1. Europe and the Changing World Balance

2. Decline of the Old Order
1200 Middle East still dominated by Byzantine empire in northwest and Islamic caliphate in Middle Eastern heartland- by 1400 structure in disarray
1453 Ottoman Turks take Constantinople

3. Social and Cultural Change
By 1300 religion in Islamic world took on a powerful central role and gained the upper hand over poets, philosophers, and scientists
As authority of caliphate declined, landlords seized power over peasantry, so from about 1100 onward, peasantry lost their freedom
Europeans began to begin challenging the authority of the Arabs over trade
Political fragmentation did not produce prolonged confusion b/c Ottoman Turks regained most of the lands of the old caliphate

4. Power Vacuum in International Leadership
Ottoman empire not the sole hub of trade as the old caliphate had once been
Mongols developed first alternative framework with active interregional trading and decline brought up question of domination of international contacts and trade and turned attention to seaborne trade as land routes were disrupted

5. Chinese Thrust and Withdrawal
1368- drive out the Mongols
New Ming dynasty until 1644 that revived expansionism and domination over neighboring regions
1400s- new policy of trading expeditions to southern Asia and beyond
admiral Zhenghe (Chinese Muslim) led the expeditions all the way to Africa but Confucian bureaucrats resented him
1433- halted expeditions- they were expensive and bureaucrats opposed them out of rivalry with other officials- reflected a preference for traditional expenditures rather than foreign
Only Chinese merchant activity still active in SE Asia

6. The Rise of the West
West’s emergence surprising in many ways- church in decline, warrior class in decline, passing of Medieval philosophy, economy in disarray, population in decline from famine, 1/3 of population died from Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
Sources of Dynamism: Medieval Vitality
Strengthening of feudal monarchy led to more effective national governments
Hundred Years’ War stimulated military organization
Growth of cities

7. Imitation and International Problems
Mongol empire provided new access to Asian knowledge and technology (contrast to Africa)
Internal European warfare and merchant zeal made western Europe an eager learner
Increase in demand from Europeans of Asian goods and unfavorable balance of trade with Asia
Fears of a new Muslim threat

8. Secular Directions in the Italian Renaissance
1400s Renaissance and humanism
Italy the center of initial Renaissance culture
Renaissance primarily a cultural movement
Francesco Petrarch- Italian writer- glories of personal achievement
Realism and perspective in art
Italian commerce and shipping proved to be one of the building blocks of European outreach- Venice, Genoa

9. The Iberian Spirit of Religious Mission
Pushed Muslims out of Spain
After 1400 major regional monarchies established in provinces of Castile and Aragon- united in royal marriage in 1469
Spanish and Portuguese rulers had strong military and religious agenda
Inquisition in Spain

10. Western Expansion: The Experimental Phase
Early Explorations
1291- two brothers from Genoa left for the West Indies but never returned
1351 Europeans made it to Azores and then along African coast- maybe as far as Sierra Leone
Until 1430 technological barriers prevented further exploration, then development of caravel, astrolabe, compass, better maps
Vasco da Gama first European to reach Indian by sea

11. Colonial Patterns Prince Henry the Navigator- Portugal
1439 Portugal had taken control of the Azores and soon Madeiras and Canaries
Colonists quickly set up agricultural estates to grow crops for the European market- this would expand into the Americas, of course
Portuguese first bring African slaves to work on the estates

12. Outside the World Network
Political Issues in the Americas
Increasing difficulties in 1400 since Aztec rulers exploiting people for gold, slaves, religious sacrifices
Inca system- differences in central leadership and local initiatives
Adding up the Changes
Role of technology crucial for the time period

13. Polynesia Expansion, Migration, and Conquest in Polynesia
7th century to key theme was expansion, ie. Hawaiian islands to the north
With Neolithic technology and no use of metals Hawaiians created a complex culture on their islands, no written language
Isolated Achievements by the Maori
8th century migration to southwest ( New Zealand) Polynesians in New Zealand called Maori
Similar to Hawaiian islands in its societal organization
Developed in isolation until 18th century when Europeans arrived and largely altered the culture