early modern - 1450-1700

Vasco Da Gama

1498

was a Portuguese explorer who, in 1498, reached Calicut on the Malabar Coast of India by sea

established a direct European maritime trade route to Asia, bypassing the Middle Eastern intermediaries and initiating a new era of European influence in the Indian Ocean, ultimately impacting the Mughal Empire and the future of global trade

Goa

a port city on the western coast of India

became the first major Portuguese trading post and colonial center in India after being captured by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, signifying the early establishment of European power and commercial networks within the Indian Ocean trade system

a crucial development in understanding the rise of global interactions in the Early Modern period

Albuquerque

1510

was a Portuguese admiral and statesman who played a key role in establishing the Portuguese empire in the Indian Ocean during the early 16th century, capturing strategic locations like Goa and Malacca to control trade routes, a demonstration of European ambition and the use of naval power to assert dominance in global trade networks

Mughals

1526–1858

dynasty that established a vast and influential empire in the Indian subcontinent

founded by Babur

their rule is crucial for understanding the political unification, cultural blending, and economic development of India before British dominance

Akbar

1556-1605

was one of the most significant Mughal emperors during the Early Modern period

known for his policies of religious tolerance, such as abolishing the jizya tax on non-Muslims in 1564 and engaging in debates with scholars of various faiths at his court in Fatehpur Sikri, demonstrating a unique approach to governance in a diverse empire

zamindars

local landlords in the Mughal Empire during the Early Modern period who collected taxes from peasants and often held considerable power, their role being important for understanding the Mughal revenue system and the complex social hierarchy in rural India

acted as intermediaries between the central government and the agrarian population, influencing local governance and land management.

Aurangzeb

1658-1707

a later Mughal emperor in the Early Modern period whose reign marked a shift towards stricter Islamic orthodoxy and the reversal of some of Akbar's tolerant policies, such as reimposing the jizya in 1679, contributing to internal rebellions and ultimately weakening the Mughal Empire

Bombay: Bombay (now Mumbai) was initially a Portuguese possession but was ceded to the British in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry,

Bombay became a major port for the East India Company, facilitating trade and serving as a vital link between India and the world

It served as a key administrative center for the British in western India

crucial stepping stone for increasing British influence in India.

Robert Clive

a key figure in the British East India Company's rise to power in India during the mid-18th century (late Early Modern period), notably leading the British forces to victory at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which significantly weakened the Nawab of Bengal and paved the way for British dominance

British East India Company

1600

a joint-stock company that gradually gained immense political and economic power in India during the Early Modern period, initially focused on trade in commodities like British cotton and spices but eventually exercising de facto control over large territories

Ottomans

1299–1922

Turkic empire that rose to prominence in Anatolia in the late Postclassical period and expanded to control much of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe during the Early Modern period, culminating in the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 under Mehmet II

Janissaries

an elite infantry force in the Ottoman army, largely composed of Christian boys forcibly conscripted through the devshirme system, who became fiercely loyal to the Sultan and played a crucial role in Ottoman military successes from the late Postclassical through the Early Modern period

Mehmet II

an Ottoman Sultan who famously captured Constantinople in 1453, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire and establishing Istanbul as the Ottoman capital

siege of Vienna

1683

a critical event in the late Early Modern period where the Ottoman army was decisively defeated by a coalition of European forces, marking a turning point in Ottoman expansion into Europe and the beginning of their gradual decline

devshirme

the Ottoman practice of conscripting young Christian boys from the Balkan provinces, converting them to Islam, and training them to serve in the military as Janissaries or in the civil administration, a unique system of social mobility and control within the empire during the Early Modern period

millet

allowed religious communities (such as Christians and Jews) to govern their own internal affairs under their own laws and religious leaders, demonstrating a degree of religious autonomy within the larger Islamic state

Ottoman taxing of farms

a crucial aspect of the ottoman empire's revenue system during the Early Modern period, with various methods of tax collection and land tenure influencing agricultural production and the lives of the peasantry

This system often included tax farming, where private individuals would collect taxes on behalf of the state, leading to both economic opportunities and hardships for farmers

Safavids

1501- 1736

a Persian dynasty that ruled from the early 16th to the early 18th centuries (Early Modern period), establishing a Shi'a Muslim state in Persia and frequently clashing with the Sunni Ottoman Empire to their west

Shah

the title used for the monarch of the Safavid Empire in Persia during the Early Modern period, holding supreme political and religious authority within the Shi'a state