unit 1 history

By faxmachine
  • 522 BCE

    Darius becomes Shah

    Darius - Supported monarchy (like Cyrus)
    - Citizens are stupid, democracy is bad
    - Oligarchs are greedy, will fight each other
    Otanes - Favored Democracy
    - Monarchs are unchecked and out of control
    - Power turns people evil
    Megabyzus - Supported Oligarchy (best men)
    - Monarchs are unchecked
    - Citizens are stupid, democracy is bad
  • Period: 470 BCE to 398 BCE

    Socrates

    Teacher of Plato
    Criticized democracy, every gov't holds its own seeds of destruction (too much freedoms granted by politicians --> chaos) --> "Anything taken to its extreme leads to its polar opposite"
  • Period: 428 BCE to 348 BCE

    Plato

    Teacher of Aristotle
    Author of "The Republic" - criticized democracy and outlined an oligarchy of the most virtuous (PHILOSOPHER-KINGS)
  • Period: 384 BCE to 322 BCE

    Aristotle

    Teacher of Alexander the Great
    Believed in down-to-earth thinking through experimentation and looking at examples of what is good/bad
    Declared all governments can be bad, but democracy was the "least bad"
  • Period: 500 to 1500

    Arab control over Indian Ocean trade

    Lateen sails helped sailors/traders move upwards with the monsoon winds (Spring/Summer) into Asia and down in (Winter/Fall)
  • Period: 500 to 1240

    Ghana Empire

    Upper Niger River valley, first great West African trading state
  • 830

    Baghdad House of Wisdom

    Held translations of Plato and Aristotle's works in Arabic and mathematical texts from India
  • Period: 848 to 852

    Great Mosque of Samarra

    Built in what is now Iraq, biggest mosque at the time
  • Period: 980 to 1037

    Ibn-Sina

    Muslim philosopher - wrote medical textbooks and expanded medical knowledge
  • 1055

    Seljuk Turks take Baghdad

    Seljuk Turks were nomads and mercenaries for the Abbasid Caliphate (and Fatimids). They eventually started taking more control over military and political power and took Baghdad --> crusades.
  • Period: 1057 to 1118

    Emperor Alexius IV

    Byzantine Emperor (Constantinople)
  • 1071

    Battle of Manzikert

    Byzantines faced the Turks after being pressured, but the Turks routed Byzantines and took most of Anatolia
  • 1096

    Crusades start

    Emperor Alexius (East Orthodox half) asked the Pope (Catholic half) for help against Seljuk Turks
    Crusades ended up taking back Jerusalem but the Pope took Constantinople as well
  • Period: 1100 to 1360

    Mali Empire

    Replaced Ghana Empire (wealth off of gold/salt trade)
  • Period: 1126 to 1198

    Ibn-Rushd

    Muslim scholar (Cordoba) who preserved/translated Aristotle's works
  • Period: 1137 to 1193

    Saladin

    Became Egyptian sultan in 1169, ending Fatimid Dynasty, and took control of Syria.
    Invaded and took control of Jerusalem in 1187 (religiously tolerant)
  • Period: 1143 to 1538

    Muhammad Ture

    Overthrow Sunni Ali's son in 1493, expanded kingdom with cavalry/navy, became largest empire in African history by 1550
  • Period: 1158 to 1227

    Genghis Khan

    United Mongolian kingdoms and began Muslim conquests in Central Asia and Northern China (Caspian Sea to Sea of Japan)
  • Period: 1210 to 1255

    Sundiata Keita

    Founder of Mali
    Captured Ghana capital in 1240 and created a strong central gov't
  • Period: 1215 to 1256

    Hulegu Khan

    Brother of Kublai Khan, expanded Mongol Empire after taking Persia and Mesopotamia, destroyed Baghdad, killed around 1mil Muslim, and failed to take Egypt.
  • Period: 1280 to 1337

    Mansa Musa

    Mali ruler, doubled the size of the kingdom and ruled through provinces. Known for generous Islamic Hajj to Mecca.
  • Period: 1300 to 1450

    Great Zimbabwe Empire

    Wealthiest South African state, traded gold to Swahilis which made it up all the way to Kublai Khan
  • Period: 1304 to 1369

    Ibn-Battuta

    Arab traveler (Kilwa, Mogadishu, Mombasa) recorded information about East African ports and Mali Empire
  • Period: 1332 to 1406

    Ibn-Khaldun

    Influential Muslim scholar/historian
  • Period: 1360 to

    Songhai Empire

    Replaced Mali as dominant West African trading state
  • Period: 1440 to 1492

    Sunni Ali

    Established a new Songhai dynasty in 1464, conquered Timbuktu and Djenne, took control of gold/salt trade
  • Period: 1460 to 1524

    Vasco da Gama

    Portuguese sailor who established sea trade route to Asia in 1498