Golden Ages & Invasions!

Asia: The later years

China: The Later Years

Tang Dynasty

• Overthrew Sui Dynasty• Ruled nearly 300 yrs

• Began a GOLDEN AGE! • China grew in area and population

Tang Taizong

Emperor at 16 yrs. old Helped his father to

start the Tang dynasty Ruled from 626-649 AD Successful general,

scholar, historian, & calligraphy artist

Tang Taizong cont’d Was influenced by

Confucius

Initiated land reform- giving more land to peasants who farmed it

Song Dynasty

Taizu began the dynasty in 960 and ruled until 1279

Advanced the govt by extending the merit system- now, to KEEP your job in the civil service, you had to perform well! Taizu

AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENTS

New strains Higher

of rice yields & & Better Two irrigation crops methods per yr.

FOOD SURPLUS & POPULATION INCREASE!

Song Dynasty Cont.

Some inventions of the time:

gunpowder as a weapon

smallpox vaccine magnetic compass ** movable type (A.D.

1045)

Characters were etched into wet clay, dried, and kiln-fired

ARTS During the Song Dynasty, porcelain

became as valued as silk White, very hard ceramic Often called “china” Important item for trade Music, poetry, and Landscape painting wasAlso important!

Merit System/Meritocracy The Song brought back

Confucius’ system for hiring government officials

Officials had to pass tests and prove their ability to do the work

Intended to combat nepotism, favoritism on the basis of family relationships

The MONGOLS

Nomads from the plains of Central Asia

Fierce warriors said to “live in the saddle”

1200’s- United under Genghis Khan

MONGOLS, cont.

Kahns (Mongol rulers) began storming into parts of China, Korea, Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Persian Gulf area and took over!

What can you observe about the Mongols’ weapons and technology?

Kublai Khan Grandson of

Genghis Khan

Completed conquest of China

1259-1279 fought and overpowered Song dynasty

Yuan Dynasty

Yuan= “beginnings”

Mongols ruled instead of Chinese officials

Mongols kept their own language and customs

Allowed many religions and visitors from other lands

Marco Polo A Christian from

Europe

Traveled to China from Venice, Italy in 1271

Was hired by Kubilai Kahn to work in China’s government

Wrote about China’s palace, efficient mail system, and well-maintained roads

Marco Polo cont’d

Stayed 17 years

Upon returning to Europe, sparked interest and increase of trade between Europe and China

The Last Dynasties

The Mongols were good at conquering, but not as good at ruling. A peasant revolt overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and began the Ming Dynasty.

The Manchus (another tribe living North of China overthrew the Ming and started the Qing Dynasty.

Internal rebellions further weakened China. Emperors became younger and younger. This

further weakened the government and strengthened the revolutionaries. His reign lasted from 1909- 1911 A.D., at which point the revolutionaries won and the Republic of China arose.

The Republic of China became a communist country and changed it’s name to the People’s Republic of China, which is still goes by today.

Review

1) What were some achievements of Tang

Taizong?2) Describe the Mongol

rule of China.

INDIA: The Later Years

184 BC- 600 AD

The Mauryan Empire fell when invaders attacked India.

By 600 AD, The GUPTA family managed to reunite India again and make Hinduism the leading religion in the country.

The Guptas began a golden age in India

Muslims began invading India around 1000 AD.

In 1206, Sultans (Muslim rulers) began controlling India under what is called the Dehli Sultanate (named after the capital city of India, Dehli)

Sultan!

Dehli Sultanate, cont.

Many Sultans were cruel to the Hindu population because of their religious differences; temples were looted and Indians were taken as slaves

In 1398, Timur, a ruthless Mongol conqueror invaded India.

He came from Asiatic Russia (the Asian side)

He & conquering horsemen looted and killed, destroying Delhi and killing Hindus.

The Dehli Sultanate officially fell when Babur, a Mongol prince, used cannons to take over.

Babur was a Muslim who founded the MUGHAL EMPIRE in India (Mughal is another word for Mongol).

Babur

1526

Babur’s grandson, Akbar, became the ruler of India at the age of 13. He ruled for nearly 50 years.

Akbar expanded the Moghul empire and ran the greatest monarchy in India’s history

- Collected fair taxes - Encouraged arts &

learning - Was tolerant of all

religions - Used the Merit system

to hire a civil service

(people who do the work of the

government)

Akbar’s grandson, Shah Jahan, became the emperor of India.

He spent much of the empire’s wealth to construct the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife, Mumtaz Muhal

Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, also wasted money on monuments and other construction projects. Plus, he tried to force Hindus to convert to Islam, causing Hindus to rebel

When he died in 1707, India became divided and fell easily to European nations looking to colonize

Today!

Great Britain colonized India and took control of its trade.

In 1947, though, India became an independent nation.

Around this time, also, much of India’s Muslim population relocated to the Northwestern region of the country, by the Indus River. This region became the country of Pakistan. Bangladesh was also created for Muslims.

India is the 2nd most heavily populated country in the world.

It is the world’s largest democracy! It has the second fastest growing

economy in the world.