Unit 1 Study Guide PDF

During the High Middle Ages, Europe witnessed a surge in architectural innovations and an intellectual revival. Beautiful cathedrals appeared across Europe, and the intellectual revival gave rise to Europe's first universities. Students could obtain a bachelor of arts, then a master...

During the High Middle Ages, Europe witnessed a surge in architectural innovations and an intellectual revival. Beautiful cathedrals appeared across Europe, and the intellectual revival gave rise to Europe's first universities. Students could obtain a bachelor of arts, then a master of arts, and then a doctorate in law, medicine, or theology  What is Theology? Link above The most highly regarded subject was Theology The word “theology” comes from two Greek words that combined mean “the study of God.” Christian theology is simply an attempt to understand God as He is revealed in the Bible.  The Maya and Aztec cultures built elaborate cities with pyramids, temples and palaces In the 1400s, the Inca flourished in South America. The Inca Empire was carefully planned and regulated, which is evident in the extensive network of roads that connected all parts of the empire.  The Inca flourished in South America from 1325 to 1533  For how many years did the Aztec Empire exist? 196 years  The origins of the Aztec are uncertain. Sometime during the twelfth century, they began a long migration that brought them to the Valley of Mexico. The Aztec eventually established a capital at Tenochtitlán now Mexico City. Politics By 1500, as many as four million Aztec lived in the Valley of Mexico and the surrounding valleys of central Mexico. Like all great empires in ancient times, the Aztec state was authoritarian. The monarch, who claimed lineage with the gods, held all power. A council of lords and government officials assisted the Aztec ruler. Economics and Culture The Inca economy was based on high-altitude agriculture. In the mountains, they used terraced farms, watered by irrigation systems that carried precise amounts of water into the fields. These were planted with corn, potatoes, and other crops suited to high altitudes. The farmers' houses, built of stone or adobe with thatched roofs, were located near the fields. 3 Primary kingdoms Ghana Mali Songhai Trans-Saharan Trade Route -Oldest kingdom? -Two trade products? -Which cities across the Sahara might gold from Timbuktu be traded? The Songhai established their kingdom on the Niger River in 1009, in an area good for farming and raising cattle. Songhai expanded and took over the gold and salt trade that had made Ghana and Mali so prosperous. Songhai eventually became the largest empire in African history until its demise in 1600. Society in East Africa Along the shores of the Indian Ocean and inland from the mountains of Ethiopia, lived a mixture of peoples. Some lived by hunting and food gathering, while others raised livestock. On the eastern fringe of Africa, the Bantu-speaking peoples began to take part in the regional sea trade up and down the eastern coast. With the growth in regional trade the eastern coast of Africa became a part of the trading network along the Indian Ocean. Society in South Africa In the southern half of the African continent, states formed more slowly than in the north. Until the eleventh century, most of the peoples in this region lived in what are sometimes called stateless societies. A stateless society was a group of independent villages that were organized by clans and ruled by a local chieftain or clan head. From about 1300 to about 1450, Zimbabwe (zihm BAH bwee) was the wealthiest and most powerful state in the region. It prospered from the gold trade with the Swahili trading communities on the eastern coast of Africa.  Earth's second-largest continent, Africa, includes a dazzling array of landforms. African societies were based on extended family units, with most people living in rural villages. Through unique music and storytelling, Africa's rich cultural heritage has been passed from one generation to the next. Main ideas -Africa’s geography and cultures shaped its development during the medieval period. -Africa includes several distinct geographic zones and four distinct climate zones. -The landforms and climate zones influence farming and herding. The mild climate of the northern coast and southern tip are most conducive to farming and herding.  -The Hundred Years' War began when King Philip VI of France seized the duchy of Gascony from King Edward III of England in 1337. -After several English victories, the French forces triumphed in 1453 after English defeats at Normandy and Aquitaine.  Both sides used cavalry, but the English paid large numbers of peasants to be foot soldiers. Unlike French soldiers, English soldiers had the longbow, which allowed them to strike from a greater distance. Later in the war, the French deployed cannons that gave them an advantage The great schism contributed to the end of medieval Europe  The pope could no longer assert supremacy over the European states This allowed for the formation of strong European states like England, France, and Spain  Bubonic plague was the most common form of the Black Death. It was spread by black rats infested with fleas carrying a deadly bacterium. Out of a total European population of 75 million, possibly more than one-third of the population died of the plague between 1347 and 1351. Especially hard hit were Italy's crowded cities, where 50 to 60 percent of the people died. In England and Germany, entire villages disappeared.  Due to a lack of written records, we know little about early African society. However, thanks to the dedicated work of many scholars, we now have a better understanding of human societies in Africa. The mastery of agriculture gave rise to three early civilizations in Africa, including Egypt. Later, states emerged in western Africa, some of them strongly influenced by Islam. Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were three flourishing trading states in West Africa. Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, emerged around 1300. The continent was also a participant in trade across the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. Indian Ocean Trade Route What do the orange and blue arrows indicate? How did winds factor into trade Which goods were exported from East Africa to China, India, and Muslim lands? How did the monsoon winds affect trade between East Africa and India and the Persian Gulf? Where did ivory, gold, copper, and iron come from? Which trade route required sailors to venture far out of sight of land? France, England, and Spain were able to establish strong monarchies by the end of the 1400s Monarchy: where power has been centralized under a king or queen