Transcript Chapter 10 updated notes

Chapter 10 Afroeurasia in the
Era of the Arab Empire
Empires Along the Silk Road
Islam and the Arab Empires
Byzantine Empire
China: Sui and Tang
What happened after the collapse
of the classical empires?
• New empires and groups emerged that took
advantage of political vacuums and
opportunities for wealth
Roman Empire
Han China
Gupta India
Fragmented-war lord Fragmented-regional
(period of division)
states
-Germanic
Groups
Franks
-Türk
-Hindu princes
-Tibetan empire
-Hun princes
Byzantine Empire -Uighur empire
Arab empires
Post Han collapse
• Post Xiongnu assaults in China and Hunnic
•
migrations into South Asia, the Middle East, and
Europe other groups of pastoral peoples rose to
dominate power throughout Inner Eurasia.
These pastoralist differ from the Huns in that
they were NOT migrating but rather organizing
large states within Inner Eurasia that had
efficiently organized governments capable of
controlling and exploiting large shares of Inner
Eurasian resources: pastures, oasis for
agriculture, and caravan trade (Silk Road).
Türk Empires
• Han China fell in 220 –Sui rise in 589 and Tang rise in
•
•
618
Türk -Originally a group of nomadic warriors who began
conquest of neighbors (composite bow and steel swords)
to better take advantage of the Silk Road trade. Soon
they incorporated conquered people into their army and
were able to take over even more lands. Their empire
would soon encompass both pastoral nomads and oasis
farmers to villages and cities.
Political organization: khagan (supreme leader)
Mongol preview
provincial governors
tribal and town leaders
• Eastern empire 552-630
• Western Türk empire 682-744
Trans-regional traveler:
Xuanzang
• 682-744
• From China to India (for Buddhist scripts)
• Journey to the West was written from
tales of his great journeys
Uighur Empire
• 744-840 Another Turkic-speaking group
• Controlled eastern end of the Silk Road
• Raided and invaded China for booty
• China paid them tribute to keep from
further invasions
• Elites converted to Manichaeism and built
temples and monasteries
• The fall of the Uighurs ended the spread
Manichaeism
Tibet
• Mixed herding and farming
• Rose in 618 under Songtsan Gampo –same year
•
•
•
•
that the Tang dynasty started
He organized local lords under his command
They captured many eastern silk road towns and
for a time controlled their commercial traffic
Kings patronized Buddhism starting the roots for
a different type of Tibetan Buddhism.
Fell in 842
• The Arabian Peninsula is a crossroads of
•
•
•
•
•
•
three continents: Africa, Europe, and Asia
Only small areas of the peninsula can support
agriculture, the rest is a desert
Inhabited by nomadic Arab herders
Nomads were called Bedouins and were
organized into tribes and clans
Clans provided security and support in the
harsh conditions
Eventually these clans became the core of
armies who would build a huge empire in the
600 and 700’s.
Bedouins ideals of courage, loyalty, and
warrior skills would become part of the
Islamic way of life
• By 600 cities such as Petra and Palmyra had
•
•
•
•
become prosperous trading centers
The city of Mecca became a very important
trade stop
Caravan stopped in Mecca and brought
religious pilgrims who came to worship at an
ancient shrine in the city, Ka’aba
Associated this house of worship with
Abraham, a believer in one God. Over the
years , they had introduced the worship of
many gods and spirits in the place. The
Ka’aba contained 360 idols brought by many
tribes.
God = Allah in Arabic
• The belief in one god was not new to Arabs,
•
•
•
•
•
•
many Jews and Christians had practiced their
religion in the area
Muhammad was born into a powerful Meccan
family
Muhammad came into this mix around 570 CE
Orphaned at the age of six he was raised by his
uncle. He received little schooling and began
working in caravan trade as a young man
He became a trader and business manager for
Khadijah, a wealthy businesswoman
When he turned 25 he married Khadijah
He worked on the caravan routes and came into
contact with Judaism and Christianity
• Muhammad took a lot of interest in religion
•
•
•
and spent much time alone in prayer and
meditation
At 40,Muhammad’s life changed overnight
when a voice called to him while he
meditated in a cave outside of Mecca
According to Muslim belief the voice was the
angel Gabriel who told Muhammad that he
was a messenger of God “What shall I
proclaim? Asked Muhammad the voice
answered:
Proclaim! In the name of they Lord and
Cherisher, who created man out of a mere
clot of congealed blood. Proclaim! And thy
Lord is most bountiful. He who taught (the
use of) pen taught man that which he knew
not
Clans
• Clans fought for possession of watering place
•
•
•
•
and grazing lands (rivalries). Survival depended
on cooperation within clan. Could end up in
battle over mere insults.
