Transcript AP World History Study Session #5

AP World History
Study Session #5
East Asia from 500 to 1500
and the Mongol Empire
SUI DYNASTY
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The long power struggle that followed the
fall of the Han Dynasty ended in 589 when
Wendi unified China under the Sui
Dynasty.
Wendi used alliances, intrigue, and
warfare to achieve his goals.
Yangdi murdered his father to gain the
throne, then strengthened the empire by
making legal and educational reforms.
SUI DYNASTY
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After military defeats and expensive
building projects that overwhelmed his
subjects, widespread revolts threatened
the Sui.
Following Yangdi’s death, Li Yuan (the
Duke of Tang) seized power, expanded
China’s boundaries dramatically, and
founded the Tang Dynasty.
TANG DYNASTY
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The Tang used scholar-gentry to create an
effective bureaucracy and check the
nobility’s power. They set up a new capital
at Changan.
The Tang greatly expanded the Confucianbased examination system that provided
qualified bureaucrats. Those who passed
the highest-level exams were called jinshi.
Despite the system, many officials gained
their positions through family connections
rather than merit.
TANG DYNASTY
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Buddhism enjoyed a resurgence. Among the masses, the
salvationist, pure-land strain of Mahayana Buddhism won
widespread conversions because it seemed to provide a
refuge from an age of war and turmoil.
Members of the elite classes, on the other hand, were
more attracted to the Chan variant of Buddhism, or Zen as
it is known in Japan and the West. Empress Wu was
particularly supportive of Buddhism.
Buddhist successes aroused the envy of Confucian and
Daoist rivals, and by the reign of Emperor Wuzong in the
mid-9th century, the religion was openly persecuted.
Buddhism survived, but in a weakened condition.
TANG DYNASTY
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Deadly family infighting led to the long reign of
Emperor Zuanzong, whose reign marks a high
point in Tang civilization. His interest in
governing waned as he became increasingly
obsessed with his lover, Yang Guifei.
In 755, the first of several revolts signaled
growing discontent with Zuanzong, and soon
nomadic tribesman – former allies – were
impinging on Tang territory.
In 960, the scholarly general Zhao Kuangyin
defeated most of the rivals who competed for
power after Zuanzong’s death and founded the
Song dynasty.
SONG DYNASTY
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In establishing the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin
could not defeat the Manchurian Liao dynasty
(founded by Khitan peoples) in the north, a fact
that proved fatal in time.
The Song favored the scholar-gentry at the
expense of the military, which meant that the
empire was never as formidable as the Tang.
Confucian ideas were emphasized under the
Song, and the neo-Confucians believed that
cultivating personal morality was the highest goal
for humans, arguing that virtue could be attained
through book learning and personal observation.
SONG DYNASTY
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Signs of the Song dynasty’s decline included
border kingdoms like the Tangut people’s
kingdom of Xi Xia, disdain for military
expenditures among the scholar-gentry, and
Wang Anshi’s failed attempts to secure longterm reform.
In 1115, a new nomadic contender, the
Jurchens, overthrew the Liao dynasty of the
Khitans and established the Jin kingdom north of
the Song empire. What became known for the
next century and a half as the Southern Song
dynasty was a weak state politically.
TANG AND SONG CULTURE
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Yangdi’s Grand Canal linked the original
centers of Chinese civilization on the north
China plain with the Yangtze River basin
more than 500 miles to the south.
The canal made it possible to transport
grain from the fertile southern regions to
the capital and to transfer food from the
south to districts threatened by drought
and famine in the north.
TANG AND SONG CULTURE
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Tang conquests led to increased trade and
contact over the silk roads and over the seas in
Chinese junks. Urban centers grew, and “flying
money” was a sign of the increasing
sophistication of trade.
The movement of the population southward to
the valleys of the Yangtze was part of a larger
process of agrarian expansion encouraged by
Tang and Song leaders. Agricultural
improvements and land reforms aided peasants’
quality of life.
TANG AND SONG CULTURE
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Both within the family and in society at large,
women remained clearly subordinate to men.
But some evidence suggests that, at least for
women of the upper classes in urban areas, the
opportunities for personal expression increased
in the Tang and early Song.
