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"the sleepless emperor" was a strongwilled ruler who recodified Roman laws into a new Byzantium legal code. He also spent huge amounts of money expanding the capitol of Constantinople and building the Hagia Sophia
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Muhammad and his followers made a pilgrimage from Mecca north to the city of Yathrib, which he renamed Medina. This is the point where Islam began to spread out from Muhammad's circle and started to grow as a major world religion.
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The first Islamic dynasty in the Middle East. Settled the issue of Muhammad's succession and ruled dar-al-islam with a tight grip. Organized a powerful central government ruled by wealthy appointed caliphs and officials.
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Abu al-Abbas led a rebellion and overthrew the Umayyad dynasty, executing its leaders. Not a conquering dynasty, but many local leaders built up armies and expanded the Islamic world further. Administrated by a system of ulamas and quadis.
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An Lushan, a military commander for the Tang, led a rebellion and captured the capitol cities of Chang an and Luoyang. Tang were forced to get help from the Uighurs to the north to help put down the rebellion in exchange for huge sums of payment. This weakened the dynasty and led to its collapse
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Leif Ericsson led an expedition party out from Greenland. They arrived at Newfoundland in Canada and set up a temporary settlement. Eventually they left and returned to Iceland.
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West African Kingdom between the Senegal and Niger rivers. Enjoyed dominion of the Gold Trade in Africa and became a powerful part of the Saharan trade networks.
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Due to continued tension and disagreements between the Catholic and the Byzantine Empire, the Christian Pope and byzantine Patriarch both excommunitated each other in 1054. This led to the establishment of the Eastern orthodox church, which exists to this day.
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Christian forces in Catalonia pushed back against the Moors in Iberia. By the thirteenth century they recaptured Lisbon and the Balearic Islands. Granada was the last Muslim settlement in Spain.
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In response to a request from the Byzantine Patriarch, the Pope and Peter the Hermit sent out a call for strong men from across Europe to fight to take back the Holy Land in Palestine. Jerusalem was captured in 1099. But the Muslims took in back within a century.
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Lion Prince Sundiata built a powerful empire around Ghana. Mali was able to control and tax almost all trade to West Africa. One of it's leaders Mansa Musa was one of the richest rulers in all of history.
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All Mongol tribes were brought into a single major confederation by Temujin. He was proclaimed grand leader of the Mongols and established a capital at Karakorum. Conquered much of Eurasia by the time of his death.
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The Incas settled at Cuzco, filling the political void left by the downfall of the Moche and Chavin cult. They built a huge north-south empire. Largest state ever built in pre-spanish South America
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Khubilai Khan took over Southern China in 1260 and established a Mongol state. He promoted religious freedom but at the same time tried to supress Chines Confucious culture.
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Timur the Lame modeled his conquests on Ghengis Khan and rose to power by defeating his rival Turkish leaders. He took over Chaghatai in 1370 and then fought numerous wars in Caucasus region against the Golden Horde and attacked Delhi in India.
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After the loss of Anatolia, Byzantium lost its grain supply and was weakened considerably. Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, ending its autonomy and destroying its empire.
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Germanic groups deposed of the last Roman Emperor. Italy was split apart into smaller city-states for the next almost 1000 years. The Roman Catholic Church was the only remaining institution that held the various European groups together and in check during the Postclassical period.
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Otto of Saxony claimed to be the rightful emperor of the former Roman empire. He attacked the Byzantine held lands in Italy leading to tension between the Catholic European states and the Byzantine empire.
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The Turks appointed Yang Jian to be a duke in Sui in Northern China. He claimed the Mandate of Heaven and led his armies south to reconquer the rest of China. The Sui were controlling like the Qin and engaged in massive building projects.
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Sui emperor Sui Yangdi completed the canal his father started. It made the crops generated by the prosperous Yangzi valley available to the people of Northern China. It also facilitated trade and travel north-south in China.
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Clovis and the Franks attacked the last vestiges of Roman culture in Gaul. After that he established the Franks as a major power in Middle Ages Europe.
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An intelligent ruler who inherited the mantle of the Carolingian dynasty after the conquests of his father Charles Martel. Established a capitol at Aachen and expanded Frankish authority to most of western europe. Accepted title of Emperor in 800.
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More centralized than the Tang. The Song relied more on expanding administrations and education rather than defense. Costs of the government rose and led to further tension. The Jurchen overran the Song and forced them to move the capitol again.
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Era of good prosperity and stability in China. Tang rulers grew a system of roads and communicaitons networks out from the grand Canal. One of the first governments to implement a merit based bureaucracty.
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Established a nominal rule over southern India. Didn't have a powerful centralized government and promoted trade by having a powerful navy to dominate Ceylon and the South China sea.
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The Toltecs in Tula had a powerful yet compact empire in Mexico. Attackes by other nomadic groups forced the Toltecs to move south and form the Aztec Empire.