Instructions for Using This Page
Each of the sections of this web page links to a resource that will help to remind you of this module of our Science, Philosophy and Spirituality course. Just click on the section, and you will be linked to the resource.
When you are reading an article from this website online, blocks of text in bold coloured type that make reference to an external source are “clickable”. If you click on them, you will be taken to the resource to which they refer.
Enjoy!
Link to PDF of the slides shown in the session.
The module concerned events in Eurasia between 1300 and 1500, including the Black Death, the rise of the “Gunpowder Empires” in the Islamic Heartland, Ecclesiastical authority and the Italian Renaissance in Europe, and Ming Dynasty China’s dominance in Southeast Asia.
Link to Article: “Spheres of Influence”
An article that accompanies the material shown during this discussion session. The sequence of topics in the article mirrors the slides shown, so it amounts to a commentary on the PowerPoint presentation.
Link to Handout: Discussion questions
Link to a handout that contains the full text of each of the three questions, as well as instructions for the group discussions.
Supplementary Material
Links to seven handouts containing additional information to supplement the main “Pestilence and Recovery” article, and two informative documentary videos.
Video: The Ottoman Empire
A 90-minute BBC documentary covering the Ottoman Empire’s and modern Turkey’s history from 1300 to the present day.
Video: China’s Armada
A 45-minute “Chronicle” documentary of the voyages of Zheng He, and a modern attempt to follow in their footsteps in a Chinese fishing junk.
Handout: South Asia
A review of the impact of the Black Death and the Empire of Timur the Lame on South Asia.
Handout: The Timurid Period
Introduced to medieval England by the playwright Christopher Marlowe, Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) played a crucial part in paving the way for the Safavid and Mughal Empires.
Handout: Sufism and Islam
A review of the significance of Islamic mysticism, the inspiration for the Safavid Empire.
Handout: The Gunpowder Empires
The role of gunpowder is shaping the Islamic heartland.
Handout: The Inquisition
How the Inquisition influenced modern European justice.
Handout: The Italian Renaissance
The Influence of Islamic Science and the Fall of Constantinople on the Italian Renaissance.
Handout: The Changing Nature of European States
A comparison of how governance in England, France, Spain and Portugal developed between 1300 and 1500 CE.
Handout: Ming China
Nationalism and Internationalism in Ming Dynasty China.
Handout: The Place of Eunuchs
Eunuchs in Ming China: Power, Statecraft, and the Legacy of Zheng He.
Books that Provided Material for the Session
Link to Course Home Page
Click on this link to return to the Home Page for Season 2 of the Shepway and District u3a Science, Philosophy and Spirituality programme.
