Eighth Edition

Advanced Placement* Edition

A History of Global Society

John P. McKay
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champlain

Bennett D. Hill
Georgetown University

John Buckler
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champlain

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
COMPANY

Boston New York

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Rise of the Roman Republic......................................................................................................3
The Rise of the Romans...........................................................................................................................3
The Foreigners.........................................................................................................................................4
The Great Eastern Strife..........................................................................................................................5
The 290s..................................................................................................................................................6
A New Century........................................................................................................................................6

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Chapter 1: Rise of the Roman Republic

In this chapter, we will discuss the circumstances behind the rise of the Roman Republic,
and the wider world around it. One must remember, Rome was not the only country back then.
From the ancient lands of China, to the conflicted Persia, and the mighty rivals of Rome, the
Eabirni Caliphate, and the Carthaginian Empire, the classical world was far more diverse than
the modern world imagines.
This era was characterized by the height of Roman Power, before the rise of the Empire
and the ultimate demise of the Romans. Our modern society owes a lot to the Romans, including
the foundations of democracy, road systems, an immigration system, and the idea of
gerrymandering. For better or worse, Rome forever changed our world, and this chapter will
discuss how.

The Rise of the Romans

As everyone knows, the Romans were quintessentially European, as much as Big Ben,
the Eiffel Tower, or the Reichstag. What many people do not realize, is that this assumption is
incorrect. The Romans were not European at all, nor did they even call the continent by that
name.
The Romani, as the Romans referred to themselves, came from the region of the Indian
subcontinent, being closely related to the Hindus and Pakistanis who now inhabit this region.
Rome also referred to herself as the “Heir of Alexander,” after the mighty Macedonian Empire,
ruled by the legendary Alexander the Great.
Not much is known about where exactly the Romans came from, but they first
established themselves in the Old City of Rome, now known as Jerusalem, in 280 BCE. From
there, they expanded their empire across the Mediterranean, into the continent they called
Mahakhemi.

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The Foreigners

The Romans soon gained a few enemies, to put it bluntly. The other powers of
Mahakhemi and Dunia felt threatened, which compelled the Carthaginian Empire and
Kingdom of Africa to ally in 186 CE. These countries would convince the Latin population of
Italy to revolt in the War of the Boot, which saw the Celtic states of Iberia, and the Eabirni
Caliphate support the rebels in a de facto Continent-Spanning alliance. It failed terribly, with the
rebels being crushed by 268, and the Romans soon absorbed the Kingdom of Gallia into their
vassal system after the Gallians were unable to pay their debts to the Romans, joining the fellow
Celtic kingdoms of Teutonia and Helvetia. This would ultimately result in the downfall of the
Celts, as the Romans began favoring the Germanic and Slavic minorities over the Celts.
However, the Romans were not invincible. The Gothic Kingdom, Tsemmonia, grew
steadily in power, and as Gothic immigration and influence increased in Rome, the Romans were
rather complacent with them. That was, until the Southern Gothic Kingdoms, vassals of Rome,
announced their intent to swear fealty to the Tsemmonians. This triggered the Roman-
Tsemmonian War of 269. The Consul, Gideon, would lead the legions north, only to be crushed
by the Tsemmonians. Furious, Jarl Unimund Waldameringian sent an ultimatum to Gideon,
stating that the Balts and Slavs would invade from the Northeast if the Romans refused
Unimund’s demands. Thus, the Gothic cession was made, and Gideon was humiliated, receiving
the moniker “The Coward.” Gideon would lose the next election to Orchilo in 272. Tsemmonia,
on the other hand, doubled its territory, and did what so many could not. They defeated Rome.
In the meantime, the Hyazadarnids would collapse after Xerxes II was poisoned in 273.
His son, the young Xerxes III, had an unusual relationship with Scyles, a warlord from the
northern frontier of Persia. As a result, rumors of a revolt spread, and Scyles kidnapped Xerxes,
triggering a rebellion among the Southern regions of Persia. Scyle’s attempt at power ended with
his death during the Battle of Yazd in 288, and with it, the Hyazadarnids collapsed too.
In the Americas, the mighty Kazel Empire conquered her rivals, and established
dominion over California. The Pagan Empire, a vast trading empire based out of Myanmar,
would take notice of their rise, and would establish diplomatic relations in the early 270s.
Ludadao would see conflict between the Biao dynasty of China and the Grey Mongols.
The Grey Mongols, having the advantage of a strong Cavalry, would have the advantage on the
open plains where the conflict took place. Thus, the Grey Mongols would route the Biao,
although they returned a year later with the Yellow Mongols. Mongke Khan, wisely realizing
that victory was unlikely, instead negotiated a large payment from the Biao, and returned to Grey
Mongolia a far wealthier man.

