Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to this unit where we will explore the early Islamic civilization to find out what connected Baghdad to the wider world.

I am Miss Krijnauw, and in this lesson, we're embarking on a fascinating journey back in time to the early 9th century, a time when the world was shaped by mighty empires, cultural exchanges, and significant historical events across Europe, the Mediterranean, and Asia.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe the important connections, places, and empires in the early 9th century.

Here are some key words that you will encounter in this lesson.

The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire in ancient China that lasted from 618 to 907 CE.

Carolingian refers to a powerful family and empire in Europe during the early Middle Ages.

The Carolingian Empire was ruled by kings from the Carolingian family, and the most famous of whom was Charlemagne.

Harun al-Rashid was a ruler who lived during the Islamic golden age in the Abbasid Caliphate.

This lesson, entitled Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia in the Early 9th century world, has four learning cycles, and the first learning cycle is about major empires of Europe and Asia.

In the 9th century, there were some large and powerful empires in the world, and the major empires in Europe and Asia were the Tang, the Abbasids, the Carolingians, the Byzantines, and the Umayyads.

Let's learn a bit more about each empire individually.

The Tang Dynasty ruled China during a time of great strength and wealth in Chinese history.

It was famous for making progress in art and literature, in new inventions and trade.

It was a time of great cultural flourishing, with the development of poetry and painting, ceramics, and the spread of Buddhism.

The Tang Dynasty expanded China's borders, created friendly relations with other countries nearby, and helped with trade and sharing of cultures along the Silk Road.

Let's check for understanding.

Change one word in the sentence to make it correct: The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire in ancient Egypt that lasted from 618 to 907 CE.

Let's find out what the correct answer is.

The Tang Dynasty was a powerful empire in ancient China, not Egypt, that lasted from 618 to 907 CE.

Well done if you managed to spot that mistake and correct it.

The Abbasid Caliphate, which had its capital in Baghdad, was the centre of the Islamic world in the 9th century.

It placed a lot of value on learning and innovation, with great advances made in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, philosophy, and literature.

It preserved and translated ancient Greek and Roman texts, which helped share and spread knowledge and ideas.

The Carolingian Empire covered areas we now call France, Germany, and Italy.

It was established by Charlemagne, who was crowned Emperor of Rome in 800 CE.

The Carolingian Empire expanded the Christian religion to more places.

Having learned all of this new knowledge, let's see if we can answer this question: Which two facts about Charlemagne are true? A, he was the ruler of the Carolingian Empire.

B, he was the ruler of the Roman Empire.

C, he was crowned emperor of the Romans.

D, he was crowned king of France.

Let's find out which two facts about Charlemagne are true.

Firstly, he was the ruler of the Carolingian Empire.

And secondly, he was crowned emperor of the Romans.

Well done if you said the correct answers were A and C.

The Byzantine Empire was also known as the Eastern Roman Empire.

It was centred in Constantinople, a city which is now called Istanbul.

It was a hub for Orthodox Christianity and amazing Byzantine art, famous for its mosaics and religious images and monumental architecture.

The Umayyad Caliphate was an important Islamic empire that grew to take over large areas in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain.

They spread Islam and Arabic culture, making Arabic the main language in their lands.

Let's take a moment to consolidate what we have just learned.

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about major empires in Europe and Asia.

The Byzantine Empire was also known as the Eastern or Western Roman Empire.

The Umayyad Caliphate was an important Christian or Islamic empire.

Let's find out what the correct answers are.

The Byzantine Empire was also known as the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Umayyad Caliphate was an important Islamic empire.

Well done if you got those correct.

We are now ready for the first learning task of this lesson, and it says: Match the empire in column A to its location in column B.

So in column A, we've got Tang, Abbasid, Carolingian, Byzantine, and Umayyad.

In column B, we have parts of France, Germany and Italy; Middle East, North Africa and Spain; centred around Istanbul; China; centred around Baghdad.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answers, press play.

Let's find out what the correct answers are.

The Tang Dynasty was located in China.

The Abbasids were centred around Baghdad.

The Carolingians, parts of France, Germany and Italy.

Byzantines, they were centred around Istanbul, which means the Umayyads were located in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain.

Good work! The second learning cycle of this lesson is entitled Historical context in England.

In the early 9th century, things were changing in England too.

