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Period: 476 to 1450
Feudalism in Europe
Feudalism is a land ownership and class ranking system. In Europe, it worked by the kings dividing portions of land up between their nobles and lords, the people of the higher classes. In this period, the society was based on relationships earned by holding land in exchange for labor. Feudalism in Europe declined gradually for the most part, until the Black Plague shifted many political positions in that era. -
Period: 618 to 1279
Tang and Song Dynasties
The Tang Dynasty ruled from 618 to 960. In this time, great cultural advancements and new reforms were made. The role of women in this dynasty was just as important as the role of men, as they were allowed to hold many of the same job positions as them. The Song Dynasty followed, which lasted from 960 to 1279, when the Mongols conquered China. They made many inventions and advancements in this period as well. These two periods made up the "Golden Age" in China. -
Period: 750 to 1258
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was an Islamic empire who lead the Islamic culture for over 3 centuries. The time of their rule was also known as the "golden age" of Islamic culture. They made many cultural and intellectual developments during their rule. In this period, trade and innovation were very prominent and important to the empire. -
Period: 1200 to 1450
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire is the largest continuous land based empire in history. In their rule, Mongol soldiers protected the Silk Roads, reviving trade significantly. The Mongols had a cruel reputation, as they were involved in the slaughter large populations, using psychological warfare to their advantage. They practiced religious tolerance in their empire, welcoming Chinese and Islamic scholars. The Black Death had a huge impact on their decline, as it killed off half of the Mongol population. -
Period: 1206 to 1526
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was a Muslim kingdom located in Northern India. This kingdom was established by descendants of Mahmud of Ghazni. The rule of this kingdom brought the Islamic religion to India which remained even after their reign. Although the Hindu religion dominated India at the start of the Delhi Sultanate rule, after forcibly imposing the Islamic religion during their reign, it became a lot more prominent in the region over time. -
Period: 1235 to
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire was located in West Africa. It became the largest empire in that area, and also had major significant impacts on the culture in West Africa through its language and customs. The Mali Empire was known for its great wealth from goods such as salt and gold. Their leader, Mansa Musa, was the wealthiest person in the world. After his death, the empire began to lose power and smaller states increased in desire to break free. -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty was the first Chinese Dynasty that was ruled by a foreign leader. Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson, established this dynasty in China in 1260. They defeated the Song Dynasty, but kept bureaucracy in their empire. The Yuan Dynasty also practiced religious tolerance, as they welcomed Islamic scholars into their empire. In this time, China's foreign trade system expanded, but the Ming Dynasty took over after the capture of of the capital of Beijing in 1368. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was the longest empire to ever reign. Started by the Osman Dynasty, this empire began when Mehmed II conquered Constantinople and seized the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea. The Ottoman Empire used the Straits of Bosporus and to trade/ transport armies, and they were also known for their use of gunpowder during their rule. They used the Islamic religion (Shariah law) and the devshirme system (recruiting young men to serve in the army) to maintain power throughout this period. -
Period: 1300 to
European Renaissance
The European Renaissance lasted from 1300 to 1600, and it was called the Renaissance because it's the rebirth of the Classical period thought and style. The artwork of this time period shows the importance of detail and curiosity that the people had at the time, usually based off of the Greek and Roman art. They made many sculptures, murals, paintings, and drawings, one being the Mona Lisa, which is still very well known today. The printing press was also a significant invention in this period. -
Period: 1345 to 1533
Mesoamerican Empires (Aztec and Inca)
The Aztec Empire was based in Central Mexico. They made important developments in agriculture, such as using terrace fields for farming. They had a polytheistic society, meaning that they worshipped many different gods, and they also made human sacrifices to honor their gods. The Incas were based in the peruvian highlands. They made significant developments in architecture allowing them to live in the mountains. The Incas developed walls, roads, and irrigation techniques still used to this day. -
Period: 1347 to 1352
Bubonic Plague
The Black Death had a drastic effect on the population, economy, and society in this period. Because of the Silk Road, trade between many different countries led to the immense spread of this deadly disease. Once infected, chances of survival are slim to none. Europe was impacted the most by this disease, killing off around 1/3 of its population. As a result, the Catholic Church lost its influence since priests couldn't offer reconciliation/ sacrament, eventually leading to the Reformation. -
