Postclassical Empires
Analyze the Byzantine Empire, Islamic caliphates, Tang and Song China, Mongol Empire, and regional states through governance and exchange.
A lesson of World History, in Belief Systems and Exchange Networks, about 10 minutes.
Postclassical Empires: Islam, China, Byzantium, and Medieval Europe
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe the major postclassical empires and states (c. 600–1450 CE), explain how each maintained power and prosperity, and compare their political structures, economic systems, and cultural achievements.
The Postclassical World
After the fall of classical empires (Rome, Han, Gupta), new empires emerged that were shaped by the spread of world religions, intensified trade, and new political systems. The period c. 600–1450 CE is called "postclassical" — characterized by:
- Expansion of Islam as both religion and political force
- Revival and expansion of Chinese imperial power
- Byzantine preservation of Roman institutions
- Emergence of feudal kingdoms in Western Europe
The Islamic Caliphates
Context: Islam emerged in Arabia (622 CE). Within 100 years, Arab Muslim armies had conquered the Middle East, North Africa, Persia, and parts of Spain and South Asia.
Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE):
- Capital: Damascus
- Rapid territorial expansion — largest empire to that point
- Arabic made official language; non-Muslims paid jizya (tax), generally tolerated
- Fell to internal revolt
Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258 CE):
- Capital: Baghdad — the world's largest city by 800 CE
- Golden Age of Islamic learning: House of Wisdom, advances in mathematics, medicine, philosophy, astronomy
- Trade networks linked the Islamic world from Spain to Central Asia
- Declined through fragmentation and Mongol conquest of Baghdad (1258)
Key contributions: algebra (al-Khwarizmi), optics (Ibn al-Haytham), medicine (Ibn Sina / Avicenna), preservation and transmission of Greek knowledge.
Tang and Song China
Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE):
- Reunified China after centuries of division
- Equal-field system distributed land to peasants; merit-based civil service via examinations
- Cosmopolitan capital Chang'an — the world's largest city; welcomed foreign merchants, religions (Buddhism, Islam, Nestorian Christianity)
- Expanded into Central Asia; lost to Arab forces at Battle of Talas (751)
Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE):
- Smaller territory than Tang but extraordinary economic growth: "proto-industrial" output
- Innovations: gunpowder weapons, printing with movable type, magnetic compass, paper money