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200
Franks
They were a Germanic group in Europe, and they didn’t have a strong leader until Clovis in 481. They wiped out the Romans in Gaul and became a powerful state. Many of them converted to Christianity, and they became very powerful politically. After Clovis, Charlemagne was the high point of the empire. He focused on military expeditions and a central, imperial state. The Franks were people who brought centralized rule to Europe and extended authority. -
330
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine empire was started by the Roman emperor Constantine, who made a new Rome in the eastern half of the previous empire, and made Constantinople the capital. Its location was good for trade, as it was on the Bosporus and near the Mediterranean Sea. The Byzantine empire had lots of wealth and had a good administration. An important ruler was Justinian, who codified the law and had the Hagia Sophia built. The Byzantine empire was very powerful and lasted for over 1,000 years. -
360
Kingdom of Axum
There was lots of potential oil trade and support for political and economic development. They displaced Kush as Egypt’s principal link to the southern lands. Axum adopted Christianity and maintained its independence through the expanding realm of Islam. -
581
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty ruled for 37 years and relied a lot on the Mandate of Heaven. It was founded by Emperor Wen. His major policies were spreading Buddhism, instituting rule by Confucian bureaucrats, and making wars and large construction projects. During this Dynasty the Grand Canal was created. They also tried repeatedly to conquer Vietnam. -
Jan 31, 606
Harsha Kingdom
They restored unified rule in northern India. It was named after King Harsha, who led his army of 20,000 men throughout Northern India. They built hospitals and provided free medical care. The empire collapsed as they weren't able to restore permanent centralized rule. Harsha was assassinated. -
Jan 31, 618
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was founded by Li Yuan. They used test scores to appoint Confucian scholars to the ruling bureaucracy. The population is said to have reached 50 or 60 million at its highest. It was the second largest longest enduring empire in China after the Han Empire. The empire ended up falling because of natural disasters, defeats, and rebellions. -
Jan 31, 750
Abbasid Dynasty
The Abbasid dynasty was a muslim empire that started from Abu al-Abbas, who was related to Muhammad’s uncle. It was followed by Muslims who were not Arabs; many were Persian converts. They were not big conquerors, which resulted in a focus on administration. They had to control a sprawling area with different cultural groups, and Baghdad became a central city, which housed the caliph. Harun al-Rashid was a caliph who brought lots of wealth to the dynasty, but after him it ended with civil war. -
Jan 31, 850
Chola Kingdom
They conquered Ceylon and revolts erupted throughout Southern India. It was financed through profits of trade. They dominated waters from the South China Sea to the Arabian Sea. They not build a tight centralized state, and instead of collapsing, it reverted to a regional kingdom. -
Jan 31, 960
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty lasted for 300 years. It was founded by Emperor Taizu. They were very technologically and scientifically advanced (they invented a type of printing, and gunpowder). Their emperors emphasized submission to the emperor and one's superiors, and following and maintaining the traditionally defined roles of life. The Song Dynasty was where women bound their feet to make their feet smaller, and themselves appear richer/ more sophisticated. -
CCOT
A continuity for the postclassic era is trade and the spread of religion. Every empire relied on trade, and it connected different regions to each other so they could access goods from Asia, Europe, Africa, and more. Through the merchants who traded, especially in port cities, religion spread to other regions. A major spread was of Islam, which made its way to empires such as the Abbasid and Byzantine.