New Empires and Common Cultures (600–1000 ce ) презентация

New Empires and Common Cultures (600–1000 ce) Chapter 9 (part II, pp. 333-355)

FOCUS ON FAITH AND EMPIRE The Islamic Empire Warriors from the Arabian Peninsula defeat Byzantine and Sasanian armies and establish an Islamic empire stretching from Morocco to South Asia. The Abbasid state takes over from the Umayyads, crystallizes the main Islamic institutions of the caliphate and Islamic law, and promotes cultural achievements in religion, philosophy, and science. Disputes over Prophet Muhammad’s succession lead to a deep and enduring split between Sunnis and Shiites.

The Tang state The rise of the Sui and Tang empires in China paralleled Islam’s meteoric rise out of Arabia Again Afro-Eurasia had two centers of power: Islam and China Not the same as Rome and Han China because now the two worlds were more interconnected with trade, conversion, and regular political contacts Shared common borders China’s state was formed differently than in Afro-Eurasia, where religion dominated China’s religious history and political histories were separate and not parallel Underneath a single dynastic and imperial culture lay a plurality of religions and sects A model for balancing forces of integration and diversity

The Tang state Tang promoted a cosmopolitan culture that absorbed many new elements arising from afar Ideas came from the West, including India, Bactria, and Constantinople Ideas also came from the East Early societies and states in Korea and Japan emerged in the shadow of China Daoism and Buddhism spread to Korea and Japan Chinese statecraft, based on Confucian classics, was seen as best model by Korean and Japanese scholars Despite the rise of China’s empire, its impact on Korea and Japan was limited Each maintained cultural autonomy

The Tang state Territorial expansion under the Sui and Tang dynasties New sets of rulers (Sui and Tang) restored Han model of empire building Argued for big imperial system and found broad support Both dynasties expanded boundaries Hero of the imperial day was Yang Jian Served as an official of the militarily strong Northern Zhou dynasty

The Tang state Territorial expansion under the Sui and Tang dynasties Father and son emperors expanded the state into Korea, Vietnam, Manchuria, Tibet, and central Asia The fall of the Han dynasty led to a long period of conflict among small states. Expansion efforts were financially and militarily disastrous and fatally weakened the dynasty Change in course of Yellow River caused flooding, which led to popular revolts General Li Yuan marched on Chang’an and took the throne In 618, Li Yuan established the Tang dynasty Expanded bureaucracy and tightened control over individual governors

The Tang state The army and imperial campaigning An expanding Tang state required a large, professionally trained army Aristocratic cavalry and peasant soldiers In the north, army relied on pastoral nomadic soldiers Uighurs, Turkish-speaking steppe peoples Most deadly forces in the Tang Empire Military forged the first westward expansion into parts of Tibet Moved to conquer East and central Asia At the height of the empire, Tang armies controlled more than 4 million square miles and 80 million people. Surpassed the peak of Han Empire and greater than Islamic rule in the eighth and ninth centuries China in 750 ce was the most powerful, most advanced, and best administered empire in the world

The Tang state The army and imperial campaigning The rivalry for Afro-Eurasian supremacy brought the worlds together, but not peaceably Muslim forces drove the Tang from Turkestan in 751 CE (Talas) Tang forced to retreat from central Asia and mainland Southeast Asia Several factors eventually led to the downfall of the Tang

The Tang state The army and imperial campaigning Misrule Court intrigues Economic exploitation Popular rebellions Northern invaders brought an end to the dynasty in 907ce With the downfall of the Tang, China fragmented into five northern dynasties and ten southern kingdoms

The Tang state Organizing an empire Emulated the Han but introduced new institutions Tang had to deal with the arrival of global religions Confucian administrators () Day-to-day operations relied on the civil service Tang had to devise other formulas for integrating their remote territories and diverse ethnic and linguistic groups

The Tang state Organizing an empire Confucian administrators (cont’d) Created a strong and unifying political culture based on Confucian teachings rather than relying on a world religion to anchor empire Knowledge of the details of Confucius and intricacies of Chinese language required for ruling classes Skills were powerful in forging cultural and political solidarity Common philosophy and written language served as surrogates for the universalistic religions

