Chapter 8-14 midterm 2 Flashcards
Role of Arab pastoralists in the relationship between the Sasanid & Byzantine
Empires
Arab pastoralists were the main supplier of animal power through the region. they traveled in caravans that gave Arabs familiarity of the Byzantine and Sassanid cultures and lifestyles. Some who pastured their herds on imperial frontiers adopted one form or another of christianity. Even in the interior desserts polytheism encountered more sophisticated religions.
NOT they were incorporated in the sasanid and byzantine governments as officials
Muslim view of Christianity & Judaism
Because earlier messengers mentioned in the revelations include noah, moses, and Jesus, Muhammad’s hearers felt his messages resembled the Judaism and Christianity they were already familiar with. but his revelations charged jews and christians with being negligent in preserving Gods revealed word. kaba prayer direction used to separate themselves from jews. they felt his revelations were more perfect then bible cause bible had gone through a editing process.
Why Muslims changed the direction of their prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca
kaba was considered house of god, and separation from jewish faith.
Supremacy of the Medinan state
medina had grown into a bustling city-state.
depended on not kinship but a common faith in a single god.
Five Pillars of Islam
- avowal that there is only God and Muhammad is his messenger
- prayer 5 times a day
- fasting during the lunar months of ramadan
- paying alms
- making pilgrimage to mecca at least once in ones lifetime
NOT ONE=fighting in holy war, or jihad
Spread of the Muslim Empire
conquest outside Arabia began with Umar
arab armies wrenched Syria and Egypt away from the Byzantine empire and defeated Sassanid shah Yazdigird III
after a decade long lull, expansion began again.
Tunisia fell and became governing center
arab army greatly composed of berbers from N Africa
in 11th century conquest began in india, Anatolia, and sub saharan Africa.
they also expanded peacefully with trade.
the fact that the caliphs who guided the conquests were both sophisticated and inspired by muhammad
Relationship of Arab Muslims to their subject peoples
little spoke arabic language
arab muslims lived on subject taxes
no conversion efforts, or missionary
arabs were a minority and they had no incentive to promote cohesive missionary movements
Decline of the Umayyad Dynasty
fell after a decade of growing unrest
resentment for unequal status with arabs
Shi’ites and kharujites attacked Umayyad family’s legitimacy as rulers and launched numerous rebellions until in 750 they overthrew the last Umayyad caliph.
upon victory they formed the Abbasid caliphate.
the umayyad ban on trade caused economic hardship
The Hadith
used to convey the precise words or deeds of Muhammad
they felt with ritual matters like how to wash before prayer and providing answers to legal questions.
importance growth = bigger branch of learning about it.
provided a valuable supplement to the quaran, adding material on legal issues not covered there
Muslim practice of secluding and veiling women
women barely traveled
those in rural areas worked on farms
urban women usually elite lived in seclusion and did not leave the home without covering themselves.
this already existed in byzan and sasanid ,
through interpretations of the quran these practices became fixtures of muslim social life.
some women became literate
public roles for women not common.
slave women could dance and men could have sex with as many as he pleased.
up to 4 wives
has its roots in byzantine and sasanid times
Why hereditary slave society never developed in the Islamic world
because muslims couldn’t enslave other muslims of followers of the book, so prisoner slaves would convert to islam and become free, and any baby born from free father is free.
slaves usually converted to islam, often causing their masters to free them and the offspring of slave women and muslim men were set free
Symbolism of the crowning of Charlemagne as emperor of the Romans by the
pope
a shift in focus away from the mediterranean and toward northern germanic europe
Why 500 C.E. through 1300 C.E. is called the “Middle Ages”
because it comes between the era of greco roman and the renaissance
Unifying forces in the chaotic remains of the western Roman Empire
NOT slavic religious tradition
Influence of Roman traditions in Byzantium
byzantium carried on the traditions of rome, including christianity almost without interruption
Why it is paradoxical that women ruled the Byzantine Empire together with their
husbands from 1028 to 1056
byzantine women increasingly confined themselves to homes & required to veil themselves in public
Factors prompting the growth of the great fortified manors
not religious wars
How improvements in armor dictated changes as to who could become a
mounted knight
As armor became more expensive, only the wealthy could afford to outfit themselves properly.
Noblewomen in medieval Europe
Noblewomen DIDNT live powerless, sheltered lives.
Investiture Controversy
a conflict between the peopes and kings regarding control of ecclesiastical offices
What kept most ancient works in Latin from disappearing
9th century monks copyed them
