Empires and Power Consolidation

Ottoman Empire Expansion

  • Expanded significantly due to gunpowder weapons.
  • By 1402, controlled much of Southwestern Europe.
  • In 1453, sacked Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.
  • Utilized Janissaries: enslaved Christians converted to Islam and trained as elite fighters with gunpowder weapons.

Safavid Empire

  • Established in 1501 by Shah Ismail as a Shiite Islamic dynasty.
  • This move put them at odds with the Sunni Mughals and Ottomans.
  • Shah Abbas built up the Safavid military, adopting gunpowder weapons.
  • Similar to the Ottomans, established an enslaved army of conquered Christians.

Mughal Empire

  • Established in 1526 by Babur by displacing the Delhi Sultanate.
  • Under Akbar, Babur's grandson, Mughal rule expanded to cover about half of the Indian Subcontinent.
  • Akbar was tolerant of religious beliefs and a masterful administrator.

Qing Dynasty

  • Established after the decline of Mongol rule and the weakening of the Ming dynasty.
  • In 1636, the Manchu people raided China and established the Qing Dynasty.
  • Qing rulers were Manchu, while the majority of the population was Han Chinese, causing tension.

Rivalries Between Empires

  • Safavid-Mughal conflict: A series of wars in the 17th century due to territorial ambitions and Shia vs. Sunni religious differences.

Legitimizing and Consolidating Power

  • Legitimizing power: Methods used by a ruler to communicate their authority and convince people of their legitimacy.
  • Consolidating power: Methods used to transfer power from other groups to a single ruler.
  • Formation of large bureaucracies (e.g., the Ottoman's Devshirme system).
  • Development of military professionals (e.g., Janissaries, salaried Samurai in Japan).
  • Use of religious ideas, art, and monumental architecture.
    • European monarchs claiming rule by divine right.
    • Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles to control the French nobility.
    • Aztec human sacrifice rituals to display wealth and power.
    • Inca's Sun Temple at Cuzco covered in gold.
    • Emperor Kang Xi (Qing Dynasty) used imperial portraits to associate himself with Confucianism.
  • Tax collection systems.
    • Mughal Empire's Zamindar system.
    • Ottoman Empire's tax farming.

Belief Systems and Conflicts

  • Shared beliefs can bind people together, while conflicting beliefs can cause conflict.
  • Christianity in Europe:
    • The Protestant Reformation in the 16th century caused a split between Roman Catholics and Protestants.
    • Led to religious wars until 1648.
    • The Catholic Church responded with the Catholic Reformation (Counter-Reformation).
  • Sunni-Shia split in Islam intensified conflicts between the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Empires.
  • Syncretism: Interaction of belief systems produced new faiths, such as Sikhism, a blend of Hindu and Islamic doctrines.