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18 MEDIEVAL EUROPEThe feudal system • The Domesday Book •The Black Death

20 TRADE AND FAITHWealth and population • The Hanseatic League • The Christian Church

22 KNIGHTSBecoming a knight • The Crusades

24 CASTLESLife in a castle • Attacking a castle

26 AFRICAThe Bantu migrations • The spread of Islam •West African states • East Africa •Great Zimbabwe

28 NORTH AMERICANative American tribes • Daily life

29 SOUTH AMERICAAndes empires • The Incas

30 TIMELINE

32 INDEX

CONTENTS

4 THE ARAB WORLDMuhammad • The Spread of Islam •Umayyads and Abbasids

6 THE BARBARIANSAttacks on Rome • Charlemagne’s empire

7 BYZANTIUMJustinian • Invasion and conquest

8 CHINAThe Tang dynasty • Song, Yuan, Ming and Manchu dynasties

10 MAYA AND AZTECSThe ball game

12 THE VIKINGSSettlements • Viking raiders • Viking ships •Home life

14 THE MONGOLSGenghis Khan • Kublai Khan • Mongol rule • Tamerlane

16 JAPANBuddhism • The Samurai • Civil wars

17 KHMER KINGDOMAngkor

C O N T E N T S

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First published in 2009 by Orpheus Books Ltd., 6 Church Green, Witney, Oxfordshire OX28 4AW England

www.orpheusbooks.com

Copyright © 2009 Orpheus Books Ltd

Created and produced by Orpheus Books Ltd

Text Nicola Barber

Consultant Dr Robert Peberdy

Illustrators Simone Boni, Stephen Conlin, Giuliano Fornari, Luigi Galante, Andrea Ricciardi di Gaudesi, Gary Hincks, Steve Noon, Nicki Palin, Alessandro Rabatti, Claudia Saraceni, Sergio, Thomas Trojer,

Alan Weston

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN 978 1 905473 49 6

A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in Singapore

C O N T E N T S

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(AB)UK TextJOB NO:E7-05129 TITLE:WORLD HISTORY

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THE ARAB WORLD

IN ABOUT 570 the Prophet Muhammadwas born in the city of Makkah inArabia. He was orphaned as a young boy.When he was about 12 years old, theProphet Muhammad began work as a traderfor his uncle and soon became known forhis honesty. He married the widow of awealthy merchant and became a successful

The Abbasids built a fabulous new city tobe the administrative centre of their empire.Founded in 762, Baghdad (in present-dayIraq), attracted scholars, artists andcraftworkers from all parts of the empire. Itbecame a centre for learning and the arts.The most famous of the Abbasid caliphs wasHarun al-Rashid (governed 786-809)whose court was the setting for theThousand and One Nights, a collection ofstories from Arabia, China, Egypt and India.

T H E M I D D L E A G E S

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U M AY YA D S A N D A B B A S I D SMuslims across the expanding IslamicEmpire were united by their faith, theirbelief in Allah and their respect for theQu’ran. The leader of the Islamiccommunity was known as the caliph(meaning “successor”). In 661 the firstcaliph of the Umayyad clan came to poweras leader of the Islamic world. TheUmayyad dynasty held on to power until750, when the Abbasids seized control.Under the Umayyads, the Islamic faithreached as far west as Spain, and deep intoCentral Asia in the east. Arabic was madethe official language throughout the empire.

businessman. When he was about 40, theProphet Muhammad began to go to themountains outside Makkah to be by himselfand think. It was here that the angel Gabrielcame to him with a message from Allah(God). Gabriel told him that people shouldworship one God, Allah, and only Allah.The Prophet Muhammad began to preachGabriel’s message to the people of Makkah.The appearances of Gabriel to the ProphetMuhammad marked the beginning of theIslamic faith. Followers became known asMuslims. Muslims believe that there is onlyone God, Allah, and that the ProphetMuhammad was the last messenger(prophet) of Allah. They believe that themessages given to the ProphetMuhammad by Gabriel were thewords of Allah. These wereeventually brought together toform the holy book of Islam,the Qu’ran.

T H E S P R E A D O F I S L A MBy the time of the death of the ProphetMuhammad in 632, the Islamic faith wasalready spreading throughout Arabia. Within25 years, Arab armies had taken control ofparts of the mighty Byzantine (see page 7)and Sassanian empires, including what isnow Syria, Iraq, Iran and Egypt. Islamquickly spread to these lands.

Arab warriors attack onhorseback, armed with spears,bows and arrows, and swords.The Arabs bred highly prizedhorses for use in battle. Theyalso used camels to cross dryand inhospitable desertregions where horses wouldnot survive. By the early 14th century,

gunpowder was beingimported from China, and theArabs quickly learned how tomake it for themselves. At firstthey used it to fire arrows from simple guns. Morecomplicated guns and cannonssoon became an important partof warfare in the Arab world.

The Alhambra Palacein Granada, Spainwas built by theMoors, the Muslimswho ruled part ofSpain from the 700sto 1492. TheAlhambra gets itsname from the Arabicword for “red”,because of the redbrick used to buildthe outer walls.

Baghdad was a busytrade centre. Goodscame from as far asIndia and China.



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BYZANTIUM

WHILE THE western half of theRoman Empire collapsed, overrun

by Germanic tribes, the eastern halfcontinued to flourish. In 330 the Romanemperor Constantine I had founded a newcapital at Byzantium, a city-port on theEuropean side of the Bosporus. This capitalwas named Constantinople, and it becamethe flourishing centre of the eastern half ofthe Roman Empire, which was known asthe Byzantine Empire. Under the influenceof Constantine and his son Theodosius I,Christianity was the official religion of theByzantine Empire and Constantinople theChristian capital of the East.

J U S T I N I A NThe greatest of the emperors that ruled theByzantine Empire was Justinian (reigned527-65). Under Justinian, the ByzantineEmpire expanded to its greatest size. TheByzantine armies, under their commanderBelisarius, reconquered much of the landlost from the Roman Empire in NorthAfrica, Greece, Turkey, Italy and parts of

Spain. Justinian is remembered for his legaland administrative skills. He tried to stampout injustice and corruption in his empire,issuing a code of laws that has since beenused to form the basis for legal systems inmany countries. It was also duringJustinian’s reign that the Byzantines builtthe magnificent church of Hagia Sophia inConstantinople, with its massive dome,beautiful wall paintings and golden,glittering mosaics.


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THE BARBARIANS

THE WORD “barbarian” originallycame from the ancient Greeks, who

used it to describe anyone who spoke alanguage they could not understand—aforeigner. The Romans applied the word tothe peoples outside their vast empire—forexample, the Huns, Goths and Vandals. Itwas these “barbarians” who finally broughtan end to the Roman Empire.

A T TA C K S O N R O M EThe Goths and Vandals were Germanictribes who came originally from southernScandinavia. The Huns originated fromCentral Asia. Some time after 370 the Hunsattacked eastern Europe, threatening theGoths, who moved westwards andsouthwards. Under their leader Attila, theHuns went on to attack Gaul (France), aland controlled by Rome, although theywere defeated following the death of Attilain 453. Meanwhile, the Goths invaded Italyitself, looting Rome in 410. The Vandals moved across Gaul and Spainto invade northern Africa in 429. They took

over the Roman provinces there andestablished a kingdom. From this base theysacked Rome in 455.The Franks were another Germanicpeople. Under their leader, Clovis, theytook over Gaul in the early 6th century.Clovis was the first Germanic ruler to adoptChristianity. Another famous Frankish king,Charlemagne, ruled from 768 to 814, andbuilt up a massive empire (see map above).