Mecca and Medina were extensions of the tribal
culture and their populations were linked by
kinship to Bedouins. Mecca was found by the
Umayyad clan of the Quraysh Bedouin tribe.
Women enjoyed greater freedoms, played
economic role (milking camels to weaving),
traced descents via mother, bride-prices, not
secluded, not equal. When merchant elite was
created women’s roles declined!
Men could be polygamous but women
monogamous
Little art culturally, focus on poetry and stories
Religion
• Religion was a blend of animism and polytheism.
•
Some tribes recognized a supreme god, Allah.
But seldom prayed to him. Like less abstract
gods who seem more relevant to their lives like
Hubal or the moon god.
Religion did not appear to have a lot to do with
ethics rather standards of morality were set in
tribal customs an unwritten codes
• After much soul-searching, Muhammad came
•
•
•
to believe that the Lord who spoke to him
through Gabriel was Allah.
He believed that he was the last of the
prophets and began teaching that Allah was
the one and only God and that all other gods
must be abandoned
The people who followed Muhammad’s
teachings and beliefs are called Muslims. In
Arabic the term Islam means “submission to
the will of Allah”
Muslim means “ one who has submitted”
His wife and several friends were his first
followers…by 613 Muhammad began
preaching in Mecca
• At first Meccans had problems with him b/c of
•
•
•
the pilgrimage industry and they did not want
to neglect the Arab gods.
Some of his early followers were beaten and
stoned
So Muhammad left Mecca and settled in the
town of Yathrib (200 miles away). He found
many followers here. In addition to a religious
leader, he was accepted as a political leader
too! He settled quarrels between Bedouin
clans of the town. His wisdom and skills
politically won him new followers.
Yathrib was later renamed Medina meaning
“city of the Prophet”
• Many Bedouin tribes converted to Islam.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Providing Muhammad with a large army.
In the eyes of Umayyad notables Muhammad
successes made him a great enemy. In the past
they attempted to kill him.
New faith and unwelcomed competition
Medina vs Mecca. Battled for years and 630
Muhammad and 10,000 men marched to Mecca.
Meccans surrender.
Treaty of Quraysh in 628
Muhammad destroyed the idols at Ka’aba and
held a call to prayer there.
Most Meccans quickly converted to Islam after
there defeat and became part of the Muslim
religious community, umma.
Muhammad died 2 years later
Beliefs/ Practices
• There is only one God, Allah
• There is good and evil and individuals are
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
responsible for there own actions
Holy book of Islam is the Qur’an
Believe in final judgment before Allah where they
will enter heaven or hell
Do not separated personal and religious lives
Customs, morals, and laws that control Muslims
Forbidden to eat pork or drink wine (alcohol)
Friday afternoon set aside for communal prayer
Has no priests or central religious authority
Scholar class called the ulama, learning and law
5 Pillars
Muslim you must carry out these duties
• Faith- “there is no God but Allah and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
• Prayer-Five times a day towards Mecca
• Alms- responsibility to support the less
fortunate
• Fasting-During the Islamic holy month of
Ramadan, Muslim fast. They eat and drink
nothing between dawn and sunset. Eat at
end of day
• Pilgrimage-All Muslim must perform the hajj
or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their
life. During the pilgrimage events in Mecca all
Muslims dress the same to appear as equals
before God
• Authority rests with Allah, who expressed his
•
•
•
will to Gabriel, who revealed it to
Muhammad. The Qur’an came from writing
down Muhammad teachings and prayers
Qur’an is written in Arabic and Muslims
considered the Arabic version to be the true
word of God. Only Arabic can be used in
worship and this is why the language spread
so quickly
Not only did Muhammad provide the Qur’an,
he provided an example for other Muslims to
follow Sunna (Muhammad’s example)
These ideas and laws were assembled into a
body of laws called the shari’a.