Men were allowed to have premarital sex
without scandal, to take concubines if they could
afford them, and to remarry if one or more of
their wives died. No practice exemplifies the
degree to which women in China were
subordinated as dramatically as footbinding.
TANG AND SONG CULTURE
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The Tang and Song eras are remembered as a
time of remarkable Chinese accomplishments in
science, technology, literature, and the fine arts.
As the Confucian scholar gentry supplanted the
Buddhists as the major producers of art and
literature, devotional objects and religious
homilies gave way to a growing fixation with
everyday life and the delights of the natural
world.
Li Bo’s poetry is a shining example of the
everyday themes these intellectuals prized.
JAPAN’S IMPERIAL AGE
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The Chinese influence on Japan came to a peak
in the Taika, Nara, and Heian periods. (645-857)
The Taika Reforms restructured the government
following the Chinese model. Confucianism
permeated Japanese culture from top to bottom.
The Taika Reforms were not completed because
of resistance from the nobles and Buddhist
monks. Moving the capital to Heian (Kyoto), the
emperor Kammu hoped to avoid monastic
opposition.
JAPAN’S IMPERIAL AGE
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Heian society was extremely mannered
and sophisticated, developing a poetic
tradition in a Chinese script tailored to the
Japanese language.
The classic Tale of Genji symbolizes the
aesthetic of the period, in particular the
important, albeit limited, role of women at
the Heian court.
JAPAN’S IMPERIAL AGE
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The Fujiwara family was one of the most
powerful, but typical in their cooperation with
Buddhist monasteries to reduce the power of the
emperors.
A new force came to cahllenge the court
aristocracy: the bushi, or warrior leaders. Some
were of noble origin, some not, but they had in
common increasing power in their small
domains, and the loyalty of samurai troops.
JAPAN’S IMPERIAL AGE
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Unchecked use of force led to the
preeminence of a warrior class and a
warrior culture.
The code the samurai followed included
the practice of seppuku, or ritual suicide
following defeat.
Growth of samurai power accompanied
the reduction of peasant status.
JAPAN’S ERA OF WARRIOR
DOMINANCE
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Chinese influence, and direct contact with
China, waned in the 9th century. From the
11th century, court families, in conjunction
with bushi allies, split the court with open
rivalry. Eventually, open war broke out
between the Taira and Minamoto Families.
The Gempei Wars ended with the
ascendancy of the Minamoto at their new
capital at Kamakura.
JAPAN’S ERA OF WARRIOR
DOMINANCE
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The bakufu government of the first Minamoto
ruler, Yoritomo, was supported by shoguns,
military leaders. The following centuries saw a
complex system with titular emperors and
Minamoto shoguns, real power being wielded by
the Hojo family. They later were supplanted by
the Ashikaga Shoguante.
Royal authority was a mere shadow, but the
shoguns also lost power in the late 15th century,
replaced by 300 daimyo kingdoms.
JAPAN’S ERA OF WARRIOR
DOMINANCE
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Court manners became irrelevant as making war
took center state. The plight of the peasants
became desperate, leading to unsuccessful
revolts. At the same time the dynamism of some
daimyos led to economic growth and the
emergence of a merchant class.
Among the merchant and artisans, women had a
more prominent role, while women of elite
families saw their lives constrained.
KOREA: BETWEEN CHINA AND
JAPAN
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Korea, although strongly linked to Chinese
cultural and political developments, had distinct
origins, and long followed its own path of
development.
The peninsula’s first kingdom, Choson, was
conquered by China in 109 B.C., and
subsequently Chinese settlers arrived.
Korea broke from Chinese dominance, forming
three kingdoms: Koguryo, Silla, and Paekche.
KOREA: BETWEEN CHINA AND
JAPAN
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As in Japan, Sinification – adoption of
Chinese culture – was largely mediated by
Buddhism. The Koguryo ruler applied a
Chinese-style law code.
Internal conflicts in the Three Kingdoms
Era left Korea vulnerable to Chinese
attack. The Tang allied with the Silla to
destroy the Paekche and Koguryo, leaving
the Silla a subject kingdom
KOREA: BETWEEN CHINA AND
JAPAN
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Sinification peaked under the Silla and
Koryu rulers. Tribute and
acknowledgements of Chinese authority
created peaceful relations that stimulated
Korean borrowing from Chinese culture.
