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Period: Oct 1, 600 to Oct 1, 700
Beginnings of Theme System in Byzantium
Beginning in the 600s, The theme system was a system of political organization which divided Byzantine territories into regions which were each ruled by generals who were appointed by the imperial government. The theme system was a major factor in allowing the Byzantines the strength to persist despite pressures from Persia and the loss of land to Islamic caliphs because it allowed Byzantine forces to mobilize quickly, and it also represented a more decentralized form of governing for Byzantium. -
Jun 8, 632
Death of Muhammad
After leading military expeditions to conquer much of Arabia and encourage the spread of Islam, the prophet Muhammad died in 632. This raised the question of who should succeed him as the caliph, or deputy, or the Muslim people. Although Abu Bakr, a good friend of Muhammad, was eventually chosen as caliph, this decision was controversial and led to the division of the Muslim community into the Sunni and Shia denominations which continues to this day. -
Oct 1, 661
Umayyad Dynasty
Following the first four caliphs of the Muslim community, a formal line of succession for leadership of the caliphate was determined with the Umayyad dynasty. The Umayyads developed a powerful central government which led to discontent, but possessed the military power to subjugate the Middle East, North Africa, Persia, and Iberia under a single political entity, which also facilitated the widespread extent of Islam. -
Oct 1, 750
Abbasid Dynasty
Following the Umayyad dynasty, rebels led by Abu al-Abbas successfully established a new Islamic caliphate which stretched from Persia to North Africa, as Iberia remained in Umayyad control. The Abbasid dynasty was a period of political development with the adoption of Persian administrative techniques early in the dynasty, and the later decentralization resultant from internal strife and an inability of the caliphs to keep their realm in check. -
Oct 1, 1185
Kamakura Period in Japan
During the Nara and Heian period, Japan was governed by a series of conflicting clans who wielded power behind the scene of a figurehead emperor. This system culminated in the development of a decentralized system during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods where power was held by provincial lords and their samurai fighters, who pledged a very tentative loyalty to the imperial government. -
Apr 13, 1204
Sack of Constantinople
Although the crusades were begun with the intent of reclaiming sites in the Holy Land for Christianity, the Venetians managed to redirect the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople, where the Byzantines were attacked and crusader states were established. This serious blow left the Byzantines severely weakened, which they never fully recovered from, allowing for the empire's later fall to the Ottomans in 1453. -
Jun 12, 1206
Delhi Sultanate
The Islamic Delhi Sultanate was established in 1206 by the Turkish descendants of Mahmud of Ghazni, who managed to conquer the northern part of India. However, they never established a strong, centralized government over their territories and were unable to subjugate Hindu southern India, representative of the political instabiliity and furthering the divide between the Islamic-influenced north and the predominantly HIndu south. -
Oct 1, 1500
Thesis Statement
During the Post-Classical period from the sixth to fifteenth centuries, political developments throughout the world remained in constant in attempting to establish expansive, centralized regimes, but utilized different methods to achieve those goals, developing new administrative techniques and engaging in conflict to expand into new territories. -
Reunification of China
After several centuries of conflict between regional kingdoms, none of which was able to fully bring China under its control as the Han had done, Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty and managed to reunify China once again by 589. Although his dynasty was short-lived, the Sui re-established a centralized imperial regime in China which would continue through later dynasties. -
Tang Dynasty
Following the collapse of the Sui Dynasty, China could have once again divided into another period of smaller, warring states, but the Tang Dynasty managed to quickly seize control over China, maintaining political unity. During the Tang dynasty, the meritocratic system of selecting the bureaucracy experienced further developments, with civil service examinations on Confucian classics being used to select qualified people as officials, a system which continued until the twentieth century. -
Treaty of Verden
Although Charlemagne managed to reunify much of Western Europe under an imperial government, even being crowned as the successor to Rome by Pope Leo III in 800, the division of his empire following the Treaty of Verden in 843 led to individual counts and provinces developing high autonomy and acting independently, preventing another centralized imperial regime from taking hold and allowing for the development of the feudal system.