Why it worked so well
• Popular because it transcended clan and class
•
•
•
•
•
•
divisions
It was a monotheistic religion from their people with
no intermediaries between the individual and God
Possibility to end vendettas and feuds
Umma created political unity
Skills of the Bedouins of war could be used to
conquer other lands and create the first global
civilization!
Ethical system that helped heal the deep social rifts
within Arabic society. Dignity of all believers, equality
before Allah (egalitarianism), moral codes,
responsibility for the poor, and being kind and
generous
Qur’an laid the foundations for an extensive law code
to regulate all aspects of Muslim life. (last judgment)
Crisis after Death of Muhammad in 632 CE
• Many Bedouin tribes renounced Islam after the
•
•
•
•
•
death of Muhammad
Muhammad left no direction over succession and
this began to be disputed
Caliph=political and religious successor of
Muhammad
Several choices, Ali (Muhammad’s cousin)
thought to be too young though and Abu Bakr (a
close friend and early follower)
Abu Bakr became the first caliph. Those who
knew Muhammad were called the rightly guided
caliphs. He united Bedouin tribes through the
Ridda Wars.
Under Umar, the second caliph, Syria and lower
Egypt were conquered from the Byzantine
Empire. He also took parts of the Persian Empire
• Third caliph, Uthman from the Umayyad clan
•
•
was murdered.
The murder of Uthman in 656 triggered a civil
war and crisis over succession
Uthman was chosen caliph in 644. The
reasons for his selection are unclear; it may
be partly due to his willingness to continue
Umar's policies, partly due to his Umayyad
lineage. During his twelve-year reign,
grievances which had been suppressed under
Umar's caliphate came to the surface. He was
accused of nepotism, favoritism,
misadministration, and religious innovation by
his detractors, which included the man who
would become the fourth caliph, Ali. Uthman
was murdered in 656 by a group of
discontented Egyptians.
• Umayyads rejected Ali’s claim and swore to
•
•
•
•
•
revenge when Ali failed to punish the assassins
of Uthman.
Ali was related to Muhammad and a strong
warrior. In 656 in the battle of the camel, he lead
a victory against the Umayyads
By 657 at the battle of Siffin Ali was on the verge
of defeating the Umayyads when he was won
over by a plea for mediation
He accepted negotiations and because of this
many of his supporters renounced him!
Umayyads regrouped their forces and in 660
under the leadership of Mu’awiya challenged Ali’s
position by claiming himself caliph of Jerusalem
A year later, Ali was assassinated and his son,
Hasan was pressured by the Umayyads to
renounce his claim to the caliphate.
• The question over succession deeply divided
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
the Islamic world…even to this day!
The split between Sunnis and Shi’a
Sunnis backed the Umayyads
Shi’a supported Ali and Muhammads relatives
The hostilities between the two groups
continued as the Umayyads and Ali’s second
son, Husayn struggled for power.
Husayn was killed in 680 at Karbala
Shi’a only recognized Ali as a caliph!
Differences not only in succession but also in
beliefs, rituals, and laws developed between
the Sunnis and Shi’a
Also sects within the Shi’a community over Ali
when he agreed to arbitration with Umayyads
Section 1: Byzantium
• Western Roman Empire
•
•
crumbled in the 5th
century due to invading
Germanic tribes
Constantine moved the
capital east to
Byzantium-where he
could respond to the
dangers of the
Germanic tribes as well
as close in on the rich
trade going through
Byzantium
He renamed the city,
Constantinople and
made it his new capital
• As the western Empire
•
•
began to decline, the
eastern part became
independent-Byzantine
Empire (modern day
Istanbul)
Empire divided in 395
AD
Justinian succeeded his
uncle as ruler of the
Byzantine Empire
Byzantium
•
•
•
The Hagia Sophia
The emperor Justinian
temporarily restored
the fortunes of the
Byzantine state
Justinian mounted a
reconquest of parts of
the empire lost to the
Germanic tribes
The generals Belisarius
and Narses took back
northern Africa from
the Vandals, Italy from
the Ostrogoths, and a
part of Spain from the
Visigoths. The
enormous expense of
Justinian's ambitious
military policy was
passed on in taxes to
the residents of the
•
•
•
•
Byzantium
Justinian held absolute power
Justinian is also credited with
codifying the Roman legal
system, and his code has
provided the model for many
European legal systemsJustinian Code
Code regulated whole areas of
Byzantine life from marriage to
inheritance-900 years
532 Nika Rebellion at the
Hippodrome. Green and Blue
gangs rioted and then took to
the streets of Constantinople
out of political frustration.
