WHI-Chap14-Obj4

Compare and Contrast the methods of rule and types of government in the Umayyad and Abbasid Empire:

• The Umayyad Empire
  • Government
    • had a tightly centralized government
      • had a thriving capital at Damascus
    • their policies reflected the interests of the Arab military aristocracy
    • the Umayyads appointed members of the elite as governors and administrators of conquered land
    • allowed only Arabs to hold office, excluded non-Arabs converts

• The Abbasid Empire
  • Government
    • Abbasids relied heavily on Persian techniques of statecraft
      • used this govern their sprawling empires full of many different ethnic groups
        • provides many challenges
      • central authority came from the court at Baghdad
        • the caliphs ruled over the empire from Baghdad
        • provincial governors were also used to control the gov't
        • founded in the 760's BCE
        • was a magnificent city built by the early Abbasid
        • was built near Ctesiphon
        • surrounded by three round walls
    • Learned officials called the ulama and qadis set moral standards in local communities and resolved disputes
      • the Ulama were people with religious knowledge
        • are pious scholars that developed public policy based on the Quran and the sharia
      • the Qadis were judges
        • heard cases at law and rendered decisions based on the Quran and sharia

• Similarities
  • both were ruled by Caliphs
  • both appointed people to govern certain regions
  • both had thriving capitals

• Differences
  • the Abassids used the ulama and Qadis and the Umayyads did not
  • the Abassids ruled according to the Sharia and Quran
  • the Umayyads ruled to please the military elites

Braden Doyle

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