• Using knowledge from the KNOWT u3 study guide + Heimler’s History + my own knowledge

• I hope to have complied the information into a comprehensive/ more digestible manner to be of aid to you all!

FOCUS: Unit 3 centers on LAND BASED EMPIRES as we enter into a more advanced period of history (1450-1750), most notably as a result of the invention of GUNPOWDER. How did the already existing land-based empires gain, consolidate, and maintain their power? How did new land based empires come to be? Lets transform into fishies and dive deep into a sea of lore…

MAINTENANCE OF POWER:

Bureaucracies

Religion, Art, and Architecture

Taxation to finance an empire

THE 4 GUNPOWDER EMPIRES

know this by heart. sing it every morning if you will.

The Ottoman Empire = the successors of the mongol empire, founded as it fell by Osman Bey. Would alter go on to conquer the Byzantine Empire’s CONSTANTINOPLE, leading to the end of an empire. Renamed Istanbul (Turkey).

• because the empire was located in between the Black and Mediterranean Sea, linking Europe and Asia, Istanbul was a strategic area for trade and a source of WEALTH.

-The Ottomans would use the Devshirme system to control their territories. They kidnapped Christian boys, converted them to Islam, and they were trained for governmental positions or military positions, they would be called Janissaries.

The Mughal Empire = founded by Babur, a descendant of Timurlane and Genghis Khan.

• Babur’s grandson, Akbar, established religious tolerance within the empire and revoked the Jizya (non-muslim tax). A golden age emerged under his rule as he expanded the empire significantly.

• Aurangzeb was the following emperor, who ended religious tolerance and imposed the jizya once again. He waged war recklessly in hopes to conquer India, he persecuted hindus. The empire collapsed under his rule.

The Safavid Empire = founded in what is now Persia, by a young teenage boy named Ismael (and here I am writing and eating candies), the kid establishes the largest Shai muslim empire.

• forces the Sunni muslims living in the empire to convert

• The Battle of Chaldiran in 1514 occurred between Sunni Ottomans neighboring the empire who felt unsafe, the Safavids lost territory in the end.

The Qing Dynasty = ethnically not Han, replacing the Ming was the Manchurians, neighbors to China becoming the last dynasty to rule the country.

→ expanded by conquering nearby neighbors (Tibet, Mongolia, Xinjiang provinces).

→ because they were not Han, the Qing had to enforce their rule and presence to the people of China. They did so by hanging up portraits of the ruler with historical Chinese items, such as portraits of the emperor with Confucian books behind him.

→ justified their rule by divine right rule (it is gods will for them to be rulers)

EUROPE:

As Heimler had said, Europe up until its 300 years of development was the butt bread of a bread loaf, touched, but not wanted, not superior. A change in dynamic would occur though, and eventually Europe became a dominant world power. As countries began to further unification and connectivity, Europe would undergo prominent changes and discoveries, here are some of those events…

*PS: by this time, Europe has already been Christian

THE RENAISSANCE:

-Following the devastating Middle Ages, a Golden Age! Voila!

-A golden age of ART and CULTURE

• Humanism: the ideology/ belief that humans should strive for personal accomplishment, happiness, a sense of fulfillment during one’s lifetime, rather than striving for God’s salvation.

• The Arts experienced an uprising, as there was a surge of interest towards it, and art had shifted towards the classical style. People could afford art again!

• Trade in Europe became more of a prominent pillar of society and led people to move into cities, overall causing a spike in the economies of European countries.

  → this money would in turn be invested in EDUCATION, particularly researching the past

• Johannes Gutenberg (analogy: Gutenberg press) would invent the PRINTING PRESS, which would give literature a place in society and culture. This invention would mend the low literacy rates as well as that of education.

  → Gutenberg would make books affordable and accessible as they could be, so that everyone had a chance for a new chapter in their lives.

  → The printing press would be a pillar in one of Europe’s most table-turning movements…

An example of GAINING, CONSOLIDATING AND MAINTAINING POWERR!!

THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION:

Copernicus and Galileo at Europes center stage

An era of education that lead to some of mankind’s greatest discoveries

Copernicus = discovered that the Earth and the rest of the planets revolved around the Sun and Earth did on its own axis (heliocentric system)

Galileo = fortified and elaborated on Copernicus’ findings

→ The church came after Galileo and forced him to surrender his findings and beliefs

→ He was put on house arrest as he retaliated

• Scientific Method: shift from reasoning being most reliable means of scientific meaning to scientific method (theory, documentation, repetition, others experimenting)

→ in other words, you cant justify something anymore “just because it makes sense.”

→Led to Industrial Revolution, and many rejecting the church - atheists (believe no god exists), deists (believe God exists, but is passive)

• Deism: became popular in 1700s - God created the earth but doesn’t interfere in its workings

(creds @myafroease)

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION:

all hail the 95 theses and Martin Luther!!!

As previously mentioned, the forefront of Europe’s religious system was Christianity, specifically the Catholic branch (Catholic Church), and as we’ve previously observed through the earlier days of europe’s history, the church had a defining role in European countries.

Their role was practically undisputed, untouched, they were the sole bosses in European countries.

Now, ive previously mentioned that a great chunk of europeans were illiterate, and the printing press revolutionized that…

Well, things got tricky when the Catholic church began to PROFIT off of their followers, and their fear. Most notably, they began selling indulgences

Indulgences = paper forgiveness of sins congruent with less time in purgatory (not hell, but a place of punishment for souls after death by God, the ‘in-between’. look up paintings of purgatory to solidify understanding).

followers would purchase these indulgences to be saved, having fear of what was to come after them, given nobody in a lifetime will be perfect this was an incredibly successful ‘product’.