Justinian almost fled, but
Theodora convinced him to
stay and fight. Killed over
30,000 wayward spectators!
• Justinian began a large
•
•
•
public building projectrepaired the
fortifications of the city:
14 mile stone wall, deep
moats, 3 walls-inner
most 25 feet thick
Also built churches like
the Hagia Sohpia
His wife, Empress
Theodora aided him in
his rule
Education was very
important to the
Byzantines, who sent
their children to be
educated at public
schools or by tutors
Byzantium
• Byzantium suffered
•
•
•
•
•
from some setbacks:
the plague (10,000 a
day died at its height),
attacks by Lombards,
Avars, Slavs, Bulgars,
Arabs, and Russians
mid 7th century Arab
attacks start
717-718 Arab advances
beaten back due to
Greek fire!
Wars with Muslims
added new economic
burdens! Taxation
Arab pressures
continued
Arabs conquered Crete
• Muslim active in
Mediterranean trade
• Problems with
Bulgaria settle via
military and marriage.
Bulgarian king called
himself tsar (10th
century from Caesar).
By 11th century
Byzantine emperor
Basil II,
Bulgaroktonos, slayer
of Bulgarians,
defeated them in
1014 (blinding as
many as 15,000)
Greek fire
Greek Fire was the secret weapon of the Eastern Roman Emperors (673 AD). The "liquid fire" was hurled on to the
ships of their enemies from siphons and burst into flames on contact. As it was reputed to be inextinguishable and
burned even on water, it caused panic and dread. Both Arab and Greek sources agree that it surpassed all incendiary
weapons in destruction. The secret behind the Greek fire was handed down from one emperor to the next for
centuries. The exact composition, however, remains unknown.
http://www.greece.org/Romiosini/greek_fire.html
Basil II Bulgaroktonos
Miniature of Basil II Bulgaroktonos (the Bulgar Slayer) wearing military uniform and crown
and holding a sword, from an early 11th century Psalter, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana,
Venice.
http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/HellenicMacedonia/en/img_D21a.html
• Byzantine Empire similar to
• Byzantium’s religion began to
•
•
•
•
•
China: emperor was divine
and head of state and
church
Emperor appointed bishops
and passed religious and
secular laws!
Importance of education and
bureaucrats! Could come
from any level of society.
Provincial governors, use of
spies, and carefully military
organization
Used Roman system of
recruiting locally and
rewarding soldiers with land.
Sons started inheriting
important positions in the
military and displaced
bureaucrats.
•
•
•
diverge from Roman
Catholicism-developed into
Eastern Orthodox Church
Patriarch Michael asked must
bread be baked without yeast
and he attacked celibacy of
priests.
2 Churches couldn’t resolve the
problems. The Pope
excommunicated the patriarch
and his followers! So the
patriarch excommunicated all
Roman Catholics!
Great Schism or split 1054
Byzantium sent missionaries to
spread their religion-reached
out to Slavs and developed the
Cyrillic alphabet (includes
Russian) from the missionary
Cyril and Methodius
Cathedral of St.
Basil the Blessed or
St. Basil's
Cathedral) is a
multi-tented church
on the Red Square in
Moscow.
The cathedral was
commissioned by
Ivan the Terrible and
built between 1555
and 1561 in
Moscow.
Religion and Art
Italian (Spoleto)
The Last Supper
and the Agony in
the Garden,
about 1300
Fra Filippo
Lippi. Madonna
and Child with
Angels. 14571465. Tempera on
panel. Galleria
degli Uffizi,
Florence, Italy
Renaissance
The
Mother of
God of
Vladimir
11-12th
Century
Russia
Byzantine Empire Decline
• After split between
•
•
•
•
eastern and western
churches the decline
started
Muslim Turkish invaders
pressuring eastern
border
By late 11th century
Turkish troops (Seljuks)
seized Asiatic provinces.
Lost battle of Manzikert
in 1071 and army
never recovered.
Leaders appealed to
Europe for help and
they were largely
ignored!