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I N VA S I O N A N D C O N Q U E S TThe conquests of Justinian’s reign used upnearly all the empire’s funds, and evenbefore the emperor’s death, barbarian tribeswere reconquering parts of the empire inthe west. After 565 the Byzantine Empirewas never as powerful again. A new enemyappeared in the 7th century as Arab armiesbegan to invade after the death ofMuhammad in 632 (see page 4).The Arabsquickly took control of the empire’sterritories in the Middle East. TheByzantine Empire flourished once more inthe late 9th century under the rule of Basil I. But, after the 11th century theempire was weakened by further invasions,and it finally came to an end whenConstantinople fell to the Turks in 1453.

In 800 Charlemagne was crownedemperor of the lands he ruled over, nowknown as the Holy Roman Empire.

This is a mosaicportrait ofJustinian. Amosaic ismade up ofhundreds ofpieces ofpaintedmarble.

During Byzantine times, hundreds of cavesand churches were carved out of strangerock formations found in Cappadocia, Turkey.They still exist today.

King Alaric leads his Gothicarmy into Rome in410.

Aix-la-Chapelle

Châlons

Poitiers

Roncesvalles Rome

H O L Y R O M A N E M P I R E



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L AT E R D Y N A S T I E SAfter a period of civil war, the Song dynastybegan in 960. Once again, this was a time ofpeace and prosperity in China, which wasprobably the wealthiest country in theworld during the 11th and 12th centuries.An improved type of rice meant that foodproduction increased, and the population ofChina topped 100 million. However, therewas the constant threat from nomadic tribesto the north, and, during the 1200s, theMongols swept into China (see pages 14-15).Under their leader, Kublai Khan, theyestablished the Mongol, or Yuan, dynasty.

Kublai Khan established a new capital atBeijing and improved the road system in hisnew empire. But the Mongols ruled harshlyand, after Kublai Khan’s death, rebellionseventually drove the Mongols out of China.In 1368 the Ming emperors took control.The Ming tried to keep foreign influencesout of China, severely restricting theactivities of European merchants in theircountry. However, the Ming wereoverpowered in 1644 by more foreigners—the Manchus from Manchuria. Theyestablished the Qing dynasty and quicklyadopted Chinese ways of life and culture.They ruled until 1912.


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CHINA

THE HAN dynasty ruled China forabout 400 years, until the defeat of the

last Han emperor in AD 220. During thistime, the empire had expanded into CentralAsia, and trade had flourished along the SilkRoad linking China with the West. But theend of the Han dynasty brought confusionto China, as nomads attacked from thenorth and the country split into threekingdoms. China was reunited again by thebrief rule of the Sui dynasty (581-618).

T H E T A N G D Y N A S T YThe Tang dynasty came to power when LiYuan seized power in 618. This dynastylasted until 907 and it was a time of greatprosperity. Sea trade flourished, and manyports became bustling centres of commerce.The Tang capital Chang’an (present-dayXi’an) attracted scholars, artists and poetsfrom all parts of Asia. The Buddhist religionbecame increasingly important, and manyshrines and temples were built.


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The Song dynasty was a period ofgreat inventiveness in Chinese history.This mechanical water clock was builtin 1029 by Su Song, and it ran fornearly 50 years. Other inventionsincluded gunpowder and movabletype, used for printing.

During the Yuan (Mongol)dynasty, European interest inChina increased as reports ofthe riches that lay in the Eastwere brought back bytravellers and traders. One ofthese travellers was MarcoPolo, who set off from Venicein 1271 when he was 17years old. He journeyed withhis father, Niccolo, and uncle,Matteo, across Asia. Hetravelled widely in China from1275 to 1292, visiting thepalace of the great Mongolemperor, Kublai Khan (seepages 14-15) in 1274. On hisreturn home he wrote anaccount of his amazingexperiences—althoughalmost no-one believed him.

The Forbidden City lies in Beijing, thecapital of China. It was the home ofthe emperors of China and was knownas the Forbidden City because ordinarypeople were not permitted to enter itswalls. Building work started on thisvast palace in 1404, on the orders ofthe Ming emperor Yong Le (left). Thehighest building in the palace, and inBeijing, was the Hall of SupremeHarmony. This was where the emperorsat, on a golden throne.



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T H E A Z T E C SThe centre of the Aztec civilization wasTenochtitlán, the capital. Founded in 1325,the city covered about 15 square kilometresand was built on an island in Lake Texcoco.By the 1400s, the Aztecs controlled much of

the land surrounding the city. Under theirruler Montezuma I (ruled 1440-68), theAztecs extended their empire. WhenMontezuma II became emperor in 1502,the empire was at its height. Then, in 1519,Spanish invaders attacked the Aztecs. Thespears and clubs of the fierce Aztec warriorswere no match for Spanish guns and by1521 the empire was defeated.Religion was very important in the livesof both the Maya and the Aztecs. Bothpeoples worshipped many gods. They heldreligious ceremonies at which humansacrifices were made to ensure plentifulharvests and good fortune.


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MAYA AND AZTECS

BOTH THE Maya and the Aztecs hadpowerful civilizations in CentralAmerica. The Maya inhabited the YucatánPeninsula (see map below), and theircivilization reached the height of its powerfrom the 3rd to the 10th centuries AD. TheAztec’s mighty empire lay in what is nowMexico. It was based around the capital city,Tenochtitlán (on the site of present-dayMexico City). The Aztecs flourished forabout 100 years, from the 1400s to 1521.

other peoples in Central America. Goodsfor trade included jaguar skins, jade, salt andcacao beans. The Maya transported goods byriver and sea, or overland by foot. In the countryside, most Maya peoplewere farmers. One of the most importantcrops was maize which was used to make atype of flat bread, called tortilla, and analcoholic drink called balche. The Maya became very advanced inbranches of astronomy and mathematics.Maya priests used this knowledge to drawup a calendar. The Maya also developed awriting system that used many differentsymbols. They kept records on large stonemonuments known as stelae. The Maya civilization came to an endwhen Spanish conquerors invaded in the1500s. Descendants of the Maya continue tolive in the region, speaking Maya languages.


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T H E M AYAThe Maya civilization was built aroundcity-states. The Maya built great cities, suchas Tikal, each of which controlled itssurrounding area and sometimes othersmaller and less important cities, too.Important trade routes connected the city-states, as well as linking the Maya with

Both the Maya and Aztecsheld power in CentralAmerica. The Mayacivilization covered aregion that lies inpresent-day Mexico,Guatemala, Honduras andEl Salvador. The Azteccivilization lay fartherwest. The Incas had avast empire in SouthAmerica that stretchedmore than 2000 km downthe Pacific coast. Theyheld power in the 14thand 15th centuries (seepage 29).

