500 C.E. to 1500 C.E. - SAT Subject Test in World History

The Kingdom of Ghana existed in the belt of West Africa that is rainforest. This is different to the rest of Africa which is either grassland (savannah) or desert.

The Kingdom of Ghana collapsed around the thirteenth century due to weakening administration and conflict with surrounding peoples. In its wake a number of new kingdoms arose, but none more prominent than the Mali Empire. Centered around the capital of Timbuktu the Mali Empire grew rapidly in wealth, land and prominence. The most famous King of the Mali Empire was Mansa Musa who famously made a pilgramage to Mecca and gave away so much gold that he crumbled the Egyptian economy.

Mali's time as a hegemonic power in West Africa was relatively short lived and their fall from grace coincided with the rise of the Songhai Empire. The Songhai Empire was centered around its capital in Gao. The height of the Songhai Empire was the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The most famous rulers of Songhai were Askia and Sunni Ali.

The West African Kingdoms of Mali and Songhai were Islamic Kingdoms. The Kings of both Empires made pilgrimages to Mecca, and Islamic law was enforced within their territories.

All of these regions and kingdoms became Islamic during the time period from 500 C.E. to 1500 C.E. except for the Kingdom of Ethiopia, which remained a stronghold of Christianity and continues to be predominantly Christian to this day.

In the centuries following the death of the prophet Muhammad, the Islamic faith spread through Sub-Saharan Africa largely as a result of Muslim traders pushing their caravan routes further and further into the heart of Africa. The Kingdoms of Mali and Songhai (to provide two prominent examples) embraced Islam during this time period.

Ibn Battuta lived during the fourteenth century. He is most widely known for his extensive travels throughout Africa and the rest of the known world.

Genghis Khan conquered most of Asia and portions of the Middle East, establishing the massive Mongol Empire by his death in 1227 from the Pacific Ocean to the Caspian Sea. Less than a hundred years later, his grandsons and eventual successors began fighting among themselves, dissolving into multiple Mongol principalities.

The Uyan Dynasty (also called the Yuan Dynasty) was founded by the Mongolian warlord Kublai Khan in 1271. Kublai Khan was the grandson of Genghis Khan, and he inherited a large swathe of Genghis’ massive territorial conquests. Kublai Khan established his capital at Beijing and proceeded to conquer and unify the rest of (what was at the time) China.

The Battle of Talas (751 C.E.) is an important battle in determining the direction of human history. It was fought between the westward expanding Tang Dynasty of China and the eastward expanding Muslim Caliphate of the Abbasids. It resulted in overwhelming victory for the Abbasids and halted the westward expansion of China permanently. It also allowed Islam to spread into Central Asia relatively unopposed and ensured Abbasid control of the Silk Road.

For several centuries Japanese society operated under a feudal structure very similar to that of Europe during the same time period. Vast areas were ruled over by daimyos who owned land and owed allegiance (in theory) only to the shogun. The samurai fought for the daimyo and the peasants worked the land.

The Khmer Empire was the dominant political power in Southeast Asia from the ninth century C.E. to the fifteenth century. The empire arose in modern-day Cambodia and at various times spread to incorporate parts of modern-day Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Famous Khmer rules include Jayavarman II and Suryavarman II.

The Chinese Mandate of Heaven suggests that the Chinese Emperor is divinely ordained to rule. This has the obvious implication that to challenge the power of the emperor would mean challenging someone with divine support. In Europe, this same philosophy was prevalent for much of the Middle Ages and the early period of Reformation. In Europe it was called "the divine right of kings."

The Mandate of Heaven was a government philosophy in China. The Mandate of Heaven effectively states that the Chinese Emperor is divinely chosen and supported.

The Yuan Dynasty ruled China from 1271-1368 and is notable for being the first dynasty established by foreigners in China. It was ruled by Mongolians, first under the famous Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis).

The Yuan Dynasty was established by Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis) in 1271 in China. The reign of the Yuan Dynasty lasted a little short of a hundred years before the Mongolians packed up and went home to rule over the much more manageable territory of Mongolia. It was replaced by the long-lasting Ming Dynasty.

The kings of Europe, even those unconcerned with the "spiritual gains" to be made through the Crusades, were generally in support of them. That is because the Crusades offered no direct threat to their power and meant that many of the young, quarrelsome nobles, who would otherwise engage themselves in costly wars in Europe, were sent away.

The Crusades negatively affected European society because they led directly to an increased persecution of the Jewish population of most European countries. The idea that young Christians should be dying in religious wars to liberate the Holy Land while the "enemies of Christ" continued to live among Christian societies was abhorrent to many, and pogroms and other massacres and persecutions of Jewish people increased in regularity.

The Third Crusade was waged from 1189 to 1192 and was an important part of the centuries-long attempt by Christian Europe to retake the Holy Land of Jerusalem from the Islamic Kingdoms. The Third Crusade was somewhat successful, although it failed in its main goal of retaking Jerusalem. It is sometimes called the "King's Crusade" because it was led by various kings of Europe, including Richard the Lionheart of England, Phillip II of France, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, and Leopold V of Austria.