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Period: 750 to 1258
Abbasid Caliphate
These two dynasties are what are often referred to as China's golden age. They brought many new innovations to society in China as they turned the region into one of the most powerful areas in the world. They innovated many things such as the mass production of champa rice, the use of paper money, printing, and gunpowder usage. The era would eventually end with the Song Dynasty when it would collapse due to political instability and constant invades by neighboring tribes like the Jin Dynasty. -
Period: 900 to 1200
Feudalism in Europe (10th to 13th century)
Feudalism was a structure that dominated Europe during the 12th century and was built on the idea that society was structured on relationships. Land would often be gifted to others in exchange for goods and services. A common example of this practice would be a king giving up land to lords, in exchange for soldiers should a war break out. This would allow nobility to have a greater control over the common citizens of countries. -
Period: 1200 to 1521
Mesoamerican empire
Both the Aztecs and the Incas were very influential as they were the last dominant native empires before the invasion from European nations. They greatly influenced the culture of Mesoamerica by introducing new styles of architecture, art, music, and technology. They were also unique in their religious beliefs, as they were polytheistic and practiced human sacrifice in order to appeal to their gods. Both would eventually be conquered by Spanish explorers due to their weakness to disease. -
Period: 1206 to 1526
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is significant for being the shift towards Muslim rule being a prominent force in India. It saw the beginning of a blending of Hindu and Islamic culture, in all forms ranging from music to architecture. Many great buildings were built during this time such as the Great Mosques, as well as many different colleges and hospitals. India would receive protection from the strong Mongol army as well, which would eventually be broken with the eventual rise of Mughal India. -
Period: 1206 to 1368
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire is to this day the largest land empire to ever exist in the world. It was responsible for numerous innovations in many different fields such as technology, war strategy, education, and heavily influenced Asian culture at the time. They were lead by Genghis Khan, a leader recognized for his extraordinary military achievements and brutality. The empire would be brought down by factors such as the rising Ming Dynasty and the black plague which heavily weakened the population. -
Period: 1230 to
Mali empires
The Mali Empire was known for its extreme wealth, as well as its heavy influence on the surrounding culture of Africa. It had a dominant control over the gold and salt market of Africa. It also had control over the important trade routes all across the Sahara Desert which lead to Europe and the Middle East. The empire would eventually begin to decline due to the rise of the Songhai Empire, and lost control of many of its borders. -
1279
Tang and Song Dynasties
The Song Dynasty was responsible for the beginning of many Chinese cultures. It saw the rise of practices such as Neo-Confucianism and Buddhism, and was known for the heavy cultivating of champa rice as a resource for food. They also evolved eastern society in ways such as foot binding for the women, while also influenced the architecture of the time. They would eventually fall due to political corruption and instability, and would be unable to withstand invasions from the Jin Dynasty. -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty was a period of time where China was under the control of the Mongols, and it was established by Kublai Khan of the Mongol Empire. The establishment of the Yuan Dynasty was important because this was the first time China as a nation was unified under one leader. This unification allowed for many aspects of China to develop such as culture and education. The period of peace would eventually end with a peasant uprising, and the nation would fall into a state of constant rebellion. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire is known as one of the strongest and long lasting Dynasties in all of History. The empire was ran by Islamic people that ruled over the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa for more than 6 centuries. The Empire was created by Osman I in 1299, however it reached its peak during the mid 16th century during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. This time period was known for great power and wealth. The Empire fell in 1922, during World War I and Turkey became a republic. -
Period: 1300 to
European Renaissance
The European Renaissance would begin an age of great innovation within Europe. It was the rebirth Europe in art, technology, culture, and many more as people began to rediscover classic European culture and innovate on it. The discover of math and science and logic allowed people to think more freely and saw the separation of attachment from people to religion. The renaissance would pave the way for the Age of Exploration as Europe used this newfound knowledge to expand out into the world. -
Period: 1347 to
Bubonic Plague
The Black Death was responsible for wiping out over a third of the world population in the mid 14th century. It resulted in a massive economy drought, as trade was prevented from happening, and much of the working class was killed. It was largely caused by a lack of sanitation in large cities, and little medical technology was unable to prevent it from spreading. It can be seen as similar to later outbreaks from later in history, although more extreme, such as the Spanish Flu and COVID-19. -
Period: 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty overthrew the dynasty before it , the Yuan Dynasty which was ruled by the Mongol Empire. Since the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Mongols they purged a lot of their stuff. They brought back old confucian values of the Tang Dynasty by putting back the civil service exam and they also tried to limit contact with other countries especially through trade. The Ming Dynasty also valued agriculture and gave out land. -
Period: 1400 to
Age of Exploration
The Age of Exploration marked the discovery of many new locations in the world for Europeans. Many previously unknown regions were now being mapped and studied, and many innovations in navigation were now being made. It gave way to new products being introduced into Europe, and encouraged trading of new goods between nations that had previously had little to no contact with each other. The human race would now be better connected, and the world was now much more knowledgeable of each other. -
Period: 1492 to
Spanish Colonial Empire
The Spanish began the conquest of america, in search of gold and silver to make Spain a more powerful country. Labor systems were created to exploit the native people. When they died of diseases such as smallpox, they sent over Africans. While extracting minerals, they also were attempting to convert the natives to Catholicism -
Period: 1500 to
Portuguese Trading post empire