An Aztec jaguar knightwore the skins, head,jaws and teeth of ajaguar. These jaguarknights were the finestAztec warriors and theywere highly respected.Aztec

YucatánPeninsulaMaya

Inca

Both the Aztecs and the Maya builttheir temples in the shape of steppedpyramids, some as high as 45 m. Manyof these temples were used to sacrificehuman victims. Captives were led tothe altars at the top of a temple andkilled in a bloodthirsty ritual.

Ball games were very popular. In thisAztec game, two players tried to knocka ball through a ring. They wereallowed to use only their forearms, hipsand thighs to touch the ball. It wasserious sport—members of the losingteam were often sacrificed to the gods.

Today, only ruins remain of the great Mayacity of Chichén Itzá. The city grew to becomeone of the most powerful Maya centresbetween 900 and 1200.



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THE VIKINGS

THE VIKINGS were seafaring peopleswho came from the Scandinavian

countries of northern Europe (modern-dayDenmark, Norway and Sweden). Betweenabout 750 and 1100 the Vikings raided andlooted many parts of Europe. They werealso colonizers, founding settlements inmany regions including Iceland andGreenland. Viking ships even sailed as farwest as North America. Five hundred yearsbefore Christopher Columbus made hishistoric voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, aViking named Leif Ericsson landed on thecoast of North America, probably inNewfoundland. He was the first Europeanto set foot on North American soil.Ericsson established a settlement, but it wasabandoned after a few years. Along the Atlantic coastline ofScandinavia the sea cuts into the shoreline,creating deep inlets, and it is thought thatthe name Viking comes from the word vikmeaning “inlet”. The Vikings were alsoknown as Norsemen (or Northmen) by thepeoples who feared their raids. As well asbeing fearsome warriors, the Vikings weregreat traders, sailing as far south as theMediterranean Sea to exchange farmproducts and furs for weapons and luxuryitems such as gold, silver and silk.

V I K I N G R A I D E R SThe Vikings carried out raids across muchof Europe, from England to Italy, Russia toSpain. But what made the Vikings sail acrossthe seas to attack towns and villages? Onereason was a large increase in population inthe Viking’s homelands which led toovercrowding and a shortage of farmland.Many Vikings decided to leave Scandinaviato look for new land elsewhere—even ifthey had to fight for it. Another reason wasthat the Vikings were naturally adventurous,and many young warriors saw raiding as away of gaining wealth and honour. Theyfavoured surprise attacks, and they lootedeverything from cattle and horses tovaluable objects stolen from churches andmonasteries. They showed little mercy tothe terrified populations and what they didnot steal, they usually burned.

V I K I N G S H I P SThe Vikings were some of the most skilfulboatbuilders and sailors of their time. Theirships, known as longships or dragon ships,were sleek and fast. A longship was builtfrom wood and had a keel—a strip of woodthat ran the length of the ship and cut intothe water, helping to reduce the rollingmotion. It was powered by a square-shapedsail or, if there was no wind, by oarsmen.The front end was often carved into anornamental shape, such as a dragon’s head.

cloth. Men wore trousers and a long-sleevedshirt, women wore loose-fitting dresses.Both men and women wore leather shoes. The Vikings had a system of writing,called runes. However, Viking history wasnot written but passed down thegenerations by word of mouth in versestories called sagas. The Vikings were alsoskilful woodcarvers and metalworkers. Theydecorated their ships and houses withintricate carvings, and wore beautifuljewellery, much of it made from silver.

H O M E L I F EMost Vikings were farmers. In forestedScandinavia they lived in timber houses, butin places where wood was scarce they usedstone instead. They grew crops such asbarley, oats and rye and kept cattle, goats,sheep and pigs. Some Vikings worked asfishermen, catching freshwater and sea fishas well as hunting for whales. Salt was avital commodity, usually bought fromtravelling merchants. It was used to preservefish and meat for the long winters. The clothes of the Vikings were simpleand practical, made from woollen or linen

This noble Viking warrior has twoweapons—a sword and a spear. He isalso carrying a wooden shield forprotection. His helmet is made from ironand he wears a ring-mail tunic around

his body. Only wealthy Vikingleaders wore such metal armour.

A Viking fortress(below) wasprotected by circularembankments of wood and soil.There were fourentrances to the fort.

Viking raiders on board alongship. Shields were placedalong the sides of the ship.

The Vikings fought withaxes, spears, swords andbows and arrows. Highlyprized by Viking warriors,swords (right) often hadhighly decorated handles.The blades were made ofiron or steel. Ornatebrooches (far right) wereoften worn in cloaks.

NORTHAMERICA

ATLANTICOCEAN

EUROPE

Greenland

Newfoundland

Scandinavia

Iceland

Russia

Genghis Khan was born ineither 1162 or 1167. Hisearly life was one ofpoverty, existing onroots, nuts and berries.We know about his lifefrom the Mongolchronicle, the SecretHistory of theMongols which waswritten in about1240. He was thefirst leader to bringthe Mongols togetheras one nation, and toorganize the Mongolarmies in large-scaleand successful

campaigns.



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The extent ofthe MongolEmpire in 1279is marked by reddotted lines on thismap. At its height, theMongol Empire was thegreatest land empire in thehistory of the world, extending acrossthe Asian landmass from China in theeast to Poland in the west.

M O N G O L R U L EKublai Khan was a tolerant ruler. Hepermitted the existence of various religionsin China, including Buddhism, Islam andChristianity. He organized food stores fortimes of famine, and he improved the roadsystem so that trade could increase. He alsotried to extend Mongol power to Japan, buthis fleets were defeated in 1274 and 1281.


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THE MONGOLS

THE MONGOLS were a nomadicpeople who lived on the steppes of

Central Asia, from the Ural Mountains tothe Gobi Desert. They moved from place toplace with their herds of sheep, goats andcattle and they were skilful and daring onhorseback. The Mongol peoples lived intents made from felt, called yurts. Besidesproviding good protection, they were alsoeasy to take down and put up again.

G E N G H I S K H A NThe Mongols were fierce warriors, andmembers of one tribe often raided anothertribe to accumulate wealth and prestige.However, in about 1200, a Mongol leadernamed Temüjin rose to power and broughtall the Mongol tribes under his control.

Temüjin became known as Genghis Khan.Under his rule the Mongols attackednorthern China as well as the lands that layto the west. The Mongol armies rampagedacross Russia and came within reach ofConstantinople (see page 7). Everywherethey went, the Mongols inspired terror, asthey looted, destroyed and slaughteredwithout mercy.

K U B L A I K H A NWhen Genghis Khan died in China in 1227the empire passed to his four sons. One,Ögödei, dominated the rest and continuedhis father’s campaigns in Europe. Ögödeiwas killed in 1241 and, after much feuding,a grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan,eventually achieved power in 1264. He wasdetermined to conquer all of China, and hefinally succeeded in 1279.


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T H E E N D O F T H E E M P I R EAfter the death of Kublai Khan in 1294, hismighty empire began to decline. By 1368the Chinese had overthrown their Mongolrulers. However, in the central Asian city ofSamarkand, a descendant of Genghis Khannamed Tamerlane (also Timur the Lame)seized the throne in 1369. He extended hispower southwards and westwards, invadingIndia in 1398. Tamerlane’s troops sackedDelhi and killed most of its inhabitants.Nevertheless, after his death in 1405,Tamerlane’s empire quickly fell apart. In1526 one of Tamerlane’s descendantsbecame the first Great Mughal, ruler of theMughal Empire in India.