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The Great Eastern Strife

The Great Eastern Strife, also known as the Crisis of the 270s, was one of the earliest
large rebellions against the Romans, and for a time, severely threatened Roman power in the
Mediterranean. Gideon’s successor, Orchilo, was a power-hungry man, and decided to stack the
odds in his favor. The Provincial Reform Act of 275, introduced by Orchilo, was really a thinly
veiled attempt at gerrymandering the Senate in his favor. The Greeks were especially angered by
this, pushing Greece to the edge of revolt.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the Great Betrayal. Orchilo would ask a
wealthy Greek merchant, Demonax, to lead one of the new provinces. Instead, Orchilo would
send letters to the Neo-Platonist groups in Greece and began a revolt in order to place himself at
the head of a new Greek Empire. He put radical ideas such as allowing women to serve as
advisors, all in order to restore the declining Platoist traditions.
Orchilo would rally his troops, personally leading them on an invasion of Greece. This
invasion, known as Orchilo’s Folly, would fail miserably, with Orchilo himself being captured
on the 6th of October, 276. Orchilo’s capture lead to a crisis in Rome itself. The Consul was not
dead, which meant the Senate could not elect a new one, leaving Rome without a leader. Rome
began to lose control of their vassals, especially Helvetia, who launched an invasion of Italy in
late 277. The Italians would consider calling the Carthaginians for help, but instead, under the
petty king Praetorix, would lead a counterattack on the Helvetians, conquering them. He would
continue to expand his domain, which at its height extended from Italy to Ukraine. Many in Italia
thought he should have crowned himself Emperor of the Latins. Instead, he humbly stepped
down and swore fealty to Rome upon meeting with Orchilo’s forces in 282. The Romans
showered Praetorix with praise, naming the Praetorian Guard in his honor. Upon his death in
323, he was one of the richest men of all time, with 2 percent of the entire Roman economy
going into his personal funds in 283.
The rest of Rome fared worse. The Eabirni Caliphate, under the caliph Muirchertach
Pendragon, would conquer most of Gallia and Teutonia. Pendragon made a foolish mistake,
refusing to believe Praetorix would willingly surrender. For this, he paid dearly, losing most of
Gallia and all of Teutonia.
As for Demonax and his Greek Empire, their story came to an end with Demonax’s death
in the Battle of Sparta in 282. His Empire collapsed with him, although isolated remnants fought
on until 287.
The legacy of this Rebellion would have effects on the rest of Rome’s life, and after as
well. Religious Tolerance, long a staple of the Roman Republic, ended, as a policy of
Islamization began in Roman lands. However, Roman Islam, having increasing theological
differences from the Sunni Mainstream, especially the lack of a Caliph, would lead to the Sunni-
Roman split of 291. The strict Roman control of religion would allow for Non-Islamic faiths to
enter the mainstream once Rome collapsed, with it going religious authority. In addition, the
strain on agriculture would cause severe damage to Egypt’s soil.
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The 290s

