An empire whose power comes from the extent of its territorial holdings
4 land-based empires to know
Ottoman Empire
Safavid Empire
Mughal Empire
Qing Dynasty
Ottoman Empire
Founded in 14th century
Adopted gunpowder weapons
Conquered Constantinople in 1453
Enslaved Christians and converted them to Islam, forming the Janissary elite force.. through the Devshirme system
Safavid Empire
Founded in early 16th century
Lacked natural defensive barriers, so built up military with gunpowder and an enslaved army of Christians from the Caucasus region
Shia Muslim, unlike the Sunni Ottoman Empire
Mughal Empire
Established in first half of 16th century
Wiped out the Delhi Sultanate
Under Akbar, became the most prosperous empire of the 16th century and was tolerant of different belief systems
Qing Dynasty
Also known as the Manchu Empire
Ethnically Han Chinese, unlike the foreign Mongol Yuan Dynasty
Used gunpowder weapons to expand their conquest
Legitimize power
Methods a ruler uses to establish their authority
Consolidate power
Methods a ruler uses to transfer power from other groups to themselves
4 ways rulers of land-based empires legitimized and consolidated power
Formation of large bureaucracies
Reliance on elite military forces
Promotion of state religions
Dynastic succession
Bureaucracies
Ottomans used the devşhirme system to staff their bureaucracy with highly trained individuals, many of whom were converted Christians from the Balkans
Rulers administered their Empires through the development of military professionals, like the Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire
Three ways rulers administered their Empires
Religious ideas
Art
Monumental architecture
Divineright of kings
Monarchs were believed to be God's representatives on Earth, legitimizing their authority
Use of art to legitimize power
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty hung Imperial portraits of himself surrounded by books to convince the Han population he was a legitimate Chinese ruler
Use of monumentalarchitecture to legitimize power
The Inca built the Sun Temple of Cusco, covered in gold, to associate their rulers with the gods
The Palace of Versailles built by Louis XIV transferred power to the monarch by requiring French nobility to live there and compete for his attention
Empires needed new tax collection systems to generate revenue, like the zamindar system in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman taxfarming system, and the Aztec tribute lists
The Protestant Reformation began when MartinLuther published the 95 Theses, criticizing Catholic Church practices, leading to a split in Christianity
The Catholic Church also underwent its own Reformation, cleaning up corruption but reaffirming its doctrine, leading to a permanent split between Catholicism and Protestantism
The Sunni-Shia split in Islam was intensified by political rivalries, like the Safavid Empire's declaration of Shia Islam and persecution of Sunnis
Sikhism developed as a syncretic blend of Hindu and Islamic doctrines, retaining some elements of both while discarding gender hierarchies and the caste system