Unit 3: Land Based Empires 1450-1750

3.1: Empires Expand 1450-1750

3.1: Empires Expand 1450-1750 

  • Gunpowder empires in SE Asia, Asia, SW Asia

    • States that relied on gunpowder to keep power and expand their territories

    • Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal 

      • Ottoman Empire (1299-1922)

        • Largest and greatest of all islamic empires during this time

        • In 1433 under the leadership of Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) sieged and took Constantinople from the Byzantine empire using gunpowder and advanced cannons

          • Changed name to Istanbul

          • Benefited from its location because it was at the center of many trade routes

        • Conquered more area around the Mediterranean and attempted to push further into europe past Hungary but was stopped

          • Regardless still made Europe scared of Ottomans

      • Safavid Empire (1501-1736)

        • Ismail I conquered most of Persia, and parts of Iraq using gunpowder

        • Was Islamic, but Shia Islamic not Sunni like the Ottomans

          • Legitimized power by having a religion for the country but also rejected other countries that weren’t Shia, namely, the Ottomans

        • Persian/Iran

      • Mughal Empire (1526-1761)

        • Descendent of Tamerlane named Babur founded Mughal Empire when India was in disarray

        • Babur completed conquest of Northern India using gunpowder and established central government similar to Suleiman

        • Akbar was an important ruler who led Mughal to be prosperous

        • He was Muslim but supported other religions in India such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity

          • Sikhism started in India around 1500

          • Sikhism values equality, social justice, service to humanity, and tolerance for other religions

        • Akbar consolidated power by promoting differences, unlike other empires during the time

        • Cultural achievements

          • Taj Mahal

          • Built by Shah Jahan to honor dead wife but also to display power

  • Asian Empires:

    • Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868)

      • Centralization → peace

  • Europe: Black death was ending Gutenberg Printing Press spreading ideas

    • Monarchies were coming out of feudal period and wanted to centralize power

    • Protestant Reformation (see unit 4)

  • Asia: 

    • Yuan Dynasty was replaced by Ming Dynasty in 1368 and ruled into 16th century

    • 1636 Qing Dynasty established by Manchu Jurchens who overtook ming china 

      • Restored the Great Wall of China against mongol threat in north

      • Emperor Kang Xi expanded chinese territory into Taiwan, Mongolia, Central Asia, Tibet with gunpowder

3.2: Empires: Administration 1450-1750 

  • How rulers of land based empires legitimized and consolidated their power

  • Europe: 3 ways

    • 1: Divine Right of Kings

      • Similar to mandate of heaven

      • In England, King James believed that god put rulers in power and therefore king was vice regent of Jesus himself

        • To oppose king was to oppose Jesus/God

        • Resulted in kings seeing themselves as outside of the law because what the will of god

    • 3: Rise of Absolutism in France

      • Monarchical system giving absolute power to the king

      • Henry IV began process by insisting on Divine Right of Kings

      • Louis XIV consolidated so much power he was virtually a dictator

        • Combined legislative and judicial system for himself

        • Built Palace at Versailles to show power

  • Ottoman Empire:

    • Ottomans sultans used a system called Devshirme

      • Took enslaved people from tribute states of empire (Balkans)

        • Educated these people and made them serve in military or work as administrators of the empire

        • Typically boys from age 8-20

      • Islam teaches that muslim cannot enslave another muslim so the Ottomans took people from the southern European and Balkan christian population

      • Janissaries were the elite military corps of the Ottoman empire from the Devshirme system

    • East and SE Asia

      • Japan was organized like feudal europe

        • Daimyo were landowning aristocracy who employed samurai for protection

        • Japan was fractured among many daimyo territories 

        • Over time the daimyo grew powerful and unified more of Japan

      • Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 – 1868)

        • Similar to Louis XIV, required daimyo to live in capital city of tokyo as well as their home

    • India/Mughal Empire (1526–1761)

      • Akbar known as greatest ruler of Mughal empire

        • Established efficient system for managing

        • Zamindars went around india collecting taxes and settling disputes as administrative power

      • 3 main ways rulers legitimized power: Religion, Art, and Architecture

        • In Africa in the Songhai Empire fell to the Moroccan Kingdom

        • In India, Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife

        • The Ottomans changed Constantinople to Istanbul and built magnificent mosques

        • Louis XIV built Palace at Versailles in France

        • All these grand gestures made people realize these rulers had power

3.3: Empires: Belief Systems 1450-1750 

  • Major belief systems

    • Hinduism

      • Polytheistic, cycle of reincarnation and reaching spiritual liberation 

      • Dominant in South Asia (modern day India)

      • Bhakti Movement

        • Spiritual and social movement in India 

        • Emphasized importance of personal relationship with a deity; less formal, ritualistic, and traditional

        • Influenced Indian music and literature

    • Islam

      • Monotheistic 

      • Ottoman Empire, Mughal Empire (1526-1857)

      • Sufism

        • Mystic belief system with rituals 

        • Closer to God with prayer and meditation

        • Emphasis on “brotherhood”

        • Missionaries spread Islam

      • Sikhism

        • Syncretic religion combining Islam (monotheism) and Hinduism (karma and reincarnation)

          • Equality of all people; reject caste

          • Social justice

      • Sunni-Shia Split

        • ~700 CE, but conflict intensified between Ottoman (Sunni) and Safavid (Shia)

    • Christianity

      • Protestant Reformation

        • 16th century

        • Challenged authority and corruption of Pope

          • Sold indulgences

        • Led by Martin Luther, German monk

          • 1517: Published the Ninety-Five Theses

          • Translated bible to German, making it more accessible to public

          • Lutheran church created

        • Calvinism

          • John Calvin from France → God already chose future

      • Counter-Reformation

        • Catholics’ attempt to gain back followers 

        • Council of Trent (1545-1563)

          • Clarify Catholic stance on religious questions

          • Punished “heretics”

    • Americas

      • Aztec and Inca used previously existing religions

      • Human sacrifice

        • Aztecs especially more prevalent