Land Based Adminstration 3.2

Introduction to Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

• Focus: How rulers of land-based empires maintained and consolidated power.

Key Terms

Legitimizing Power

• Methods rulers use to communicate authority to subjects.

Consolidating Power

• Actions taken to transfer power from other groups to themselves.

Methods of Legitimizing and Consolidating Power

1. Creation of Large Imperial Bureaucracies

• Effective administration through skilled bureaucrats.

• Example: Ottoman Empire's bureaucratic system contributed to effective governance.

2. Expansion of Militaries

• Development of elite military units to support rule.

• Example: Ottoman janissaries formed from enslaved Christians through the devshirmay system.

3. Use of Architecture to Legitimize Rule

• Construction of grand structures to symbolize power.

• Example: Palace of Versailles, built for Louis XIV of France, showcased royal grandeur and legitimacy.

Tax Collection and Administration

• Tax farming system: contracts given to individuals to collect taxes.

• Tax farmers often collected more than necessary, enriching themselves while providing stable income for the empire.

• Benefit for the Ottomans: Reliable annual revenue without direct costs from tax collectors.