Hangzhou

JAPANBeijing

CHINA

Karakorum (Mongol capital)

GO

BI

Samarkand

INDIA

IRAN

Baghdad

Constantinople

RUSSIAEUROPE Kiev

Mongol horsemen set off fromtheir yurts, pitched on the

Asian grasslands.

A Mongol archer prepares toloose a fatal arrow (below).Early in an attack, Mongolarchers fired light arrows.When the enemy was atcloser range, they usedheavier, armour-piercingarrows. Every archer carried abow and two quivers,containing about 30 arrows intotal. Their short bows werespecially designed to firearrows with great power andaccuracy.

The heavy cavalry of the Mongolarmy was made up of armouredhorses and riders like this one.The nobleman’s helmet andarmour were made mostly ofleather.

URAL

MOUNTA

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T H E S A M U R A IDuring shogun rule, a powerful force inJapan were the samurai. These warriorknights enforced law and order in the landon behalf of local lords (daimyo) and wereon hand to fight for the shogun if calledupon. Samurai warriors followed a code ofhonour known as the bushido. The samuraiwere summoned to fight the Mongolarmies that invaded Japan in 1274. TheMongol fleet was destroyed in a storm, buta new, even larger invasion was mounted in1281. This time, a typhoon (hurricane)devastated the Mongol force and Japan wassaved. The Japanese called these stormskamikaze (“divine winds”).

KHMER KINGDOM

CHINESE RULERS, or local leadersloyal to China, once governed South-

east Asia. But from the 3rd century AD,traders and religious men from Indiaintroduced Hinduism and Buddhism to thelocal inhabitants. In Cambodia, Chinese rulewas shaken off in the 9th century when theKhmer Kingdom was founded.The building of a new capital city, calledAngkor, which would grow into a vastcomplex of temples and houses for onemillion people, was begun in about 900.The temples, many of whose sandstonewalls were covered by beautiful carvings ofgod-kings, dancers and animals, weresurrounded by a network of dams andirrigation channels. The Khmer Kingdom was finally overrunby armies of the neighbouring Thaikingdom in the mid-15th century. Angkorwas abandoned to the jungle and notrediscovered until 1861 when a Frenchnaturalist, Albert Henri Mouhot, cameacross it by accident.

T H E S A M U R A IDuring shogun rule, a powerful force inJapan were the samurai. These warriorknights enforced law and order in the landon behalf of local lords (daimyo) and wereon hand to fight for the shogun if calledupon. Samurai warriors followed a code ofhonour known as the bushido. The samuraiwere summoned to fight the Mongolarmies that invaded Japan in 1274 (see page15). The Mongol fleet was destroyed in astorm, but a new, even larger invasion wasmounted in 1281. This time, a typhoon(hurricane) devastated the Mongol forceand Japan was saved. The Japanese calledthese storms kamikaze (“divine winds”).

C I V I L W A R SRivalry between clans continued, and somepowerful daimyo became too powerful forthe shogun to control. Wars frequentlybroke out between them from the 14th to16th centuries, the fiercest being the OninWar, which lasted from 1467 to 1477.Eventually, unity was restored to thecountry and Toyotomi Hideyoshibecame undisputed master of all Japanin 1591. The Tokugawa family tookover in 1603. Nearly all trade and contactbetween Japan and foreign nations closeddown for more than 200 years.


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JAPAN

IN THE 5TH CENTURY, Japan was aremote land. Few people from the outsideworld ever visited this group of islands. Butafter about 550, Japan began to fall underthe influence of its much larger neighbour,China. Buddhist monks from Chinapersuaded the Japanese emperor to adoptBuddhism as the national religion. Scholarstaught the Japanese to read and writeChinese. Prince Shotoku (574-622) was anenthusiastic follower of Buddhism and

founded many temples in Japan. He alsoorganized the system of government inJapan along Chinese lines, concentratingpower on the emperor himself. By 800 theJapanese way of life was very similar to thatof China.In 858 a powerful man called FujiwaraYoshifusa became regent for a nine-year-oldemperor. He was supposed to rule Japanonly while the emperor was a child, but hecontinued in power as a dictator even afterthe emperor became an adult. For manycenturies after that, Japan was ruled bypowerful military men. Wars broke outbetween rival clans bidding for power. TheFujiwara clan lost out to the Taira, who inturn were defeated by the Minamoto.Minamoto Yoritomo took on the title ofshogun (great general) in 1192.


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Prince Shotoku built the Horyuji, Japan’s oldestsurviving Buddhist monastery, between 601and 607, at the city of Nara.

One of Angkor’s many magnificent temples, called AngkorWat, was built by King Suryavarman II (ruled 1113-50) as apalace and shrine to the god-king himself. A flight of stepsleads up to the summit ofthe central “templemountain”, topped byfive lotus-budtowers.

Samurai warriors wore armour made of metalplates. For weapons they used swords, lancesand bows and arrows. The samurai’s bow wastaller than a man and fired arrows sharpenough to penetrate metal armour.

The daimyo, together with his family andsoldiers, lived in hilltop castles dominatedby a building called a tenshu. This isHimeji Castle, known as the White Heron.

A pagoda is a tower withseveral storeys. Allpagodas are said tocontain a relic of Buddha(something used by orassociated with him).Rebuilt after after a fire in670, the Horyuji pagodasurvives to this day.



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In the uncertain times experienced bypeople across Europe during the earlyMiddle Ages, feudalism provided some kindof security and protection. But by the late1200s, the system was beginning to fallapart. People began to make more use ofmoney, preferring to pay rent for land thanbe bound by the feudal system. Lords, too,could pay for soldiers rather than rewardthem with land.

T H E D O M E S D AY B O O KIn early 1086 Duke William of Normandyordered a survey of the whole of England.After his victory of 1066, he wantedinformation about his kingdom. The resultwas a place-by-place survey of the whole ofEngland (except for London, Winchester,and parts of northern England), listingpopulation, wealth and who owned what. Itwas later called the Domesday Book. Similarsurveys were also made elsewhere in Europefrom the 12th century onwards.Such detailed work required people whocould read and write, and it was during theMiddle Ages that the earliest universitieswere founded in Europe—for example, inthe Italian town of Bologna (1088).

T H E B L A C K D E AT HThe Black Death was a terrible disease thatkilled millions of people in Europe in the1340s. The name might have come from theblack spots that appeared on victims. Thedisease came from Asia in 1347 and spreadacross Europe in the following years. It wascarried by fleas that lived on black rats—although no-one knew that at the time.


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MEDIEVAL EUROPE

IN EUROPE, the period from about AD 500 to 1500 is known as the MiddleAges, or the medieval period. The MiddleAges began after the collapse of the RomanEmpire (see page 6) and ended with the startof the Renaissance.The early part of thisperiod was a time of invasions, includingViking raids (see pages 12-13) and theconquest of England by Duke William ofNormandy in 1066. The later part sawfrequent wars between the kingdoms thatcovered Europe, including the so-calledHundred Years’ War fought betweenEngland and France (1337-1453).

