AP World History: Unit 3 - Land-Based Empires

How land-based empires gained and maintained control over large territories from 1450 to 1750.
- Short Answer: By consolidating power and legitimizing their power.
- Core Message from Rulers: "I'm in charge, and let me show you how."

Definition: A group of people employed by the government who carry out the will of the emperor.
Examples:
- China (Manchu/Qin Dynasty):
  - Reintroduced the civil service examination.
  - Required for anyone in the bureaucracy, ensuring ideological alignment.
  - Crucial for the Manchu (foreigners) to legitimize their rule after displacing the native Ming dynasty.
- Ottoman Empire (Devshirme System):
  - Enslaved poor Christian boys from Southern Europe and the Balkans.
  - Educated them thoroughly in philosophy, politics, and art.
  - Some joined the Janissaries (elite military force), others became bureaucratic workers, some rose to high government ranks.
  - Resulted in fierce loyalty to the Sultan.
**Songhai Empire (Specific Methods): **
- Controlling trade routes.
- Forming alliances.
- Military expansion.
- Displaying power through court rituals (e.g., king on a platform, surrounded by 700 eunuchs, visitors approaching face down).
**Aztec Empire (Exception: Tribute System - Less Centralized): **
- Relied on a system where conquered peoples (tribute states) owed specific goods to the conquerors on a regular basis.
- Allowed the Aztecs to rule a diverse empire without direct presence.
- Despite this exception, creating a bureaucracy was common for consolidating power.

Purpose: To fund empire expansion, enslaving foreign peoples, and lavish palaces.
**Methods: **
- Mughal Empire:
  - Emperor appointed Zamindars (bureaucrats).
  - Collected taxes based on land holdings or agricultural production.
- Ottoman Empire:
  - Employed tax farming.
  - Tax farmers were given targets but often collected more to enrich themselves.
- Aztec Empire:
  - Did not collect taxes in the traditional sense, but imposed tribute lists.
  - Lists outlined specific goods (food, various items) and sometimes people from each tribute state.
  - The demand for people was for religious rituals involving human sacrifice.

Taxes supported formidable military forces used for power consolidation and intimidation.
Eurasian Empires: Relied heavily on gunpowder-based weapons.
American Empires (e.g., Aztecs): Fierce without gunpowder, relied on other forms of intimidation (e.g., human sacrifice).
Elite Groups of Soldiers:
- Ottomans: Janissaries (enslaved Christians, highly educated and trained, fiercely loyal to the Sultan).
- Safavids: Ghulams (taken from minority enslaved populations like Armenians and Circassians, fiercely loyal to the Shah).
- Aztecs: Elite squad of soldiers made up of enslaved people, part of the "blood tax" from tribute states.

Sheer military might alone was often insufficient to secure people's submission in vast, diverse empires.
Rulers used religion, art, and monumental architecture to reinforce their authority.

Islamic Emperors: Took the title Caliph, signifying their legitimacy as successors to Muhammad.
European Kings: Embraced the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, asserting that kings were God's representatives on Earth and carried out God's will.
Songhai Empire: Rulers and nobles converted to Islam, creating a unifying force within the empire.
**Religious Conflict (Challenges to Legitimacy & Unification): **
- Protestant Reformation (Europe):
  - Challenged corrupt practices of the Catholic Church.
  - Led to a lasting split between Catholics and Protestants.
  - Forced European rulers to choose a religious alignment for their kingdoms, causing bitter disputes.
  - Ironically, the split contributed to the growth of Christianity by fostering different branches of thought and existence.
- Ottoman-Safavid Conflict:
  - Both empires were Muslim but adhered to different branches: Ottomans were Sunni, Safavids were Shia.
  - Each considered the other heretics.
  - Conflicts were driven by both territorial disputes and deep religious divisions.

China (Qin Dynasty): Commissioned portraits of emperors and high officials to visually convey authority and power.
Europe: Rulers patronized artists to create works that glorified their rule and image.

Definition: Giant structures built by emperors whose features far outstrip their practical functionality, serving as powerful symbols of authority.
**Examples: **
- Mughal Empire:
  - Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife.
  - Its excessive size and beauty, beyond the basic need for a burial site, conveyed Shah Jahan's greatness and supreme authority.
- France:
  - Louis XIV constructed the Palace of Versailles.
  - Its immense scale and luxurious ornamentation far exceeded functional needs, sending a clear message of the king's power and legitimacy.
  - Living with the nobility at Versailles also allowed Louis XIV to monitor and control them, making challenges to his rule difficult.

Understanding these strategies of consolidating and legitimizing power is critical to grasping Unit 3 of AP World History.