Sinificiation was limited to Korean elite,
while indigenous artisanry was allowed to
decline. All of Korean society was arranged
to serve the needs of the aristocracy.
VIETNAM: BETWEEN CHINA
AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
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The early history of the Viet people is little
known. Early Chinese raids in Vietnam in the
220s B.C. increased trade. Intermarriage with
Mon-Khmer and Tai language groups furthered
the development of a distinct Vietnamese
ethnicity.
The Han became dissatisfied with merely
exacting tribute from the Viet rulers and began
direct rule in 111 B.C.E. Sinifcation increased,
and was used by the Viet rulers to consolidate
their power over both their own peoples and
those to the west and south.
VIETNAM: BETWEEN CHINA AND
SOUTHEAST ASIA
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Continuing Chinese influence in Vietnam
depended on overcoming physical
barriers, and on the competence of
Chinese rulers.
Following the fall of the Tang the
Vietnamese freed themselves completely
by 939. Yet Chinese influence continued,
particularly in the administration.
VIETNAM: BETWEEN CHINA AND
SOUTHEAST ASIA
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The land of the Chams and the Khmers attracted
the Vietnamese. From the 11th to the 18th
centuries, the latter steadily expanded their
territory at the expense of the Chams. The new
southern territories were controlled only with
difficulty by Hanoi.
The Trinh family, ruling the north, was
challenged by the southern Nguyen family. The
conflict left the Vietnamese oblivious to an
outside threat: the French and the Catholic
Church.
Rise of the Mongols
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Accomplished horsemen, the Mongols typified the
numerous nomadic bands that migrated throughout
Central Asia in search of grazing lands for their
livestock. To supplement the meat and dairy products
provided by their herds, the Mongols traded with
settled agricultural peoples for grain and vegetables.
The basic unit of Mongol society was the tribe; when
warfare threatened, tribes joined together to form
confederations. Although men held tribal leadership
roles, Mongol women had the right to speak in tribal
councils. Throughout their history, the Mongols were
masters of the intrigues of steppe diplomacy, which
involved alliances with other pastoral groups and the
elimination of rivals, sometimes rivals within one’s own
family.
Chinggis Khan
1160? - 1227
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Ruler and Military Leader of the Mongols who led the Mongol army
to conquer and control an empire that stretched from China in the
east to Eastern Europe in the west.The term Genghis Khan literally
means “Universal Ruler”. The true name of the man given this title
was Temujin (pronounced Tem – Yuh – Juhn).
The Mongols were nomadic keepers of livestock from the region of modern-day Mongolia. They were
organized into many separate clans. In 1206 Temujin was elected as leader of all of the Mongol clans, giving
him authority to lead them all into battle. The Mongols created the largest empire in human history. To rule his
empire Genghis Khan set up a capital city at Karakorum in Mongolia. Several characteristics lay behind
Genghis Khan’s stunning success as a conqueror. First, he was a brilliant organizer. He assembled his Mongol
warriors into a mighty fighting force. Following the model of the Chinese military, Genghis grouped his
warriors in armies of 10,000. These in turn were organized into 1,000-man brigades, 100-men companies, and
10-man squads. He put his most battle-proven and loyal men in command of these units.
Second, Genghis was a gifted strategist. He used various tricks to confuse his enemy. Sometimes, a small
Mongol cavalry unit would attack, then pretend to gallop away in flight. The enemy usually gave chase. Then
the rest of the Mongol army would appear suddenly and slaughter the surprised enemy forces. Finally,
Genghis Khan used cruelty as a weapon. He believed in terrifying his enemies into surrender. If a city refused
to open its gates to him, he might kill the entire population when he finally captured the place. The terror the
Mongols inspired spread ahead of their armies, which led many towns to surrender without a fight. As one
Arab historian wrote, “In the countries that have not yet been overrun by them, everyone spends the night
afraid that they may appear there too.”
Chinggis Khan (Temujin)
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A master at motivating the Mongol tribes,
Chinggis Khan managed to break individual clan
loyalties and construct new military units with
allegiance to himself as their leader. In addition
to unparalleled horsemanship, the Mongols
became masters of the shortbow. Mongol contact
with the Chinese also introduced them to other
weapons of war, such as the catapult,
gunpowder, cannons, flaming arrows, and
battering rams.
