Revival of Trade and Commerce in the Middle Ages

During the postclassical age, empires expanded and religions were spread. Christianity is a monotheistic religion that was already present, but Islam, another monotheistic religion emerged during the 7th century. The rapid expansion of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties resulted in the spread and rapid conversion of this religion. Some of the effects of this cross cultural interactions between 600-1450 CE included the Afro Eurasian Trade Network as it facilitated the spread of Islam and technology, the conversion to Islam by civilians as the basis of the religion was equality and the Great Schism which split the church permanently into Catholic and Orthodox churches.

“No nation was ever ruined by trade.” This quote was said by Benjamin Franklin in the late 1700s. These words are so simple, and it seems like anyone could have said them. However, this quote has a bigger meaning in that throughout world history, trade has been so important to so many countries and it has led to many empires successes. It has occurred for a very long time, and it has progressed dramatically. Trade has changed a lot, but some parts of trade stayed the same over a long periods of time. In the era between 300 CE and 1450 CE, trade between Eurasia and Africa changed because the empires and kingdoms in power were replaced and their control over trade differed;

The rise of Christianity and Islam happened during a turbulent time in history, when major civilizations like the Roman Empire and the Persian Empire were in decline due to political infighting, disease, and outside barbarians constantly applying pressure. Christianity was adopted in the heart of the Roman Empire, as a way to continue the influence of Rome, while not being able to control all of Europe militarily. (Rise of Christianity, 2012) Therefore, early Christianity, as adopted by Rome, was about maintaining influence in the continent through the use of priests and monarchs under a feudalist system of control. The main benefit of Christianity came from its use of Latin and the Bible, a common language across the old Roman Empire, as well as a new technology in books that enabled priests to record extremely deep and convincing stories in an easily index able format. The Roman pagan religion used tablets for its mode of communication, tablets which could not hold very much information at all, and that lost legitimacy compared to the life of Jesus and the depth of the biblical writing style. Christianity rose during an age of danger in Europe, and the feudal system with knights and castles was simply the most beneficial system of governance that humanity had. (Stark, 1996)

If there was ever an important period historians, and people could put a finger on, this would be it. This is the important period where the world’s countries, kingdoms, and dynasties established trade routes. This is the period where countries were made and countries were destroyed because of the importance of trade and the importance of building a fundamental, religious, and economical way of life. This paper will discuss the goals and functions of trades, and traders, and a historical analysis of world trade. This paper will also get into world trade patterns, of The Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Indian Ocean, The Silk routes, China and The South China Sea, Europe and The Mediterranean, and The Atlantic Exploration.

The changes that took place regarding trade between 300-1450 impact other parts of history. One effect of the occurrence of trade in this region was the

Three new major religions developed and spread around the same time as the decline of the classical empires. These tree religions were Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam. As government declines, people began to strive for a more spiritual like and to seek joy. So, people turned to these religions. Buddhism spread through the bodhisattvas. As it spread and gained popularity, different versions of Buddhism formed in certain areas, like Mahayana Buddhism. Christianity spread through the teaching of monks and religious leaders. It became very popular because it appealed to all social classes. It offered a spiritual like, seeking the divine all-powerful force, which appealed to the wealthy. But, it also promoted the beauty of a simple life and spiritual equality, so the lower classes were fond of the new religion. Islam spread when the Arab armies fought to convert people to their religion. Islam had a huge impact in the civilizations in the Middle

During the time period between 600 and 1750, economic and social continuities and changes impacted Western Europe immensely. One particular economic alteration was the decline of feudal manoralism, prevalent in the early medieval era, as a result of the restoration of commerce following the Crusades. Another major change was the socioeconomic impact of the Age of Exploration circa 1500, which would establish European Hegemony. While economic transforma-tions occurred throughout Western Europe, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church was

