600 - 1450 C.E.

The kingdom of Ghana

300

The Kingdom of Ghana

Period: 300 to Jan 1, 1200

-placed in between the Senegal and Niger rivers
-borders Mali and Mauritania
-22 kings ruled
-principal state of west Africa

Muhammad

570

Muhammad

Period: 570 to Jan 1, 632

-born 570
-became a prophet of Allah
-"leader" of the Muslims
-died in 632

Sui dynasty

589

Sui Dynasty

Period: 589 to Jan 1, 618

-placed enormous demands on their subjects in the course of building strong, centralized government
-ordered the construction of very many complex projects
-levied high taxes

Tang Dynasty

Jan 1, 618

Tang Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 618 to Jan 1, 907

-organized China into a powerful, productive and prosperous society
-many successes were due to the second emperor, Tang Taizong
-produced many inventions and technology
-decline caused by increase in taxes, invaders, rebellions and inability to control vast empire

The First Bubonic Plague Pandemic

Jan 1, 650

-also known as the 'black death'
-one of the most destructive diseases in that time
-no medicines, resistance, or immunity to repel
-the only 'cure' was death
-caused populations to decline in China and Europe
-bacterial infection transmitted by fleas that turned skin black

Umayyad Dynasty

Jan 1, 661

The Umayyad Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 661 to Jan 1, 750

-solved a problem of succession that was occurring
-ranked most prominent of Mecca merchant clans
-tightly centralized rule
-policies reflected Arab military aristocracy

Silla dynasty

Jan 1, 668

Silla Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 668 to Jan 1, 935

-prevented Chinese domination of the Koren peninsula
-agreed to a political compromise with Tang
-recognized Tang emperor as overlord

Nara Period

Jan 1, 710

Nara period

Period: Jan 1, 710 to Jan 1, 794

-centered on the city of Nara
-highest point of Chinese influence

Abbasid Dynasty

Jan 1, 750

The Abbasid Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 1258

-the principle source of authority in the dar al-Islam
-not a conquering dynasty but struggled with invaders
-came after the Umayyad dynasty
-more cosmopolitan than the Umayyad dynasty

Reign of Charlemagne

Jan 1, 768

Reign of Charlemagne

Period: Jan 1, 768 to Jan 1, 814

-Charles Martel's grandson
-maintained diplomatic relations with other empires
-extended authority to Spain​

Heian Period

Jan 1, 794

The Heian Period

Period: Jan 1, 794 to Jan 1, 1185

-samurai's appeared during this period (land protectors)
-imperial capital was Heian-kyō
-characterized by the flourishing culture of the aristocratic court
-focused on the art and literature aspect of civilization
-attacked and overtaken by outside forces

Then Kingdom of Angkor

Jan 1, 900

The Kingdom of Angkor

Period: Jan 1, 900 to Jan 1, 1300

-located in Cambodia
-utilized vast resources of labor and wealth
-partially abandoned in 1431
-political inceptions imported from India
-adapted to local traditions

Song Dynasty

Jan 1, 960

Song Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 960 to Jan 1, 1279

-mistrusted military leaders
-focused on civil administration, industry, education and art rather than military affairs
-overtaken by the Mongols

Saljuq control over Abbasid Dynasty

Jan 1, 1050

Saljuq control over Abbasid dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 1050 to Jan 1, 1258

-true source of power in the Abbasid empire
-nomadic people from central Asia

Schism between eastern and western Christian Church

Jan 1, 1054

-tensions mirrored political strains between the Roma and Constantinople Christian Church
-ritual and doctrinal differences
-relations became so strained, they separated, creating a schism

Norman Invasion of England

Jan 1, 1066

-lead by Duke William
-very tightly centralized government
-brought Normandy policies and traditions into England​

The First Crusade

Jan 1, 1095

The First Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1095 to Jun 14, 1099

-Pope Urban II ordered Christian knights to take back the holy lands
-Christian knights built 3 siege towers to aid in the battle (finished on June 13)
-tens of thousands were slaughtered in the process

