Ch 3 Notes

World History

Arabs- Semitic speaking, lived in Arabian Pen (today- Saudi Arabia)

- nomadic- moved to find food, water

- trace their ancestors to Abraham and Ismael

o believed to have built the Kaaba (temple) in Mecca

Muhammad- had revelations from God (Allah in Arabic)

- revelations written down in Quran (Koran)- holy book, Old and New Testaments also important

o Moses and Jesus were earlier prophets

o Muhammad not viewed as divine

o Kicked out of Mecca, went to Medina and gained followers

o Came back to Mecca with army

Islam basics-

- Religion- Islam (means peace through submission to the will of Allah)

- People that practice- Muslims

- holy book- Quran

- place of worship- mosque

- jihad- holy war against evil (definition widely debated)

- holy sites- 1. Mecca, 2. Medina

- 5 Pillars

o Belief- there is only one God and Muhammad is his prophet

o Prayer- pray 5x per day

o Charity- give $ to the poor

o Fasting- no food or drink during Ramadan (holy month)

o Pilgrimage- go to Mecca if possible

- Prohibitions- No alcohol, gambling, eat pork

Arab Empire- eventually defeated the old Persian Empire

- also extends across N. Africa, in Spain/Portugal (defeated when tried to enter France)

- capitals of empire move from Medina-Damascus-Baghdad

- Abbasiad- do well controlling trade involving Europe/Asia

Seljuk Turks- take over Eastern part, capture Baghdad

Mongols- came from Central Asia

- destroyed Baghdad, (leaves Cairo most influential city in Islam now) but later intermarried and converted to Islam

Culture- helped spread the ideas of Greek philosophers, translated into Arabic and later into Latin

- used Indian number system (with a 0), later known as Arabic numerals

- perfected the astrolabe- used by European sailors to determine position based on stars

- Ibn Sina- wrote on medicine, and contagious diseases

- Built nice mosques

o Features minarets (decorative spires)

Sec 4

Middle Ages- AKA Medieval Period

- about 500-1500

- between Roman Empire-Renaissance

Germanic Kingdoms

-Franks-

- empire started by Clovis- also first Germanic ruler to convert to Christianity

- modern day France/western Germany

Roman Catholic Church-

- helped provide the only unity for the people of Europe during this time

- Pope- role evolves, started as just the Bishop of Rome

- Hierarchy- 1. Pope, 2. Bishops (ran a diocese), 3. Priests (at local parishes)

- Church councils defined the teachings of the Church, interpreted the Bible

- Monks- dedicates life to God

o did lots of charity work, also teachers, hospitality for travelers

o did a lot of the copying of religious, scientific works

o lived in a monastery

Charlemagne- new leader of the Franks, name means Charles the Great

- knew several languages, but illiterate in all of them

- found education as important as religion

- created largest empire Europe would see for centuries (Carolingian Empire)

- crowned Emperor of the Romans by the Pope (what does this signify?)

Feudalism- with no central gov’t (like Rome, Charlemagne) people turned to local warlords that would provide them protection

- eventually these kings became the gov’t for a small, and later larger, areas

- lord give land (a fief) to a lesser lord, that lesser lord becomes a vassal to the 1^st lord

- one could be both a lord and a vassal

- vassal- owed military service to the lord

England- invaded by William of Normandy (France) in 1066 (last time England was invaded)

- Henry II- took cases from Church courts and had them tried in Royal Courts

o Expands the power of the English king

o Also- creates the basis for English law, instead of local laws that were inconsistent, there was now common law for the whole kingdom

- King John- ticked off a lot of nobles by raising taxes and stuff

o Nobles rebelled, cornered him and forced him to sign the Magna Carta

- Magna Carta- said the king was not above the law (had limited power)

o also set up basic rights for free men (like trial by jury)

- Parliament- eventually developed

o At first just a council of nobles that king asked if he could raise taxes

o Eventually turns into a law making body

o King/Parliament in power struggle for next 700 years

Holy Roman Empire- Germanic kings keep trying to reclaim glory of old Roman Empire, tries to unite Italy under their rule

- result- b/c of their fighting, Germanic states remain ununified, kings are weaker than in Eng/France

Eastern Europe- Slavic people

- western Slavs- Poles, Czechs- Christians, Catholics

- southern Slavs- Croats, Serbs and others- Eastern Orthodox Church

- eastern Slavs- Russians

Byzantine Empire-

- Eastern Roman Empire- capital in Constantinople (formerly Byzantium)

- Emperor Justinian

o Wants to unite the Roman Empire again (fails)

o Leaves behind Justinian’s Code- wrote down all laws of the Roman Empire, basis for European law codes of the future

- Kept getting smaller and smaller as Turks/Arabs invaded

- Greek became official language, religion became Eastern Orthodox (Christian church split over debates over interpreting the Bible, religious holidays, etc)

Crusades- Byzantine Emperor asked for help to fend off Turkish invaders

- Pope Urban II asked kings of Europe to come to their aid

- Eventually goal is to get Muslims out of the Holy Lands

- Jerusalem is captured and held for 100 years, but taken back by Saladin

- Effect- Italy’s ports make $ by shipping goods to the ME and back, makes trade contact with Easterners (but may have happened anyway)