T H E F E U D A L S Y S T E MThe feudal system, or feudalism, is the termused to describe a political and militarysystem that developed in Europe during theMiddle Ages. It had its roots with theFranks (see page 6) when Frankish warriorspledged loyalty to a ruler or lord in returnfor some sort of protection and reward.Feudalism spread across Europe between the800s and 1200s. In return for military orother services, a lord would reward a loyalfollower, known as a vassal. The reward wasoften in the form of land. The vassal wasgiven the use of the land, although he didnot own it. In return, he promised loyalty.


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Noble vassals divided upthe land given to them bytheir lord or king intomanors (right). The land ineach manor was worked bypeasants. As well aslabouring in their lord’sfields, the peasants hadsmall plots or strips of landon which to grow their ownfood. Some manors alsohad a windmill for grindinggrain into flour.

Market day at a town inmedieval Europe (below,left). Markets were veryimportant in the MiddleAges. Farmers brought theirproduce to sell to thetownspeople. Travellingmerchants sold fine clothto wealthy people. Jugglersentertained the crowds.

No-one in the MiddleAges understoodwhere the BlackDeath came from orhow to treat it. Manypeople died within aday of catching thedisease. The deadbodies were collectedon carts. People fledfrom infected towns—spreading thedisease as they went.



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centres for trade with Asia and NorthAfrica. Many of these exotic wares—silks,spices and sugar—were then transportedacross the Alpine passes for sale in northernEurope. In the other direction, wool, ironand furs were taken southwards.

T H E C H R I S T I A N C H U R C HThe Christian Church became verypowerful during the Middle Ages inEurope. Christianity was an important partof everyday life for everyone—from peasantto lord. Many men and women chose todevote their lives to the Church bybecoming monks or nuns. They lived inmonasteries or nunneries and also workedin the fields or looked after the poor andthe sick. They also spent much of their timein prayer and study, copying out texts anddecorating them with beautiful pictures andletters, called illuminations. As a result,monasteries and nunneries became centresof scholarship across Europe.

There were several orders (organizations)of monks and nuns. The earliest was startedby St. Benedict of Nursia who founded theBenedictine order in the 500s. St. Benedictwas the author of the rule—a set ofguidelines for monastic life. Thousands of monasteries, abbeys,churches and cathedrals were constructedacross Europe during the Middle Ages. Thelargest took many years to complete. Someof the largest abbeys, for example Cluny inFrance, were like small, self-contained townswithin their own walls.


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TRADE AND FAITH

BEFORE THE YEARS of plague (seepage 19) and famine in the 1300s,medieval Europe was an increasinglywealthy place. Across Europe, land wasdrained and forests were cut down to bringmore land under cultivation. In some placesthis process happened as villages expanded.In other places, fortresses were built asdefence against invaders, or monasterieswere founded in remote places, providingthe starting-points for new settlements. As the amount of food productionincreased so did the population. In 1000 itis estimated that the population of Europewas about 40 million. It rose dramatically toabout 80 million in 1300, falling again inthe 1300s as a result of plague and famine.Any increase in wealth usually went tothe lord of the manor, but life changed littlefor the peasants in the fields. Theycontinued to live in cramped and disease-ridden conditions, with a monotonous dietof coarse bread, porridge and vegetables.They very rarely ate fish or meat—thesewere delicacies reserved for the table of thelord of the manor.

T H E H A N S E AT I C L E A G U ETowns were important centres of growthbetween 1000 and 1300 in Europe,particularly those on the great tradingroutes. In Germany, several towns joinedtogether to form a trade alliance, known asthe Hanseatic League. The towns of theLeague gained control of the trade in furs,fish and timber in northern Europe. Furthersouth on the Mediterranean Sea, Italiancities such as Venice and Genoa became


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Many magnificent cathedrals were builtduring the Middle Ages in Europe. Theword “cathedral” comes from cathedra,meaning “bishop’s throne”. A cathedralwas the building where the bishop’s throne was kept.

This is the Hölstentor Gate in the Germantown of Lübeck, one of the members of the Hanseatic League.

People of the Middle Ages: (from left to right) a merchant, alady of the royal court, a falconer, a friar and a peasant. Boththe court lady and the merchant wear rich clothing while thepeasant woman is much more simply dressed. The falconerwould have worked at court, or for the lord of the manor.Falconry was very popular in Europe in the Middle Ages, andwas known as the “sport of kings”. Falcons, hawks and

eagles were all trained to hunt. The falconer wore a heavyglove to protect his hand when the bird perched on it. Thefriar was a monk who did not live inside a monastery. Insteadhe travelled from place to place, preaching Christianity as hewent. In medieval feudal society, the nobility held all thewealth and power. Below them came merchants andcraftworkers. Peasants and servants were the poorest people.



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T H E C R U S A D E SIn 1095 Pope Urban II, the leader of theChristian Church, called for EuropeanChristians to stop fighting amongthemselves and instead to recapturePalestine, the “Holy Land”. This region wasimportant to Christians because it waswhere Jesus Christ had lived. In the 1000s ithad been captured by the Turks, who madeit difficult for Christians to visit holy sitesand shrines. In 1095 the Turks had bannedChristians from entering Jerusalem.

In answer to the Pope’s call, Christiansfrom all over Europe organized militaryexpeditions called Crusades. There wereeight Crusades in all (1096-1270). The aimof the Crusaders was to recapture the HolyLand, and to protect the Byzantine Empire(see page 7) from the Turks. Everyone from kings to knights, nobles topeasants took part in the Crusades. In 1212there was even a Children’s Crusade whenthousands of boys and girls set off acrossEurope on the long trek south to theMediterranean. Many of them perished. The Crusaders failed to win back theHoly Land, and the Turks captured theByzantine Empire in 1453. But trade andother contacts between Europe and Asiaflourished as a result of the Crusades.


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KNIGHTS

WHEN DUKE William of Normandyinvaded England in 1066 he brought

with him mounted soldiers. They werecalled cnihts by the English, a word meaning“servant” or “retainer”. Under the feudalsystem, many of these soldiers becamevassals (see page 18), and the word knightsoon came to describe someone who serveda king or lord as a mounted and armedsoldier. Knights became a separate class ofpeople, below the higher nobility in thefeudal system, but above merchants andcraftworkers. Knights were expected tofollow a code of loyalty and honour and toprotect the weak. This was known as thecode of chivalry.

B E C O M I N G A K N I G H TBoys destined to become knights wentthrough years of training. This was necessaryto learn the fighting skills and the code ofchivalrous behaviour expected of a knight.Young boys were sent as pages to live in aknight’s household. At the age of 15 or 16, apage became a squire, acting as the personalservant to a knight. A squire rode into battlewith his master and learned how to fight.When this training was complete, the squirewas ready to become a knight. This tookplace at a dubbing ceremony (see opposite).A knight took various weapons intobattle. His main weapon was his lance, along pole used to unseat other riders. Healso carried a sword, mace and battle-axe.


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Two knights take part in a tournament, watched by a crowd ofnobles. These knights are tilting. The purpose of tilting was tounseat the opposing knight from his horse. The knightscharged at each other on horseback down narrow lanes,called lists. Although the knights were not trying to kill eachother, the tilting competition was a test of bravery and skill,and sometimes resulted in serious injury.

