1200 to 1450 (Unit 1 and 2)

Question 1

What is a state?

Answer 1

An organized political community under one government (like a country, empire, nation, etc.)

Question 2

How did the Song Dynasty
maintain and justify their rule?

Answer 2

The revival of Confucianism, or Neo-Confucianism helped to
legitimize Song Dynasty rule due to its ancient history in China.
The use of an imperial bureaucracy also helped. In order to be a
part of the bureaucracy eligible men had to pass the Civil Service
Exam which was based on Confucian classics.

Extra Info:
The Song Dynasty demonstrated continuity and
innovation to maintain and justify its rule.
Confucianism as the state philosophy and the Civil
Service Exam began during the Han Dynasty (202
BCE - 220 CE) which means this was a continuity
in Chinese History. However, Neo-Confucianism
showed innovation.
The use of a large bureaucracy began during
the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE). This is also a
continuity.

Question 3

What were some of the
main ideas of Confucianism?

Answer 3

Society is hierarchical. There are superiors and inferiors. The
State was superior to citizens. Men were superior to women, etc.
Harmony depended on keeping the proper relationships.
Filial piety was part of this. It emphasized the need for children
to obey and honor their parents, grandparents, and deceased
ancestors.

Question 4

What was life like for
women in Song China?

Answer 4

Women were always in a subordinate position and were stripped of legal rights.
Women could not own property, remarry, etc. Women had limited access to
education and in elite social circles the practice of footbinding became popular.

Question 5

How did China influence
its neighbors in East
and Southeast Asia?

Answer 5

In Korea they used a civil service exam in order to join the bureaucracy. They
also adopted Buddhism.

Question 6

What are the basic tenets of
Buddhism and what are some of
the different forms of Buddhism?

Answer 6

Buddhism starts with the Four Noble Truths which acknowledge that there
is suffering in the world and desire/craving is the cause. The way to stop
suffering is the Eightfold Path. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, but the
ultimate goal is to stop the cycle of reincarnation and achieve nirvana through
enlightenment.

Theravada Buddhism was the original form of Buddhism. Many Buddhist
monks lived within monasteries to focus on attaining enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddhism was a new form that traveled to East Asia. It encouraged
broader participation and offered help to achieve nirvana from bodhisattvas.

Question 7

What helped Song China
to have such a strong economy?

Answer 7

Song rulers inherited the prosperity and growth
started from previous dynasties like the Sui
and Tang Dynasties. Between the 8th and 10th
centuries the population doubled.
The economy also commercialized, making
goods that were sold across Eurasia like
porcelain and silk.
The expansion of the Grand Canal also helped to
facilitate trade.

Extra Info:
The economy of Song China flourished as a result of increased
productive capacity and innovations.
China’s expertise in Silk and Porcelain production which depended on
free peasant labor (raising silkworms) and artisanal labor (creating
textiles & ceramics) were also part of the Song Dynasty becoming
increasingly commercialized. China also had centers of iron and steel
production all over the country. The economy of Song China flourished
as a result of increased productive capacity and expanding trade
networks.

Question 8

Why was the introduction
of Champa Rice so important
for the Song Dynasty?

Answer 8

It was a drought resistant crop that matured
early, increasing the amount of food available
in the empire, therefore increasing the
population.

Extra Info:
Champa rice is a good example of why the economy of Song China
flourished due to agricultural innovations.
This also helps to explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East
Asia over time.
The Chinese Tribute System was a way for countries to acknowledge
China’s superiority and gain access to trade rights. Champa rice first got
to China from Vietnam through the Tribute System c. 8th-11th c. CE.
The Song Dynasty expanded agriculture & its production. Through the
Tribute System Japan, Korea and Vietnam also adopted Chinese cultural
practices like Confucianism (including filial piety & the subservient
position of women, especially in Korea) and Mahayana Buddhism.

Question 9

What is the connection between
Islam, Judaism and Christianity?

Answer 9

All were practiced in Dar al-Islam and the prophet Mohammad
claimed to be the final prophet in the line of God’s messengers stretched
back through the Jewish and Christian scriptures. All three were
monotheistic.

Extra Info:
Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the core
beliefs and practices of these religions
shaped societies.

Question 10

Describe the condition of the
Abbasid caliphate c. 1200.