• Italian cities began to
prosper and were
granted special
privileges in
Constantinople
• Constantinople was raided
•
•
by Western European
knights who pillaged the
city in 1204 on their way
to fight against the Turks
in the Crusades!
Constantinople fell in 1453
to the Ottoman Turks
By 1461 the Turks had
conquered the remaining
pockets of Byzantine
control. Bring Islamic
power into Eastern
Europe.
Postclassical/ Middle Ages
•
•
•
•
•
Period of great faith-Islam and Christianity
Christian missionaries spread message north.
Europe grows in participation of trade
Europeans learned of technologies and
scholarship from these contacts (Africans,
Asians, Muslims, Byzantines
“Their bodies are large, their manners harsh,
their understanding dull their tongues heavy.
Those who are farthest to the north are the
most subject to stupidity, grossness, and
brutishness” Muslim writer- crusades
Problems
• Rome was the center of the Church and the
•
•
•
•
Church was the most powerful institution in
West
Italy was divided: Papal states, Milan,
Florence, Venetian Republic, and Kingdom of
Naples
Poor education due to focus on farming and
weak regional rulers
Spain in the hands of Muslims. Spain was a
vibrant and important intellectual and
economic area lost to western Europe
Frequent invasions created instability
Section 1:Charlemagne
• Middle Ages or Medieval
• Dialects popped up and
•
•
•
•
•
period 500-1300: after
fall of Rome, Europe
remained fragmented
Disruption in trade,
downfall of cities, and
population shifts
Germanic invaders who
stormed Rome were not
well educated and the
level of learning sank
No written language
As Germans began to
mix with the Romans
language changed
•
•
various languages
appeared like French and
Spanish
Germanic kingdoms rose
in place of the Roman
Empire
Church was the institution
that was able to withstand
the break up of Rome and
governed society
Concept of government
changed-loyal to family
and community. Warriors
loyal to leaders they
respected
Charlemagne
• Monks gave up all
• In Gaul the Franks
•
•
•
emerged under their
leader, Clovis
Clovis adopted
Christianity due to God
helping him in battle in
496 CE and to gain
prestige over pagan
rivals
By 600 the Church and
Frankish rulers helped
to convert many
Germanic peoples
Church created religious
communities,
monasteries, for rural
areas
•
•
•
worldly possessions and
became servants of God
Under Pope Gregory I
(590) the papacy
expanded its powers
over secular or worldly
matters, including
politics
He used the Church’s
money to raise armies,
repair roads, and help
the poor
All western and central
Europe fell under the
Pope’s control and
authority
Charlemagne
• Europe fell into small
•
•
•
kingdoms after the fall
of the Roman Empire
The strongest was in
the area of Gaul under
the leadership of Clovis
(Franks)
Clovis expanded his
territory to encompass
all of modern France
and strengthened his
family line
(Merovingian)
700 Mayor of the
Palace-ruler of the
kingdom
• Charles Martel (Hammer)
was Mayor and held
more power than the
king.
• He expanded the empire
and defeated the
Muslims at the Battles of
Tours in 732 –this kept
Europe Christian!
• Muslims had been
invaded via Spain
• Next ruler, Charles’ son,
Pepin the Short. In
order to become strong,
Pepin aligned himself
with the Pope. He
fought against the
Lombards and the Pope
was happy-”kings by the
grace of God” became
the Carolingian Dynasty
CLOVIS
CHARLES
MARTEL
CHARLEMANGE
arlemagne
• Pepin died and left the
•
•
•
•
• He limited the authority of the
•
Frankish empire to his
sons (Carloman and
•
Charles). Charles
inherited the throne after
Carloman died. He
became Charlemagne
•
Charlemagne was 6’4”
800 He built an empire
greater than anything
since Rome: France,
•
Spain, and Germany
Pope Leo III granted
Charlemagne the title of
Roman emperor for
fighting off unruly nobles
in Rome
This united Germanic
kings and the Church
nobles, strengthened his powers,
and traveled throughout his empire
He encouraged learning and
opened a palace school for his
many children
814 his son, Louis the Pious
became emperor-he was an
ineffective ruler and concerned
more with religion
Pious’ 3 sons fought each other for
the empire. It was split into 3
kingdoms after the civil war in the
Treaty of Verdun in 843
762 Otto I king of Germany helped
the pope against Roman nobles
like Charlemagne and the pope
gave him the title “holy” and he
added it to Roman Emperor from
and hence rulers of ancient
Germany became Holy Roman
Emperors and the territory was
known as the Holy Roman Empire
Section 2: Feudalism
• The destabilization that
the civil war caused
brought Europe into
new political turmoil
and led to the
development of
feudalism
• Feudalism is a political
system based on land
ownership and personal
loyalty
• At this weakened state
Europe was then
attacked by invaders:
Vikings, Magyars, and
Muslims
• Vikings(Norsemen)
•
•
•
sailed from Scandinavia
to Europe down
waterways to raid
villages and towns
They carried out these
raids with terrifying
speed and by the time
local troop arrived the
Vikings were long gone
Viking warships allowed
for these raids…could
hold as many as 300
warriors
They looted villages and
monasteries, were
Introduction
• Tang and Song dynasties ruled from the 7th-13th
•
•
•
•
•
centuries!
