Chapter 10: The Worlds of Christendom Flashcards
What was a driving force in the contraction of Christianity in Africa and Asia
Islam’s spread
About how long after Muhammads death did Christianity almost disappear from Arabia
a century
Who captured Jerusalem and its holy sites after the death of Muhammad
Islamic Forces
Where did many Christians voluntarily convert to Islam (in Asia)
Syria and Persia (aka Iran)
What did Christians under Islamic occupation have to do to practice their religion
they had to pay a special tax
What church survived in Egypt under Islamic occupation
The Coptic Church
How did Muslim rulers react to the Coptic Church in Egypt
they tolerated it until the Crusades and Mongol threats
What happened to Christianity in Nubia
thrived but largely disappeared by 1500
What was the continuation of the Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire
What happened to the western half of the Roman Empire
it collapsed in the 5th century
What advantages did the Byzantine Empire have over the western empire
wealthier and more urbanized, more defensible capital, shorter frontier, access to the Black Sea (and command of the Eastern Mediterranean), stronger military and merchant marine, continuation of late Roman infrastructure, and an effort to preserve Roman ways (8/10)
What reduced the size of the Byzantine state
Islamic expansion (and western European attacks in 1085)
What were Byzantine politics centralized around
the emperor in Constantinople
What is caesaropapism in the Byzantine Empire
the Church was closely tied to the state (emperor was head of church and state)
What did the Byzantine Emperor serve as the head of
The Byzantine Church and State
What deeply influenced all of Byzantine life
Orthodox Christianity
What were important East/West cultural differences
language, philosophy, theology, and church practice (4)
When was the schism (w/ mutual excommunication)
1054
What did the Fourth Crusade cause in Byzantium
Westerners sacked Constantinople and ruled Byzantium for the next 50 years
What two continents did Byzantium have intense interactions in
Asia and Europe
What Roman fight did the Byzantine Empire continue
the fight with Persia
What was the effect of the continuation of Byzantine-Perso fighting
weakened both states and left them open to Islamic conquests
What happened to Persia after being weakened from the fight with the Byzantines
they were conquered by Islam
Who was a central player in long distance Eurasian trade
The Byzantine Empire
What was in high demand in Byzantine trade
Byzantine crafts
Who transmitted ancient Greek learning to the Islamic world and West
the Byzantines
Who transmitted Orthodox Christianity to the Balkans and Russia
The Byzantines
What transformed the state of Rus and became central to Russian identity
Orthodox Christianity
Who declared itself the 3rd Rome and assumed the role of protector of Christianity after the fall of Constantinople
Moscow
Where was western Europe in terms of world history for most of the 3rd wave millenium
it was on the margins of world history for most of the third wave millenium
What made political unity in Western Europe difficult
the geography
Why did Europe’s population fall by ~25% after the fall of the Roman Empire
war and disease
Who became the dominant peoples in the West
The Germanic peoples
did classical and Roman heritage survive
much of it did
What was society like in these new western kingdoms
highly fragmented and decentralized, local variation, and landowning warrior elite exercising power
What happened to social hierarchies in the west
lesser lords and knights became vassals (a holder of land based on conditions of allegiance) of kings or great lords and serfdom (futile laborers) displacing slavery
What was a major element of stability in the west
the Catholic Church
What was Catholic hierarchy based on
on that of the Roman Empire
What was the dominant religion in Europe by 1100
Christianity
What was the relationship between the Church and the ruling class
They usually reinforced each other but also had some competition as rival centers of power
What was the investiture conflict in the Church and ruling class
controversy over the right to appoint bishops and the pope
What hindered European development in 700-1000
a series of invasions by Germanic tribes, Central Asian Huns, Muslims, Magyars, and Vikings (5)
What ecological changes were present in Europe 1000-1300
global warming, land reclaimed from seas, deforestation, and fresh water pollution (4)
What did the High Middle Ages bring to Europe
clear growth and expansion (specifically of population and farmable land)
What did the European population grow from and to during the High Middle Ages
≈35 million to ≈80 million
What two major centers grew to become centers of long-distance trade in Europe
north Europe and northern Italian towns
What areas didn’t develop territorial kingdoms when Europe had a growth of territorial states with better organized governments
Italian city-states and small German principalities
What new idea replaced the original “warrior” idea of European masculinity
“provider”
Where were the Scandinavian colonies
Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland
What factors contributed to the emergence of Western Europe as a dynamic civilization after 1000 C.E.?
population growth, reclaiming land from the sea, growth of long distance trade, growth of territorial states with better organized governments (monarchies), new ideas about masculinity, and the crusades (6)
What are some important political influences of the Byzantine Empire on other civilizations
the continuation of the long Roman fight with the Persian Empire which weakened both states and led to Persia being conquered by Islam
What are some important economic influences of the Byzantine Empire on other civilizations
Byzantium being a central player in long-distance trade with their bezants (gold coins) being a major currency for over 500 years and the high demand of Byzantine crafts
What are some important cultural influences of the Byzantine Empire on other civilizations
transmission of ancient Greek learning to the Islamic world and the West and transmission of Orthodoxy to the Balkans and Russia
Did the pope authorize the crusades
yes
What did the pope give to crusaders
indulgences (release from penalty for confessed sins)
What is a crusade
war(s) at God’s command
What did the most famous Crusades aim to regain
Jerusalem and holy places
Did the Crusades have a lasting (political or religious) impact in the Middle East
Only a Little lasting impact
Where did the Crusades have a significant impact
Europe
What did the crusaders conquest in Europe
Spain, Sicily, and the Baltic region
What effect did the Crusaders have on Byzantium
they weakened it by sacking Constantinople
What cultural influences spread to Europe because of the Crusades
Muslim scholarship and Greek learning
What happened to cultural barriers because of the crusades
they hardened between peoples
What was more developed? Western Europe or Byzantium, China, India, or the Islamic World
Byzantium, China, India, or the Islamic World
How did Europeans feel about exchange from more advanced eastern civilizations
they were happy to exchange
What did the Muslims regard the Europeans as
barbarians
did Europeans recognize their own “backwardness”
yes
Where was the most significant European borrowing from
China
When did Europe catch up with China and the Islamic world, even surpassing them in some areas
1500
What did political pluralism do to Western European civilization
it led to frequent wars and militarization and stimulated technological development
Where states still able to communicate economically and intellectually due to pluralism (in Europe)
yes
Where in Europe were rulers generally weaker
in the west
What did faith have intellectual tension with
reason
What did scholars begin to emphasize about the ability of human reason
that it could understand divine mysteries
Where were Greek texts found
Byzantium and the Islamic world
Whose writings had a deep impact and were the basis of university education
Aristotle
Who dominated Western European thought between 1200 and 1700
Aristotle
Did Byzantium have a deep impact from Aristotle
no
Whose thoughts did the Islamic world have deep interaction with
Greek
