HIST 131 - Week 2 - Rodman

HIST 131 - Week 3 - Rodman

Period: 1300 to 1500

(All images are cited in the parent class presentation.)

Ascension of Yongle

1402

Ming Emperor Yongle (r. 1402 – 1424) ruled over China during an era of continued fighting with the Mongols. In addition, Emperor Yongle launched a series of sea-going explorations under Zheng He.

Seven Voyages of Zheng He (1405 - 1433)

1405

Under the patronage of Ming Emperor Yongle, Zheng He sailed into the far western Pacific and Indian Oceans. He led a fleet of unparalleled size and complexity to expand Chinese trade (and establish prominence). Voyages made it as far north as Mecca (he was Muslim) and as far south as the eastern Africa. Zheng He died at sea. His seven voyages came to naught after the death of Yongle and a return to a more isolationist Chinese policy.

Death of Timur

1405

Timur was the last great nomadic Islamic warrior (background was both Turkic and Mongol - saw himself as Ghengis Khan's heir and restorer of empire). His death weakened that empire and opened the door for Ottoman expansion into Europe.

Western Schism Ends

1417

Electing Pope Martin V in 1417 (fully recognized in 1429), the Catholic Church acknowledged Rome as the center of the faith rather than Avignon. In essence, what would become the Roman Catholic Church consolidated its hold on non-Orthodox Christianity in Western Europe.

Capture of Constantinople

1453

Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks under Mehmed II. When it did, it opened the door for further conquest into Europe (although it would stabilize relatively soon). The growth of the Ottoman Empire between West and East essentially halted any reunification between Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches. Exodus from newly captured Ottoman lands fueled the birth of the Renaissance in Western Europe.

Gutenberg Bible

1455

Printing was not new, but the press was. The timing coincided with the dawn of the Renaissance. So the written - and easily accessed - word helped to expand European knowledge at the dawn of scientific and artistic expansion. Greater access to the Bible would shape Christianity within the coming century.

Spanish Inquisition

1478

Designed to test the Catholic loyalty of Jewish and Islamic converts in the kingdoms of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Reconquesta Completes

1492

Under Ferdinand and Isabella, their combined Spanish kingdoms defeated the last Islamic forces at Granada in 1491. The treaty took effect in January of 1492, securing the region for what we know as Spain and an early bastion of Catholicism. Freed from conflict, Spain was soon able to turn its attention to other pursuits.

Alhambra Decree

1492

The Alhambra Decree expelled any remaining practicing Jews from Spain, leading to another round of Jewish Diaspora. Many European Jews settled in Eastern Europe where they would remain until WWII.

First Voyage of Columbus

1492

With Ferdinand and Isabella having removed Islamic and Jewish influence in Spain, the wholly Catholic country was able to focus on external matters. Once the Ottoman Empire severed land-based trade routes with China, the motivation was there to find a nautical route. Columbus’ plan was strongly influenced by Ptolemy’s Geographica (which was now in print…and with significant errors).