A squirebecomes aknight in thedubbingceremony. Thesquire kneelsbefore hismaster, or theking, to receivea light tap on theshoulder with a sword,accompanied bythe words “I dubyou knight.”

A knight dressed in fullarmour. This type ofarmour dates from the15th century, whenknights wore heavysuits made frommetal platesweighing up to 25kilos. Dressed inthis armour,knights had to belifted on to theirhorses with acrane. If theyfell off theywere helpless.Hidden by hisarmour, theonly way to recognizea knight was by thecoat of arms on hisshield.

Knights onhorseback set off for battle during the Crusades.



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1

2

3

4

A T TA C K I N G A C A S T L EThe outer wall of a castle was oftensurrounded by a water-filled moat. Adrawbridge across the moat could be pulledup if the castle was attacked. The mainentrance was also protected by a portcullis(an iron grating). The outer walls wereusually topped with crenellations, allowingdefenders to fire arrows while remainingunder cover. There were also narrow slits inthe walls through which archers fired.

C R U S A D E R C A S T L E SThe Crusaders built castles in the HolyLand to defend land that they managed totake from the Turks (see pages 22-23). Thedesign of these castles copied ideas fromByzantine fortresses, with additionaldefensive walls within the main wall. Thebest-known Crusader castle is Krak desChevaliers, in present-day Syria. It was builtby the Knights of St. John in the 1100s.


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CASTLES

IN MEDIEVAL times, a castle was afortified building that served as a homefor the king or a lord. Many castles also haddungeons, an armoury (the place whereweapons were kept) and a treasure house, aswell as quarters for soldiers. Wars broke outfrequently in medieval Europe, so it wasimportant that a king or lord could protecthimself, his family and followers. The castlebecame an important part of the feudalsystem (see pages 18-19).Castles were often sited on hilltops toprovide natural defences. The Normaninvaders of Engand built castles with strongdefensive walls and moats. Inside the wallswas a central stronghold called a keep.

L I F E I N A C A S T L EThe keep not only provided the strongestdefensive position in times of attack, it wasalso where the lord, his family and followerslived. Inside was a great hall, whereeveryone ate. Servants carried food from thekitchens nearby. The hall was lit by candlesand by torches made of wood and fat.Although there was a large fireplace for afire to warm the hall, there was no glass inthe windows, and most castles were coldand draughty places. At night the lord andlady would retire to their private apartment,known as a solar, but followers and servantssimply rolled themselves in their cloaks andslept on the straw-covered floor, togetherwith the castle’s domestic animals.


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A castle under attack.The castle’s soldiers firearrows at the enemybelow from their powerfulcrossbows. The enemyare using variousmachines to attack acastle. They include atrebuchet, a machine thatcatapults rocks into thecastle, a belfry, a towerfrom which attackers canclimb into the castle, anda battering ram, a treetrunk that is swungagainst the castle gates.Sometimes an enemy laidsiege to a castle, waitinguntil its occupantsstarved.

This castle (below) has a moat, a strong outer wall,a drawbridge and portcullis. For extra protection, itsouter wall has jagged tops, called crenellations.The strong tower inside the walls is the keep. Thereare also cottages where staff and animals live.

KEY1 Keep2 Crenellations

in outer walls3 Portcullis4 Drawbridge



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W E S T A F R I C A N S TAT E SFurther to the south of Ghana and Mali layother powerful states. They included Benin,Dahomey, Asante and the Hausa city-states.Although influenced by Muslim ideas fromthe north, the rulers of these statescontinued to practise traditional religions.Some of the states became rich from goldproduction, for example, Asante. Many ofthem traded gold and ivory with Europeansafter the first Portuguese ships appearedalong the coast of West Africa in the 1400s.In the 1500s, the terrible trade in slavesstarted, when African captives were takenacross the Atlantic Ocean to work in theAmericas.

E A S T A F R I C ATrade in East Africa was already well-established when Muslim Arabs began tosettle along the coast some time around the1000s. Trading centres such as Kilwa,

Mogadishu and Zanzibar developed andprospered, with goods coming from as farafield as China. People spoke Swahili, andtheir culture became a blend of blackAfrican and Islamic traditions. Many other kingdoms flourished in thegrasslands and forests of central and southAfrica, especially in places with fertile soils,and sources of salt and metals nearby.


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AFRICA

AFRICA was home to a wide variety ofpeoples and cultures, including

civilizations to rival anything known inMedieval Europe. However, knowledge ofmuch of African history is sketchy becauseof the scarcity of any written records. Muchof what we do know comes fromarchaeological records—the physicalremains, such as ruins, of ancient peoples.

T H E B A N T U M I G R AT I O N SBantu is the name given to a group oflanguages spoken by people from the Nigerand Congo regions of West Africa. Sometime during the first century BC, thesepeoples began to spread out to the southand east. They took with them knowledgeabout growing crops and working iron.

height of its powers in the 1000s, when itcontrolled the gold and the salt trade acrossthe western Sahara. However, Ghanadeclined as the state of Mali becameincreasingly powerful and took over thecontrol of trans-Saharan trade. The rulers ofMali were mostly Muslim, the most famousbeing Mansa Musa, who in 1324-25 wenton a lavish piligrimage to the Muslim holycity, Makkah (see page 4). As he travelledwith 60,000 followers, Mansa Musa gaveaway vast quantities of gold. His famespread as far away as Europe.


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T H E S P R E A D O F I S L A MWithin only a century of the death of theProphet Muhammad in 632 (see pages 4-5),Islam had taken a firm hold in northernAfrica. The Islamic faith travelled south thevast Sahara with traders, who made thehazardous journey through the desert incamel caravans. They traded with theancient Kingdom of Ghana (in present-dayMali and Mauritania). Ghana reached the

This tall, thin monumentis known as a stela. It isone of the stelae erectedin Aksum in north-eastAfrica during the time ofthe Kingdom of Aksum(AD100-700). The stelaewere placed to mark thetombs of the rulers ofAksum. They were carvedto look like tall, thinmulti-storey houses. Thetallest, now fallen down,was 33 m high.

A Bantu herdsman withhis cattle. In some partsof tropical Africa it wasimpossible to keep herdsof cattle because of thepresence of a blood-sucking insect called thetsetse fly. This fly passedon a disease called“sleeping sickness”which killed both cattleand humans.

Great Zimbabwe was the capital ofa large state that thrived in south-eastern Africa between 1300 and1450. Great Zimbabwe grewpowerful through trade, acting asthe “middleman” between thegold-producing states to the westand the Swahili traders on theeastern coast. The Shona peopleof Great Zimbabwe were alsocattle-herders, and they sited theircapital in an area with plentifulgrazing. The word zimbabwecomes from Shona words meaning“stone buildings”. The walls ofGreat Zimbabwe were skilfullymade and in some places arealmost a metre thick.

The mosque at Jenne inMali was built during the14th century. It is madefrom clay on a timberstructure. Jenne was animportant city because itlay on one of the majorlong-distance trade routesacross the Sahara.

African kings ruled overthriving kingdoms at atime when Europeanpeoples were sufferingthe effects of plagueand war in the laterMiddle Ages. Theircapital cities wereprotected by immensewalls. Their lands wereruled with the help ofpowerful armies and bymaking alliances withlocal leaders.



