Political Organizations of the Medieval World

POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD ● Four Aspects of Political Organization ○ Political Organization: The distribution of power and control between the government and society ■ In the political organization of a society, there are four primary aspects to consider: ● Ruling Power and Authority ● Social Organization ● Law and Order ● Military Protection ■ RULING POWER AND AUTHORITY: Who is in charge of the society? ● WHO is in charge? ● HOW did they get to be in charge? ■ SOCIAL ORGANIZATION: How are the people of the society organized? ● Social groups ● Classes ● Ranks ■ LAW AND ORDER: Refers to the creation and enforcement of laws in a society. ■ MILITARY PROTECTION: The role of the military in a society, and what method they might use to create their military. ● EUROPE ○ Rise of Feudalism in Europe ■ Europe needed order and protection - without the protection of the Roman army, Europe was threatened, so they needed a way to defend themselves and their land. ■ The answer was Feudalism ○ Feudalism Brings Order ■ Feudalism provided people with protection and safety by establishing a stable social order ● Under the system of feudalism people were bound to each other by the promises of loyalty ■ Social Mobility in Social Classes ● In the feudal system in Europe during the early medieval time period, people were typically born into a social class for life. ○ Decline in Feudalism ■ The Bubonic Plague spreads to Europe ● The Bubonic Plague first struck Europe from 1346 to 1351, returning in waves nearly every decade until the 1400s ● Most historians believe the Bubonic Plague began in Central Asia, possibly China, and spread through trade routes from China, through India, the Middle East, and then to Europe ● The dirty conditions in which people lived contributed to the spread of the disease. ○ City streets were filled with human waste, dead animals, and trash - people would go many months without a change of clothing or bathing ○ The Black Death killed about ⅓ of the population of Europe ■ Aftermath of the Plague ● During the plague, trade and commerce slowed to almost a halt ● The economy had to be rebuilt, but not in the same way as before with lords holding most of the power ● After the plague, there was a shift in power from the nobles of the common people; with so few workers remaining they could demand more money and more rights. ■ The Hundred Years’ War ● Monarchs from England claimed lands in France as their own, but French kings began to disagree that England should be able to control the land ● When Philip VI of France declared that France rightfully controls that area, and NOT king Edward III in England, a war broke out in France. ■ Overview of the Impact of the Hundred Years’ War ● The series of battles between England and France fought between 1337 and 1453 caused a rise in national pride and identity in both countries. ● It strengthened the monarchs and commoners and began to reduce the importance of nobles and knights on the battlefield. ■ Political Changes as a Result of the Decline of Feudalism ● In England, several political changes in the 12th and 13th centuries helped to weaken feudalism. ● King Henry II’s Legal Reforms - People had to be formally charged with a crime and must have a trial before a royal judge this took power away from the feudal lords who acted as judges; clergy were also now tried in royal government, weakening the power of the Church ● King John and the Magna Carta - Angry nobles forced King John to put a royal seal on a document called the Magna Carta (1215) The document confirmed the traditional rights of the nobles and the Church would be observed, and no free man would be jailed except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land ● King Edward and the Model Parliament - King Edward called together a governing body called the Model Parliament, including Commoners, Church Officials, and Nobles - this was a major step in including more people in government and giving a voice to common people. ● Ultimately, these changes contributed to a decline in feudalism in two ways: ○ Royal authority was strengthened in some cases - thereby weakening the role of nobles ○ Power started to shift to the common people, as well. ● BYZANTINE EMPIRE ○ Emperors in the Byzantine Empire ■ The emperors of the Byzantine Empire ruled independently, but they did consult advisors, their court, and the Church on important matters ■ One of the most well-known emperors of the Byzantine Empire was Justinian I ○ Justinian I ■ Early in Justinian’s reign, a revolt broke out against his rule in Constantinople. After putting down the revolt, Justinian was determined to rebuild Constantinople on a grand scale. ○ Law in the Byzantine Empire ■ Theodora - Justinian’s wife - gave many rights to women in the Byzantine Empire, such as property ownership, business rights, divorce rights, etc ■ She put policies into effect about violence against women and gave them a right to an education ● The contributions from the Byzantine Empire’s legal system were a foundation of many modern-day human rights laws. ● ISLAMIC EMPIRE ○ Arabia: Before Islam ■ The Islamic Empire began as the monotheistic religion of Islam grew and attracted more followers ● Monotheistic: Believing in one god ■ Most people were nomadic and living in tribes/clans ■ There was no central government - power was scattered among the clans and tribes. ■ Tribes fought frequently with each other for land. ■ Most people practice various polytheistic religions (believing in MANY gods) ■ Many people did share a common language ○ The Spread of the Islamic Caliphate ■ When Muhammad died in 632, most of southern and central Arabia was under the control of the Muslims. After Muhammad’s death, they needed a new leader to preserve the community. ■ The Four “Rightly Guided” Caliphs - The leaders of the Muslim community became known as caliphs. ● Abu Bakr (r. 632-634): Muhammad’s friend and father-in-law; used force to reunite his community - Successfully spread the Islamic Empire to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula ● Umar (r. 634-644): Expanded the empire through conquest, spreading religion and giving Muslims more access to land, resources, and goods; he set up governments and tax