Unit
II Migrations
The era from 600 to 1450 C.E. was a time when civilization spread
geographically, covering many more parts of the world than previously. However,
it was also a time of great migrations of people that had wide impacts on the
people in settled areas. Arabs, Vikings, Turks, and Mongols, Turks all moved
from one part of the globe to another, instigating change wherever they went.
- Arabs - The most
significant effect of the Arab movement from the Arabian Peninsula was the
spread of Islam. Arabs invaded, settled, and eventually ruled, the Middle
East, northern Africa, and southern Europe. Although the political
structure of the caliphate did not survive, Islam held the areas together
culturally as it mixed with natively customs and religions. Despite the
political disunity and the splits between Sunni and Shi'a, the Islamic
World emerged as an entire cultural area during this era.
- Vikings - The Vikings
swept into many parts of Europe - from Normandy, to Mediterranean areas to
Russia - during the 8th and 9th centuries, looting and destroying
communities, churches, and monasteries. Some settled and intermarried with
natives, forming new groups such as the Normans and the Rus (Russians).
However, a very important consequence of their invasions was the
development of feudalism in Europe. The attacks convinced Europeans that
protection was vital, and so they organized into a network of lords and
vassals, that eventually built kingdoms with great armies ready to fight.
- Turks - The Turkish
people were originally Indo-Europeans who migrated into the Middle East
during various times of the era. The Seljuk Turks invaded the Byzantine
Empire, sparking another great migration from Europe to the Middle East -
the Crusaders. Seljuk Turks were indirectly responsible, then, for
Europe's growing interest and involvement in long-distance trade. By the
end of the era the Ottoman Turks were on the rise. They captured
Constantinople and many other parts of Europe, and they gained control of
trade on the Mediterranean. Turks even invaded India, forming the Delhi
Sultanate, and introduced Islam to India with such force that the
consequences reverberated though the rest of Indian history.
- Mongols - The Mongol
conquests have been depicted as assaults by savage and barbarian people
who brought nothing but death and destruction to the areas they attacked.
Whereas no one can deny the brutality of the Mongols, their conquests had
a much more varied impact on world history than has been acknowledged by
many historians in the past. At the peak of their power, the Pax Mongolica
meant that once-hostile people lived together in peace in areas where most
religions were tolerated. From the Il-Khan in the Middle East to the Yuan
Dynasty in China, Mongol rulers established order, and most importantly,
provided the stage for intensified international contact. Protected by
Mongol might, the trade routes carried new foods, inventions, and ideas
from one civilization to ther others, with nomadic people acting as
intermediaries.
- Bantu-speaking people
- Another important source of cultural diffusion during this era was the
Bantu Migration, which took place in Africa. Bantu-speaking people
originally lived in an area south of the Sahara, but probably because the
desert was spreading southward they began to migrate to better land. They
spread south and east into many parts of Africa, and their language became
a basis for the formation of many later languages. The Bantu Migration is
generally believed to be a major source for Africanity, or a set of
cultural characteristics (including language) that are commonly shared on
the continent. Examples include music, the use of masks, and scarification
(permanent beauty etchings on the skin).