Period 3: Aim: How did labor management & religious conversions affect gender relations and family life?

• Gender Relations and Peasant Revolts• Post Classical Diffusion of Religion led to significant changes in gender

relations and family structure

DO NOW: 1) What did Saint Benedict see & how did he react? 2) How does Christianity view women in this instance?

“The venerable woman returned to her Nunnery, & the man of God to his Abbey: who three days after, standing in his cell, raising up his eyes to heaven, beheld the soul of his sister (which was departed from her body), in the likeness of a dove to ascend into heaven: who rejoicing much to see her great glory, with hymns & lauds gave the almighty God, & did impart the news of this her death to his monks, whom also he sent presently to bring her corpse to his Abbey, & had it buried in that grave which he had provided for himself; by means wherof it fell out that, as their souls were always one in God whiles they lived, so their bodies continued together after their death.”

Buddhism, Christianity and GenderHow are they similar/different?

• Confucian ideals of patriarchy clashed with Buddhist spiritual equality with little lasting gender change

• Footbinding began in this era- How did this effect women?

• Christian Convents like Buddhism

• Provided women a way out of the cycle of marriage/ childrearing and provided a path to literacy and learning

• Many female saints, Mary symbol of veneration

Islam, Neoconfucianism and Gender

• Islamic teachings of gender equality (see Khadijah)

• 1st wife of Mohammed and a merchant herself

• Overshadowed by Persian traditions of veiling, seclusion and the harem

• How did Islam effect women?

• Neoconfucianism• Women were

subordinate to men• “Disorder is produced

by women”• “A woman ruler is a hen

crowing.”• “Woman’s greatest duty

is to produce a son.”• “Women are to be led

and to follow others.”

Peasant Revolts: Free peasants resisted attempts to raise dues and taxes by staging revolts

• Byzantine Empire - BASIL THE COPPER HAND Back in the 10th Century, there lived a man named Basil. Basil’s most notable physical feature was his copper hand. How did he get a copper hand? Well, he tried to impersonate a dead general to take power in Bithynia (North Anatolia). His ruse was discovered and he was quickly taken back to Constantinople and given history’s most infamous slap on the wrist. Sans-hand, he had it replaced with a copper one. Hence the name. Looking like a Super Villain, he attempted to lead a peasant rebellion against the Byzantine Empire. He gathered the destitute and downtrodden peasants of the region who were upset at the Byzantine taxes they were forced to pay. Noticing the lack of tax funds coming in from Bithynia, the Emperor sent in the Byzantine Army. Used to fighting Persians and Arabs, the peasant army of Basil the Copper Hand didn’t stand a chance. He was caught, chained, and returned to Constantinople. After a quick trial, he was burned at the stake.

How did the map change over time? Why?

European Peasant Revolt

• PEASANT REVOLT IN FLANDERS

• In the 1320s, a series of small scale peasant revolts joined forces into an all-out rebellion that lasted for 5 years.

• Reason? TAXES. The people were mad at Louis I for raising taxes.

• Revolted & took majority of the Flanders region. Even captured the Count of Flanders, Louis I!

• King of France had to step in and quell the insurrection.

• Peace treaty was signed, but quickly forgotten as the rebellion continued.

• Finally at Battle of Cassel rebel army and its peasant leaders were defeated.

Chinese Peasant Rebellion• Red Turban Rebellion: AKA White Lotus Rebellion WHY

would anyone want to rebel against the Mongols? • Group of Chinese peasants in the 1340s fed up with the

Yuan (Mongol) rule. The Yellow River had been constantly flooding (along with other natural disasters).

• A Mahayana Buddhist sect known as the White Lotus Society (who worshipped a Mother Goddess who would gather her children at the millennium) started the rebellion against Mongol rule.

• After 30 years of war, the rebellion was successful. The Mongols were constantly fighting themselves and therefore couldn’t handle the rebellion.

• In 1368, the Zhu Yuanzhang, former beggar/Buddhist monk, claimed the Mandate of Heaven and declared himself the Hongwu Emperor of the new Ming Dynasty.