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Comparison in the Period from c. 1200 to c. 1450
Created by Shaunak Ghosh
Build a reusable framework to compare how states formed and governed from c. 1200–1450. You’ll apply continuity/innovation/diversity to key cases—Turkic successor states, Song China, Hindu-Buddhist polities, the Mexica and Inca, and African states—then finish by turning your comparisons into thesis-driven AP-style arguments.
Requirements
- Basic understanding of what a state/empire is (government, taxation, military)
- Comfort reading a simple world map (major regions: Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Americas, Africa)
- Familiarity with the AP lenses of continuity vs. change and similarity vs. difference
What you'll learn
- Apply a consistent 4–5 category framework to compare 1200–1450 states across regions.
- Explain how Abbasid fragmentation produced diverse successor states while preserving shared institutions and legitimacy models.
- Analyze Seljuk, Mamluk, and Delhi Sultanate state formation using continuity/innovation evidence.
- Explain how the Song Dynasty used Confucian ideology and bureaucracy to justify and maintain rule, and compare that to other governance models.
- Compare Hindu-Buddhist state-building in South/Southeast Asia using evidence from Majapahit, Angkor, and Vijayanagara.
- Analyze Mexica and Inca governance innovations and connect them to comparable state-capacity problems in Afro-Eurasia.
- Compare African state formation tools using Hausa city-states and Great Zimbabwe as evidence.
- Write a thesis that clearly states similarities and differences and previews comparison categories.
Learning path
10 modules • Each builds on the previous one
1
Comparison framework for state formation
Build a reusable toolkit for comparing states (sources of legitimacy, administration, military organization, economic base, and cultural integration) using the AP lens of continuity, innovation, and diversity.
1 video5 min
2
Abbasid fragmentation and governance legacy
Explain why Abbasid political unity weakened (regional autonomy, military power brokers, fiscal strain) while Abbasid cultural-religious authority and administrative models persisted as a template for successor states.
1 video5 min
3
Seljuk Empire: Turkic rule and continuity
Analyze the Seljuks as a Turkic, Sunni political-military power that maintained Abbasid-Islamic legitimacy while innovating through nomadic military structures, sultanate authority, and land-grant systems that decentralized power.
1 video7 min
4
Mamluk Sultanate: military slavery governance
Explain how the Mamluks built a state where elite military slaves became rulers, sustaining Islamic institutions and trade while innovating in recruitment, military organization, and control of Egypt’s strategic geography.
1 video6 min
5
Delhi Sultanate: Turkic rule in India
Analyze the Delhi Sultanate as a Turkic-Islamic state that adapted Abbasid-style governance to a majority non-Muslim society, producing innovations in administration, taxation, and cultural-religious interaction at a regional frontier.
1 video7 min
6
Song China: Confucian bureaucracy and legitimacy
Explain how the Song Dynasty used Confucian (and Neo-Confucian) ideals plus a centralized bureaucracy and civil service examinations to justify rule, manage society, and support state capacity—mixing deep continuity with notable administrative innovation.
1 video8 min
7
Hindu-Buddhist states: syncretism and governance
Compare new and continuing Hindu-Buddhist states (Vijayanagara, Khmer, Majapahit) using state-building tools like tribute networks, temple complexes, maritime trade control, and religious syncretism to integrate diverse populations.
3 videos11 min
8
Mexica and Inca administrative innovations
Analyze how the Mexica (Aztec) and Inca expanded state reach through tribute systems, labor management, military organization, and cultural integration, then connect these strategies to comparable state-capacity problems in Afro-Eurasia.
1 video5 min
9
Africa: Great Zimbabwe and Hausa states
Explain continuity and innovation in African state systems by comparing Great Zimbabwe’s architecture and trade-linked authority with the Hausa city-states’ commercial networks and Islamic influences shaping governance and culture.
2 videos6 min
10
AP comparison: thesis, categories, evidence
Practice turning content into an AP-style comparison: make a defensible thesis, use consistent categories, and deploy specific evidence to explain similarities/differences in state formation across 1200–1450.
1 video4 min
Start Learning
Begin your learning journey
Modules10
Duration59 min
Science-backed learning
In-video quizzes and scaffolded content to maximize retention.
Key concepts
Comparison Categories For State Formation (Legitimacy, Administration, Military, Economy, Cultural Integration)Continuity Vs. Innovation Vs. Diversity As An AP LensAbbasid Fragmentation And Institutional LegacySeljuk Sultanate Rule And Caliphal LegitimacyMamluk Military Slavery As A Governing SystemDelhi Sultanate Consolidation Strategies And State CapacitySong China’S Confucian/Neo-Confucian Legitimacy And Bureaucratic GovernanceMajapahit State Formation Through Crisis And Alliance PoliticsAngkor/Khmer Power Expressed Through Capital-City SystemsVijayanagara State Formation In South IndiaMexica Imperial Expansion Through Alliances And Military OrganizationInca Imperial Governance Through Infrastructure And Provincial Control (Overview)African State Diversity: Decentralization, Hausa City-States, And Trade-Linked AuthorityWriting A Defensible Comparison Thesis