Answer 10

By 1200 the Abbasid caliphate had begun to break up and lose its
powerful position in the Muslim world. In 1258 their capital, Baghdad
was conquered by the Mongols which was their end.

Question 11

Describe the new Islamic
political entities that replaced
the declining Abbasid caliphate.

Answer 11

They were dominated by ethnic Turks, not Arabs.

Extra Info:
This demonstrates similarities and differences
in the processes of state formation from
c.1200 to c. 1450. Other Turkic Muslim states
include the Delhi Sultanate in South Asia
and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt which
was started by slave soldiers.

Question 12

Describe the rise
of the Seljuk Empire.

Answer 12

The Seljuks were Turks from Central Asia who the Abbasids tried to use
to prop up their failing state. However, they created their own empire
instead and became a dominant force in the region.

Extra Info:
This demonstrates similarities and differences
in the processes of state formation from
c.1200 to c. 1450. Other Turkic Muslim states
include the Delhi Sultanate in South Asia
and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt which
was started by slave soldiers.

Question 13

What practices in the new
Islamic empires were borrowed
from previous empires?

Answer 13

Sharia law, a legal code based on the Quran.

Extra Info:
This demonstrates similarities and differences
in the processes of state formation from
c.1200 to c. 1450. Other Turkic Muslim states
include the Delhi Sultanate in South Asia
and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt which
was started by slave soldiers.

Question 14

What were some of the
intellectual innovations of
Dar al-Islam and their effects?

Answer 14

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi invented trigonometry.
Muslim scholars in places like the House of Wisdom in Baghdad preserved
the works of Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, translating them
into Arabic and commenting on them. These works eventually made
it back to Europe, and would have been lost to history if not for their
preservation by scholars in Dar al-Islam.

Extra Info:
Muslim states and empires encouraged
significant intellectual innovations and
transfers.

Question 15

Describe the expansion of
the Islamic World c. 1200-1450.

Answer 15

Empires spread through military expansion (like the Seljuks, Mamluks and
Delhi Sultanate). Islam spread through the travels of Muslim merchants
(for example, the Empire of Mali in West Africa). Islam also spread due to
the work of missionaries like the Sufis who allowed for some local belief.

Extra Info:
Explain the causes and effects of the rise
of Islamic states over time including the
expansion of Muslim rule and Islam.

Question 16

What religions could be found
in South Asia and what effect
did they have on society?

Answer 16

The 3 main religions were Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism.
By c. 1200 Buddhists in South Asia were mostly reduced to monastic communities.
Most people in South Asia were Hindu. Bhakti Hinduism was a new movement
that began in the Southern part of India and emphasized devotion to 1 Hindu god
(Hindus are polytheistic). It challenged social and gender hierarchies in Hindu India.
The establishment of the Delhi Sultanate made Islam the religion of the elite.

Extra Info:
This shows how the various
belief systems and practices
of South and Southeast Asia
affected society over time.

Question 17

What religions could be
found in Southeast Asia?

Answer 17

Buddhism and Islam. Islam was more widely practiced eventually but in states like Thailand and Cambodia
Buddhism was established.

Question 18

Describe the emergence of new
states in South and Southeast Asia
and how they kept power

Answer 18

The Delhi Sultanate was in Northern India. They were Muslims but the majority
population was Hindu.
The Rajput kingdoms were rival warring Hindu Kingdoms who held the Delhi
Sultanate back from conquering more land.
The Vijayanagara Empire was a Hindu kingdom formed by brothers who had
previously converted to Islam to serve the Delhi Sultanate. Their kingdom rivaled the
Delhi Sultanate.
The Majapahit Kingdom on Java was a Buddhist Kingdom who maintained influence
by controlling sea routes for trade, but declined when China supported its rival the
Sultanate of Malacca.
The Khmer Empire began as a Hindu Empire, but eventually leadership adopted
Buddhism. Art and architecture (like Angkor Wat) reflect both faiths.

Extra Info:
When merchants from South
Asia went to Southeast Asia
to trade they often formed
diasporic communities
and brought Hinduism,
Buddhism and Islam with
them. Governments there then
adopted these religions and
used them to build relationships
with powerful trade partners
as well as unify and maintain
control. This demonstrates
similarities in the processes of
state formation from c.1200 to
c. 1450.

Question 19

Describe the development
of the Aztec Civilization.