During this mediaeval period, England was not the unified country we recognise today.

Instead, it was a patchwork of smaller kingdoms, each ruled by its own Anglo-Saxon leader.

Each of these kingdoms operated independently.

Sometimes they co-operated with each other, and sometimes they were in conflict with each other.

Because of the continual Viking invasions and raids during the 8th and 9th centuries, the Anglo-Saxon leaders started to work together more and more.

They realised that by joining forces, they could make their land stronger and safer.

By the late 9th century, under the leadership of rulers like Alfred the Great of Wessex, the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms began to unite into one single kingdom.

This was an important step in creating a United Kingdom of England, which would occur in the following centuries.

Explain to your learning partner why Anglo-Saxon leaders in England in the early mediaeval period started to join forces.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given: Anglo-Saxon leaders united to create a safer and more powerful land that could withstand external threats and invasions.

Well done if your answer is similar to this one.

Let's find out what the second learning task is.

Read Lucas's statement below.

Do you agree with it? Explain.

Lucas says, "In the 9th century, England was a united nation." Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given: Lucas is not correct.

In the late 9th century, Anglo-Saxon kings started to join forces to better protect themselves against invasion.

This was an important step in creating the kingdom of England, which would occur in the following centuries.

Well done if your answer is similar to this one.

The third learning cycle of this lesson is entitled Charlemagne, the Umayyads and the Abbasids.

In the early 9th century, Spain was a battleground between various powers, particularly the Umayyads and the Carolingians.

The Umayyads, who were originally a powerful dynasty that ruled the Islamic caliphate from Damascus, had established their rule in Spain.

The Carolingian Empire covered areas in Europe such as modern-day France, and they were ruled by Charlemagne.

During this time, there were two major Muslim empires: the Umayyad Caliphate and the Abbasid Caliphate.

These two groups were rivals and they didn't get along very well.

The Umayyads ruled over a large part of the Iberian Peninsula, which is now mostly Spain and Portugal in Europe.

The Abbasids, on the other hand, were based in the Middle East.

Is the following statement true or false? Even though the Abbas and Umayyads were rivals, both groups followed Christianity.

That statement is false.

Well, let's justify why we say it's false.

A, even though the Abbasids and Umayyad were rivals, both groups followed Islam.

Or B, the Abbasids and Umayyads were not rivals.

The answer is A.

Even though the Abbasids and Umayyads were rivals, both groups were Islam.

Well done if you spotted that mistake.

At the same time in Europe, the Carolingian Empire was ruled by Charlemagne, one of the most powerful Christian rulers of the time.

Charlemagne's empire was north of Spain.

The Umayyads in Spain wanted to expand their territory and power.

The Umayyads wanted more than just the land they had in Spain.

They dreamed of taking over the lands to the north that were ruled by Charlemagne and his Carolingian Empire.

This expansion would help them become even stronger and more powerful.

The Abbasids, who were the enemies of the Umayyads, saw this as an opportunity to weaken their rivals.

They provided support to Charlemagne to prevent the Umayyads taking over more territories and therefore becoming more powerful.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of the following statements is correct? A, the Umayyads supported Charlemagne to help weaken their rivals, the Abbasids.

B, the Abbasids supported Charlemagne to help weaken their rivals, the Umayyads.

C, the Abbasids supported the Umayyads to help weaken their rival, Charlemagne.

And the correct answer is B, the Abbasids supported Charlemagne to help weaken their rivals, the Umayyads.

Good work.

The third learning task of this lesson says change one word in each sentence to make it correct.

1, the Abbasids and Umayyads were both Islamic empires but they were friends.

2, the Umayyads controlled much of China.

3, Charlemagne was a powerful Muslim ruler.

4, The Abbasids provided support to the Byzantine Empire to help weaken the Umayyads.

Let's find out what the correct answers are.

Number 1, the Abbasids and Umayyads were both Islamic empires but they were rivals.

The Umayyads controlled much of Spain.

Number 3, Charlemagne was a powerful Christian ruler.

And 4, the Abbasids provided support to the Carolingian Empire to help weaken the Umayyads.

Well done if you managed to correct all four sentences.

In the fourth learning cycle, we will learn about conflicts and friendships between the empires.

The Byzantine Empire was another large and powerful empire during that time.

The Byzantines, the Carolingians, and the Abbasids all wanted to expand their empires and become more powerful, which led to a lot of tension and conflict between them.