Trading post empires began in the 16th century, and was started by Portugal. Rather than conquering a whole nation, these posts would be established around the country. Their purpose was to control trade routes by forcing merchant vessels to pay duties at the sites. These empires set up controlled trade throughout the Indian ocean by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th century. -
Period: 1517 to
The Reformation
The Reformation was a time period where citizens of Europe began questioning the Catholic church leading to the church splitting into Catholicism and Protestantism. M. Luther questioned their beliefs and disputed the use of indulgences. Another reason for the reformation was the Catholic church proved to be unreliable during the plague and they were known for being greedy. Some people also disagreed over doctrine like whether or not to use unleavened bread or not. -
Period: 1526 to
Atlantic Slave Trade
The Atlantic Slave Trade began in the 15th century, after the Portuguese exploration of west Africa. The Slave trade involved the transportation of slaves by slave traders. The slave trade typically used the triangular route for trading. Between 10 million and 12 million Africans were enslaved -
Period: to
Meiji Revolution
The Meiji Restoration was Japan's way of reforming in order to westernize and keep up with European countries. They began to modernize the entire country, from economy to government to education. It is important due to the sheer speed at which Japan was able to develop from a country built on tradition to one of the world's greatest powers. This continued ideas built on from the Industrial revolutions where economy was all about making as many products as fast as possible. -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty had an Emperor he ruled over six boards , had four assistants , and a grand council that assisted his rule. They produced jade , painting and porcelain works. This dynasty also traded tea and silks with Britain. As a result with increased contact with Europe , missionaries came to spread Christianity and the Emperor even encouraged it. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a late 17th and 18th century intellectual movement. The thinking emphasized skepticism, individualism, science, and reason. It was thought during this time period that humans could discover the truth of the world, and use it to better their lives. Ideas from the enlightenment affected future governments, such as the separation of powers in office to maintain checks and balances. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution saw a shift in the focus of the global economy from primarily agriculture based to now focused on industry. Many new factories and machines were made in order to help streamline production processes and increase efficiency. While these processes greatly improved the overall economy and offered many new jobs, they also came with the drawback of many new sicknesses and poor living conditions being encouraged throughout the world. -
Period: to
American Revolution
The American Revolution was a rebellion against the overbearing British rule of the colonies. It heavily influenced many of the revolutions that would follow it such as the French and Haitian revolutions. It inspired people to now object rule that they saw as unjust. Many of the ideas of the revolution were encouraged by the Enlightenment, which encouraged all people to think freely and independently from monarchs. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution caused the end of many traditional customs in France like monarchy and feudalism, while also taking much power from the Catholic Church. It was mainly caused by economic struggles in the country due to poor wealth management by the nobles. It set the foundation for other revolutions in Europe, and encouraged nationalism across all of Europe. It influenced revolutions such the Haitian Revolution, who would rebel against France as a slave colony due to unfair treatment. -
Period: to
Haitian revolutions
The Haitian Revolution is important due to how it is the only successful slave revolt in the world's history. The slaves in Haiti were able to gain independence from France due to the leader of the revolt, Toussaint-Louverture, who helped lead Haiti to eventually become an independent nation. The revolution further continued to embrace the ideas of the Enlightenment, which encouraged free thinking and free will from monarchy. -
Period: to
Tanzimat Reforms
The Tanizmat Reforms were a series of reforms in the Ottoman Empire. Their goal was to westernize the empire in regards to education, politics, and social aspects in order to keep up with the rest of the world. The Ottoman empire had been experiencing a decline in power during this time, and they had to reform in order to keep up with the west. This is similar to how Japan reformed in order to keep up with the European countries, however Japan was much more successful in reforming. -
Period: to
Opium Wars
The Opium Wars were two armed conflicts between Western Countries and the Qing Dynasty of China. The first Opium War (1839–42) was fought between China and Britain, and the second Opium War (1856–60), was fought by Britain and France against China. In each case the Western Countries were victorious and gained territorial concessions in China. The conflicts marked the start of unequal treaties on the Qing Dynasty. This eventually weakened and ended the Qing Dynasty as a whole. -
Period: to
Taiping Revolution
This Rebellion was a revolt against the Qing dynasty, there were fights of religious conviction over regional economic conditions. The Taiping forces were run by, what people called a prophet, Hong Xiuquan, who ran the God Worshipping Society. This resulted in the rebels seizing the city of Nanjing for years to come. The Taiping Rebellion failed years later and was the cause of death of more than 20 million people. -
Period: to
Sepoy Mutiny
The Sepoy Mutiny was a very violent uprising against Great Britain's rule in India. New Rifle Cartridges were used and on March 26, the first shot was fired at the parade ground at Barrackpore, when a sepoy named Mangal Pandey shot a British Sergeant Major and Lieutenant. More Indian troops rebelled against the British after Mangal's shot. Many units of the Bengal Army turned on the British. The uprising became extremely violent, and it had brought the end of the East India Company. -
Period: to
Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was the invasion and colonisation of African Territory by European Powers. The Berlin Conference of 1884, had regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa. It is actually known as the beginning of the Scramble for Africa. Partitioning Africa was how the Europeans avoided going to war over it. The late 1800's saw the Europeans exercising military influence and economic dominance, bringing about colonial imperialism. -
Period: to
Berlin Conference
This Berlin Conference lasted from 1884-1885. The purpose of the Berlin Conference was to regulate European colonization in Africa during the New Imperialism period. The conference was held by the first Chancellor of Germany, Otto Von Bismarck. The result of the conference was the beginning of the Scramble for Africa, when European countries were all looking to colonize Africa.