Byzantine Empire Social Structure
Annotation 9: 1200 C.E. Social Structure of the Byzantine Empire (Theme 5)
The Byzantine Empire consisted of three different classes. The upper class included aristocrats, government officials, senior military officers, and large landowners. The middle class included merchants and owners of medium-sized landed properties. The lower class included people working under those of the upper class and the clergy. It was possible to move up the ladder to a different class through military service or accumulation of wealth over trade. Slaves were also a part of the society and they were not slaves for life. Many were freed after several years of service under their master or bravery in battle. The color purple became strictly reserved for the members …show more content…
Song Dynasty’s Social Structure (Theme 5) Song China was comprised of a three-tiered social system that was adopted from the former dynasty. Aristocrats and bureaucrats were at the top of this hierarchy. They were regents, eunuchs, and high-ranking military officers. Skilled laborers like farmers and ironworkers followed them. The bottom tier consisted of unskilled laborers such as servants and slaves, as well as merchants. Scholars looked down on merchants. The emperor was at the top of the whole hierarchy. In the Song dynasty, however, the gentry class was founded.
The Tang period was very aristocratic, but the transition into the Song Dynasty brought about social changes that made it more egalitarian. A simpler tax system in the late phases of the Tang era made it harder for the wealthy to evade taxes and the growing commercial economy made it hard for the rich to be self sufficient. A civil service examination system was also developed to provide the country with leadership based on talent rather than the family one was born into. Thus, the aristocrats merged into a larger bracket of individuals in the society. There was also a change in urbanization. The lifestyle of the upper class in urban settings differed from those in in the countryside, and the upper class became much more reputable. These changes in social order led to prosperity, and eventual expansion of the dynasty. The new social order that was established as the Song dynasty was founded …show more content…
http://clashofcivilisations.weebly.com/umayyad-caliphate.html.
Wu, Annie. “The Song Dynasty.” ChinaHighlights. Last modified November 11, 2016. http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-song-dynasty.html.
“Yangdi Emperor of Sui Dynasty.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified April 7, 2007. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yangdi.
Timeline
Thesis
In the period of c. 600 C.E. – c. 1450 C.E., all events that contributed to the expansion of different countries showed change over time because of the human tendency to learn from past mistakes and therefore, we make different attempts of making life better. The events showed little to no continuity because new countries form because the old did not work, and as we learn from our precedent, if a method does not work, we change it to fit our needs, although it is similar; we keep that part that seemed to work, and replace the parts that need to be fixed.
Period 3: Regional and Trans regional Interactions
Research Question: In the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa during the time period of c. 600 C.E. – c. 1450 C.E., what events of state building, expansion, and conflict demonstrated continuity and a change over
The Byzantine Empire consisted of three different classes. The upper class included aristocrats, government officials, senior military officers, and large landowners. The middle class included merchants and owners of medium-sized landed properties. The lower class included people working under those of the upper class and the clergy. It was possible to move up the ladder to a different class through military service or accumulation of wealth over trade. Slaves were also a part of the society and they were not slaves for life. Many were freed after several years of service under their master or bravery in battle. The color purple became strictly reserved for the members …show more content…
Song Dynasty’s Social Structure (Theme 5) Song China was comprised of a three-tiered social system that was adopted from the former dynasty. Aristocrats and bureaucrats were at the top of this hierarchy. They were regents, eunuchs, and high-ranking military officers. Skilled laborers like farmers and ironworkers followed them. The bottom tier consisted of unskilled laborers such as servants and slaves, as well as merchants. Scholars looked down on merchants. The emperor was at the top of the whole hierarchy. In the Song dynasty, however, the gentry class was founded.
The Tang period was very aristocratic, but the transition into the Song Dynasty brought about social changes that made it more egalitarian. A simpler tax system in the late phases of the Tang era made it harder for the wealthy to evade taxes and the growing commercial economy made it hard for the rich to be self sufficient. A civil service examination system was also developed to provide the country with leadership based on talent rather than the family one was born into. Thus, the aristocrats merged into a larger bracket of individuals in the society. There was also a change in urbanization. The lifestyle of the upper class in urban settings differed from those in in the countryside, and the upper class became much more reputable. These changes in social order led to prosperity, and eventual expansion of the dynasty. The new social order that was established as the Song dynasty was founded …show more content…
http://clashofcivilisations.weebly.com/umayyad-caliphate.html.
Wu, Annie. “The Song Dynasty.” ChinaHighlights. Last modified November 11, 2016. http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/china-history/the-song-dynasty.html.
“Yangdi Emperor of Sui Dynasty.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Last modified April 7, 2007. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yangdi.
Timeline
Thesis
In the period of c. 600 C.E. – c. 1450 C.E., all events that contributed to the expansion of different countries showed change over time because of the human tendency to learn from past mistakes and therefore, we make different attempts of making life better. The events showed little to no continuity because new countries form because the old did not work, and as we learn from our precedent, if a method does not work, we change it to fit our needs, although it is similar; we keep that part that seemed to work, and replace the parts that need to be fixed.
Period 3: Regional and Trans regional Interactions
Research Question: In the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa during the time period of c. 600 C.E. – c. 1450 C.E., what events of state building, expansion, and conflict demonstrated continuity and a change over