Period: 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty was the first dynasty to ever overthrow the Mongols in 1368. After doing so, their first emperor, Hongwu, started to change the rules in China immediately. He destroyed any Mongol cultural evidence, expanded agricultural support, expanded the Great Wall, and also reintroduced the civil service exam and bureaucracy to China. The Ming Dynasty stabilized East Asia for 300 years, expanding lands conquering Mongolia and Central Asia in the process. -
Period: 1400 to
Age of Exploration
During the Age of Exploration, many Europeans sailed around the globe in hopes of to find new trading routes/ partners. They shared the same goals, which were the 3 G's: God (spread of religion), gold (wealth), and glory (power). All of the Europeans benefit from this exploration, influencing the regions they explored/ colonized while using their natural resources. The ones who didn't benefit as much, were the colonies, because the Europeans brought diseases to those areas which killed many. -
Period: 1415 to
Portuguese Trading Post Empire
This trading post empire was built to control trade routes stretching from Africa to India, when Portugal was exploring Africa's coastline. They controlled the trade by forcing merchants to pay taxes wanting to trade in their territory. The merchants who went through the trading posts were forced to buy safe conduct passes. During this time, the Portuguese took over Swahili city-states in East Africa, limiting the access to luxury goods such as ivory, gold, and spices to the foreign merchants. -
Period: 1492 to
Spanish Colonial Empire
Around this time, many technological innovations were invented, such as the compass, astrolabe, caravel, lateen sails, and cartography. These inventions led to long distance travel and trade. Extensive trade transformed Spain into a maritime empire, wanting more authority, control of resources, wealth, and to spread their religion. This led to immense colonization and the growth of spanish colonial empires all around the globe. -
Period: 1502 to
Atlantic Slave Trade
The number of Africans seized and sold through the Atlantic Slave Trade increased due to sugar's profitability in European markets. They were needed for labor in sugar cultivation in South America, the Caribbean, and British North America. Soon enough, more Africans were in the Americas than Europeans. The horrible conditions that the African laborers worked in during the Atlantic Slave Trade led to plantation owners losing 5-10% of their labor force yearly. -
Period: 1517 to
The Reformation
After the Black Plague, the Catholic Church became corrupt, especially in Europe. They began to be greedy, and attempted to force Europeans to pay "indulgences" in order to wash away all of their sins. The Reformation began when the Catholic Church began to be challenged by Martin Luther's 95 theses against these indulgences. As a result of the Reformation, many different branches of Christianity arose. -
Period: 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was formed by Barbur, who was a descendant of Ghengis Khan. It was ran predominantly by the Islamic religion, although the caste system was still used, and the tax on Hindus were lowered as well. This empire conquered parts of Northern and Southern India from the Delhi Sultanates. During this time trade networks prospered, such as the ones off the Indian Ocean and the Silk Road. Arts and culture were important in the Mughal Empire as well. -
Period: to
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa Shogunate brought over 2 and 1/2 centuries of peace to the island of Japan. Japan was completely isolated from any outside influence until the late classical age. Feudalism developed, leaving Daimyos fighting for land/ power. Shoguns were military leaders who took part in establishing these rules. Because of this harsh isolation, Japan's development fell harshly behind that of Europe's in the areas of science, technology, and military power. -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
Being the last dynasty to rule over China, the Qing Dynasty formed after the fall of the Ming Dynasty. During this time, Confucianism and Buddhism remained the main religions, and the civil service exam remained as well. China was at peace, arts prospered, and the manchu culture spread all throughout China. During this time, the Chinese territory also expanded into parts of Central Asia and Tibet. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment, also called the "Age of Reason", was a period where everyone had a "shift in thinking" due to ideas growing from the Scientific Revolution and the Renaissance. New ideas were formed which all believed in liberty, equality, happiness, rationality, reason, and progress. The controversial idea of nationalism arose from this time period. Eventually, the clash of many of these ideas led to conflict, such as revolutions of independence, to form. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
