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The Mongols had good control over the Silk Road and was able to create an amazing system of trade through it. Not only did they improve trade, they also improved the communication system along the Silk Road. The communication that they established was a postal relay system.

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Majority of the coasts were controlled by Mongols and this allowed them to create maritime trade routes from Japan to the Indian Ocean.

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Sophia Cerelli
before 1200 - 1500

Trade across the Indian Ocean was first started by the Chinese general Zheng He as his fleet of trading and war ships roamed the ocean. His ships were different from the traditional dhow type build because they were much bigger, with heavier arms and less speed. These however, wouldn't last very long as China's government decided against foreign expansion. The trading with dhows would continue however, with Muslim traders from Southeast Asia trading across Indonesia

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Sophia Cerelli
1206 - 1453

The Silk Road was a trading network across Asia that allowed advanced development in technology and the spread of cultures and religions. The Mongols heavily enabled the Silk Road by protecting traders and being travelers themselves.

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The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas around-1300

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The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas around-1300

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The Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas would have advanced civilization before the discovery of the Americas. They would have agricultural forms based on terraces in the Incan empire and floating islands in the Aztec empire. They would have religious systems related to various gods based off things like the sun, and the Aztecs would practice sacrifice to honor their gods. They would also have languages and some writing systems used for trading and everyday life. The Inca empire would have an extensive network of roads used for movement of armies and trading.

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Spread of Islam to South and Southeast Asia-around 1200

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Spread of Islam to South and Southeast Asia-around 1200

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With the arrival of the Muslims in the end of the seventh century, they would have a relatively low impact. This would change in the following centuries as contact between the indigenous people and the Muslims developed. Muslim rulers would soon employ the Hindus to govern the non-Muslim populations. Trade would be prominent to the region through exports to China and the Mediterranean. Shrivijaya was a major trading city and would control the trade of the empire and their fall would open up Southeast Asia to Muslim conversion.

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Riley Buhl
~1685 - 1750 onward

As the Age of Enlightenment gained ground in Europe, similar ideas gained prominence in other areas of the world. Most notably would be the Creole people of New Spain, who were Spaniards not born in Iberia and therefore considered lesser, and their fight for rights against the Spanish Empire. The Creoles were able to lead the charge due to a unique political status allowing them to speak out against the government with very little punishment, and some were even placed in positions of power. When the Spanish Empire started to crumble due to trouble back home, the Creoles took advantage of the power vacuum and took control. There were also power changes in Europe, were autocracies and monarchies were overthrown by the people in exchange for more favorable governments such as democracies and parliamentary monarchies.

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Riley Buhl
1488 - 1750

The Spanish and Portuguese Empires were very different in how they were run and what they did. The Spanish Empire was primarily in the New World and mostly functioned by growing crops and mining silver and gold that the Empire would profit from. Mostly slaves did this work, with the mita and encomienda systems being important to consider when understanding how it was organized. The Portuguese empire did similar things in Brazil, mainly focusing on the silver mines deep in the Amazon jungle, but the rest of their empire was a stark contrast. The rest of the Portuguese empire was mostly made up of trading posts dotted around the Indian Ocean and the Chinese and West African Coasts. Goa is quite notable in this regard as it was one of the most successful trading towns. These Portuguese exclaves didn't rely on slave labor and didn't produce the materials themselves, instead relying on goods from home or Brazil to sell to passing traders.

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The Abbasids would slowly start to collapse as an empire due to things like struggles for succession and armed slaves becoming powerful and murdering a caliph. After the first assassination of a caliph, four more caliphs would be poisoned or assassinated leading to the slave armies having the real power behind the throne. After the collapse of the Abbasids Islam would still survive and spread to places like South Asia and would maintain a position in the Middle East.

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The Ottoman Empire was a fierce military force that took over parts of the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, and Asia Minor. They took advantage of the power vacuum left after the Mongols left and began their rise in power. Mehmed II led an attack on the fortified walls of Constantinople and with their new advanced war fare weapons such as guns they could pillage Constantinople for 3 days. The Ottoman had become more powerful and became the protectors of the Islamic Heartlands. The economy had become solely centered around military, making the Ottoman empire completely set on expansion as a way of gaining power and revenue. Also military aristocracy became apart of their political system and people who had served time in the military could get benefits from the government and obtain a governmental position.

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Ottoman vs. Safavid: Sunni and Shi'a - 1514

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Ottoman vs. Safavid: Sunni and Shi'a - 1514

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The Sunni branch of Islam became more prominent in the Ottoman Empire. While the Shi'a became more prominent in the Safavid empire. These two faiths created a split in the Islamic community. Both the Ottomans and the Safavids discriminated against the minority, in the Ottoman empire it was the Shi'a and in the Safavid empire it was the Sunni. With the two empires bordering each other there were more tensions between the two which ended up with the battle of Chaldiran. The two armies fought in this faithful battle and the Ottomans defeated the Safavids, ending any hope in becoming the most powerful Islamic empire.

