Book 1, Chapter 4, Set 5

Question 1

When was the Chinese settlement of Singapore, marking the start of Chinese settlement of southeast Asia? (page 157)

Answer 1

1349 CE.

Question 2

When did the Ottomans occupy Gallipoli, obtaining a foothold in Europe? (page 157)

Answer 2

c. 1354 CE.

Question 3

When did the Treaty of Bretigny end the first phase of the 100 Years War? (page 157)

Answer 3

1360 CE.

Question 4

When did the Vijayanagara Empire in south India reach its greatest extent? (page 157)

Answer 4

1360 CE.

Question 5

When was the Ming dynasty founded in China? (page 157)

Answer 5

1368 CE.

Question 6

When was the Catalan Atlas, the first atlas of known trade routes, produced? (page 157)

Answer 6

1375 CE.

Question 7

When did the great schism between rival popes in Rome and Avignon begin? (page 157)

Answer 7

1378 CE.

Question 8

When did the Ottomans take control of the Balkans after the Battle of Kosovo? (page 157)

Answer 8

1389 CE.

Question 9

When did the Choson dynasty start in Korea?

Answer 9

1392 CE.

Question 10

When did the Mongol warrior Timur destroy Delhi, India? (page 157)

Answer 10

1398 CE.

Question 11

When did England defeat the French at the Battle of Agincourt?

Answer 11

1415 CE.

Question 12

When did Portuguese under Prince Henry the Navigator capture Ceuta, making the first European possession in
North Africa? (page 157)

Answer 12

1415 CE.

Question 13

When did expansion of the Aztec empire begin in Central America? (page 157)

Answer 13

1428 CE.

Question 14

When did Johannes Gutenberg introduce the printing press to Europe? (page 157)

Answer 14

c. 1445 CE.

Question 15

When did the Mutapa empire eclipse Great Zimbabwe? (page 157)

Answer 15

c. 1450 CE.

Question 16

Who was Averroes? (page 158)

Answer 16

(1126 - 1198 CE) An expert in Islamic law and theology, aw well as Arabic grammar and poetry. Also an author of many texts on medicine, philosophy, and law. However, he was most influential in a series of commentaries on Aristotle that introduced medieval scholars to this Greek philosopher.

Question 17

Who was Avicenna? (page 158)

Answer 17

A Persian scholar who produced a huge range of material covering almost every branch of knowledge. His “Book of Healing” is the largest encyclopaedia composed by one person in his period.

Question 18

Describe the “12th century Renaissance” that helped medieval Europe obtain the classical knowledge possessed by the Arabs. (page 158)

Answer 18

The Christian reconquest of Spain in the 13th century caused Europe to discover many Arabic texts on the work of the Classical Greek and Roman thinkers. The Spanish king Alfonso X translated many Greek and Arab texts. Additionally, the Crusader kingdoms that emerged in the Middle East and the Greek empire of Byzantium (which fell to the crusaders in 1204) were crucial hubs of learning passing from East to West.

Question 19

What was the Sui dynasty of China and how did it fall? (page 160)

Answer 19

The Sui dynasty was the first to unite China in 589 CE after the fall of the Han dynasty led to the division of China into several small kingdoms. The Sui issued a clear legal code and also carried out a costly program of canal building and also launched unsuccessful attacks on Korea. One of the canals was the Grand Canal that stretched 1,490 miles from Hangzhou to Beijing and remains the longest canal in the world. The Sui, however, would fall to the Tang dynasty.

Question 20

How did the Tang dynasty of China begin? (page 160)

Answer 20

A former general named Li Yuan rebelled against the Sui dynasty in 617 CE, taking the capital Chang’an the following year and conquering all of China six years later.

Question 21

Who was emperor Taizong? (page 160)

Answer 21

The son of Emperor Gaozu (a name the first emperor, Li Yuan had taken for himself), Taizong ruled over China during what is considered to be an age of prosperity. Taizong reformed the government and bureaucracy his father had set up, founding schools and colleges while also designing government examinations to fill offices with the most qualified individuals (who also did not have aristocratic ties that could threaten Taizong’s rule). He also expanded the empire by conquering land to the west as far as the Persian empire, as well as launching campaigns against the kingdom of Koguryo in north Korea.

Question 22

Describe Buddhism’s flourishing and presence in China during Emperor Taizong’s reign. (page 160)

Answer 22

Though Taizong promoted Daoism and Confucianism within the bureaucracy, he personally embraced Buddhism. In 629 CE, the monk Xuan Zang traveled to India to collect Buddhist texts, inspiring the famous Chinese novel “Record of a Journey to the West”, known to westerners as “Monkey”. When Xuan returned in 645 CE, Taizong received him and learned of his travels and texts. Buddhism would continue to flourish in Tang China until its suppression during the late Tang period.

Question 23

Who was Emperor Xuanzong and what were some accomplishments of him and his empire during his reign? (page 160 and 161)

Answer 23

Xuanzong inherited the throne of Tang China after a series of short-lived emperors had ruled after Emperor Taizong. Xuanzong showed great industry and diligence, building large granaries, reforming the bureaucracy, fighting military campaigns against the Turkish, Tibetan, and Khitan peoples, constructing a new network of frontier defenses with permanent standing forces, and making contact with ambassadors as far west as the Middle East. All of this helped lead China into a golden age as a rich, powerful, and cosmopolitan state. Xuanzong also was a great patron of the arts, and his reign many legendary Chinese poets and artists created their masterpieces.