Due to the Enlightenment and the revolutions that it brought, new governments were formed with new ideas. The Industrial Revolution began when wealthy English landowners bought land of the village farmers and began making larger fields by enclosing the land with fences. This was called the Enclosure Movement. They experimented on them with scientific methods of farming in order to improve production. Once the seed drill was invented by Jethro Tull, the Industrial Revolution kicked off. -
Period: to
American Revolution
After the colonists aided the British in the French and Indian war, they received a series of taxes by the British in order to recover from war debt. The colonies felt as if they were being taxed without representation, so they protested for independence in 1775, starting the American Revolution. With help from France, the war for Independence was won in 1783, allowing the colonists their own nation. The Declaration of Independence gave them rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
Period: to
French Revolution
This revolution was inspired by the Enlightenment, as well as the American Revolution. The French wanted to create a new political and social order free from any sort of royal control. To do so, the Third Estate created the National Assembly and issued the Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen in attempt to overthrow the monarchy. This started the war, which the French faced with other European powers. They ended the war in victory, with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte's leadership. -
Period: to
Haitian Revolution
This revolution was the first successful slave revolt in history led by Toussaint L'Overture. The maroons (escaped slaves) joined the fight against French masters, which led to the former French colony of Saint Domingue becoming the independent nation of Haiti. The world's first black republic, and the second independent nation in the Western Hemisphere. The nation was built upon a constitution which gave equality and citizenship to its people. -
Period: to
Tanzimat Reforms
In response to industrialization in this period, the Ottoman Empire went through many reforms. For example, the sultans at the time created a secular system of primary and secondary schools, since education was no longer under the control of the ulama. They codified Ottoman laws and created new ones, and by 1856, the Ottoman Reform Edict was issued which completely updated the legal system. This declared equality for all men in justice, education, etc. no matter religion or ethnicity. -
Period: to
Opium Wars
The emperor of China made opium illegal in 1729, although not many people obeyed. The First Opium War began in 1839 because Chinese officials refused the British imports of Indian opium, which weakened the Qing Dynasty. In continuation, the Second Opium War broke out when China refused to negotiate trade with the western countries in 1856, which angered them. As a result, the opium trade was legalized, along with the export of Chinese indentured workers to France and Britain. -
Period: to
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was an attempt to overthrow the Qing Dynasty in China, by starving peasants, workers, and miners. It eventually failed in 1864, with the help of French and British intervention. The internal problems caused by this revolt made it much easier for other countries to dominate the economic affairs with China that they had through the spheres of influence. This rebellion, along with the plague and famine, was responsible for the deaths of over 20 million people. -
Period: to
Sepoy Mutiny
After the British began making rifle cartridges that had been greased with the mixture of fat from cows and pigs, the Hindus and Muslims were furious. Cows are sacred to the Hindu religion, and Muslims refuse to slaughter pigs. Since the majority of the British armed forces in colonial India were of those religions (sepoys), they began to think that the British were trying to convert them into Christians. The Sepoy Mutiny was their unsuccessful revolt against the British which killed thousands. -
Period: to
Meiji Revolution
The Meiji Revolution was a political revolution that changed the Japanese way of life forever. In this period, the Japanese began to modernize due to European influence. Changes were made such as more modern clothing, the spread of railroads, public schools, banking systems, modern hospitals, and even language institutes. Tens of thousands of literate Japanese began reading the newspapers and women became praised instead of treated unfairly as a result of this revolution. -
Period: to
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference of 1884 was called to settle land disputes that the European countries had during the Scramble for Africa. No African rulers were invited to the Berlin Conference, so decisions were made with no regard to any African input. The European countries agreed that any of them could claim land in Africa by simply just sending in troops to occupy the wanted land. This gave European nations the opportunity to take control of Africa, dismissing the natives living there before them. -
Period: to
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was when European powers competed for colonies in Africa. The decisions for the splitting up of African land was made at the Berlin Conference with no African rulers invited. With no regard to the native cultures of Africa, European troops could be sent in occupying the land that they wanted. The border lines were drawn which then resulted in the splitting up of many cultural groups and conflict arose.