EUROPE 8TH TO 18TH CENTURY
6. Arabs invaded Eastern Empire defeated Constantine XI
1. Roman Empire began from 117 AD established trading
relations with Afro-Asian countries.
2. Major Regions:
A. Western Roman Empire: Iberia, France, southern Britain,
Italy, North Africa and parts of Germany. Rome was capital.
B. Eastern Roman Empire: Balkans, Turkey, the Levant and
Egypt. Constantinople was capital.
3. Slav and Germanic Tribes invaded the Western Rome by 575
A.D. deposed Western Emperor Romulus Augustus.
4. They built marriage ties and settled in Eastern Roman Empire
caused mixed religious group.
5. Western part was catholic Christian dominant that became
cosmopolitan.
Palaeologus Syria, Egypt and till 575 AD.
7. Ottoman Emperor captured Constantinople (Isthambol) by
1453 and blocked sea route reaching India.
8. Meanwhile Roman Empire lost trading, prosperity and turned
towards cultivating land during 6th 10th century.
9. The Dark Age: during 6th to 10th century Romans were busy
cultivating land, detached from trading world with no novelty.
10. Renaissance: New literature, new compositions, industrial
evolution, sharing of culture and trading gave rise to criticism
to Greek Orthodox.
11. Kings followed hierarchical order taking military assistance
from Knighthoods, Nobles and Feudal Lords.
12. Feudal Lords quarrelled among themselves receiving land
from kings collected tax.
13. Feudal Lords provided them cavalries and infantry in turn of
land granted to them.
14. Serfdoms or peasantry class were not free from Feudal Lords
or their Manorial Rules.
15. Pope became more dominant than king led to conflict when he
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 interfered in royal feudal matters and caused anarchy.
The Arabs
1. Islam was founded in 7th century Caliphs were the religious
chief to Islam consisting Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Egypt North
Africa and Spain.
2. By 8th Islamic caliphs fought a civil war displaced caliph of
Damascus in Syria and established new dynasty Abbasids.
3. Baghdad was made capital of Abbasid dynasty followed only
Prophet Muhammad Pai Gambar.
5. Baghdad included North Africa, Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Mecca,
Medina, Persia, Arabia and Azerbaijan.
6. Abbasids and merchants-controlled Constantinople route and
provided protection in turn earned wealth.
7. Arabs established trading monopoly received gold from North
Africa introduced Gold and Silver Dinars currencies.
8. al-Mamun and Harun-al-Rashid were the most famous caliphs
under them extended borders adopted scientific inventions and
advanced administrations.
9. al-Mamun caliphs set up ‘House of Wisdom’, ‘bait-ul-hikmat’ at
Baghdad converted scientific works into Arabic.
10. Chinese inventions like compass, paper, printing, gunpowder
reached Europe through Arabs.
11. Venetian traveller Marco Polo, travelled to China to destroy
the Arabs monopoly over Chinese European trading.
Indian Contributions in Arabs
1. Arabs contacted Indian through Sindh and adopted decimal
system in 9th by Arab Mathematician al-Khwarizmi.
2. Indian Decimal System was introduced in Europe by a monk
Abelard as Arab Numeral System.
3. Knowledge about Indian Astronomy and Mathematics were
translated in Arab. Eg. Surya Siddhanta, Charak Samhita,
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 Shushruta Samhita.
4. Sanskrit literary works like Kahl awa Dimma (Panchtantra)
were translated into Arabic that formed the basis for Aesop’s
Fables in the West.
5. Arabs developed ship building technology which could sail
through open seas, Arabian works, travelogues include Indian
History.
6. Development in Spain, Egypt, Yemen, Arabian Peninsula,
Khorasan and Syria are counted under Arabs Achievement since
their intellectual and learned works were in Arabic language.
7. Arab science was declined till 12th AD due to political and
economic development, Fall of Arab dynasty, Orthodox Islamic
conversion and ignorance towards science.
ARABS: S. AFRICA, CHINA, SOUTH EAST ASIA
1. Arabs brought Africa more closely into Indian Ocean and
Middle East Trade.
2. Arabs traded slaves, gold and ivory into East coast of Africa,
Malindi, Zanzibar.
3. S. Africa was under Ethiopian Kingdom called as Habshis traded
with Byzantine Empire as both were Christians.
4. Meanwhile Arabs under Sultan Mahamad defeated Byzantine
captured Constantinople (Isthambul).
5. Hence Ethiopian Kingdom was weakened due to frequent
invasions of Arabs.
ARABS: CHINA, SOUTH EAST ASIA
1. China was under Tang dynasty in 8th and 9th century extended
its empire till Sinkiang in Central Asia included Kashgar.
2. Sinking is also known as Zinziang where ethnic Turks lived
were exploited by Chinese Tang dynasty.
3. Chinese exported silk, quality porcelain, works in jade a
semiprecious stone to West Asia, Europe and India through silk
route.
4. Foreign traders like Arabs, Persian, Indian came to South China
and settled down in Canton.
5. Tang dynasty ended up till 9th AD then Sung dynasty enthroned
by 10th century followed by the invasions of Mongols.
6. Mongols unified North and South China brought death and
destruction.
7. They controlled Tonkin (North Vietnam), Annam (South
Vietnam), North Korea and established one largest empire in
the East Asia.
8. Venetian traveller Marco Polo spent long time in the court of
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 Mongol dynasty Qubalai Khan left vivid travelogue.
9. Marco Polo returned Italy (Venice) through Malabar (Kerala)
stayed there and left account of their kingdom.
ARABS: SOUTH EAST ASIA
1. It was under two dynasties Sailendra and Kamboja while
Sailendra included Sri Vijaya Empire flourished in 10th century.
2. Sri Vijaya Empire included Sumatra, Java, Malaya, parts of Siam
(Thailand) and even the Philippine East Asia.
3. Majapahit Empire ascended after Sri Vijaya in 11th Century and
made Palembang his capital located in Sumatra.
4. Palembang became the Sanskrit and Buddhist centre where
many Chinese and Indian scholars visited it.
5. Palembang had Borobodar temple in Java a Buddhist mountain
carved temple.
6. It is mounted by stupa with 9 stone terraces and depicted
scenes of Ramyana and Mahabharata epics.
7. Hindu religion subordinated to Baudha in India whereas it
became dominant in East Asia.
Kamboja Empire
1. It extended over Cambodia and Annam (South Vietnam) also
built nearly 200 temples.
2. Ankor Wat is the largest temple about 3 Km. depicted scenes of
Mahabharata and Ramayana epics built in 10th to 12th AD
3. Many Indian traders, Brahmans and Buddhists went to South
China.
4. Buddhism travelled from India to China, Korea and then to
Japan.
5. Arabs converted their Buddhists, Turkey Christians into Islam
established strong position with extreme Islam.
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