Answer 19

Founded in Mesoamerica in 1345 by the Mexica, their capital was the
magnificent Tenochtitlan. In 1428 they began a program of expansion
and created a huge empire. They were decentralized in how they ruled.

Extra Info:
Together, the Aztecs, Inca & Mississippian
Culture show innovation and diversity of
state systems in the Americas.

Question 20

How did the Aztecs maintain
control of their empire?

Answer 20

Conquered people were forced to pay tribute in goods or labor. Conquered people were also enslaved and
sometimes sacrificed in religious rituals.

Question 21

How did the Inca maintain
and improve their empire?

Answer 21

The Inca had an elaborate bureaucracy throughout the Andean region to control conquered territories. They
used the mit’a system as a source of labor for state projects like farms, mining, military service, and construction
projects. They were highly centralized in how they ruled.

Question 22

Describe Mississippian Culture.

Answer 22

Located in North America around the Mississippi River Valley, they focused on agriculture. Larger towns
controlled smaller ones around them. They were known as mound builders, one of the largest was built by the
Cahokia people & consisted of 80 burial mounds up to 100 feet tall.

Question 23

Describe the development of the
Swahili Civilization in East Africa.

Answer 23

Swahili city-states grew powerful due to Indian Ocean Trade. They were
politically independent but very influenced by merchants from Dar alIslam. The language Swahili is a combination of Bantu and Arabic.

Extra Info:
Together, these states demonstrate the
continuity, innovation and diversity of
state systems in Africa.

Question 24

Describe the development
of the empires of West Africa
(Ghana, Mali, and Songhay).

Answer 24

These were powerful and highly centralized. They also grew due to trade
with Dar al-Islam. The elites of society converted to Islam, but most
subjects held onto indigenous beliefs.

Extra Info:
Together, these states demonstrate the
continuity, innovation and diversity of
state systems in Africa.

Question 25

How was the Hausa Kingdom,
also in West Africa, different
from the empires there?

Answer 25

They were decentralized city-states, more like the Swahili civilization.
They shared a common culture and grew powerful through trade because
they acted as brokers for trans-Saharan trade.

Extra Info:
Together, these states demonstrate the
continuity, innovation and diversity of
state systems in Africa.

Question 26

Describe how the development of
Great Zimbabwe in Southern Africa
was similar and different from other
African states in this time.

Answer 26

Its capital was built between 1250-1450 and contained massive structures.
It had a population of 18,000. Like other African states, it became
wealthy due to trade, farming and cattle herding. Its main source of
wealth was the gold trade. It was different in that the rulers and people
never adopted Islam but maintained their indigenous shamanistic faith.

Extra Info:
Together, these states demonstrate the
continuity, innovation and diversity of
state systems in Africa.

Question 27

Describe how the development
of Ethiopia in East Africa was
similar and different from other
African states in this time.

Answer 27

Similarly it grew due to trade with the Mediterranean and Arabian
peninsula. They had a monarch and strict hierarchy like other states. The
big difference is that they were Christians.

Extra Info:
Together, these states demonstrate the
continuity, innovation and diversity of
state systems in Africa.

Question 28

Describe the belief systems
of Europe and how they
affected European society.

Answer 28

Christianity dominated Europe, but in the East the most powerful state,
the Byzantine Empire, practiced Orthodox Christianity and shared it
with Kievan Rus by 988.
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful entity.
Following the fall of Rome and the rise of small decentralized states,
Roman Catholicism bound the region together culturally.
Muslims were primarily in the Iberian Peninsula which they had
conquered in the 8th century.
Jews were a minority group who faced waves of anti-Semitism
(persecution) and were forced to the outskirts of European life.

Extra Info:
This explains how Christianity, Judaism,
and Islam shaped European society. And
the causes of political decentralization in
Europe.

Question 29

What was feudalism?

Answer 29

The political system of decentralized Europe where powerful lords and
kings gained allegiance from lesser lords, who became their vassals.
Vassals got land in exchange for military service.

Extra Info:
This describes the consequences of political
decentralization in Europe

Question 30

What was manorialism
and what was serfdom?

Answer 30

The economic system of decentralized Europe where peasants were
bound to the land where they lived and worked in exchange for a lord’s
protection. Those who were tied to the land were called serfs. They were
not the property of the lords, but they could not leave the land without
permission.

Extra Info:
This describes the consequences of political
decentralization in Europe.

Question 31

What’s another way of saying
“networks of exchange”?

