Medieval Japan + Europe - DeMarco - Global Studies 1 Flashcards
Geography of Japan
- temperate climate
- only 20% of the land is suitable for civilization
- volcanic soil
- natural harbors serve as protection
- prone to earthquakes and tsunamis
Islands of Japan were formed
by marriage of god Izanagi and goddess Izanami
The Japanese nation (people) was founded
by sun goddess Amaterasu
the Emporer is a direct descendant of
Amaterasu
Japanese kingdom was founded by
divine warrior Jimmu, who led people from Kyushu to Honshu
uji
tribal clans ruled by hereditary chieftains
What philosophy arrived from China
Buddhism
Heian Period
Japan started to establish its own culture
what caused the rise of the samurai
Nobles began hiring warriors to safeguard their own interests
Which three families dominated Japan during the Genpei War
Figiwara, Minamoto, Tiara
changes introduced by the Kamakura Shogunate
appointments of shogu to govern different sections
shogu
military governer
Shotoku Taishu
aristocrat who centralized power, brings seventeen-article constitution
seventeen article constitution reforms
- supreme ruler
- centralized government
- merit system for selecting officials (similar to civil service exams)
Key components of Japan’s first constitution
Harmony must be kept, obey imperial command, every man has a clear responisbility
Taikia’s Reforms
-Grand council and 8 ministries
- Written language
- Islands divided into administrative districts
- government organized by rural villages
- all farm land belongs to the state
- Taxes paid directly to central government
(GWIGAT)
Nara
New capital, imitates Chinese capital, Chang-an
‘son of heaven’
title used by rulers, imitates China
Mandate to rule stays with
imperial house, unlike China
‘Sun’s origin’
Nara period uses this to refer to Japan
Civil service exams
limited to nobles, not commoners, aristocracy gains power
heian
new capital, (modern-day kyoto)
Fujiwara clan
powerful, wealthy family that linked itself with the emperor’s royal family
Samurai
military retainers who protect the security and property of their patron
properties of a samurai
-served administrative and millitary function
-lives of simplicity and self sacrifice
- unquestioning loyalty to their lord
- fought on horseback
- followed Boshido
(SLUFF)
Boshido
way of the warrior
Feudalism
system in which people were given land and protection by people of a higher rank
genin
landless laborers
eta
slave class, equivalent to untoughables
kami
natural spirits inhabiting trees, rivers, and mountains
Shinto
‘sacred way’, importance of physical purity, no moral code
Jodo
(Pureland), devotion alone can lead to enlightenment (Mahayana)
Zen
(Chan) emphasis on self discipline and communication with nature (Thermada)
Fall of Rome effects Italy
- economic & communication decline
- Romans and Germans mix
- Visigoths take over
Fall of Rome effects Gaul (France)
- taxes raised
- centralized administration
- invasions
Fall of Rome effects Britain
- emergence of Northmen (Vikings)
- Christianity emerged
Clovis
established Frankish Kingdon and Merovingian dynasty, converts to Christianity, then kingdom divides with his death
Arian Christianity
As son of God, Jesus is subordinate to God (Jesus is less than God)
Roman Catholicism Christianity
Jesus is both fully human and fully God, viewed Arians as heretics, support Clovis rule
Germanic Society & Law
- Patriarchal famlies
- Murders handled by courts
- Bloodfuse
- Wergeld
Bloodfuse
families of injured parties sought revenge on the family of the wrongdoer
wergeld
‘man money’ paid to compensate for a person injured or killed, value based on social class
ordeals by fire
the accused had to carry a red-hot bar of Iron and walk 9 feet, if the accused was healed cleanly within three days, they were innocent
ordeals by water
the accused was plunged into a pool of cold water on a rope. If they floated, the water was rejecting them, rendering them guilty
trial by combat
Fight to the death, innocent survived, can call on another person to fight for you
Charlemagne (Chales the Great)
Christian Frankish king who establishes an empire across western and central Europe
Charlemagne being crowned ‘Emperor of the Romans’ is significant
because it starts the Holy Roman Empire
Charlemagne achievements
doubles territory and improved relations with the Pope
Leif Erikson
founder of Viking Greenland, led them to North America
First Russian state
Rus, founded by the Vikings
Great Heathen Army
Danish army of Vikings that invade England (Heathen vs Christianity)
Connection between Vikings and Normandy
Rollo agreed to stop raids in return for land in Normandy (???)
Varangian Guard
Viking guard for Byzante Empire
Bishop of Rome becomes sole leader -
Pope, controls church in the west
Monks
seek to live separate from the rest of society to dedicate themselves totally to God
Monasticism
living together in a community dedicated to God, emphasis on prayer + manual labor
Monks played a major role in
converting Europe to Christianity
Feudalism
political and military system that applied to most of Europe during the Early Middle Ages
fiefs
land
sub infeudation
the connection between various levels of the lord-vassal relationship
responsibilities of vassals
40 days of military service, serve as judges for legal cases, provide finance for lighting of lords eldest son, marriage of eldest daughter, and pay ransom if lord is captured
responsibilities
protect vassals, take vassals side in court, provide fief for vassal
Knights
heavily armored aristocratic cavalry, dominate european warfare, chivalry
chivalry
code of ethics and honor followed by knights, defend church, treat captives as honored guests, fight only for glory
Manor
agricultural estate operated by a lord and worked by peasants and serfs
demesne
1/3-1/2 of land, which is used by lord, remainder used by peasants (Manor system)
Three-field system
rotating crops, one field with winter grain, one with spring grain, one follows fallow (untitled)
serfs
peasants that are legally bound to the land, 60% of Western Europe’s population
Responsibilities of serfs
cannot leave without lords perm.
work 3 days a week
pay rent
cannot marry outside the manor without approval
Cistercians
wealthy monastic group
first university in Europe
Bologna
Relationship Oxford and Cambridge
Oxford students fled to Cambridge
Europeans drove Muslims from
Sicily, Spain, and Portugal
High Middle Ages population
74 million
High Middle Ages Agricultural Advancements
iron tools, watermills, and windmills
capitalism
economic system in which commerce and industry and controlled by private owners who invest in trade and goods to make profits
centers for trade with other regions
Venice and Flanders
Communes
associations formed by townspeople for self-rule when lords refused to provide for them
Guilds
organized groups of craftspeople
University
a guild of teachers or students
Liberal arts curriculum
grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy
Scholasticism
the philosophical the theological system of medieval schools, tried to unite faith and reason
Saint Thomas Aquinas
posed questions, offered different viewpoints, and then developed conclusions uniting faith and reason
Romanesque
Rectangular style, flat wooden roofs, massive pillars and walls, dark,with narrow windows
Gothic
Ribbed vaults and pointed arches, flying buttresses, taller, with thinner walls, stained glass windows
