Land Based Empires 1450-1750

This set of flashcards covers the key vocabulary and concepts related to land-based empires (1450-1750), including their expansion methods, consolidation of power, and the role of belief systems.

Gunpowder

The chief means by which land-based empires were able to expand and consolidate power from 1450 to 1750.

Janissaries

Elite fighting force in the Ottoman Empire made up of enslaved Christians converted to Islam and trained in gunpowder weapons.

Shah Abbas

Safavid leader who built up the military and established an enslaved army, drawing parallels with the Ottoman system.

Safavid Empire

The dynasty established in 1501 under Shah Ismail, which became a Shiite Islamic dynasty, causing conflict with the Sunni Mughals and Ottomans.

Babur

The leader who established the Mughal Empire in 1526 by displacing the Delhi Sultanate through the use of gunpowder.

Akbar

Babur's grandson, whose rule covered about half of the Indian Subcontinent and who was known for religious tolerance and masterful administration.

Qing Dynasty

The dynasty established by the Manchu people after they raided China in 1636, succeeding the Ming dynasty.

Han

The ethnic group that constituted most of the Chinese population during the Qing dynasty.

Safavid-Mughal Conflicts

Conflicts in the Middle East between the Safavid and Mughal empires in the 17th century, driven by territorial ambitions and religious differences (Shia vs. Sunni).

Legitimizing Power

Methods used by rulers to communicate their authority and legitimacy to the people.

Consolidating Power

Methods used to transfer power from various groups to a single ruler or a small group of individuals.

Devshirme

A system used by the Ottomans to staff their imperial bureaucracy with highly trained individuals.

Samurai

The ancient warrior class in Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate that were put on the government's payroll and became salaried warriors and bureaucrats.

Divine Right

The belief claimed by European monarchs, asserting that they ruled as God's representatives on Earth.

Louis XIV (Sun King)

French king who used monumental architecture, such as the Palace of Versailles, to consolidate his rule by controlling the French nobility.

Human sacrifice

A practice in the Aztec Empire used to consolidate and legitimize power through displays of wealth during human sacrifice rituals.

Zamindar Tax Collection System

A system in the Mughal Empire where elite landowners were granted the authority to tax peasants on their land on behalf of the imperial government.

Tax Farming

A system in the Ottoman Empire where the right to tax people on behalf of the empire was sold to the highest bidder.

Protestant Reformation

A major split within Christianity in Europe that began in 1517 with Martin Luther's denunciation of the Catholic Church's corruption.

Catholic Reformation/Counter Reformation

The response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation, marked by reforms and reaffirmation of core doctrines.

Sikhism

A syncretic belief system in South Asia that blends Hindu and Islamic doctrines, creating a new faith.