This didnt pass by everyone though, nobles and peasants could see through the cracks and became increasingly frustrated. But once again, who is to challenge the ever supreme Catholic church????

His name was Martin Luther 😤😤😤😤😤😤

Brave German monk Martin Luther did not hold back in his 95 theses, a scroll of his complaints against the Catholic Church regarding their recent controversial behavior, such as the selling of indulgences.

→ he shed light to the buried fact that salvation was given to man BY GOD, not by small popes giving out paper sheets…

→> this in turn REDUCED THE CHURCH’S INFLUENCE!

Of course the church was not content with having an articulate callout nailed to the door of one of their churches, and Pope Leo X excommunicated (removed from the Catholic Church) Martin Luther when he refused to recount the Church'‘s ideas/ or admit that the church was right.

• The printing press would play a large role in the reduction of the Chruch’s influence following the 95 theses, as it would generate hundreds of copies of it for civilians all around.

• This conflict shed light back to the ever prevalent theme in this course of the ABUSE OF POWER, and IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION. The Church abused the fact that a good chunk of the population was illiterate and resorted to blindly following them, as they knew no better.

rip Martin Luther fr died for our sins 😔✊(I hope u get the reference to the video omg…)

CHRISTIANITY’S SPLIT AND THE CATHOLIC REFORMATION

Well the decrease of influence the Catholic Church had wasn’t the only outcome of the Protestant Reformation 😹

People, and by people I mean kings, across Europe either remained Catholic or attempted to impose Protestantism upon society.

Are you team Catholic or team Protestant ?!?!?!

→ this would lead to religion based wars

→ on the bright side for the Christians, Christianity spread!

Following the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church hit back with the COUNTER REFORMATION / the catholic reformation

The catholics tried to revitalize themselves by imposing the Council of Trent

The Council of Trent = a years long meeting aiming to reestablish the key morals and practices of the church, working towards abolishing corruption.

-Though they did this, the Church too punished those who had left the church

-they also sent jesuit missionaries across Europe to convince people to convert.

France:

• Unified and centralized under strong monarchy after Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) (an intermittent struggle between England and France)

• Largely Catholic, but French Protestants started to emerge (Huguenots) and fought with the Catholics

• Henry IV: issued Edict of Nantes (1598) (environment of tolerance between religions) - first of Bourbon kings who ruled until 1792

  → he was TOLERANT! IF THEY ASK YOU HE WAS TOLERANT!!!

  • The main achievement of the Edict of Nantes was indeed the creation of an environment of tolerance between religions. Issued in 1598 by King Henry IV of France, the Edict of Nantes granted significant civil rights to the Huguenots, who were French Protestants, while still affirming Catholicism as the state religion of France. This was a landmark decision in a time of religious wars in Europe, as it allowed for a degree of religious coexistence and tolerance not seen in many other places. (kai ai)

• Cardinal Richelieu: chief advisor to the Bourbons who compromised with Protestants instead of fighting with them

Germany:

• Holy Empire was in present day Austria/Germany - weak due to the mixed dynamics, rulership, and religion of the surrounding area

  • Lost parts of Hungary to Ottoman Turks in early 16th century

  • Devastated by Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)

  • German states were gaining power by 18th century

• Peace of Augsburg (1555): intended to bring end to conflicts between Catholics and Protestants

• Thirty Years’ War: began when protestants in Bohemia challenged Catholics - violent and destructive

  • Peace of Westphalia (1648): German states affirmed to keep the peace, ended the Thirty Years’ War

@myafroese creds for france + germany

ASIA:

Shi’a v Sunni Islamic dispute

In the Ottoman and Safavid empires, tensions became evident as Islam split into two paths, Shi’a Muslims and Sunni Muslims. The split was essentially caused over disagreeable on who the rightful successor(s) of Muhammad were after he passed away.

Shi’a Muslims put emphasis on Muhammad bloodline

Sunni Muslims put emphasis on the first four caliphs

Japan

• National Seclusion Policy (1635): prohibited Japanese from traveling abroad and prohibited most foreigners

  → beginning of enclosure for Japan, prohibiting outside influences or development.

DECLINE OF GP EMPIRES:

Ottomans + Safavids: Europeans avoided the empires when it came to purchase goods from Asia, which made them lose a significant + staggering amount of revenue, leading them to have economic declines and a loss of power in the global landscape.

• they did not modernize their armies and were not a match for the Europeans

• because trade revenues fell they increased taxes on commoners, leading to revolts.

• another reason for the fall of the Ottoman Empire is harem politics, where the wives of the sultan fought over which son would be next in line, leading to a string of murders and instability.

In the economic aspect, the Qing’s downfall was similar to the Ottoman and Safavid…

Qing: the Qing adopted the Ming policy of isolationism (closing off contact w the rest of the world, like Japan did), which of course meant no external revenue and led them to spike taxes on commoners and peasants, leading to civil unrest, and uprising.

• the europeans would make their way to Asia and would demand access to luxurious Chinese goods, the Qing refused and those were their famous last words given that their rejection would lead to war, and the Qing would lose to the British.

Mughals: fell under the rule of Aurangzeb as touched on above.

@amslies