Deck 13: B: The Worlds of the Fifteenth Century

Question 1

What were the distinctive features of gathering and hunting societies,agricultural village societies,and pastoral societies?

Answer 1

•Gathering and hunting societies
oAbsence of agriculture
oMastered environment sufficiently to obtain necessary resources
oExamples of practices of societies in Australia and the northwest coast of North America
•Agricultural village societies
oFully agricultural but not part of empires or civilizations
oLack of cities and states
oKinship relations important
oNo significant political oppression,class inequalities,seclusion of women
oExamples: Igbo and Iroquois
•Pastoral societies
oSteppe pastoralists who herded animals
oExamples: Timur's empire,the Fulbe

Question 2

How did women's lives in the Afro-Eurasian world compare to women's lives in the Americas?

Answer 2

•Women's lives were more restricted in the Afro-Eurasian world,where patriarchal systems and values confined women to the home.Example: Instructions for women written by Chinese empresses emphasized traditional expectations for women.
•There were some exceptions,notably Christine de Pizan.
•In parts of Africa,women faced fewer restrictions.
•In the Americas,a system of gender parallelism prevailed.
•In the Inca Empire,women served as priests and officials.

Question 3

Compare and contrast the Confucian revival in Ming China and the Renaissance in Europe.

Answer 3

•Similarities
oBoth looked to the past for inspiration and models: China to the Han,Tang,and Song dynasties;Europe to classical Greece and Rome.
oBoth produced art and literature representative of the period.
•Differences
oIn China,the Confucian revival was based on the belief that perfection had already been achieved in the past.The goal was to recapture that perfection in the present.In this regard,it was a conservative movement that affirmed past tradition and did not challenge prevailing ideas.
oIn Europe,the Renaissance imitation of Greco-Roman models was an attempt to surpass them.Although the Renaissance did not challenge religion,the humanism that marked Renaissance creativity contributed to an increasing secularism.
oAlthough both movements mostly involved and benefited wealthy male elites,women did participate.In China,two empresses wrote instructions for women,emphasizing traditional expectations.In Europe,however,Christine de Pizan in her City of Ladies challenged notions of female inferiority and called for equal education for women.
oIn China,the Confucian revival was in reaction to foreign influence.
oIn Europe,Renaissance artists and scholars sought inspiration from outside,in particular the Islamic world.

Question 4

How did the Inca Empire's treatment of conquered peoples differ from that of the Aztec Empire?

Question 5

What were the key webs or networks of influence,communication,and exchange through which peoples of the fifteenth century interacted?

Question 6

What features differentiated the four Islamic empires in the fifteenth century?

Question 7

What powers did the Great Law of Peace give to the Iroquois League of Five Nations?

Question 8

Which groups in Western Europe supported overseas exploration,and what were their motivations?