The Tang state Organizing an empire Confucian administrators (cont’d) Tang state increased power through the world’s first written civil service exam system New civil service officials were selected from those who passed the examination and meritocracy Tang used common texts, codes, and tests to unify the governing classes Empress Wu enforced a new aristocracy of academic ability Through civil service exams, southern commoners took more prominent roles Exam system also indirectly aided the poor because they saw value of education as a way to rise into the ruling elite

The Tang state Organizing an empire China’s first female emperor, Empress Wu (690-705) () Women played influential roles in the court Most played private roles, but some had public roles Empress Wu dominated Tang court in late seventh and early eighth centuries First and only female ruler in Chinese history Expanded military Recruited her administrators from the civil service exam candidates to oppose her court enemies

The Tang state Organizing an empire China’s first female emperor (cont’d) Challenging beliefs that subordinated women, she elevated women’s position Ordered scholars to write biographies of famous women Empowered mother’s clan by giving relatives high political posts Tried to establish a new Zhou dynasty through a benign and competent rule Chinese Buddhism achieved its highest officially sponsored development in this period

The Tang state Organizing an empire Eunuchs Abbasid and Tang rulers both defended themselves by surrounding themselves with loyal and well-compensated men Caliphs in Baghdad chose young male slaves (usually Turks); castrated males known as eunuchs guarded the harem Tang emperors relied on castrated males from lower classes Eunuchs in China () became fully integrated into the empire’s institution and wielded a great deal of power In 820, chief eunuch controlled the military Eunuch bureaucracy mediated between the emperor and provincial governments By the late Tang dynasty, eunuchs held too much political power and became an unruly group that was partially responsible for the downfall of the Tang dynasty

The Tang state An economic revolution Political stability fueled remarkable economic achievement The Sui had triggered economic progress by building canals throughout the country; Tang continued the effort New waterways aided communication and transport Rice was transported from the south to the north Areas south of the Yangzi became the demographic center of Chinese empire

The Tang state An economic revolution Political stability fueled remarkable economic achievement (cont’d) Chinese merchants took advantage of the Silk Road to trade with India and the Islamic world With rebellions jeopardizing overland trade routes, the “silk road by sea” blossomed The Tang capital of Chang’an became the richest and most populous city in the world Textiles, paper, and ceramics all became desired commodities in the West

The Tang state Accommodating world religions The Confucian ideology was secular Tang emperors tolerated a remarkable amount of religious diversity The growth of Buddhism Buddhism thrived under Tang rule Japanese monk Ennin studied Buddhism in China and returned to Japan to form Tendai Buddhism When Buddhism was accepted as one of the “three ways” of learning with Daoism and Confucianism, the Tang embraced and supported it Huge monasteries were built and emissaries sent to India to gather Buddhist artifacts, all paid for by imperial patronage Grottoes, such as at Dunhuang on the Silk Road, served as ideal venues for monks to practice Giant carvings of Buddha dotted the central Asian trade routes

The Tang state Anti-Buddhist campaigns Tang Empire contained nearly 50,000 monasteries and hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks and nuns Success of Buddhism threatened Confucian and Daoist leaders, who began to attack Buddhism Secular rulers grew more and more concerned that religious loyalties would undermine political ones Accused Buddhists of hurting kinship values and cardinal family relations Claimed clergy were conspiring to destroy the state, the family, and the individual body “Three Destructions” of Buddhism Persecution of monastic orders began in the 840s Emperor Wuzong closed more than 4,600 monasteries and destroyed 40,000 temples and shrines

The Tang state Anti-Buddhist campaigns Tang government brought the Buddhist monastic communities under its control, unlike in Latin Europe where religion/Christian Church dominated the government/feudal states Confucianism and Daoism part of Chinese bureaucracy; Buddhism lacked that power base Buddhism became vulnerable when attacked by Emperor Wuzong By emphasizing classical scholarship, ancient literature, and Confucian morality, Tang dynasty revered early Buddhist success Overcoming the universalistic thrust of Buddhism resulted in persistent religious pluralism Tang China was the one place that remained committed to a secular common culture

The Tang state The fall of Tang China China’s deteriorating economy led to peasant uprisings Some risings led by failed exam candidates Revolts brought down dynasty and led to ten regional states