In which time Chinese society advanced in literally
ALL areas of human endeavors!
It was the largest empire on the earth (during those
times) in population and territory!
Chinese great cities were a striking example of these
amazing accomplishments: Hangzhou
Many things to do in these urban areas like go to the
large markets, parks, go boating, go to nice
restaurants, see live entertainments, bath houses,
tea houses, opera, and even view paintings!
Marco Polo “ the most noble city and the best that
is in the world” Hangzhou
Hangzhou
http://www.shanghaihighli
ghts.com/neighbours/imag
es/hangzhou-b.jpg
http://icamconferences.org/i-camp/wpcontent/uploads/img214342845.jpg
Sui-Tang Era
• Sui dynasty rose up in 580’s after collapse of Han and
•
•
chaotic times of invasion. Regional kingdoms appeared.
The Sui dyansty was created out of the Northern Zhou
kingdom. By 577 the Northern Zhou had conquered the
Northern Qi kingdom to make a very large empire. (pg
258)
Wendi (Yang Jian) was an official and relative of the royal
family and struck a marriage alliance between his
daughter and the ruler of the northern Zhou empire.
Wendi’s daughter became an empress (1 of 5). She had a
son. When the emperor died unexpectedly Wendi’s
grandson became the emperor. He was only about six and
required a regent. Wendi served as regent (after all he ran
the court and administrative affairs of the kingdom during
the emperor’s life). He was the regent with another man
(a commander). The commander tried to seize power and
Wendi beat him. After this Wendi then seized the throne
and proclaimed himself emperor.
Wendi and Sui Dynasty
• He secured his position by winning the favor of
•
•
•
neighboring nomadic military commanders. He
reconfirmed their titles and showed little desire to
favor the Confucian scholar-gentry at their expense!
Wendi then extended his empire across north China
by 589. Then, they conquered the weak Chen
kingdom (to the south). He created a large empire
Wendi reunited the core areas of China which hadn’t
been united in a few centuries!!!
Wendi won support from the people by:
– Lowering taxes
– Establishing granaries (to keep surplus of grain)
Sui Collapse
• Wendi’s son, Yangdi, took the throne and strengthened his
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
father’s goals. However, he did kill his father to reach the throne.
Yangdi extended the empire, drove back nomadic intruders
Created a milder legal code and devoted resources to upgrading
Confucian education (for the bureaucracy) and restored the civil
service exam
These policies were for the scholar-gentry and at the expense of
the aristocratic families and nomadic military commanders
Yangdi also like luxury! He forcibly conscripted hundred of
thousands of peasants to build canals, palaces, and a new capital,
Loyang.
He demanded much of the people!
He also led a series of unsuccessful wars:
– Korean campaigns 611-614
– Turkish nomads in 615
Because of demands and war people began to revolt and parts of
the empire declared themselves independent. There were even
bandit gangs and invaders to boot! In 618 Yangdi was
assassinated by his own ministers!