Following the Liao’s defeat to the Grey Mongols, and the crackdown against Yiism in
China, a man named Liu Quijie decided that the Liao had lost the Mandate of Heaven. He
proclaimed a new dynasty, the Liu, in the western provinces. The Liao had dealt with multiple
rebellions, but this one was difficult, due to the lack of infrastructure in the West. Liu would burn
down the Western capital of Xijing, only for his rebellion to fall apart when rumors began
spreading that he had allied with the Grey Mongols. His rebellion would have lasting effects,
leading to the terminal decline of Yiism, and the death of Emperor Zuihe in 297.
In the meantime, the rivalry between the Indus Empire and the Pagan Empire accelerated.
The Pagans would annex parts of Korea in 293, and with Pagan encouragement of Indian
refugees, the Indus decided to knock the Pagans down a few pegs. Their opportunity came in
295, with the death of Pagan Emperor Kyisu II in a tragic hunting accident. The Indus thus
prepared for war.
In Persia, Koshrow “The Great” of House Sassanid would emerge dominant after the
collapse of Hyazadarnids. Koshrow would slowly reunify Persia but was reluctant to get
involved in foreign wars to reclaim lost territory, a warning his successors would forget.
In Dunia, the alliance between Africa and Carthage fell apart, as border skirmishes
resumed. Africa would begin making blunders in Gibraltar, pushing the conflict in Carthage’s
favor.
With the death of Caliph Muirchertach Pendragon, the Eabirni Caliphate, and its leader,
Caliph Sulodiglahann, became disinterested in war with Rome. As a result, the 290s were a
decade of domestic issues. Orchilo would lose the next election to Chitayam, who became
focused on Romanizing the west. Helvetia would be the first, following the murder of its ruler,
Sullius IV, by his own wife. This gave Rome a cause, and by 296, Helvetia had been annexed.
Chitiyam’s successor, Milinus, attempted to restore the kingdom, but the deed had been done.
This event would set a stage for the Roman annexation of Teutonia in 308.

A New Century

The Early Third Century was an era of expansion for Rome. First came the Mediopatine
Kingdom, a Persian client of Rome, who was annexed in 302. Then came Teutonia, who were
forcibly annexed in 308 after their King was murdered by Germanic rebels. In addition, the
Romans also triumphed over the Tsemonnians in 301, forcing Jarl Marofedigc’s conversion to
Islam. Despite this, the Tsemonnian religion was officially paganism, which inspired several
lords to revolt in the south. Marofedigc wanted this to occur, as it would allow him to centralize
his state and name himself king.

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 The Pagans of the British Isles were fully converted by the end of 305, a major victory
for Caliph Sulodiglahann. Sulodiglahann became threatened by Rome’s expansion in Northern
Europe, and briefly contemplated an alliance with Gallia, but his mistrust proved greater.
The Carthaginian-African War ended in a Carthaginian Defeat, thanks to the Dunian
Drought of 306, which killed thousands throughout Dunia. In the meantime, Ibadi Islam emerged
throughout the trade routes of Northern Africa, triggering the long decline of Zoroastrianism in
its homeland.
Persia suffered a major setback when Koshrow Sassanid died in 300. A Triumvirate
between his two legitimate children and a prominent general emerged in Persia, only for his
daughter, Ipsahgordiya, to kill her brother, Vorgases I of Persia.
To the south, the Indus Empire and the Pagan Empire fought a bloody war, which ended
in a pyrrhic Indian victory, losing tens of thousands of men for a rather small area of land. Pagan
became a vassal state of the Indus until they broke away in 308, but this allowed the Indus to
claim their entire area. Another result of this war is the breakaway of the Lao Princes from the
Pagan, although de jure ties with the Pagan Empire were maintained due to the Indus threat.
Emperor Zichong became Emperor of China in 308, succeding Shaohao, who himself had
taken the throne in 306. It is believed Zichong, a cousin of Shaohao, had him poisoned in order
to seize the throne for himself.
The Kazel Empire of California would in the meantime, be devastated by an outbreak of
Tuberculosis, which saw the death of the emperor. His eldest son, Eztli, would mysteriously
disappear on a military expedition, leaving Cahtom V, the second son of Cahtom IV, to take his
brother’s place. Cahtom himself nearly died from the plague, and it is likely his health suffered
for the rest of his life. The Kazel nearly disintegrated, but Cahtom managed to regain control by
310, and stabilized the empire.

Chapter X: The End of History

In this chapter, we will discuss major events that occurred after 1990. This time has been
chronicled as the “Age of America.” The United States would emerge the world’s sole
superpower, while the decaying Soviet Union would disintegrate, leaving the People’s Republic
of China to take its place in the sun.
In Europe, this decade has been defined by the fall of the Communist regimes, and the
rise of the European Union, a new project that may or may not succeed in the decades to come.
In Asia, China has surpassed Japan, and seems posed to start a “Cold War” with America. The
world has forever changed with the advent of the 21st century.

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The Fall of the Soviet Empire

The event which truly

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