The Christian West Charlemagne’s fledgling empire Ruled from 768 to 814 By 802 Charlemagne controlled much of western Europe Empire had fewer than 15 million people His armies were rarely larger than 5,000 Had a rudimentary tax system His palace was primitive in comparison with some of those of Islamic caliphs

The Christian West Charlemagne’s fledgling empire Representatives of the warrior class that had come to dominate post-Roman western Europe Franks engaged in trade, but trade was based on war Frankish empire was financed by the massive sale of prisoners of war Main victims were Slavic-speaking peoples from eastern Europe

The Christian West In this inhospitable zone, Christianity put down roots Christianity for the north Charlemagne’s empire was in the borderlands Based on expansion and Christian proselytizing Christianity emerged in the new borderlands world much different from its Mediterranean origins

The Christian West Christianity for the north Christianity bridged the gap between the Mediterranean world and the new non-Roman world of the north Christians felt that Christ was the Messiah and that their faith was the only true universal religion Bishop Augustine of Hippo had put forth the outlines of these beliefs in 410 ce Wrote the book called The City of God Catholic Church important for bringing people to religion Several things led to Christianity’s establishment in northern Europe Christianity’s arrival in northern Europe began a cultural revolution Latin became a sacred language; books became vehicles of the holy Bibles produced by monks and nuns

The Christian West Christianity for the north Monks, nuns, and popes Sent out missionaries Believed that those with least in common with those with “normal lives” were best able to mediate between the believer and God Missionary zeal occurred because it offered an alternative to the European warrior societies By 800, few regions of northern Europe were without great monasteries

The Christian West Christianity for the north The papacy rose because the Catholic Church and western Europe united to support a single and exclusive symbolic center Popes owed position to two factors The Arab conquest, which had removed competition Desire for a new, more vibrant religion

The Christian West The age of the Vikings The Vikings exploited the weaknesses of Charlemagne’s regime Viking motive simple: “to be on the warpath” Successful because of technological advantage: their ships Light and agile Shallow draft Rowed up the rivers of northern Europe Could also travel on open waters, including the Atlantic

The Christian West The age of the Vikings Plundered monasteries along rivers and in Ireland and Britain Norwegian adventurers colonized Iceland and Greenland Reached New World in 982 Carried out trade with Native Americans

The Christian West The age of the Vikings Viking efforts in eastern Europe had lasting effects Created new trade routes through Baltic region—“The Highway of Slaves” The survival of the Christian empire of the east Several attempts were made to capture the eastern Christian empire in Constantinople

The Christian West The survival of the Christian empire of the east Greek Orthodox Christianity Outlasting a series of military emergencies bolstered the morale of East Roman Christianity and led to its unexpected flowering in distant lands Gained a spiritual empire that offset losses to the East Roman Empire in Southwest Asia Heart of church the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople Converted much of eastern Europe

The Christian West The survival of the Christian empire of the east By 1000, two Christianities existed Confident “borderland” Catholicism of western Europe An ancient Greek Orthodoxy Neither side really admired the other

The Christian West The survival of the Christian empire of the east Like Islam, the Christian world was divided, though in two distinct regions: western and eastern Christianity Differences not doctrinal, as with Shia and Sunni Islam Christian differences were in heritage, customs, and levels of perceived “civilization”

The Christian West The survival of the Christian empire of the east Each dealt with the expansion of the Muslim world differently Christianity expanded its geographic reach to new frontiers Growing religious homogeneity and common faith increased in western Christendom

Conclusion Eurasian and North African societies witnessed a radical reordering of their political and cultural maps that encouraged migration. Commodities, technological innovations, ideas, travelers, merchants, adventurers, and scholars moved rapidly over great distances from one region to another.

Conclusion Despite all the circulation of people and ideas, a new set of political and cultural boundaries emerged that divided the landmass as never before. Islam was the most important of the new universalistic religions. Challenged and slowed the spread of universalistic religion, Christianity.

Conclusion The Sui and Tang empires revived Confucianism as a basis for a new imperial order. There were many ways to cope with the emergence and spread of universalizing religions across Eurasia and Africa. A common affiliation with empire Sometimes faith followed empire, as in East Asia

Conclusion Sometimes empire followed faith, as was the case with Islam Each universal religion also saw internal debate over basic principles.

KEY TERMS Christendom civil service examinations eunuchs Greek Orthodoxy Meritocracy