collection in his new land. He taxed Jews and Christians but allowed them to practice their faith within their homes and houses of worship ● Uthman (r. 644-656): Third caliph after Umar’s death, came from the Umayyad clan. He oversaw the creation of an official edition of the Qur’an, unifying Muslims across the empire - However, many didn’t like him, because he gave positions in government to his relatives - rebels killed him. ● Ali ibn Abi Talib (r. 656 - 661): Fourth caliph, some did not like him, which led to a civil war. He beat the opposition in battle once, and he negotiated an ending in the second battle. ○ This negotiation caused some people to stop supporting him as their leader ○ The Great Divide: Who Should Rule? ■ After Ali’s death, the leader of the Umayyad clan, Mu’awiyah, claimed control of the caliphate. ● The people who supported him as their leader - Sunnis ● The people who did not support him and thought that only Muhammad’s descendants should be leader - Shia ● This divide still exists today ○ Law in the Islamic Empire ■ Religion influencing law ● The caliph emerged as the political and religious leader, so they had certain expectations to protect and preserve the religion, while also running the empire politically, using the Qur’an and the Sunnah ○ Qur’an: Holy book that contains the words of God, as told to Muhammad ○ Sunnah: Guiding book - a collection of Muhammad’s actions to set as an example for how Muslims live their lives. ○ Shari’ah in the Islamic Empire ■ As leaders of the Islamic Empire, the caliphs had both religious and political expectations to follow when making decisions ■ Shari’ah applies to everyone living within the Islamic Empire and helps Muslims live by the teachings of the Qur’an ● Shari’ah: Islamic Law ● WEST AFRICA ○ Three Kingdoms in West Africa ■ GHANA: 500-1200s CE ■ MALI: 1240-1460s CE ■ SONGHAI: 1460s-1590s CE ○ From Trading Centers to Kingdoms ■ Rulers of larger trading centers became very wealthy from taxing the trade that occurred there ● With that money, the could afford to develop a large army ● As they conquered more lands, the rulers collected tributes, making them even more wealthy ● Tribute: Payment from one ruler to another ruler, given for protection or as a sign of submission ○ Ghana’s King ■ Head of the army, led people in religious worship, wealthy due to control of the gold trade, had a group of officials who helped him govern ■ When the king died, the son of the king’s sister was heir to the throne because the royal inheritance was matrilineal ● Matrilineal: A family line traced through the mother or female relative ■ To preserve his wealth, the king tightly controlled the supply of gold. All the gold nuggets found in the kingdom had to be given to the king. ○ Ghana’s Military ■ Ghana’s military included a regular army, reserve forces, and elite soldiers; every man in the empire was required to complete military training ● Regular Army: Kept borders secure, maintained peace and order ● Reserve Forces: Called upon during wartime ● Elite Soldiers: Bodyguards to the king, Military advisors to the king ○ Islam Spreads into West Africa ■ The religion of Islam spread into West Africa during the 8th century due to Trans-Saharan trade ■ The West African kingdoms began to blend their traditional laws and legal system with the Islamic laws and legal system ■ Muslim rulers in West Africa adopted some of the Islamic forms of government and law, bringing about changes to traditional West African practices ● Succession became patrilineal ● West African kings’ power increased and local chiefs grew less important ● Shari’ah replaced customary law ○ Patrilineal: Family line traced through the father or male relative ● CHINA ○ China: An Imperial Government ■ China was first unified under one emperor during the 3rd century BCE ■ Historians refer to that period of time as Imperial China since China was under the rule of an emperor (or occasionally an empress). ■ Imperial: Referring to a government under the control of an emperor or an empress ○ China’s Earlier Political History ■ The Chinese believed that the role of the emperor was chosen by the Mandate of Heaven - the idea that Heaven chose who ruled China, and supported the dynasty as long as they ruled well ■ Earlier dynasties like the Han Dynasty used bureaucracy to help the emperor rule and make decisions. This included a large number of government workers with different skills and levels of authority ○ The Civil Service Exam ■ During the Han Dynasty, the emperor started using a civil service examination to improve bureaucracy ● The tests had questions on Chinese classics, poetry, and legal and administrative issues - were based on the ideas of Confucius. ■ Civil Service Examination: A test given as qualification for positions in the government ● During the Tang Dynasty any man could attend the university where students prepared for the exams. However, in reality, only the wealthy could afford tutors, books, and time to study. ○ This favored aristocrats ● JAPAN ○ Government in Early Japan: Not Unified ■ Early on, in the late 500s and early 600s, Japan was not a unified country ● Very rural, dependent on agriculture ■ Not a strong central government even though there was an emperor; power was divided among the clans ■ Each clan controlled its own land ● Uji: Japanese clans (or family tribes) ○ One Clan Rises to Power ■ One clan became powerful enough to gain control over most of Japan from the Yamato region on the island of Honshu ● Empress Suiko and her nephew Prince Shotoku ■ Japanese rulers adopted new ideas about government from China ● He created ranks for government officials based on their ability and drafted a set of guidelines known as the Seventeen Article Constitution ○ Power Shifts to Aristocrats ■ During the 9th century a powerful aristocracy developed in Japan. Members of noble families began to hold all the high positions in the government rather than it being based on ability ■ Real power began to shift from the emperor to aristocratic families ● Most important of the families was the Fujiwara ● Never actually rulers of Japan they found other ways to gain power ○ Married many of their daughters into the royal family ○ Sons of Fujiwara wives were chosen as emperors ○ Advisors to the emperor ○ Regents to young emperors