Answer 31

Trade Routes

Question 32

What changed c. 1200-c. 1450 when
looking at trade routes in general?

Answer 32

They expanded which led to further connections among states in Afro-Eurasia due to new trade technology and
commercial practices. This led to the growth of various states and cities.

Question 33

What were the main trade goods
found on the Silk Road and why?

Answer 33

Luxury goods like Chinese silk and porcelain because it was an
expensive and difficult journey, so they only wanted to sell goods that
would make a big profit.

Extra Info:
This shows that it was the growth of
interregional trade in luxury goods that
stimulated trade on the Silk Road.

Question 34

What was the impact of increased
trade on the Silk Road?

Answer 34

Increased demand led to increased production of goods. For example,
in China some farmers scaled back on food production to make more
luxury goods to sell.

Extra Info:
This is an example of the fact that increased
demand for luxury goods in Afro-Eurasia
led to Chinese, Persian, and Indian artisans
expanding their production. Other goods
that saw increased production in China were iron and steel.

Question 35

What innovations led to increased
trade on the Silk Road?

Answer 35

For transportation innovations: Caravanserai, which were inns or guesthouses on
the Silk Road a day’s travel apart for merchants. They kept goods and merchants
safe & allowed for cross-cultural interactions.
For commercial practices that were innovations: The development of a money
economy, like the use of paper money in China which made carrying cash easier.
The Chinese also created the Flying Cash/Money System which also made it
easier to deposit money in one place, and withdraw the same amount in another
place. In Europe, banking houses developed to help manage credit through bills
of exchange. Bills of exchange were like checks.

Extra Info:
These are good examples of
improved commercial practices
and innovations that led to the
expansion of trade and trade routes.

Question 36

How did the Silk Road lead
to the growth of cities?

Answer 36

Cities along the trade routes, like Kashgar, that had sources of water were a good
stopping point for merchants to rest. Kashgar was located where two major
routes of the Silk Roads came together, and as more merchants stopped there
Kashgar grew richer and more powerful.

Extra Info:
This is a good example of how
growth of grade on the Silk Roads
led to the growth of powerful new
trading cities.

Question 37

What did Indian Ocean
merchants need to know
about the monsoon winds?

Answer 37

They blew in one direction or the other at predictable times of the year.

Extra Info:
This helps to explain how the
knowledge of environmental factors
made trade easier.
This also made planning travel times
easier.

Question 38

What were the main trade
goods found on the Indian
Ocean and why?

Answer 38

Bulk items were traded along trade routes like textiles and spices because the
hull of a ship can hold a lot of cargo. Luxury goods were also traded though.

Extra Info:
This touches on the growth of trade in
luxury goods.

Question 39

What innovations led to increased
trade on the Indian Ocean?

Answer 39

For technological innovations: improvements of the magnetic compass
so merchants knew what direction they were going. Improvements to the
astrolabe that helped sailors to know what latitude they were at. New ship
designs like Chinese junks that had big cargo holds.
For commercial practices: The same things that stimulated the Silk Road, like
credit.

Extra Info:
These are good examples of improved
transportation technologies and
commercial practices that led to
increased volume and the geographic
growth of trade.

Question 40

How did Indian Ocean trade lead to
the growth of cities and states?

Answer 40

By becoming important ports for trade and becoming linked to Dar al-Islam,
many cities grew. For example, the Swahili City-States on the east coast of Africa.

Extra Info:
This is a good example of how
increased trade promoted the
growth of powerful new trading
cities and states.

Question 41

How did increased trade
on the Indian Ocean impact
cities culturally?

Answer 41

Diasporic Merchant communities were established in many places like East
Africa. Arab and Persian merchants created communities there and married
African women. This led to the spread of Islam and the development of the
Swahili language (a mix of Bantu & Arabic words).

Question 42

Who was Zheng He and why
was he significant in the Indian
Ocean c. 1200-1450?

Answer 42

Zheng He was a sailor sent by the Ming Dynasty to bring more states into China’s
tributary system. This led to a number of transfers of technology and culture, for
example navigation tools and ship building methods spread to places he visited.

Extra Info:
Zheng He is a good example of how
interregional contacts between states
and empires encouraged significant
technological and cultural transfers.

Question 43

What innovations led to
increased trade on the TransSaharan trade networks?