Question 24

Describe the decline and fall of Tang China. (page 161)

Answer 24

In the 730s CE, Xuanzong’s control over his government began to slip. Several aristocrats displaced the career officials. One of them was Li Linfu, who by 752 CE had made himself virtually a dictator. At age 72, Xuanzong no longer took an active role in politics. He fell in love with Yang Guifei, his son’s concubine and a famous beauty. After Guifei was taken as imperial concubine, she convinced Xuanzong to promote her cousin, Yang Guozhang to a senior position. When Li Linfu died, Yang Guozhang took over. An Lushan, an officer with a command along the frontier, became a favorite and possibly lover of Yang Guifei. Rivalry between Yang Guozhang and An Lushan led the latter to rebel in 755 CE. Xuanzong was forced to flee the capital Chang’an during this fight, and his military escort demanded the execution of Yang Guifei, blaming her for the emperor’s misfortune. Xuanzhong had no choice but to accept, and the Tang dynasty was permanently and severely weakened by this crisis. The empire fell in 907 CE.

Question 25

Describe China between the Tang and Song dynasties. (page 162)

Answer 25

In 907 CE, the nomadic Qian people founded the Liao dynasty. From 947 CE, the Qidan Liao ruled over part of northern China, while the south fragmented into the Ten Kingdoms. Northern rule of China then fell under the control of a short succession of Five Dynasties until China was reunified under the first emperor of the Song in 960 CE.

Question 26

Describe the rise of Song China. (page 162)

Answer 26

Zhao Kuangyin was a general under the Later Zhao, the last of the Five Dynasties. In 960 CE, he usurped the throne and founded the Song dynasty, taking the imperial name Taizu. With a mixture of guile and persuasion, he reunified the states of China, except for the lands of the Qidan Liao. Taizu established his capital at Kaifeng, reviving the administrative system of the Tang government in a modified form.

Question 27

Describe some of the most important accomplishments of the Song Dynasty. (pages 162 and 163)

Answer 27

There was a renewed interest in literature and the arts. Song architecture also became famous during this period, especially for its pagodas, palaces, and temple roofs. Administrative and technological progress created an economic boom. Sichuan merchants had begun to exchange notes instead of carrying massive amounts of copper coins, and this practice became so popular that the government created its first paper currency in 1024 CE. An integrated system of waterways also extended both the communication and trade networks. Large junks with four or six masts were developed, the magnetic compass was first used, and seafaring skills were improved. This led to increased trade with the rest of East Asia, as well as with India and the east coast of Africa. New methods of rice farming increased food output and doubled the population, and towns and cities grew along the main waterways and the southern coast. Kaifeng became the most populous city in the world, doing nearly 50 percent more trade in parts of the 12th century than London did at the turn of the 18th.

Question 28

Describe the system and accomplishments of the Song Dynasty’s examinations and officials. (page 162 and 163)

Answer 28

Under the Song, the examination system of the Han was revived and expanded, with quotas now set for the number of candidates who could pass with each degree. Steps were taken to guard against cheating and to ensure anonymity. Scholars would constantly proposed reforms for the Song government. One of the most famous and the greatest reformer was Wang Anshi, tasked with solving the nation’s problems by Emperor Shenzong. Targeting the dynasty’s lack of funds (which was determined to be the dynasty’s key weakness), Anshi imposed a government monopoly on tea, challenged wealthy families who evaded taxes, and offered interest-free loans to peasants burdened with debt. To reduce the cost of the army, he required every household to supply men for a local militia. These reforms caused an outcry, and the controversy of them permanently weakened the dynasty.

Question 29

Describe the creation of the Southern Song dynasty and some of its important achievements. (page 163)

Answer 29

The Song dynasty constantly had to deal with challenges from peoples to the north. The Qidan Liao still controlled part of northern China, and in 1115 CE, the Jurchen, a semi-nomadic people from Manchuria, established the Jin dynasty. In 1125, they overran the Qidan Liao, and two years later they captured Kaifeng. The Song court had to flee south, creating the Southern Song. The Song emperors would eventually fix their new capital at Hangzhou. Although militarily weak, the Southern Song presided over a period of economic growth and social change. Under the Southern Song, Neo-Confucianists borrowed ideas from Daoism and Buddhism, and their ideas were synthesized by the scholar Zhu Xi. He emphasized the Dao, or “Way”, as a philosophical path that one could follow through self-cultivation and the study of Confucian classics. Neo-Confucian values also led to a decline in the rights of women. The marriage of widows was discouraged, and women’s property rights were curtailed. Unfortunately, foot binding also became established during the Song period.

Question 30

Describe the fall of the Chinese Song Dynasty. (page 163)

Answer 30

The Mongols destroyed the Jurchen Jin dynasty in 1234 CE., taking control of north China. After 50 years of fighting, the Song fell to Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, in 1279.