They each had big ambitions, and their goals often clashed, making the early 9th century a time full of political and military struggles.

Charlemagne, who was the leader of the Carolingians, and Harun al-Rashid, the leader of the Abbasids, had problems with the Byzantine Empire.

Both the Carolingians and the Byzantines saw themselves as the true heirs to the Roman Empire.

The Carolingians were part of the Western Christian tradition led by the Pope in Rome, while the Byzantines followed Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

Although both empires were Christian, their religious practises and leadership were different, which led to tension and rivalry between these two empires.

When Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans on the 25th of December 800 CE, the Byzantines were not happy.

They thought that they were the real Romans, and they certainly did not recognise Charlemagne as their emperor.

Let's check for understanding.

Which of the following students is correct? Alex says, "When Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome, the Byzantines were happy and supported the Carolingians." Sam says, "When Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans, the Byzantines were happy because, like the Carolingians, the Pope was the leader of their church." Jacob says, "When Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Romans, the Byzantines were not happy because they believed that they were the true continuation of the Roman Empire." And the correct answer, of course, is C, Jacob.

Well done.

At the same time, the Abbasids ruled a large area in the Middle East, and their leader was the powerful Caliph Harun al-Rashid.

To support each other against the Byzantines, Harun al-Rashid and Charlemagne created a friendship, with Harun al-Rashid even sending gifts, including an elephant and an automatic water clock, to Charlemagne in 801 CE.

This friendship was partly to keep the Byzantine Empire from getting too powerful.

By being friends with Charlemagne and his Carolingian Empire, Harun al-Rashid could help balance the power and make sure the Byzantines didn't become too strong.

Let's check for understanding.

Tick the correct column to say whether the statements are true or false.

The Abbasids and Umayyads were allies or friends.

The Abbasids and the Carolingians were allies.

The Umayyads and the Carolingians were allies.

The Abbasids, the Carolingians, and the Byzantines were allies.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to hear the answer, press play.

Let's find out what the answers are.

The Abbasids and Umayyads were allies.

That statement is false.

The Abbasids and the Carolingians were allies.

That one is true.

The Umayyads and the Carolingians were allies.

That statement is false.

The Abbasids, the Carolingians, and the Byzantines were allies.

That statement is false as well.

Well done if you've got all of those correct.

The last learning task of this lesson has two parts.

The first part says explain to a partner how the following are connected: Charlemagne, Harun al-Rashid, and Byzantine Empire.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready to reflect on the answer, press play.

Your answer could have included the following: By creating a friendship, Charlemagne and Harun al-Rashid could help prevent the Byzantine Empire from growing even larger.

Good work.

The second learning task of this lesson says write some sentences about how the different empires were connected in the early 9th century.

Think about who were rivals and who were allies.

You could use the words below to help you.

And they are Abbasids, Byzantines, Harun al-Rashid, rivals, Carolingians, Umayyads, Charlemagne, and allies.

Pause the video here, and when you are ready for the answers, press play.

Here is an example of an answer that you could have given: The Umayyad and Abbasid Empires were both Muslim but they were rivals.

They both wanted to take over new territories, which created conflict.

The Abbasids were allies with Charlemagne because they wanted to stop the Umayyads from becoming too powerful.

With Harun al-Rashid as their leader, they supported Charlemagne and his Carolingian Empire against the Byzantines.

The Carolingians and the Byzantines were rivals because they both thought that they were the true heirs to the Roman Empire.

Well done if your answer looked a little bit like this, and an extra big well done if you managed to use all the words highlighted in pink.

We have now come to the end of this lesson about Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia in the early 9th century.

But before we go, let's summarise what we have learned.

The major empires of Europe and Asia were the Tang, the Abbasids, the Carolingians, the Byzantines, and the Umayyads.

In England, the smaller Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were beginning to unite into one single kingdom.

In Spain, the Umayyads wanted to expand north into Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire.

Charlemagne and Harun al-Rashid, who was a caliph of the Abbasids, created a friendship to prevent the Byzantine Empire from growing even larger.

As a mark of friendship, Al-Rashid sent gifts to Charlemagne, including an elephant and an automatic water clock, in 801 CE.

Thank you for joining me on this historical learning adventure, and well done on all your hard work.

I look forward to seeing you again very soon.