APWH Final: Early Modern Period (1450-1750)

Unit 3: Land Based Empires, Unit 4: Transoceanic Empires and the Age of Absolutism

Gunpowder Empires

Refers to a group of powerful states that relied on gunpowder technology for military conquest and expansion after the fall of the Mongol Empie. The Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires. (maybe Qing Dynasty?)

These empires were land based, with each empire expanding rapidly geophrfically. The main cause was due to the adoption of gunpower weapons.

Ottoman Empire

The most sigificant Islamic empire. It was founded in the late 13th century after the fall of the Mongols. The empire started off small but grew radpidy due tot heir control of the Dardeanelles (a body of water which they used to launch campaigns regarding expansion) adoption and development of using gunpowder weapons.

1453: the Ottomans took over Constantinople -the heart of the Christian Byzantine Empire- remaining it to Istanbul which became the capitial of their empire.

Savaid Empire

Established in the 1500's from former Muslim Empires and was declared a Shi'a Muslim State. (Before this period, the Muslims were spit into the Shi'a and the Sunni based on their different beliefs on who was the rightful successor of Muhammad) The Shi'a belived that it should be a blood relitive of Muhammad but the Sunni believed that it could be anyone who was elected. This declaration of Shi'a beliefs created conflicts with their Sunni neighbors, the Mughal Empire and the Ottoman Empire. They adopted gunpowder weapons and started expanding.

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire used expanding militarities armed with gunpowder cannons and guns to expand their territory.

Qing Dynasty

After Mongol rule fell, China emerged with the Ming Dynasty, one centered around the resurrection of Chinese customs and beliefs after all those years of outside rule. The Ming Dynasty was ethnically Han, establishing peace, order and expanding their territory through gunpowder.

1500’s: Ming Dynasty was falling due to internal divisions and external wars.

1636: The Qing Dynasty was established by the Manchu people from the north of China. They invaded to set up their own dynasty. The Manchu weren't eithinically Han like the majority of China's population.

Rivalries Between The States

Because all the Gunpowder Empires wanted to expand unlimitedly and take over, they clashed with one another, causing major rivalries due to their religous and political beliefs.

Safavid-Mughal Conflict: Wars faugt between the two during the 1600's. Both empires wanted to expand their territory into the Persian Gulf in Central Asia and their different religous beliefs. Although both states were Muslim, the Safavids were Shi'a Muslims and the Mughal were Sunni Muslims claiming to be the rightful heirs to muhammad, resulting in a series of wars.

Legitimize Power

The methods used by a ruler to communitcate to their subjects who is in charge.

Consolidate Power

The methods a ruler uses to take power away from other groups/people to claim it for themselves.

Ways rulers legitmized and consolidated their power

1. Large imperial bureaucracies -the larger the empire, the larger the bureaucracy (a collection of government officals who help administer and ensures laws are kept and maintained throughout the empire)

Example:

Desvshirme System: The way the Ottomans were able to staff their bureaucracy with highly trained enslaved people. In their campaigns for territorial conquest in the Balkans, the Ottomans enslaved Christian boys who ended up in their military or bureaucracy.

2. Expanding their military

Example:

Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire: Elite military professionals made up of enslaved people (christians),

3. Religon, Art, and Architecture:

Religion Example:

The Divine Right to Rule in Europe: Rulers would place themselves in front of god, saying they have the approval. Opposing the ruler was to oppose god himself

Art Example:

Qing Dynasty- Emperor Kanxi displayed imperial portraits of himself around the city. They convinced the Chinese that he was their legitimate ruler. This worked because he was natively Manchu but in his portraits, he was depicted with traditional Confusion values, appealing to his subjects and convincing them to accept him.

Architecture Example:

Palace of Versailles: Built for French Monarch Louis XIV. He would consolidate power by forcing nobles to live there, watching over, controlling and removing power from them.

Systems of Taxation

1. Zamindar System - Mughal Empire: Mughal rulers would employ local land owners called zamindars to tax the empire on the behalf of the emperor.

2. Tax Farming - Ottoman Empire: The right to tax system was given to the highest bidder. Whoever had the right was allowed to collect taxes from a group of people. (They would usually colect more than the legal requirement to keep for themselves.)

Christianity In Europe

The dominant belief system in Western Europe- Roman Catholic Church.

The church became corrupted (Simony - buying roles in the church + Indulgences - pieces of paper sold to “forgive sins”)

Martin Luther

He was a Catholic monk. He made the 95 thesis (series of complaints about he church and its corruption) The printing press allowed for the spreading of this information which led to the Protestant Reformation.