The Middle Ages Around the World (600 to 1450 CE)
In Europe, the fall of the western Roman Empire led to the creation of a number of small kingdoms, each of which eventually adopted Christianity as a state religion, and then developed their own languages (mostly either Romantic or Germanic) and traditions. In the Near East, the continued presence of the eastern Roman Empire-- the Byzantine Empire-- remained a powerful force ... at least until the expansion of Islam and the creation of the Islamic Caliphates. The spread of Islam would have an enormous impact on Africa as well, as the creation of empires in West Africa and city-states in East Africa bring Africa more fully into contact with the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere. In South Asia, there is a period of fragmentation-- similar to that in Europe-- but in the Far East, the Han dynasty gives way to a series of dynasties which bring about a Golden Age in Chinese innovation. In the middle of it all, we see burgeoning ocean trade in the Indian Ocean, along with continued land trade (Silk Road, Gold-Salt Trade). Oh! And also ... wait for it ... THE MONGOLS! And then, at the very end of it, we start to see the Renaissance.
AFRICA:
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ASIA:
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EUROPE:
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