Land Based Empires (1450-1750)
Land Based Empires: 1450-1750
Time period: 1450 to 1750.
Focus: Land-based empires, their expansion, administration, and belief systems.
Defining Land Based Empires
Definition: An empire whose power is derived from the extent of its territorial holdings.
Big Idea: Land-based empires expanded significantly during this period.
Four Empires to Know:
Ottoman Empire
Safavid Empire
Mughal Empire
Russian Empire (not explicitly mentioned in this segment)
Ottoman Empire
Founded in the fourteenth century.
Expanded rapidly due to the adoption of gunpowder weapons.
Gunpowder weapons originated in China and spread through trade routes.
By the beginning of the fifteenth century, controlled much of Southwestern Europe and Anatolia.
Conquered Constantinople in 1453, renaming it Istanbul.
Constantinople was the heart of the Roman Empire; its fall opened the door for expansion into Eastern Europe.
Policy of enslaving Christians in the Balkans, converting them to Islam, and creating an elite fighting force known as the Janissaries.
By 1750, the Ottoman Empire had expanded significantly.
Safavid Empire
Located in the Middle East.
Founded at the beginning of the sixteenth century.
Expanded rapidly under Shah Ismail through raids and conquests.
Expansion was facilitated by gunpowder weapons.
Shah Abbas built up the Safavid military, including adopting gunpowder weapons.
Established an enslaved army of Christians from the Caucasus region.
These soldiers were highly trained and served the Shah full-time, contributing significantly to Safavid expansion.
Similarities with the Ottoman Empire:
Humble beginnings.
Rapid expansion with gunpowder.
Elite enslaved military forces.
Both were Muslim empires.
Differences with the Ottoman Empire:
The Ottomans were Sunni Muslims, while the Safavids were Shia Muslims.
Sunnis believed that any spiritually fit individual could be Muhammad's successor, while Shia believed only blood relatives were legitimate successors.
Each branch believed they were the true representatives of Islam.
Mughal Empire
Located in South and Central Asia.
Established in the first half of the sixteenth century.
Babur led campaigns against the Delhi Sultanate in 1526 and established Mughal rule.
The Mughal Empire expanded rapidly through a growing military that used gunpowder weapons.
Under Akbar, Babur's grandson, the empire expanded further.
The Mughals were Muslim, like the Delhi Sultanate.
Akbar was tolerant of all belief systems, unlike previous rulers.
Due to this tolerance and Akbar's administration, the Mughals became the most prosperous empire of the sixteenth century.
Qing Dynasty
Otherwise known as the Manchu Empire
Last time period, the Mongols took over all of China and established the Huan Dynasty
After the Huan Dynasty fell the Ming dynasty roses
The most important thing about the Ming Dynasty was that they were ethnically Han, which is to say Chinese
They got the foreign Mongols to leave and created a New Dynasty with their own peoples
Ching Dynasty
The Manchu arrived and they were outsiders who were going to set up a New dynasty
In the first half of the 17th century, the Ming dynasty was getting weak
The Manchu people of the North came in and set up the Ching Dynasty
From that point the Ching Dynasty improved their military and led conquest of expansión using gunpowder weapons
All four empires similarities
Land based
Expandes rapidly
Used gunpowder to expand
Ethnically different from subjects
Both the Ching and the Mughal were ethically different from their subjects
While both the Safavids and the Ottomans were Muslim on was Shia while the other was Suna