The Kingdom of the Great Zimbabwe

Jan 1, 1100

The Kingdom of the Great Zimbabwe

Period: Jan 1, 1100 to Jan 1, 1500

-the heart of a thriving trade empire
-the capital of the Zimbabwe, which was located between the Zambesi and Limpopo rivers
-known for gold, ivory and slaves

Mongol Conquest of China

Jan 1, 1127

Mongol conquest of China

Period: Jan 1, 1127 to Jan 1, 1279

-northern China was taken in 1127
-taken by Chingis Khan
-southern China was taken in 1279
-Taken by Khubilai Khan

The Fourth Crusade

Jan 1, 1198

The Fourth Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1198 to Jan 1, 1229

-because of the power struggles, the crusaders diverted their mission to topple the Byzantine empire
-declared war on Constantinople
-ended with the conquest of looting the empire later that year

Inca Empire

Jan 1, 1200

Mali Empire

Jan 1, 1200

Mali Empire

Period: Jan 1, 1200 to Jan 1, 1545

-in 1300, it was one of the largest empires in the world
-took over the kingdom of Ghana after it's leaders couldn't stabilize it again
-controlled and taxed almost all trade in west Africa
-the capital city was Niani

Inca Empire

Period: Jan 1, 1200 to Jan 1, 1572

-built empire through military strength
-population: 12 million
-very advanced technology
-was quickly overtaken by Spanish invaders and overwhelmed by diseases

Reign of Chinggis Khan

Jan 1, 1206

Reign of Chinggis Khan

Period: Jan 1, 1206 to Jan 1, 1227

-unified Mongols
-proclaimed as "universal leader"
-expanded Mongol empire
-first ruler of Mongols

Reign of Khublai Khan

Jan 1, 1260

Reign of Khublai Khan

Period: Jan 1, 1260 to Jan 1, 1294

-spent four years fighting off contenders for the rule
-presided over the Mongol Empire at its highest
-finished Chinggis Khan's work

Marco Polo's trip to China

Jan 1, 1271

Marco Polo's trip to China

Period: Jan 1, 1271 to Jan 1, 1295

-went at 17 years of age
-the great khan took a special liking to Marco because of his being an amazing conversationalist and storyteller
-was sent on diplomatic missions by khan

The Sultanate of Delhi

Jan 1, 1279

-claimed authority over all of northern India
-conceived plans to conquer southern India and extend Muslim rule there
-faced constant challenges from Hindu princes in neighboring lands

Yuan Dynasty

Jan 1, 1279

Yuan Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 1279 to Jan 1, 1368

-founded by Khubilai Khan
-southern China

Ibn Battuta

Jan 1, 1304

Ibn Battuta

Period: Jan 1, 1304 to Jan 1, 1369

-best known Muslim traveler
-was a Qadi advisor to the sultanate of Delhi
-traveled as qadi to many places

Reign of Mansa Musa

Jan 1, 1312

Reign of Mansa Musa

Period: Jan 1, 1312 to Jan 1, 1337

-significance of trade in Islam increased during his rule
-made pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324
-took religion seriously

Tamerlane

Jan 1, 1336

-Turkic-Mongol conquerer
-built central Asian empire rivaling that of Chinggis Khan
-lead campaigns of conquest

The Hundred Year's War

Jan 1, 1337

The Hundred Year's War

Period: Jan 1, 1337 to Jan 1, 1453

-involved France and England
-main factors were that 1) the king of England wanted to claim the throne of France and 2) over who got the status of the ​duchy
-no clear winner (war just kind of died out because England realized France's troops were too strong to handle)

Ming Dynasty

Jan 1, 1368

Ming Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 1368 to Jan 1, 1644

-founded by Hongwu
-known for cultural brilliance
-set to eliminate all Mongol traces
-little interest in scholarly matters
-reestablished​ civil service exams

Zheng He's Expeditions

Jan 1, 1405

Zheng He's expeditions

Period: Jan 1, 1405 to Jan 1, 1433

-gone for almost 30 years
-he was a eunuch admiral
-went on each voyage with a fleet of ships (usually around 250)
-went to Asia, India, Ceylon, Persia​, Arabia, and Malinda

The Fall of Constantinople

Jan 1, 1453

-created by Emperor Constantine
-fell to the Ottoman Turks
-renamed Istanbul