GHG - Setting the Stage for a World History (Lesson)

Setting the Stage for a World History

One of the first things to unite the history of the world (or at least a large chunk of it) came from invasions during the 13th and 14th centuries in Afro-Eurasia. The Mongols and the Plague recognized no borders and very few people and regions there escaped their influence during that time. The Mongols arrived first when, in 1206, Genghis Khan finished uniting the different tribes of Mongols and went looking for new areas to conquer. Over the next twenty-five years, the Mongol Empire conquered more territory than the Roman Empire did in four hundred.

 

The Mongol Empire spread into China, Persia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe but were blocked by Egyptian armies during their attempt to continue west into North Africa and were stymied by the water to their east during their attempt to take Japan (they were, after all, skilled horseman- which doesn't translate well to naval warfare.) But despite being limited to mostly Asia and parts of Europe, the Mongols greatly impacted Afro-Eurasia.

Effects of the Mongolian Invasion Positive: Created the 1st great, safe free-trade zone that spanned Eurasia Long distance communications improved with something like the "pony express" Food production rose as knowledge of agriculture shared between different cultures now in contact Religious Tolerance Afro-Eurasian Interconnectedness (even more so than in the days of Hellinism) Negative: Millions were killed in the brutal conquests Mongols not interested in "culture" so art, architecture, philosophy, science experienced a stunted growth period Forced relocation of people With the sharing of trade and knowledge came the sharing of germs

Hopefully, you noticed that last effect under the thumbs down category—the spread of germs. There has always been the rumor that the Mongols intentionally spread the Bubonic Plague by exposing enemies to their corpses that died from it—one story included the Mongols catapulting corpses over a city's walls during a siege. But there isn't any real proof that the Mongols intentionally used "germ warfare." However, there can be little doubt that the Mongol invasions and subsequent trade throughout Eurasia helped in the spread of the Plague from one region to another. And while the Mongols toppled the political systems everywhere they went, the plague actually destroyed the societies themselves.

The Bubonic Plague, or "Black Death," was the most historical development of the 14th Century CE throughout all of Afro-Eurasia. Over the course of that century, outbreaks reduced the population by 25 to 65%, depending on the location. The cities were hit the worst with, at times, the loss of two-thirds of an urban population. As cities were often the home of governments, economies and religions, the Plague devastated the very social institutions on which societies were based. Therefore, many of these societies needed to start over—which they did in the late 14th Century once the outbreaks became fewer. But even those societies that did not experience the "Black Death" first hand were affected by what was happening around them. Click through the below activity to see how societies in Afro-Eurasia set themselves up as the world entered the 15th Century CE.

 

In order to complete the setting of the stage for the beginning of a world history, we need to look a little closer at the Ottoman Empire. Beginning in the 1200s CE, Ottoman Turks united and started conquering Christian provinces on the Anatolian Peninsula. With each conquest, the Byzantine Empire lost more and more territory. By 1453, the Byzantine Empire existed as an empire in name alone having lost most of its lands and with the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire ceased to exist at all. At this point, Mehmed the Conqueror was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. As his name suggests, he dedicated his reign to expanding Ottoman borders. Have a look at the maps below—the one on the left highlights the Ottoman Empire's territory upon Mehmed the Conqueror's rise to power and the one on the right illustrates his expansionist accomplishments by the time of his death.

 

Maps of the Ottoman Empire in 1451 and 1481

In the century that followed the fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire captured all of the territory that constituted the Byzantine Empire at its height—except for Italy. During that time, Constantinople was rechristened Istanbul, Ottoman sultans claimed themselves as the rightful heirs of the "Four Rightly Guided Caliphs" from Islam's history, and the Ottoman Empire became the center of the Islamic World with an emphasis on Sunniism.

Let's have one last look at the Ottoman Empire's location before moving on. As you look at the map, ask yourself how one would get from Western Europe to South Asia without going through the Ottoman Empire.

Map of the Ottoman Empire

 

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