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SOUTH AMERICA

MANY CIVILIZATIONS flourishedin the Andes region of South

America before the arrival of Europeans inthe 1500s. The best-known is the hugeempire of the Incas, which was at its heightin the late 1400s and early 1500s. But othersocieties, for example the Huari, Tiahuanacoand Chimu, also controlled large areas ofthis mountainous region at various times. Further east, across the Andes Mountains,lay the vast basin of the River Amazon,covered in tropical rainforest. This hot andhumid region was home to numerous tribesof Native Americans. Many used a form ofagriculture known as slash-and-burn, inwhich a small area of rainforest was clearedin order to grow crops. When the soil wasexhausted, people moved on to a new plot,leaving the old clearing to be taken overonce again by the forest.

A N D E S E M P I R E SThe civilization of Tiahuanaco was basednear Lake Titicaca, high in the mountains ofpresent-day Peru and Bolivia. It was at itsmost powerful between AD 500 and 1000.The Huari was at its height around AD 800.

It was based further north than Tiahuanaco,and it seems that the two peoples wererivals. The Chimu ran their empire fromtheir capital at Chan Chan, on the northcoast of Peru. However, the Chimu wereconquered by the Incas in the 1470s. TheIncas ruled from their capital, Cuzco, highin the Andes Mountains. They built up avast empire by conquest, and then set up anefficient form of government to rule theirsubject peoples. They built a network ofroads, and introduced a system of taxes topay for the running of the empire.


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NORTH AMERICA

BEFORE the arrival of European settlersin the 1500s, North America was hometo millions of people known as NativeAmericans (or American Indians). The firstNative Americans arrived in North Americathousands of years ago, and developed anextraordinary variety of life styles andcultures as they spread across the continent.

N AT I V E A M E R I C A N T R I B E SNative Americans lived in groups, calledtribes. At the time of the arrival ofEuropeans there were about 300 differenttribes, each with its own form ofgovernment, language, religious beliefs andculture. The way of life of a tribe dependedlargely on the environment in which theylived. The Inuit of the frozen Arctic huntedseals for food. They used the sealskins tomake shelters, boats and clothing. But in thehot, dry south-west region of NorthAmerica, the Pueblo peoples built houses

from dried mud, called adobe. Water wasscarce, so they developed special techniquesoften tapping water supplies deep beneaththe ground.

D A I LY L I F EWherever a tribe lived, daily life centredaround providing the necessities of life—food and shelter. The main crops grown byNative Americans included maize, squashesand beans. Many tribes lived by huntinganimals such as buffalo and game, or bygathering berries, roots and other wildplants. Shelters varied widely from tribe totribe. Nomadic tribes built movable shelters.Great Plains tribes, for example, lived intipis, cone-shaped tents made from buffaloskin stretched over a wooden frame.Religion played an important part in thelife of all Native Americans. They believedin a powerful spirit world which influencedthe lives of all humans.


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The ruins of Machu Picchu, anInca settlement high in the Andes.

An Inca procession windsits way along a road highin the Andes Mountains.The Incas were greatbuilders. Theyconstructed a network ofroads that crisscrossedtheir mountainousempire, building ropesuspension bridgeswhere necessary. Theemperor, known as theSapa Inca, and otherimportant officials werecarried from place toplace in litters. Otherpeople walked. Importantmessages were carriedby teams of runners, eachone running a distance of2 km before passing themessage on.

A Native American settlement on the northeast coast of NorthAmerica. This is a village of the Algonquin people who builtdome-shaped shelters out of birch bark. The peoples of thenortheast also used birch bark to make elegant canoes.

The ruins of the Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde,Colorado. This structure was built by theAnasazi people of the southwest.

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TIMELINE c.300 Rise of Mayan civilization in CentralAmerica.

410 Goths loot Rome.

429Vandals invade northern Africa.

449 Angles, Saxons and Jutes beginconquest of Britain.

455 Vandals sack Rome.

480 Gupta Empire in India overthrown.

486 Frankish kingdom founded by Clovis.

c.500-1000 Civilization of Tiahuanaco inAndes Mountains of South America.

527-65 Justinian rules over ByzantineEmpire.

532-63 Construction of Hagia Sophia inConstantinople.

552 Buddhism introduced into Japan.

c.570 Birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

581-618 Sui dynasty rules in China.

c.600-900 Huari civilization in SouthAmerica.

618-907Tang dynasty rules in China.

632 Death of the Prophet Muhammad.

c.632-700 Arab armies spread Islamthroughout North Africa.

642 Arab armies defeat Sassanian Empire.

661-750 Umayyad dynasty holds power inthe Islamic world.

c.700 Start of Pueblo period in northwestAmerica.

711 Muslim armies conquer part of Spain.

718 Arab siege of Constantinople repulsed.

732 Muslim armies defeated at Battle ofPoitiers.

750-1055 Abbasid dynasty holds power inthe Islamic world.

c.750Vikings begin raiding voyages inEurope.

768-814 Reign of Frankish leader,Charlemagne.

800 Charlemagne crowned emperor inRome of Holy Roman Empire.

c.800 Height of Huari Empire in SouthAmerica.

c.800 Rise of Kingdom of Ghana in WestAfrica.

802 Khmer Kingdom founded inCambodia.

c.850 First buildings constructed at GreatZimbabwe in southern Africa.

862 Novgorod founded by Vikings.

c.900 Construction starts on city of Angkorin Khmer Kingdom.

960-1279 Song dynasty rules in China.

c.982Viking Erik the Red exploresGreenland coast.

969 Fatimids conquer Egypt and foundCairo.

c.1000Viking Leif Eriksson sails to Vinlandin North America.

c.1000-1476 Chimu civilization in SouthAmerica.

1004-13Viking settlement established inNewfoundland, North America (possiblyknown as Vinland).

1014Vikings defeated at Battle of Clontarfin Ireland.

1066 Duke William of Normandy conquersEngland.

1086 Compilation of the Domesday Book inEngland.

1095Turks ban Christians from enteringJerusalem, and Pope Urban II calls onChristians to recapture the “Holy Land”.

1096-1272 Period of the Crusades.

1099 Knights of First Crusade captureJerusalem.

1147-49 Second Crusade.

1171 Muslim leader, Saladin defeatsFatimids and conquers Egypt.

1187 Saladin, defeats Crusaders andrecaptures Jerusalem.

1189-92 Third Crusade ends in failure.

1192-1333 Kamakura shogunate in Japan.

1202-04 Fourth Crusade.

1206 Founding of Sultanate of Delhi.

1212 Children’s Crusade.

1215 Mongols capture Beijing in China.

1215 King John of England signs MagnaCarta.

1217-22 Fifth Crusade.

1223 Mongols attack Russia.

1227 Death of Mongol leader GenghisKhan.

1228-29 Sixth Crusade.

1237 Russia becomes part of the MongolEmpire.

1248-54 Seventh Crusade.

1270-72 Eighth Crusade.

1271-92 Marco Polo travels across Asia andthe Far East.

1274 Mongol fleet defeated by Japan.

1279 Kublai Khan conquers China.

1281 Mongol fleet again defeated by Japan.

1294 Death of Mongol leader Kublai Khan.

1322-5 Mansa Musa makes a lavishpilgrimage across Africa to Makkah.

