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[BLANK-1] was caused by a bacterium, Yersinia Pestis, and devastated Europe in its initial outbreak from 1346-1350, and periodically returned (with somewhat less devastating results) for centuries afterward. Death tolls from this plague vary wildly, but range from 100-200 million dead and between one-half and two-thirds of Europe’s populace dying from the disease. In large cities and university towns, such as Florence in Northern Italy and Cairo in North Africa, as much as 90% of the populace were killed. The disease spread along maritime trade routes initially, and the vector for the disease were fleas housed on Black Rats that stowed away on trading vessels. The Catholic Church’s ineffective approach to the disease sent many Christians into spiritual disarray and contributed to the institution’s crisis.

[BLANK-1] were a nomadic group of Euroasian Steppe People who were founded around 552 and were the first Inner Asian people to found large states and leave a written record. They never united, however, and often fought against one another, rarely founding a lasting state. They came into frequent conflict with both Tang China and the Byzantine Empire. By the tenth century, most members of this group converted to Islam, however, they did not adopt Arabic trappings. They maintained their own distinct culture, language, customs, and identity distinct from Arab Muslims.

[BLANK-1] by Bernal Díaz del Castillo chronicled the process by which Hernán Cortés and his men gained allies out of potential enemies among Native American groups. In this account, Díaz del Castillo explains how a local leader, Xicotenga, initially attempted to attack his group before being dissuaded from doing so and then persuaded to ally against the Mexicans. The end of his account suggests that Cortés’s group of conquistadors were weary from war and were considering abandoning their designs against the Mexicans (the Aztecs) before they established peace and cooperation with Xicotenga.

Also known as the Ancestral Pueblos, [BLANK-1] were ancient Native American groups that were located in the four-corners region of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah and built sites like Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. They were noted for their adobe cliff dwellings and their vast trade network through which coastal shells, timber, and other goods circulated. They tended to be organized into matrilineal groups.

[BLANK-1] described the cultural importance of the tianguiz, or marketplace, in Mexica society. Marketplaces were held in extremely high esteem, housed shrines with food offerings, and had feast days dedicated to their honor. Marketplaces specialized in certain goods, with the marketplaces in Azcapotzalco and Itzocan dedicated to selling slaves (usually prisoners of war who would be used as human sacrifices). The slaves set aside for human sacrifice would be ritually bathed, dressed in fine clothes, treated divinely, given the best food to eat, and then sacrificed to the gods.

Around 320, after more than a century of political fragmentation following the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, much of northern India was unified into a state of Indian self-rule called [BLANK-1]. It was founded by Chandragupta I (who took his imperial name from a previous Mauryan ruler). It was a Hindu state, but was religiously tolerant of other faiths and saw major advances in the sciences and arts. Arabic numerals (the numerical system that we use today) and place-value notation were invented in this Indian state. The government was decentralized with a quarter harvest tax and a monopoly on salts and metals. An invasion by the Huns in 450 was repelled, but it fatally weakened the state which collapsed around 480.

Victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, a major triumph for Henry V during the Hundred Years’ War, was largely achieved because [BLANK-1] were able to effectively counter the French cavalry in muddy conditions on the battlefield.

[BLANK-1] chronicles the Japanese civil war waged between the Minamoto and Taira clans, but is written from the perspective of the losing Taira clan. It was not written by one author, but rather countless authors, poets, and bards who added their own embellishments or additions as the story was retold. It was ultimately compiled around the middle of the thirteenth century. The story includes the battle at Dan No Ura as well as details about the suicide of the Japanese child-emperor and the Lady Nii.

Written in the early decades of the 1000s by a Lady of the Court of Heian Japan, Murasaki Shikibu, [BLANK-1] is Japan’s most celebrated literary achievement. It provided valuable insight into court life in the Heian Period, and particularly highlighted women’s perspectives and their place at court. In the story, Murasaki provided an elite woman’s perspective on marriage, advising wives not to cause a commotion over a slight disagreement with her husband, but to drop subtle hints of her displeasure if the husband’s actions have offended her.

Part 2 Short Answer ID Terms (30%): A short answer ID should briefly address the basic journalistic questions: who or what, when, where, and why. Be sure to discuss the historical significance – this is the most important part of your ID term. Each answer should be written in a paragraph of at least 4-5 sentences. Do not leave any portion of the five options you choose blank – it is best to write something, even if you must guess somewhat. Partial credit is better than nothing.Answer FIVE (5) of the following terms:The Aztec Warrior AristocracyThe Children’s CrusadeChinggis KhanCourtly LoveKhipuMongol WarfareOlmec Religious BeliefsSaladinThe Song DynastyZhu Xi