The Crusades required soldiers to travel across the Mediterranean Sea to reach Jerusalem. Hence, Italian merchants built fleets to carry to Crusaders to the Holy Land. According to the Description of the Economic Impact of the Crusades, after the crusades, Italian merchants “used those fleets to open new markets” and “kept these trade routes open” (Document 2). When the Crusaders came back from the Holy Land, new items such as sugar, cotton, and rice entered Europe for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. Once Europeans were exposed to luxuries, they wanted more and more. Trade increased all throughout Europe, and the West entered a period of economic expansion. However, not only did Europe experience perks from the crusades, but so did the Muslims. The passage Description of some of the Effects of the Crusades describes how Muslim rulers “encouraged trade with European businessmen” (Document 5). Because Europe was in desperate need of the Islamic Empire’s sugar, cotton, and rice, Islam markets experienced new wealth and riches. Thus, both Europe and the Muslim Empire benefited from an increase in

Tommy Herod AP World History Mr. Thurman 3 November 2014 Continuities and Changes in Western Europe In Western Europe from 600-1200 there were several continuities such as the continuation of the Roman Catholic Church. The pope had jurisdiction over the clergy and all church property. Another continuity was that Western Europe was divided into small kingdoms and never returned to its original state.

In the High Middle ages (after 1000 A.D) and beyond there were major political, economic and intellectual changes that happed across Europe. The changes helped bring about new eras to the European landscape. As Europe was brought into these new eras, it thus brought upon the end of the Dark Ages.

During the 1400's Europe underwent through significant economic, cultural and political changes. The Renaissance, period which began around the 1300's and ended nearby the 1700s, brought with it the rise of powerful Nations. Advances in the technological area drove Europeans to be able to develop navigation instruments, ships, and guns. Those new implements determined the beginning of the exploration and colonization period. Africans used to have a well-established trade system, however, the arrival of the Europeans altered such system.

The beginning of the Middle Ages (500-1050) can be defined by the disintegration of the Roman Empire in the fifth century AD, the establishment of Germanic kingdoms, and the rise of Christianity. New European civilizations emerged (Byzantine, Islam, and Western Europe) that integrated Christian, Greco-Roman, and Germanic elements. In the east, Byzantine and Islam were culturally and economically superior to Latin Christendom, due to Germanic invasions. In the fifth century, German tribes began to found kingdoms on what was once land that belonged to Rome. Germanic leaders, although attracted to Roman rule and culture, were unable to maintain Greco-Roman culture. The Roman Empire had been organized around cities that were economic, cultural, and political centers. Germanic Tribes were unprepared culturally to save the dying civilization. Urban life declined, and shifted to a primarily rural focus. Eventually, Roman law began to fade and Greek language almost vanished completely. During this time of cultural decline, the church rose to power, which had retained and preserved most elements of Greco-Roman civilization. The church

Trade was the backbone that held society up. Furthermore, this trade collapse caused a lack of culture. People started to steer away from their native cultures. This also caused a lack of education. More people became illiterate, making it increasingly difficult to learn and communicate (“The Dark Ages”). Most of all, a new social order arose from the trade collapse. This new order was Feudalism, where there was a social hierarchy. Peasants, serfs, served the lords and his nobles (“The Dark Ages: Really So Dark?”). This emphasizes the major importance of trade in Europe, and the medieval peoples would be nowhere without it.

By The Middle Ages, one understands a relatively long historical period extending from the end of the Roman Empire to the 1500's. The conquest of The Roman Empire by Germanic tribes, and synthesis of Germanic and Roman ways of life formed the civilization which we call medieval (medieval-from Latin words; medium (middle) and aevum (age)). Medieval civilization was greatly influenced by the Muslims in Spain and The Middle East, and by Byzantine Empire and Christians in Southeast Europe.

Christianity played a major role throughout the Middle Ages in society and politics. The Middle Ages, classified from 600 AD to 1350 AD, was significantly effected by Christianity because of the impact it had on the daily lives of people of the time. The beginning of the Early Middle Ages, after the Fall of Rome in 476 AD and the period known as the Dark Ages, the reorganization of the empire brought a desire for faith and religion, primarily Christianity. This trend of Christian importance was apparent until 1350, when the Black Death caused the end of a systematized era. The church is often viewed, during this period of time, as a center of corruption, greed, and evil, with materialistic popes and