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The Byzantine empire started out as the later years of the eastern Roman empire with the movement of the capital to Constantinople. The religion changed to Christianity, and later for the Byzantines, changed to eastern orthodox. Byzantium influenced Slavic peoples and invited them into their society. The Byzantine tried to reclaim land lost to Islamic and barbarian forces but did not succeed in keeping possession. Constantinople was overtaken by the Ottoman Turks and Byzantium ended.
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The Abbasid Dynasty gained power by rebelling against and executing most of the Umayyad leaders. The Abbasid was on of the first metropolitan societies, with focus on administration and diversity. The capital city was Baghdad. The Abbasids fought to keep their land but did not fight for conquest. The reign of Harun al-rashid led to economic and social prosperity, but after him civil wars and later a conquest by the Mongols ended the dynasty.
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The Carolingian empire was established by Charlemagne of the Franks as the short lived but first attempt at centralized imperial rule in the middle ages. Charlemagne set up a precursor system to feudalism by reliance on Counts. The empire had control over Germany, France, the low countries, most of Italy, and more. When Charlemagne died, his son unraveled the empire and then the son's sons divided up the empire into separate kingdoms.
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The HRE was a large empire of Germany, half of France, half of Italy, the low countries and more, but accumulated more land by marriage and conquest. Charlemagne was technically the first emperor, ruling over the Carolingian Empire, but Otto 1 was the first emperor to establish the HRE. The HRE was sponsored by the Roman Catholic church as to be the next reincarnation of the roman empire. The subsequent rulers and Catholic church clashed and caused the HRE to never live up to its potential.
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Originally a Bantu Society, the Swahili kept control of the East coast with knowledge of sailing. The Swahili met Muslim merchants and traded between. Wealth turned the Swahili into City-State trading centers. They adapted to Islam and built stone mosques. Mozambique, Kilwa, Zanzibar, Solafa, and Lamu are some of the prominent city states of the East Coast.
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The post classic civilizations that had prosperity were those that traded short or long distances. Many states in the beginning of middle ages Europe, such as the HRE or France, reverted to rural societies where trade decreased significantly. Those states as a whole were not as wealthy or populous having only local resources. On the other hand, the African kingdoms and empires gained vast wealth through trade with Muslim merchants. The wealth was used to improve many aspects of their lives.
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Situated in West Africa, Mali began as an alliance of neighboring kingdoms by Sundiata. Mali controlled the Saharan trade with Muslim merchants, and in turn Mali became Muslim. Mali was a leading source of gold in the trade. Mansa Musa, the most prolific ruler, ruled a high point in Mali, but the wealth he distributed lowered the economy. Musa also preformed a hajj and built mosques for Islam. Mali was eventually ruined by the Songhey Empire
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The S of D was in Islamic state in northern India controlling both the Ganges river valley and the Punjab. They had the most powerful army of the Islamic states but did not have authority beyond its borders. It did not extend territory or administer a large governmental presence. The Hindu kings still ruled over their respective areas. But the S of D did sponsor Islam throughout India with 35 sultans.
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The Inca empire was situated in the West coast of South America in the Andes Mountains. The empire was a group of kingdoms conquered by the Inca ethnic group. They did not have a written language but used a quipu device to relay information. Runners would travel on Inca roads to send messages between settlements. The capital city was Cuzco. The Inca were polytheistic and mummified their past rulers for religious purposes. The Inca were then invaded and conquered by Spain.
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Two brothers from the Sultanate of Delhi were sent down south as diplomats, but ended up reconverting to Hinduism and make a new kingdom. the two brothers were Harihara and Bukka. Vija. was the dominant state in southern India for around 200 years. The kingdom eventually fell to Muslim forces. The kingdom was not centralized or imperial.
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The Aztec empire was a coalition of three Mesoamerican peoples, with the Mexica as the most powerful. The capital was Tenochtitlan on lake Texcoco. The Aztecs ruled by receiving tributes and nothing else. Most of the men served as warriors, but since the Aztecs did not have a standing army, the warriors had to be ready to fight at any time. The Aztecs were not popular with the neighboring areas due to the Mexica's past conflicts. The Aztecs were then invaded by Spanish forces and subjugated.