Yangdi
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped
ia/commons/0/0b/Sui_Yangdi_Tang.
jpg
Tang Dynasty
• Imperial disorder was avoided after the assassination of Yangdi by
•
•
•
•
•
one of his savvy officials, Li Yuan, the Duke of Tang
He was a loyal supporter of Yangdi until he started to become
irrational and problems started spreading throughout the empire
Li Yuan was convinced by his sons and allies that only rebellion
could save the empire. Yangdi was assassinated in 618
In 623 Li Yuan became the emperor and victor from the struggle
for the throne. In 626 he abdicated the throne in favor of his
second son, Tang Taizong. Thus led to the golden age of the Tang
Tang armies conquered deep into central Asia to Afghanistan, they
repaired the Great Wall, and created frontier armies! They recruited
Turkic nomadic people for their frontier forces.
They were able to keep the Turkish people loyal by taking the sons
of their tribal leaders. They were sent to the capital and were
educated in Chinese ways to hopefully help assimilate them!
Tang Map
Tang imperial expansion
• Stabilized the peasantry via the equal-field system of
•
•
•
•
distribution of lands to peasants families for farming and
thus helped to collect more regular taxes
Also formed farmer militias for expansion purposes(farmed part of the year and fought the other part).
Wanted well trained and loyal peasants at the heart of
the army
Military campaigns to the South (Vietnam) and even to
Korea. Emperor Taizong and Empress Wu also took
power over nomadic people of the Steppes. They even
led to the fall of the Eastern Turk Empire!
Expanded particularly along the Silk Roads
Only halted in 751 Battle of Talas by the Abbasid Empire
•
Tang
Dynasty
Empire incorporated Tibet, Vietnam, Manchuria, and a vassal kingdom
(Silla) in Korea by 668
• Tang established a larger empire than that of the Han and even larger
than present day China!
Government:
• Continued to revive the scholarly gentry and Confucian bureaucrats
• Under the Tang the scholar-gentry offset the powers of the aristocracy
• From the Tang era onward, the political power in China was shared by a
succession of imperial families and the bureaucrats of the civil service
system
• The scholar-gentry class staffed most of the posts the secretariats and
executive departments that oversaw a huge bureaucracy
• Imperial palace to subprefecture (or county level)
• One secretariat drafted royal decrees and the other looked at regional
reports
• The executive department was split into 6 ministers: including war,
justice, and public works. Bureau of Censor that kept track of all officials
at all levels to ensure they were doing their jobs. Large staff to support
imperial household in Changan (new capital).
Tang and civil service
• Tang and Song emperors patronized academies to train
•
•
•
•
•
state officials and educate them in the Confucian classics
(moral and organizational ethics)
Far more scholars during the Tang and Song than during
the Han
Had to take civil service exam to pass. Ministry of Rites
administered tests along with the hardest tests
(philosophical or legal classics and Chinese literature). If
passed the hardest test you got the title, jinshi. Success
meant different dress and social status
However birth and connection got most bureaucrats
their positions even if they failed! A few families dominated
and passed post from father to son
Members of the old aristocracy and low-ranking sons of less
wives and concubines also became bureaucrats
Many Buddhists and Buddhism was patronized for the
early part of the Tang dyansty
Lungmen-Buddha
State and Religion (Tang and Song)
• After the Han collapse many people including the aristocracy had become
•
•
•
•
•
•
Buddhists during this time of chaos
Mahayana Buddhism spread b/c it provided a refuge from a time of war and
conflict
Chen or Zen Buddhism spread in the elites b/c it provided a focus on meditation
and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty.
The goal of Buddhism was to know the ultimate wisdom and find release from the
cycle of rebirth through meditation!
By the time of the Tang, Buddhism was a major religion and force at all levels of
society
Tang rulers patronized Buddhism while promoting education in the Confucian
classics.
Tang Empress Wu was known for her great support for Buddhism. She is the only
woman that ruled China! She was a concubine (13) that became an empress.
According to legend, Wu was the concubine for the emperor. Upon the death of the
emperor, Wu was supposedly was sent to a monastery and became a nun because
she had no sons. Then the son who was now the new emperor came to make an
offering and saw the beautiful Wu. His empress decided to have Wu come to the
palace to distract her husband from a rival female. She became a powerful
concubine again eventually becoming Empress. She got the attention of the emperor
and then framed the empress by claiming that she had killed their daughter.
Eventually she had the empress killed as well as the other rival. It was said she had
their bones broken in their arms and legs and then had them put into wine vats to
die!