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The Mongols an East Asian Powerhouse would slowly start to decline as a civilization due to various reasons. One of the most important factors in the Mongol decline was the black death as it resulted in millions of deaths along with weakening the Mongol control of China. Due to various rebellions by the Chinese, the Mongols would slowly be forced to retreat. Most historians have different views on the reasons the Mongols collapsed, but it is commonly thought to be due to overexpansion as they were unable to maintain control of their vast territory. As a result of the black plague in combination with rebellion, the Mongols would slowly decline.

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Nicolaus Copernicus's ideas were at the beginning of the Scientific revolution when Galileo Galilei published his findings and added ideas of gravity and planetary motion. In the 16th century research started to build on the later Middle Ages. Isaac Newton was one of the most notable people who put together natural laws and principles of motion. It brought about the cultural transformation of Western Europe in the Early-Modern Period. It also broke away from the omnipresent church. The scientific was a boom of challenging ideas and new scientific method

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The Mongols would begin their rise through the guidance of Chinggis Khan. Khan with skilled warriors would then lead the Mongols into battle in areas like Beijing, Russia, Islam, and Western Europe. They would be a leading powerhouse conquering many different civilizations and would unite most of Asia. In Khan's lifetime, he would establish a capital at Karakorum where he would invite philosophers and different leading officials. After Khan's death, Ogodei Khan would continue his legacy by continuing campaigns and conquests.

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Russia was an expansive empire on the rise after the Tatar left control. To strengthen the tsarist control they sough to expand, and this became a main factor in the Russian rule for many years to come. One of the most influential rulers of Russia at the time was tsaritsa Catherine the Great. She continued the Russian ideology of expanding their empire, but she brought some change into the Russian administration. She worked on creating a strong central government and was selective with the Western ideas could come into Russia. Ideas like upper-class education, arts, and literature and even let in some Western philosophy which brought new ideas of reducing capitol punishment.  She was still an absolute power though, supporting landlords and decreasing serfs rights as the countries economy heavily relied on it. As well she banned western ideas like abolishing serfdom and having a more liberal government.

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Loti administration struggled
Akbar was an admirable ruler who's administration and social policies maintained the Mughal empire as a lasting dominion.
He encouraged social change by banning practices like sati and widow remarriage. He also worked towards an empire that had Hindus and Muslims have reconciliation. After Akbar's death there were revolts against his sons for power. Jahangir and Shah Jahan lived an extravagant life in the splendorous Mughal empire. Akbar social policies started to disappeared with practices like sati came back. Administration, social policy, and military neglect, pressuring from enemies, and corrupt leaders caused the empire to go into a decline.

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1456 - 1750

Exploration around the African Coast began in 1456 when the Genoese (Italian) explorer Antonio de Noli discovered the islands of Cabo Verde of the coast or what is now Mauritania. Expeditions down the West Coast of Africa continued, with the Portuguese leading the charge, establishing colonies and trading posts along the way. In 1488 the Portuguese sailor first sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, but didn't make it all the way. The Portuguese, fueled by a desire to find a route to Africa, then sent Vasco de Gama who was able to make it to India. From this the Portuguese established a trading post empire by stationing port towns controlled by them in key areas all over India, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

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1492 - 1750

Exploration of the New World started with European interest in finding a quicker route to the new world than sailing around Africa. Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer who was sponsored by the Spanish government to carry out this mission, but he instead found the Americas. When news of this new land reached back to Europe, kings and queens rushed to sponsor their own sailors to explore and establish colonies in the New World, however Portugal and Spain largely dominated at first. They settled the New World and introduced new things to both the Americas and Europe.

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The Sudanic states were formed on patriarchs of the council of elders of a particular group of lineage. There were conquest states which drew on the taxes, tribute and military support of lineages and villages. Islam was used to reinforcing the indigenous idea of kingship. Many ruling families converted to Islam and used traditional powers to fortify their rule. Development of culture is most prominently shown in Mali and Songhay with the fusion of indigenous African cultures and Islam usally shown in trade and military expansion.

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maddy

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Internal and External Challenges to Power

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Internal and External Challenges to Power

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Riley

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maddy

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References to Networks of Exchange between these civilizations:  Silk Roads, Mongols, Indian Ocean Exchange, Trans-Saharan Trade

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References to Networks of Exchange between these civilizations:  Silk Roads, Mongols, Indian Ocean Exchange, Trans-Saharan Trade

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maddy

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Riley

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maddy

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Riley
1500-1750

The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of new things; foods, animals, plants, diseases, technology; across the Atlantic mainly between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. The effects of the Columbian exchange can still be seen today where non native plants and animals can be integral to a population's survival, and the effects of the diseases on the native population.

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Developments in South and Southeast Asia-Andrew

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Developments in South and Southeast Asia-Andrew

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The Mongols would attack Russia around 1240 and Russia would experience. The peasents would either try and flee or seek protection from landowners. Eventually the Russian princes would lead the rebellion against the Mongols and regain power around the fourteenth century. The rest of Europe was under control by the Catholic church meaning they would have influence over all matters of life. Before the beginning of the Renaissance Europe would not have many achievements as they were recovering from the bubonic plauge.

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Riley
1450 - 1750