By the time that Chinggis Khan died in 1227, the
Mongols controlled an empire that extended from
northern China to eastern Persia.
Pax Mongolica
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“Mongol Peace”; From the mid-1200s to the mid-1300s, the
Mongols imposed stability and law and order across much of
Eurasia. They guaranteed safe passage for trade caravans,
travelers, and missionaries from one end of the empire to another,
leading to the greatest exchange of items and ideas in human
history to that time.
Genghis Khan died in 1227 – not from violence, but from illness. His successors continued to expand his empire. IN
less than 50 years, the Mongols conquered territory from China to Poland. In so doing, they created the largest unified
land empire in history. After Genghis’ death, his sons and grandsons continued the campaign of conquest. Armies
under their leadership drove south, east, and west out of inner Asia. They completed their conquest of northern China
and invaded Korea. They leveled the Russian city of Kiev and reached the banks of the Adriatic Sea. The cities of
Venice and Vienna were within their grasp. However, in the 1250s the Mongols halted their westward campaign and
turned their attention to Persia. By 1260, the Mongols had divided their huge empire into four regions, or khanates.
These were the Khanate of the Great Khan (Mongolica and China), the Khante of Changai (Central Asia), the Ilkhanate
(Persia), and the Khanate of the Golden Horde (Russia). A descendant of Genghis ruled each khante.
Many of the areas invaded by the Mongols never recovered. The populations of some cities were wiped out. In
addition, the Mongols destroyed ancient irrigation systems in areas such as the Tigris and Euphrates valleys. Thus, the
land could no longer support resettlement. While ferocious in war, the Mongols were quite tolerant in peace. They
rarely imposed their beliefs or way of life on those they conquered. Over time, some Mongol rulers even adopted
aspects of the culture of the people they ruled. The Ilkhans and the Golden Horde, for example, became Muslims.
Growing cultural differences among the khanates contributed to the eventual splitting up of the empire.
Mongol Drive to the West
The effects of the Mongol occupation of Russia (Khanate of the
golden Horde) were numerous:
 The Mongols set up a tribute empire called The Golden Horde
 Serfdom arose as peasants gave up their lands to the
aristocracy in exchange for protection from the Mongols.
 Moscow benefited financially by acting as a tribute collector
for the Mongols. When neighboring towns failed to make
their tribute payments, the princes of Moscow added their
territory to the principality of Moscow.
 They strengthened the position of the Orthodox Church by
making the metropolitan, or head of the Orthodox Church,
the head of the Russian church.
 Mongol rule kept Russia culturally isolated from Western
European trends such as the Renaissance. This isolation
denied Russia opportunities to establish both commercial
and cultural contacts with the West, in a situation that
fostered misunderstanding through the modern period.
European Opinion of the Mongols
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After establishing their presence in Russia,
the Mongols went on to their next goal:
the conquest of Europe. After an
attempted conquest of Hungary in 1240
and raids in Eastern Europe, the Mongols
withdrew to handle succession issues in
their capital of Karakorum in Mongolia.
The proposed conquest of Europe never
materialized.
Kublai Khan
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Kublai Khan – Grandson of Genghis Khan who defeated the Song
Dynasty in China, establishing the Yuan Dynasty, which he ruled
from 1279 to his death in 1294. He established a new capital city
for his empire: Beijing.
After the death of Genghis Khan the empire was divided among his descendants. In all five “khanates”
(separate territories) were established by Temujin’s sons. In their attack on the Chinese the Mongols first
encountered firearms, which were invented by the Chinese. In the 1270’s the Mongols gained this technology
for themselves and introduced its use into Europe in the following century. The Yuan Dynasty remained in
power until 1368, when Zhu Yuanzhang, the son of a peasant, put together and army and overthrew the
Mongols, establishing the Ming Dynasty.
As China’s new emperor, Kublai Khan founded a new dynasty, and though it lasted for less than a century
(until 1368) it was an important period in Chinese history for several reasons. First, Kublai Khan united China
for the first time in more than 300 years. For this he is considered one of China’s great emperors. Second, the
control imposed by the Mongols across all of Asia opened China to greater foreign contacts and trade. Finally,
Kublai and his successors tolerated Chinese culture and made few changes to the system of government.