Empress Wu
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chinaexpat.com/file
s/u659/empress-wu-picture1.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.chinaexpat.com/blog/ernie/2009/06/11/wu
-zetian-woman-who-becameemperor.html&h=384&w=310&sz=93&tbnid=go6w0k2UMQBPyM:&t
bnh=123&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dempress%2Bwu&usg=__
RtifNtmBFEjVpioLgAXusGKnm30=&ei=VtbtSrKlKIrQM__RgIQM&
sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&ved=0CA8Q9QEwAw
Why so well received
• Buddhism was introduced by silk road monks and merchants
•
•
•
•
to China
Early Tang rulers patronized Buddhism because it was seen as
a universalist religion that set a good system of morals and
values while creating a sense of unity among the people due
to its growing popularity
Chinese rulers identified with the religion: Emperor Taizong
and Empress Wu
Xuanzang (Buddhist monk) traveled to India to gain more
information/ sacred texts (Journey to the West)
Buddhism expressed religious concepts and moral values in a
way that resonated with many Chinese people
Confucianism- helping families (bodhisattvas would help) and
karuma (all encompassing compassion kin to filial piety
Daoism-inner peace and balance.
dharma-behave righteously and live in harmony with the
staet of nature for yourself similar to the dao
nirvana-enlightenment was similar to wuwei or nonaction / conflict
Anti-Buddhist Backlash
• Buddhism had mixed with local ideas to manifest into
•
•
•
its own form of Chinese Buddhism. However,
Confucian and Dao leaders were worried over so
many followers of the faith!
Confucian scholar bureaucrats said that
Buddhism was an economic challenge to imperial
order b/c Buddhist monastic lands and their
resources were not taxes and the peasants on these
lands could not be conscripted.
Under Emperor Wuzong (841-847) Buddhists
became persecuted. Monasteries and shrines were
destroyed! Monks, nuns, and peasants had to return
to civilian lives.
Buddhism survived in China but was never again the
political force it was under the early Tang. Confucian
and Dao took back over
Tang decline and Song Rise
• Weakening imperial power under controversy of Empress Wu 690-705
and Empress Wei (who poisoned her husband, the son of Empress
Wu and put her small child on the throne). Another prince led a revolt
in the palace against her and won. He became emperor Xuanzong
• High point in Tang dynasty under his rule for a time!
• He was a great leader in the beginning but then he stopped focusing on
ruling and began to be obsessed with courtly life and pleasure. He
greatly enjoyed playing music and it was said he had 1000 concubines!
Xuanzong became infatuated with a beautiful young women, Yang
Guifei, after the death of his second wife. She was in the harem of one
of the imperial princes. Xuanzong began giving her flute lessons and
her status grew. She used her new position to get her greedy relatives
access to the upper level of government. She was arrogant and
excessive. Xuanzong neglected the state affairs which resulted in
disaster. In 755 a revolt broke out which the Tang crushed. However
the Tang troops mutinied and killed several Yang family members and
forced the emperor to kill Yang Guifei. He did, but never quite
recovered. Later rulers Tang rulers were weak.
• Nomadic peoples living on the borders gained powers and took over
portions of northern China. The local governors became independent
rulers in their own!
Emperor Xuanzong
Tang to Song
• Tang couldn’t control the vast empire. In 751 Arab
•
•
•
armies defeated the Chinese on China’s western
frontier at the Battle of Talas!
In 907 Chinese rebels sacked and burned the Tang
capital at Changan and murdered the last emperor,
a child
Rival warlord divided China into several kingdoms
In 960 an able general reunited China and
proclaimed himself Song Taizu, the first Song
(sung) emperor. The Song dynasty lasted from (9601279). Song armies didn’t regain western lands lost
in 751 nor did they regain northern lands. The
northern Liao dynasty founded in 907 by the
nomadic Khitan peoples in Manchuria made the
Song sign treaties that committed them to paying
heavy tribute in silver, silk, and tea to keep from
Integrating north and south
• The Grand Canal built by Yangdi of the Sui and
•
•
•
later continued by the Tang rulers connected the
Southern and Northern regions of China
It functioned primarily to supply the Chinese
administration and army with food products
Royal roads ran alongside the canal and
connected the central line to provincial cities and
the hinterlands for trade
Also built other canals-Tang made independent
minded aristocrats to move to the new capital of
Chang’an in order to keep tabs on them