| City | Ruling Power | Modern Location | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo | Fatimid Caliphate | Egypt | 500,000 |
| Constantinople | Byzantine Empire | Turkey | 500,000 |
| Kaifeng | Song Dynasty | China | 500,000 |
| Baghdad | Abbasid Caliphate | Iraq | 300,000 |
| Córdoba | Umayyad Caliphate | Spain | 300,000 |
| Paris | Capet Dynasty | France | 20,000 |
| London | Wessex Dynasty | U.K. | 15,000 |
Technology lagged behind
Agriculture less productive
Classical Greek tradition lost
*Cerealization
Crop rotation
Plow with iron tip
Watermill
W. European population trends
40 million in 1000 CE
75 million in 1340 CE
Urbanization
Periodic markets before 1000 CE
Cities and market towns develop
*Guilds
| City | Ruling Power | Modern Location | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hangzhou | Mongol Empire | China | 1,000,000 |
| Cairo | Mamluk Empire | Egypt | 400,000 |
| Beijing | Mongol Empire | China | 400,000 |
| Paris | Capet Dynasty | France | 230,000 |
| Constantinople | Byzantine Kingdom | Turkey | 100,000 |
| London | Norman Dynasty | U.K. | 45,000 |
| Baghdad | Mongol Empire | Iraq | 40,000 |
| Córdoba | Castile Dynasty | Spain | 40,000 |
Translations from Arabic to Latin
*Toledo, Spain, until 1085
*Córdoba, Spain, 1085-1236
Paper, 1250-1350 (Originally from China)
Mathematics
*Indo-Arabic numerals, India, 6th c.
*Zero (Arabic: zephir)
*Place-value
Trigonometry
Translation from Sanskrit to Arabic
Spread to Islamic Caliphates, 7th c.
Decimal notation, Muslims, 7th c.
Algebra
Al-Khwarizmi
Latin: AlgorithmIndo-Arabic math introduced to Europe
Fibonnaci (ca. 1170-1240)
Pisa, Italy
Travels to Egypt, Syria, Greece, Sicily, and Southern France
Book of Calculation, 1202
Latin
China
Gunpowder 6th c.
Fire arrows, 9th c.
Bombs 11th c.
Cannon 13th c.
Mongols carried technology to Middle East/Russia
From Middle East to Western Europe after 1100
Western Europe after 1450
Break down of feudal system
Consolidation of state power
*Silk Road
Mediterranean Sea routes
Tang Dynasty China, 7th-8th centuries
Muslim Caliphates, 7th-12th centuries
Mongol Eurasian Empire, 13th-14th centuries
Silk Routes regulated
Increased trade
Marco Polo Departure from Venice, 1271
Pakistan
Spain
Sicily
1. How and why did Western Europe lag behind the Byzantine, Chinese, and Islamic Empires during the period from 400 to 1200 CE? Why did Western Europe begin to develop economically in the period from 1000 to 1400?
2. Why were gunpowder technology and mathematical knowledge important to the development of Europe in the period from 1200 to 1500?
3. Where were these technologies invented? What roles did empires, trade routes, and borderlands play in their transmission to Europe?
1. What was the "cerealization" of European agriculture? How did increased agricultural output encourage population growth, urbanization, commercialization of the economy?
2. What social, political and religious forces led to the founding of Europe's universities from 1100 to 1400?
3. How did Fibonnaci's contacts with the Islamic countries apparently contribute to his knowledge of mathematics? Why were "Indian" numerals superior to Roman numerals?
3. What was the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453)? According to Hansen why did the war and need to pay for gunpowder weapons change, "the political structure of France and England'?
1. What were the types of gunpowder artillery used in the 14th century? What were the advantages and drawbacks of artillery when used by King Edward III of England in the Hundred Years' War at Crécy in 1346 and battles between other forces later in the century?
2. What were the comparative advantages and disadvantages of hand-held gunpowder firearms, bows, and crossbows in battle during the 14th century? Why did successful armies create mixed units of gunners and bowmen?