Unlike his Mongol ancestors, Kublai abandoned the Mongolian steppes for China. He did not share his
ancestors dislike of the settled life. On the contrary, he rather enjoyed living in the luxurious manner of a
Chinese emperor. He maintained a beautiful summer palace at Shangdu, on the border between Mongolia and
China. He also built a new square-walled capital at the site of modern Beijing. Kublai built this palace to
enhance his prestige, but his new capital meant something more. Previously the Great Khans had ruled their
empire from Mongolia. Moving the capital from Mongolia to China was a sign that Kublai intended to make his
mark as emperor of China.
Yuan Dynasty
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In China, the Mongols under the leadership of Kublai
Khan, a grandson of Chinggis Khan, turned their
attention to the remnants of the Song Empire in the
southern part of the country. By 1271, Kubliah Khan
controlled most of China and began to refer to his
administration as the Yuan Dynasty. Under Mongol rule:
The Chinese were forbidden to learn the Mongol written
language, which was the language of official records
under the Yuan Dynasty.
Intermarriage between Mongols and Chinese was
outlawed.
The Chinese civil service examination was not
reinstated.
Religious toleration was practiced.
Chinese were allowed to hold positions in local and
regional governments.
Yuan Dynasty (Cont.)
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Mongol women enjoyed more freedoms than Chinese
women, refusing to adopt the Chinese practice of
footbinding. Mongol women were allowed to move
about more freely in public than were Chinese women.
The Yuan used the expertise of scholars and artisans
from various societies.
Foreigners were welcome at the Yuan court. Among
visitors to the Mongol court were the Venetian Marco
Polo and his family.
Merchants were accorded higher status in the Mongol
administration than they had under the Chinese.
The suppression of piracy furthered maritime trade
(trade by sea).
Marco Polo
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Venetian merchant who explored Europe, Africa and Asia in
the 1200’s, traveling by caravan along the Silk Roads. While
imprisoned in Genoa during a war between Venice and
Genoa, Polo shared the stories of his travels. A fellow
prisoner compiled these stories into a book, which was
widely read throughout Europe.
After his visit to Hangzhou, the capital of China during the Song Dynasty, Marco Polo wrote “So many pleasures may
be found (in Hangzhou) that one fancies himself to be in Paradise.” Some of the “pleasures” Marco Polo witnessed in
China included new forms of entertainment, such as chess and playing cards, block printing which made literature
more easily available, and paddle wheel boats and horseback riding that made travel faster.
Foreign trade increased under Kublai Khan. This was largely due to the Mongol Peace, which made the caravan routes
across Central Asia safe for trade and travel. Traders transported Chinese silk and porcelain, which were greatly valued
in Europe and western Asia, over the Silk Roads and other routes. These traders also carried with them such Chinese
products and inventions as printing, gunpowder, the compass, paper currency, and playing cards. Kublai further
encouraged trade by inviting foreign merchants to visit China. Most of them were Muslims from India, Central Asia,
and Persia. Many European traders and travelers, including Christian missionaries, also reached China.
The Mongol rulers had little in common with their Chinese subjects. Because of their differences, the Mongols kept
their separate identity. Mongols lived apart from the Chinese and obeyed different laws. They kept the Chinese out of
high government offices, although they retained as many Chinese officials as possible to serve on the local level. Most
of the highest government posts went to Mongols or to foreigners. The Mongols believed that foreigners were more
trustworthy since they had no local loyalties.
Mongol Decline
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By the mid-fourteenth century, the
court of Kublai Khan weakened as it
became more concerned with the
accumulation and enjoyment of
wealth than with efficient
administration. Banditry, famine, and
peasant rebellions characterized the
last years of the Yuan until their
overthrow by a Chinese peasant who
founded the Ming Dynasty.
Timur i-Lang (Timur the Lame)
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With the decrease of Mongol dominance in
Eurasia came the final nomadic thrust by
Timur the Lame, or Timurlane, a Turk from
Central Asia. Although his capital city at
Samarkand was noted for architectural
beauty, his conquests were known only for
their incredible brutality. From the mid1300s until his death in 1405, Tamerlane
spread destruction across Persia,
Mesopotamia, India, and a part of
southern Russia. His death marked the
final major thrust of nomadic peoples from
Central Asia into Eurasia.