Answer 43

Camel Saddles were improved to carry larger cargo loads across the
desert.

Extra Info:
This is an example of the causes of the
growth of interregional trade though
innovations in existing technology.

Question 44

How did Trans-Saharan trade lead
to the growth of cities and states?

Answer 44

The Empire of Mali grew very rich through its connections to Dar alIslam, the gold trade, and taxing trade routes in West Africa. An example
of this power and wealth can be found in Mansa Musa who monopolized
trade routes making Mali grow very rich and leading to expanded trade
networks.

Extra Info:
This shows how the expansion of empires
influenced trade and communication
as new people were drawn into trade
networks.

Question 45

What cultural transfers were
the result of increased
connections c. 1200-c. 1450?

Answer 45

Religion spread. For example, the spread of Islam and Hinduism into
Southeast Asia. Buddhism spread from South Asia to China on the Silk
Road through merchants and missionaries.
Literary & Artistic transfers. For example, the works of ancient Greece
and Rome were translated into Arabic in Baghdad’s House of Wisdom
and later transferred back to Europe helping to spur the Renaissance.

Extra Info:
These are a good example of the cultural
effects of the various networks of exchange
in Afro-Eurasia.

Question 46

What was the most significant
innovation or technological transfer
that took place due to increased
trade c. 1200-c. 1450?

Answer 46

The most significant was gunpowder which traveled from China all the
way west by Muslims and Mongols.

Extra Info:
This is a good example of the intellectual,
scientific and technological innovations
transfers due to increased cross-cultural
interactions.
Other innovations include paper and
printing.

Question 47

What are some examples of cities
that saw increased urbanization
and growth due to trade, and what
is an example of a city that declined
c. 1200-c. 1450?

Answer 47

A city that grew was Hangzhou in China. Because of its location at the
end of the Grand Canal it grew wealthy and urbanized.
A city that went into decline was Baghdad which fell in 1258 when it was
destroyed by the Mongols.

Extra Info:
These show that the fates of cities varied
greatly.

Question 48

Who were some of the travelers
that left a record of their travels
c. 1200 to c. 1450 and why were
they significant?

Answer 48

Marco Polo and Margery Kempe work here, but Ibn Battuta was a
Muslim scholar from Morocco who traveled for 30 years all over Dar
al-Islam writing about the different cultures he saw. His account gave
scholars a first hand account of what life was like in this time period.

Extra Info:
As exchange networks intensified, an
increasing number of travelers within AfroEurasia wrote about their travels.
Marco Polo’s book went on to influence
generations of Europeans to find their way
to China for trade.

Question 49

What were some environmental
effects of increased trade
c. 1200 to c. 1450?

Answer 49

Champa rice came to China via the tribute system leading to population
growth, and the Bubonic Plague traveled from China all along the Silk
Road to the Middle East and Europe killing huge numbers of people.

Extra Info:
There was a continued diffusion of crops
and pathogens, with epidemic diseases,
along the trade routes.

Question 50

Why were the Mongols included
in Unit 2 instead of Unit 1?

Answer 50

One of the most important things about the Mongols was that their huge
empire facilitated the connections discussed in this unit.

Extra Info:
The Mongol Empire’s expansion facilitated
Afro-Eurasian trade as new people were
drawn into their conquerors’ economies
and trade networks.

Question 51

What kind of political impact
did the Mongols have?

Answer 51

They created the largest land-based empire of all time. They caused the
fall of the Song Dynasty in China and the Abbasid Empire in the Middle
East. They ruled through states called Khanates ruled by Khans.

Extra Info:
Empires collapsed in different regions of the
world and in some areas were replaced by
new imperial states.

Question 52

Why did trade flourish
within the Mongol Empire?

Answer 52

The Mongols encouraged trade by paying high prices for goods from
other countries and kept the Silk Road safe. This was called the Pax
Mongolica, or peace of the Mongols.

Extra Info:
These are good examples of how the
Mongols facilitated trade.

Question 53

What are some examples of
cultural and technological
transfers that occurred, in part,
due to the Mongols?

Answer 53

The conditions for the transfer of Greek and Islamic medical knowledge
to Western Europe were created by the Mongols. The Mongols adopted
the Uyghur script (from Central Asia) to create their own written
language.

Extra Info:
These help to explain the significance of
the Mongol Empire in larger patterns of
continuity and change by showing how
they encouraged significant transfers.