Indian Ocean, resulting in the growth of several city-states along the trading routes that amassed significant wealth and power; the following city-states serve as examples: Venice – harnessing naval power, the Venetians gained control of Mediterranean trade around 1000 CE (Christian) They became massively wealthy as Venetian merchants bought goods from the East and resold them to Europe by forming trade agreements with the Byzantine Empire and select Muslim states The Venetians also became powerful financial lenders, establishing the world’s first bank houses and using their wealth to create a large, powerful navy Malacca – Malacca was the main city-state of what would become the Buddhist Srivijaya Civilization (670-1025) This city-state was strategically placed at a trading choke-point—the gateway to China and the Pacific—and like the Venetians, utilized shipbuilding and naval power Many Malay peoples spread throughout the Indian Ocean forming merchant communities Major Afro-Eurasian Trade Networks  Trade City-States: West & East Africa In West Africa, Timbuktu emerged as a major city-state, benefiting primarily trade with caliphates via the Trans-Saharan trade routes following the domestication of camels and use of caravans Timbuktu was known for the exportation of copper, salt, gold, slaves, and eventually manufactured goods In East Africa, several Swahili city-states, emerged as trade with the Muslim world grew; their main exports were gold and ivory While they initially exited as local towns with chieftains, their growth in trade power spurred their development into royal cities The Swahili city-states were never unified into a single state and remained independent coastal polities Most blended Bantu and Arab language and culture, eventually converting to Islam after prolonged exposure to Muslim merchants and communities The main exports from East Africa were ivory, gold, and slaves  Trade City-States: Central Asia In Central Asia, Kashgar served as an oasis trading post and strategically-important city along the Silk Roads between China, the Middle East, and Europe for over 2,000 years During its existence, Kashgar has been under the rule of the Chinese, Turkic, Mongol, and Tibetan empires, serving as an important checkpoint and control point for trade Further west lies the city of Samarkand in south-eastern Uzbekistan which remains one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia The city prospered from its location on the Silk Roads between China and the Mediterranean, and often flourished under stable empires and khaganates The city was ruled by a succession of Persian and Turkic rulers until the Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered Samarkand in 1220; the city is noted for being an Islamic center for scholarly study, as well as the capital city of the empire of Timur (a Turko-Mongol Persianate conqueror) in the 14th century