Global Medieval Contexts 500 - 1500: Connections and Comparisons

✍ Scribed by Kimberly Klimek; Pamela Troyer; Sarah Davis-Secord; Bryan C Keene

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 549
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Global Medieval Contexts 500-1500: Connections and Comparisons provides a unique wide-lens introduction to world history during this period. Designed for students new to the subject, this textbook explores vital networks and relationships among geographies and cultures that shaped medieval societies. The expert author team aims to advance a global view of the period and introduce the reader to histories and narratives beyond an exclusively European context.

Key Features:

Divided into chronological sections, chapters are organized by four key themes: Religion, Economics, Politics, and Society. This framework enables students to connect wider ideas and debates across 500 to 1500.

Individual chapters address current theoretical discussions, including issues around gender, migration, and sustainable environments.

The authors' combined teaching experience and subject specialties ensure an engaging and accessible overview for students of history, literature, and those undertaking general studies courses.

Theory boxes and end-of-chapter questions provide a basis for group discussion and research. Full-color maps and images illustrate chapter content and support understanding.

As a result, this text is essential reading for all those interested in learning more about the histories and cultures of the period, as well as their relevance to our own contemporary experiences and perspectives.

This textbook is supported by a companion website providing core resources for students and lecturers.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Maps
Who We Are
Acknowledgments
Instructor Preface
Student Preface
Section I: Orientation
Orientation
Introduction
A: Telling Time
Introduction
Moon, Sun, Stars
Chinese Calendars
European Calendars
Setting the Date of Easter
Islamic Calendars
Mathematics and the Zero
Mesoamerica – Maya and Aztec
Conclusion
B: Where I Am Is Who I Am
Introduction
Map of the Tracks of Yu
European T/o Maps and Mappae Mundi
Portolan Maps
Maps From the Islamic Golden Age
Mapping the Heavens
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
Section II 500–900
1 Growth of Monotheisms: Religion, 500–900
Introduction
A: Politics and Faith
The Monotheistic Faiths
Judaism and Diaspora
Zoroastrianism
Christianity
Islam
Politics of Christianities
Charlemagne
Germanic and Slavic Conversions
Early Islam
Islamic Expansion
Conclusion
B: People of the Book
A Shared Tradition
Invention of the Book
Cairo Geniza
Spreading the Good News
Garima Gospels
Qur’an
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
2 Caravan and Dhow: Economies, 500–900
Introduction
A: Networking
Introduction
Silk Roads
Indian Ocean
The Islamicate World
Europe and the Mediterranean Sea
Conclusion
B: Rare Finds
Introduction
Paper
Ceramics
Silk
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
3 The Sword and the Pen: Politics, 500–900
Introduction
A: Creating a Successful Dynasty
Introduction
Creating Common Identity
Using Effective Communication for Administration
Ensuring Revenue Streams
Establishing and Maintaining Borders
Controlling Rivals and Planning for Succession
Disruptions
The Cavalry
Eurasian Nomadic Movements Westward
Eurasian Nomadic Movements Eastward
Creating Kingdoms
Tang China (618–907/970)
Asuka (538–710) and Nara Japan (710–794)
Umayyad Dynasty (661–750)
Battle of the Masts, 654/655
Carolingian Empire (814–948)
Conclusion
B: Writing Rules
Introduction
Power of the Pen
Cultural Hegemony
Writing Secular and Divine Law
Byzantium
European Contexts
Rise of Monasteries
Writing in Service of the State
China
Arabic Translation Movement
A Conquered Empire Lives in Story
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
4 Sustainability and Climate Change: Society, 500–900
Introduction
A: Peasant Nature
Introduction
Mummies
Agricultural Neighborhoods
Peasant Foods: Salt and Beer
Agricultural Revolution in Europe
Urbanization
Chinese Agriculture: Rice
