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(750-1258 CE) The caliphate, after the Umayyads, who focused more on administration than conquering. Had a bureaucracy that any Muslim could be a part of.
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The large empires that emerged in the classical age created massive amounts of goods and became markets for imports.
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Time period from 1200-1450 and it focuses on six different sections of the globe (East Asia, Dar-al Islam, South/Southeast Asia, Americas, Africa, and Europe)
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The Sultanate ushered in a period of Indian cultural renaissance. The resulting "Indo-Muslim" fusion left lasting monuments in architecture, music, literature, and religion.
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Genghis Khan was the founder and first Great Khan and Emperor of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death. He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, an area about the size of Africa.
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The Magna Carta was a document signed by King John after negotiations with his barons and their French and Scots allies at Runnymede, Surrey, England in 1215. The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in history as it established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial.
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He first set out at age 17, traveling overland along what later became known as the Silk Road. Europe was not the only one that positively affected by Marco Polo's travels. Unsurprisingly, China, too, was affected in a positive manner. Marco Polo had introduced gunpowder to the Chinese. With trade between Europe and China, the Europeans were introduced to citrus fruits, spices, and other newly seen goods.
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The Yuan Dynasty (1279–1368) was China's first foreign-led dynasty, in between the Chinese Song and Ming dynasties
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Ancient China was the most advanced civilization in the world during the rule of the Song dynasty. It is famous for its many inventions and advances, but eventually collapsed and was conquered by the Mongol barbarians to the north (the year 1279).
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Crusading played a major role in European territorial expansion. Crusading in northern and eastern Europe led to the expansion of kingdoms like Denmark and Sweden, as well as the creation of brand-new political units, for example in Prussia. Eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291.
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The Ottomans were known for their achievements in art, science and medicine. Istanbul and other major cities throughout the empire were recognized as artistic hubs, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.
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Mansa Musa, fourteenth century emperor of the Mali Empire, is the medieval African ruler most known to the world outside Africa. His elaborate pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in 1324 introduced him to rulers in the Middle East and in Europe.
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In 1325, at age 21, he left his homeland for the Middle East. He intended to complete his hajj—the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca—but he also wished to study Islamic law along the way. Battuta contributed to the movement of Dar al Islam and preserved the influences that Islam had on the globe.
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The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s. The plague arrived in Europe in October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea docked at the Sicilian port of Messina.
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The Ming Dynasty ruled China from 1368 to 1644 A.D., during which China's population would double. Known for its trade expansion to the outside world that established cultural ties with the West, the Ming Dynasty is also remembered for its drama, literature and world-renowned porcelain. One of the reasons that the Ming Dynasty was so prosperous and successful was due to the invention of woodblock color printing.
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Zheng He was a Chinese explorer who lead seven great voyages on behalf of the Chinese emperor. His seven total voyages were diplomatic, military, and trading ventures, and lasted from 1405 – 1433. However, most historians agree their main purpose was to promote the glory of Ming dynasty China.
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The Renaissance or rebirth began in Italy at the end of the fourteenth century and became an era of many cultural and architectural advances. It then spread across Europe and marking the transition from the Middle Ages to Modernity.
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The Aztecs were an American Indian people of central Mexico, best known as the builders of an empire that swiftly fell under Spanish control during the years 1519 to 1521. The capital of their empire was a city larger than Rome. In its beauty it resembled Venice, set in the middle of a lake with canals for streets.
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The Incas, an American Indian people, were originally a small tribe in the southern highlands of Peru. In less than a century, during the 1400s, they built one of the largest, most tightly controlled empires the world has ever known. Roads, walls, and irrigation works constructed by the Incas are still in use today.
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The printing press allows us to share large amounts of information quickly and in huge numbers. In fact, the printing press is so significant that it has come to be known as one of the most important inventions of our time. It drastically changed the way society evolved.
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The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when Portugal, and subsequently other European kingdoms, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe.
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The caravel, based on existing fishing boats under the sponsorship of Henry the Navigator of Portugal, and soon became the preferred vessel for Portuguese explorers like Diogo Cão, Bartolomeu Dias or Gaspar and Miguel Corte-Real, and by Christopher Columbus.
