Governance
Developments
Key People
Modern Connections
100
While the specifics vary, nearly every major state in the world from 1200-1450 is some form of this type of government, led ultimately by a king or a queen.
What is a monarchy?
100
The domestication of this animal opened new possibilities for trade across the Sahara.
What is the Arabian camel?
100
This Venetian explorer's Book of the Marvels of the World was widely read in Europe after its publication - Christopher Columbus brought his annotated copy with him on his first voyage across the Atlantic, and it is is likely why he was expecting to find a wealthy Indian trade route.
Who is Marco Polo?
100
After being criticized for decades by the Chinese Communist Party, and having his tomb destroyed in 1967 during the anti-religious crackdown of the Cultural Revolution, President Xi Jinping changed the government's tone on this sage in 2014, praising his role in developing the country historically, and endorsing his study in the modern day.
Who is Confucius?
200
For centuries in China and Korea, government officials were selected by these, which were based primarily on the Confucian Classics - a series of books commonly attributed to the namesake figure.
What are the imperial examinations?
200
The development of the lateen sail and the astrolabe were two contributions to the Indian Ocean Trade from the Arab world - another essential development was the advance knowledge of this natural phenomenon.
What are the monsoon winds?
200
Hojo Tokimune certainly had some support from the elements (or the gods, hence the first usage of the word kamikaze - 'divine wind'), but he is one of few who successfully fended off these attackers, in both 1274 and 1281.
Who are the Mongols?
200
In 2021, Ulaanbaatar's Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport was replaced by a newly built facility named for this man, in honor of the 800th anniversary of his establishment of the Mongolian state.
Who is Chinggis Khan (Genghis Khan)?
300
The Aztec (or Mexica) Empire revolved around various semi-independent city-states paying tribute to Tenochtitlan, which is today this most populous city in North America.
What is Mexico City?
300
The first usage of paper money, known also as flying money, first occurred under this Mongol-led Chinese dynasty.
What is the Yuan Dynasty?
300
The introduction of this form of Mahayana Buddhism to China is traditionally attributed to the 6th century Indian or Central Asian monk Bodhidharma.
What is Chan/Zen Buddhism?
300
In spite of having been born on the opposite side of the world over 800 years ago, Rumi, the most famous of these Islamic mystics, has been the best-selling poet in the United States for several years of the last two decades.
Who are the Sufis?
400
As the Mongol Empire expanded, local systems of government were incorporated along the way. This Mongol successor state culturally aligned itself with local Islamic leadership, and maintained Persian officials in most day-to-day positions.
What is the Ilkhanate? (Or the Ilkhanids?)
400
These people established many of the caravanserai towns in Central Asia, with their culture and language becoming prominent throughout the trade routes in that area.
Who are the Sogdians?
400
Chen Zuyi, who developed a fearsome reputation as a pirate along the Straits of Malacca, was killed along with 5,000 of his men in a 1407 naval battle by the fleet of this man.
Who is Zheng He?
400
In 2013, this online marketplace - logo pictured below - was shut down by the FBI in one of the first law enforcement operations on the dark web. Over 173,000 bitcoins were seized, worth over 20 billion dollars today, and if the double life sentence for founder Ross Ulbricht is to be believed, more than just luxury goods were being exchanged.
What is Silk Road?
500
Czar Alexander II of Russia became known as "The Good Czar" or "Alexander the Liberator" for ending this institution in 1861, which had existed in Russia for centuries, and which had bound most of the population of Europe to the agricultural land which they worked for the majority of the medieval era.
What is serfdom?
500
Champa rice, a revolution in agricultural production throughout South and East Asia, gets its name for the region of this modern-day country where it originated.
What is Vietnam?
500
Al Muta'sim, who was killed by the Mongols in 1258, was the final ruler of this state - his death marked the end of an era, being the first time in centuries that the region would go without an entity of its kind.
What is the Abbasid Caliphate?
500
The Great Mosque of Djenné, a medieval example of cultural communication in this country, is replastered annually - an essential piece of maintenance for buildings made of adobe, or mud bricks - as seen here in 2019.
What is Mali?