Rice in Western Asia
Climate Change
Conclusion
B: Cultivating Good Fortune
Introduction
Managing Unmanageable Nature
Starvation and Migration
Human Trafficking
Mae Phosop
Dragons and Snakes
Ganesha
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
Section III 900–1300
5 Pathways to Paradise: Religion, 900–1300
Introduction
A: In the Footsteps of the Buddha
Buddhism Basics – Bodhisattvas and Blessings
Buddhist Pathways
Printed Blessings: A Fortuitous Find in a Chinese Buddhist Cave
Paper Offerings in Japan and Korea
Illumination in India: Beyond Buddhism
The Buddha and the Khans
A Christianized Version of the Buddha Story in the Mediterranean
Conclusion
B: Sensing the Soul’s Journey
Ideas That Bridge Heaven and Earth
Gardens and Tree Imagery
Sacred Jewels and Treasure Bindings
Pilgrimage
Cosmos
Looking Forward: Paradise Now
Research Questions
Further Reading
6 For Sale: Economies, 900–1300
Introduction
A: Sails Force
Introduction
Silk Roads and East Asia
Indian Ocean
Islamicate World and the Mediterranean Sea
Europe
The North Sea
The Americas
Conclusion
B: Risk and Reward
Introduction
Dangerous Seas
Viking Longships
Sunken Treasure
Tea
Spices
Viking Silver
Games
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
7 Soldiers and Civil Servants: Politics, 900–1300
Introduction
A: Consolidation and Fragmentation
Introduction
Problems of Succession
China
Japan
England, France, Sicily: Intertwined States
England
France
Sicily
Abbasid Disintegration
The Crusades
Civil Administration: Taxation and Justice
West Africa
Iceland
China
Japan
The Mongol Invasions
B: Tales of Warriors and Court Life
Introduction
The Mahabharata
The Art of Courtly Love
The Finn Cycle
The Romance of Gillion De Trazegnies
The Heike Monogatari
The Bayeux Tapestry
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
8 Class Rites: Society, 900–1300
Introduction
A: Society, Class, and Gender
Introduction
India
China
Japan
Mesoamerica
Europe
The Place of Women in Europe
Conclusion
B: Outsiders
Introduction
Killer Hrapp
Rama and Hanuman
Monkey King
Monkey-humans
Slavery and Difference
Out-groups
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
Section IV 1300–1500
9 Devotion: Religion, 1300–1500
Introduction
A: Do Not Deny Me Your Eternal Beauty
Introduction
Women in Religious Traditions
Mystics and Anchorites
Islam
Hinduism
Sub-Saharan Africa
Mesoamerica
Conclusion
B: Illumination
Introduction
The Light of Reason
Books of Reflection
Iconographies and the Faithful
Rainbows
Al-Andalus
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
10 Golden Opportunities: Economies, 1300–1500
Introduction
A: Treasure Hunts
Introduction
West Africa
Mongol Asia and the Indian Ocean
Europe
The Mediterranean Sea
Inca South America
Conclusion
B: Status Symbols
Introduction
Mansa Musa’s Gold
Gold Dinars and Their Imitations
Gold and Silk in European Fashions
Gold, Silks, and Spices in the Islamicate World
The Travel Accounts of Marco Polo and ibn Battuta
Tributes and Technologies
Inca Gold
Looking Forward
Research Questions
Further Reading
11 World Connected: Politics, 1300–1500
Introduction
A: Islands and Nautical Networks
Introduction
The Mysterious Island of Socotra
The Indian Ocean World
“If You Have Little Leisure, Read Books”: the Samurai Code in Japan
Perspectives On Contact and Conquest
The Aztec Island at the Heart of Mexico
A Sea of Islands: The Case of Rapa Nui (easter Island)
Conclusion
B: Overleaping the Mountains
Introduction
African Kingship
A Game of Thrones Across Medieval Eurasia
Indigenous Byways
Looking Forward: A Long Middle Ages
Research Questions
Further Reading
12 Everyone Believes It Is the End of the World: Society, 1300–1500
Introduction
A: Deadly Routes
Introduction
Yersinia Pestis
Mongols and Movement
Central Asia and China
Asia Minor and Africa
Europe
Remedies and Responses
Social Mobility and Movement
Pressing On
Conclusion
B: Survivors
Introduction
Surviving Hell
Medieval European Bestsellers
William Caxton and Printed Texts
Prejudice, Pogroms, and the Inquisition
Monuments of Time
Forbidden City
Machu Picchu
The Church of Holy Wisdom
Looking Forward
Old Discoveries, New Approaches
Research Questions
Further Reading
Index