1337-1453 Hundred Years’ War foughtbetween England and France.

1338-1573 Muromachi period in Japan;rule of Ashikaga shoguns.

1347 Black Death arrives in Europe, killingmillions of people.

1386-1644 Ming dynasty rules in China.

1398Tamerlane’s troops attack Delhi, India.

c.1400-1521 Period of the Aztec Empire inMexico and Central America.

1402 Tamerlane defeats Ottomans at Battleof Ankara.

1405 Death of Tamerlane.

1405-33 Zheng He, Chinese explorer,makes seven voyages.

1415 Battle of Agincourt between Franceand England.

1424-34 Prince Henry of Portugal, “Henrythe Navigator” sends expeditions to explorethe African coastline.

1428-30 Joan of Arc leads French armiesagainst England.

c.1438-1572 Inca Empire established inPeru, South America.

c.1450-1600 Period in Western Europeknown as the Renaissance.

1453 Constantinople falls to Turkish armies.End of the Byzantine Empire.

1453 England loses all territories in Franceexcept Calais.

1455-85 Wars of the Roses in England.

1487-8 Bartholomeu Dias sails around theCape of Good Hope.

1492 Christopher Columbus sails across theAtlantic Ocean and explores the Caribbeanislands.

1498Vasco da Gama reaches India.

1519-22 Ferdinand Magellan’s fleetcircumnavigates the world.

1521 Aztec Empire defeated by Spanishconquistadors.

1532 Francisco Pizarro begins conquest ofInca Empire in South America.

T I M E L I N E T I M E L I N E

30 31


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AAbbasid dynasty 5, 30adobe houses 28Africa 26-27, 30-31African kings 27Aksum, Kingdom of 26Algonquin people 28Alhambra Palace 5Amazon rainforest 29America,

European discovery of 12, 28-29

Americans, Native 28-29Anasazi people 28Angkor Wat 17, 30Arab world 4-5archers 15, 25 Asante 27astronomy, Maya 10Attila 6Aztecs 10-11, 31

BBaghdad 5Bantu migrations 26barbarians 6-7Beijing 9, 31 Benedictine order 21Benin 27Black Death 19, 31Bologna 18Buddhism 8, 15, 16, 17,

30bushido 17Byzantine Empire 4, 7,

23, 30-31Byzantium 7

Ccastles, Crusader 22, 25European 24-25Japanese 17

cathedrals 21Central Asia 5, 8, 14Chan Chan 29Chang’an 8Charlemagne 6, 30Chichén Itzá 11Chimu 29, 30China 4-5, 8-9, 14-15,

16, 17, 30-31Chinese inventions 8chivalry, code of 22Christianity 7, 15, 20-21,

23, 30churches 21Clovis 6, 30Cluny 21Columbus, Christopher

12, 31Congo 26Constantine I 7

Karakorum 14Khmer Kingdom 17, 30Kilwa 27knights 22-23Krak des Chevaliers 25Kublai Khan 8-9, 14-15,

31

L MLi Yuan 8Lübeck 20Machu Picchu 29Makkah 4, 26, 30-31Mali 26-27Manchu dynasty see Qing

dynastyMansa Musa 26, 31Maya 10-11, 30merchants 4, 19, 20Mesa Verde 28Mexico 10-11, 31Middle Ages in Europe

18-25Minamoto clan 16Ming dynasty 9, 31Mogadishu 27monasteries 20-21Mongol Empire 8-9,

14-15, 31Mongols 9, 14-15, 17, 31Montezuma I 11Montezuma II 11mosaics 7mosques 27Mouhot, Albert Henri 17Mughal Empire 15Muhammad, Prophet 4, 7,

26, 30Muromachi period 31Muslims 4-5, 23, 26-27,

31

N O PNara 16Niger 26Normans 24Norsemen 12North America 28, 30Ögödei 14Onin War 17pagodas 16Peru 29, 31Polo, Marco 8, 31population 9, 20Pueblo people 28, 30

Q RQing (Manchu) dynasty 9Qu’ran 4-5religion, Maya and Aztec 11Native American 28

roads, Inca 29Roman Empire 6, 7, 18runes 13

SSamarkand 15Samurai 16-17Sassanian Empire 4, 30

Constantinople 7, 14, 31Crusades 23, 30-31Cuzco 29

D E FDahomey 27daimyo 17Delhi 15, 31disease 19, 20Domesday Book 19, 30Egypt 30-31England 12, 18, 22, 24, 31Ericsson, Leif 12, 30Europe 6, 12, 30-31medieval 18-19, 20-25

famine 20feudal system 18-19, 22,

24Forbidden City 9Franks 6, 18, 30Fujiwara Yoshifusa 16

GGaul 6Genghis Khan 14-15, 31Genoa 21Germanic tribes 6-7Germany 20Ghana, ancient Kingdom

of 26, 30Goths 6, 30Great Plains 28Great Zimbabwe 27, 30Greenland 12gunpowder 4, 8

HHagia Sophia 7, 30Han dynasty 8Harun al-Rashid 5Hausa city-states 27Hinduism 17Holy Roman Empire 6,

30Huari Empire 29, 30Hundred Years’ War 18, 31Huns 6

IIceland 12Inca Empire 29, 31Incas 10 India 5, 15, 30-31Inuit 28inventions 8Islam 4-5, 15spread of 26, 30

Islamic empires 4-5Italy 6

JJapan 15, 16-17, 30-31Japanese Empire 16Jenne 27Jerusalem 23, 31Justinian 7, 30

Kkamikaze 17

Scandinavia 12-13ships, Viking 12-13shoguns 16, 31Shona 27Shotoku 16Silk Road 8slash-and-burn cultivation

29slave trade 27Song dynasty 8-9, 30South America 29, 30-31Spain 5, 6, 30Spanish conquistadors

(conquerors) 10-11squire 22Su Song 8Sui dynasty 8, 30Suryavarman II 17Swahili 27

TTaira clan 16Tamerlane 15, 31Tang dynasty 8, 30temples, Buddhist 16Chinese 8Japanese 16Khmer 17Maya and Aztec 11

Tenochtitlán 10-11Tiahuanaco 29, 30Tikal 10Titicaca, Lake 29Tokugawa Shogunate 17tournament 23Toyotomi Hideyoshi 17trade,African 21, 26-27Arab 5Asian 8, 21, 23Chinese 8, 27European 20-21Maya 10Mongol 15Viking 12

Turks 7, 23, 31

U V WUmayyad dynasty 5, 30universities 18Urban II, Pope 23, 30Vandals 6, 30vassals 18-19, 22Vikings 12-13, 18, 30warriors, Arab 4, 7Aztec 10-11Mongol 14-15Samurai 16-17Viking 12-13

William, Duke of Normandy 18-19, 22, 30

writing, 10, 13

Y ZYong Le 9Yuan (Mongol) dynasty 8Zanzibar 27

I N D E X

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INDEXPage numbers in boldrefer to main entries.

Documents

children s illustrated encyclopedia The Middle Ages · 2016-10-27 · Iraq), attracted scholars, artists and craftworkers from all parts of the empire. It became a centre for learning