User:Atcovi/HIS 111-A26: World Civilization Pre-1500 CE (SP23)/Ch 11

1. What were the key differences between the Sunni Ottoman Empire and the Shia Safavid Empire?

'''The Sunni Ottomans adhered to Sunni Islam while the Safavids adhered to Shiite Islam. The Ottomans were Turks while the Safavids were Persians. The Sunnis believed leadership is based on the strongest qualities of the individual while the Shias believed that leadership was based on lineage. Ottomans were known for their tolerance while the Safavids were not, albeit the latter were better in architecture.'''

3. What impact did the plagues have on China, India, Central Asia, and Europe, respectively?

'''The Black Death possessed a death rate of 65% throughout its course and completely changed the course of European history (including religious history). The plague's effect in China & for the Mongols put the idea of "mandate to heaven" to the test. This resulted in religious splits/various religious movements, including the Red Turban movement. During the time of the bubonic plague (not the 1800s plague), there isn't evidence it effected 14th century India severely ('''https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22080795/). 4. Why plagues so devastating? Why did they not dissipate more quickly?

'''The disease was highly contagious and spread by small rodents (so spread quickly and somewhat undetected). Medical knowledge during this point in time wasn't as advanced as it is today, so people did not know how to properly react to such a catastrophe. The world, during that time, was very much connected with each other through trading -- which made spreading the disease easier and faster.'''

5. Can parallels be made between the spread of the plagues and the spread of HIV/AIDS? Tuberculosis?

You can make a paralle between the two in that they are both diseases that caused massive disruption in the daily lives of people + both deal with viruses that, initially, people did not know how to deal with.

9. What does the word renaissance mean?

'''The word renaissance means "rebirth". It is a French word that is most popularly used for the time period between 1430 and 1550 where a massive revival in literature and art took place and was anchored by the church, government and wealthy bankers.'''

20. What complicated governments' ability to restore the political order in Afro-Eurasia in the aftermath of the Black Death and Mongol invasions?

'''The Black Death returned periodically and the extreme impact of the plague caused massive collapses of governments and religious institutions throughout. The claim of "mandate to heaven" was severely tarnished due to the plague, which enforced rulers to use different tactics to keep people under their rule (the Ottomans used Islam to convince people to be under their representation).'''

21. What factors contributed to the spread of the plague throughout Europe?

'''Rodents, including infected rats and fleas, were able to transmit the virus faster as they moved quick and would go undetected (due to their size). People also were not knowledge medically (hence lack of proper quarantining) and the trade system made the virus easier to spread.'''