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Jan 1, 610
Islam
Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad. Islam became a powerful empire and it improved infrastructure, agriculture, and the state of the people. It also was tolerant of other religions and only required an extra tax if that person was not Muslim. The Muslims took over the trades. -
Jan 1, 618
Fall of the Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty united China after the Warring States Era, but the emperor forced peasants to work on big projects like the Grand Canal, which was built to transport grain. The people revolted and finally the Tang Dynasty took over after the short-lived Sui Dynasty. The Sui Dynasty did acomplish in reconstructing the Great Wall and keeping grain reserves for famine. -
Jan 1, 700
Printing
Printing was invented by Buddhists in the 8th century for their texts. The Song Dynasty used it for Confucian texts that people that were taking the Civil Serivice Exam needed to know. It helped promote a meritocracy and allowed for more people to obtain the education needed. Spreading news also became easier. This invention led to the Gutenburg Press. -
Jan 1, 728
Da Yan Calender
The Da Ya calender was the most influential calender that was made in China in the Tang Dynasty. It was issued around China and other parts of Asia in 728. It was the most comprehensive calender made at that time. Being able to map and plan out time has always been essestial in maintaining a stable government. -
Jan 1, 793
Viking Age in England
Vikings attacked monasteries for loot because most inhabitants of monasteries were not good fighters. Their raids helped the formation of the independent kingdoms of England and Scotland. The vikings upset the political life in England. -
Jan 1, 859
Higher Education
In the Islamic world, education was a high priority for both women and men. The first formal university was founded by a wealth, female merchant in Morocco in 859. This was the first university that gave what we would call today in English a degree. The first universities had a curriculum that spanned 16 years. By the 1100s, hundreds of universities were all over the empire. -
Jan 1, 900
Paper Money
Paper money was initiated by merchants in the late Tang Dynasty by trading reciepts. This allowed for the merchants to carry less coins because the weight of the coins were heavy especially on long trips. In the 1120s, the government finally came and produced the world's first government-issued paper money. -
Period: Jan 1, 960 to Jan 1, 1279
Tea
Tea was used in the Han Dynasty for medicinal puroses, but in the Song Dynasty, it became popular as a drink. Offering tea to a guest became proper etiquette. People were able to trade tea for warhorses, and theses horses were valuable because of war. -
Period: Jan 1, 960 to Jan 1, 1279
Rice
Before the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people ate wheat and drank wine. Their diet was closer to that of a Western diet. During the Song Dynasty, a strain of rice was found in Vietnam that could be harvested twice a year. That doubled the amount of food produced and helped the growth of the Chinese population. -
Jan 1, 1000
Camera
A Muslim scientist from the 11th century studied light, as well as how to campture and project images. His research led to the modern development of cameras, without his work, we would not have cameras today. -
Jan 1, 1044
Gunpowder
In 1044, the earliest recorded formula of gunpowder was found written in the Song Dynasty. Mentions of gunpowder existed as far back as the Han Dynasty. Gunpowder was first made as an elixer for eternal life. They then found it could be used for fireworks. After some experimenting, they found its usefulness in war. The gunpowder helped advance weapons and warfare from swords with canons and guns. Other cultures were soon able to get their hands on gunpowder. -
Period: Jan 1, 1095 to Jan 1, 1291
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of Holy Wars over Jerusalem between the Muslims and the Christians. In the end, the Byzantine Empire was not successful and soon caused their downfall because of the Crusades. The Crusades did, however, encourage globalization and power with the church and King in Europe. -
Jan 1, 1150
Vikings Adopt Christianity
By the mid-1100s, Christianity established itself in Scandinavia. When the vikings raided other areas, the ones who started to live in places with a Christian population quickly adopted Christianity. It is believed that the vikings had their own religion, but historians are not sure because Christians only referred vikings as pagens. The spread of Christianity grew and trade with others also grew. -
Jan 1, 1206
Mongol Empire
In this year, Temujin united the Turkic tribes and the Mongols, and they proclaimed him Genghis Khan. They would go on to create the biggest empire in history. They were tolerant of religions and encouraged trade. They also created a pony express system and women in their society had more influence and power. -
Period: Jan 1, 1206 to Jan 1, 1368
Pax Mongolica
The Pax Mongolica was a time of peace during the reign of the Mongol Empire. It lasted from the 13th century to the 14th century. During this time, it stabilized the cultural, social, and economic life of all its inhabitants. Travelling thorughout the empire was very safe and it allowed explorers like Marco Polo to travel without a large fear of death. The date on this timespan is the span of the Mongol Empire. -
Jan 1, 1210
Postal System
The postal system was widely used in the Mongol Empire for its efficiency. It was a system of relay stations, but this idea has been mentioned in societies even from the Classical Era. The exact date of when Genghis Khan introduced this system is unknown, but historians do know that his reign lasted from 1206 to 1227. The postal system allowed for a faster way to communicate econmic and political matters. -
Jan 1, 1215
Mongols in China
By 1215, Genghis Khan took over Beijing, the capital of the Jin Dynasty, and ruled over the Northern part of China. This helped expand the area of the Mongol Empire and contribute to trade. The Mongol Empire valued the use of the Silk Road, so ruling China helped the Khans with trade. -
Period: Jan 1, 1279 to Jan 1, 1368
Yuan Dynasty
Kublai Khan annuonced the start of the Yuan Dynasty, his dynasty, in1271, but the Song Chinese, the people Kublai Khan allied with to defeat the JIn in the North, were still not defeated after Kublai Khan turned on them until 1279. Social classes were made to keep the Chinese in check, but he let Chinese officials run the government with a close eye. The Yuan Dynasty fell because the people revolted. -
Oct 1, 1347
Black Death 1346-1353
This plague came by sea to Europe, the exact date is unknown. This outbreak lasted from 1346 to 1353. It cause social order to break down and families to abandon one another for fear of becoming another victim of the Black Death. Many people fled the cities. At the end of the outbreak, almost half of the European population perished. The Bubonic Plague spurred a growth in education and clinical medicine, as well as a larger mistrust in religion. -
Jan 1, 1350
Italian Renaissance
The Renaissance had the biggest effect from the early 1400s to the 1600s, but it arrived in Italy in the mid-1300s. This movement improved the literature and art of the time. The 14th century Italians believed that the arts of their time were declining in quality. They admired the cultural aspects of the Classical Era of the Greek and Roman empires. The Renaissance, in their eyes, was a rebirth of the arts and it brought the quality that they sought after.
