N2K Flashcards
The silk roads
Overland trade routes to Asia Marco Polo (from Venice): travelled to the east
The Mongol Empire
13th century
Nomadic (do not stay in one place)
Started as a small pastoral (horseback/herders) tribe and expanded through Asia, Russia and Middle East.
Split off into four empires
Mamluk Egypt
13th century
Halted Mongol expansion
Of Turkish decent.
They were recruited into Egypt as slaves because it was illegal for Muslims to enslave Muslims (Egyptians)
The great plague/Black Death
Mostly 1340’s & 1350’s
Killed 75million
The Byzantine empire
living extension of the romain empire; conquered in 15th century
Built city walls to defend themselves from enemies/rivals
African Empires
Mali, Ethiopia, Zambezi
14th - 15th century
Inca and Aztec Empires
Latin America: rise late 14th and early 15th century. Both inca and Aztec empires were amazing engineers.
Aztecs built the Mexican pyramids and chinampas (artificial islands created for crops)
Incas civilization was built in the highlands of Peru. They built the city of Machu Picchu in the Andean mountains.
Ming dynasty
(1368-1644)
Threw off the Mongol controlled rulers
Controlled China for 300 years but never expanded their empire
Portuguese Empire
First Global maritime empire; rise 15th & 16th century. Fall in 17th century.
Dominated trade between Asia and Europe and some trade within Asia and South America
Colonized Brazil and parts of Africa.
Oceanic imperialism
Breakthroughs in 1490’s
Understanding of “trade winds” prevailing currents, and the Gulf Stream –> powerful Atlantic Ocean current that causes a North Atlantic drift (east coast North America - west coast Europe)
Ottoman Empire
Turkish empire
Rise in 14th/15th century
Mughal Empire
Persian empire extending over large parts of India.
Unlike the Mongols, the Persian empire did not stamp out local societies it came to rule, but rather changed administrative practices.
Ecological exchanges
The 1500’s see the growth of international trade in goods and diseases
British North America
16th century to present
Spanish Empire
16th - 19th century
Ruled most of South-West America, and Mexico
Hernan Cortes conquered Mexico (Aztec empire)
Francisco Pizarro conquers the Inca empire of Peru
Atlantic navigation was divided between Spain and Portugal (Treaty of Tordesillas)
Christian reformations
16th & 17th centuries
Emergence of Protestant churches in Northern Europe
The Renaissance
Rebirth of knowledge (Italian city states)
Spread throughout Europe.
Revolutions in many intellectual pursuits.
Social and political upheaval.
Contributed to the development of diplomacy and science.
Scientific Revolution
Scientific reasoning based on empirical evidence
Stafavid Empire
(1501-1722)
Extended Persian influence in South Asia
Tokugawa Japan
(1603-1868)
Limited trade; concerned about foreign influences.
Qing Dynasty
1644-1912
Last imperial dynasty of China
Growth 17th/18th centuries
Challenges arose in the 19th century