Unit 3: the Post-Classical World 600 – 1450 CE
Era of Disunity Technological advances continued Gunpowder, wheelbarrow Buddhism displaced Confucianism Trade continued, but central government and bureaucracy declined Chinese worried about foreign invaders and influence of their cultures
Sui China Silla Parhae Yamoto Japan Harsha’ Empire Chalukya Frankish Kingdoms Ghana Axum Sassanid Empire Byzantine Empire
Goal: Rebuild and reorganize China after the fall of the Han Dynasty Methods of Change “Land Equalization” System Reorganize Confucianism and civil service Drive out nomadic invaders Established army of professional soldiers Conscripted labor for lavish projects Fall: People were overworked and overtaxed Assassinate emperor to start Tang dynasty
South: majority population, rice production North: millet production; less populated than the South Rivers ran east to west Built Grand Canal to connect North and South Oldest and largest canal in the World People migrate to the North, make trade easier
Ghana Carolingian Byzantine Abbasid Caliphate Axum Gurjara- Pratihara Tang China Parhae Silla Cordoba Caliphate Heian Japan States and Empires in 800 CE Tang Dynasty CE
Efforts to Improve Chinese Government: Imperial examination system perfected Tolerant attitude toward all religions (in the beginning) Golden Age of foreign relations with other countries GOAL: Conquest and Expansion Uses armies to unite China Extends borders to Afghanistan
Aristocracy weakened Scholar-gentry elite re-established Educated civil servants 5% could become officials; rest stayed local as social leaders Performed Confucian rituals, helped collect taxes, keep paperwork Created meritocracy with best students running country The Growing Importance of the Examination System Birth, connections important for office
Under influence of Buddhism, women enjoy relatively higher status Rise of neo-Confucianism stops this trend Began in Tang, but not common until Song
New technologies More cosmopolitan culture Cities growing Some have population as large as 2 million Reestablish safety and importance of Silk Road Imported tea, wood and spices Exported manufactured goods
High taxation Peasant rebellions led to more independent local rule around 907 CE For 50 years, regional war lords ruled By 960, Song Dynasty centralized but not able to unify due to outside groups challenging power
Mongol Empire Russia Song China Koryo Kamakura Japan Delhi Sultanate Scandanavian Kingdoms Mali Zimbabwe Benin Oyo France Ethiopia Ayyubid Caliphate Almohad Caliphate Poland Rum H.R.E. Hungary England Portugal Spain States and Empires in 1237 CE States and Empires in 1237 CE Angkor Song China 960 – 1279 CE
Not able to unite as much as Tang Dynasty Strengthen Confucianism and civil service Established gov’t monopoly on tea trade Become sea power Create middle/merchant class Merchants gain a bit more esteem in Chinese society Deemphasize military and reestablished tribute system
Libraries established; old texts recovered Neo-Confucians reduce role of women Promote arranged marriage and foot-binding Stress on personal morality, rational and secular thought Importance of philosophy in everyday life Hostility to foreign ideas Gender, class, age distinctions reinforced
Never that strong to begin with Never able to unify all parts Warlords control large parts in the north Military and economic weakness Scholar-gentry given control of army; ineffective Paper money caused inflation Mongol invasion Establish the Yuan Dynasty