Unit 3

• Land-based Empire


  An empire whose power comes from the extent of its territorial holdings
• 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
• Safavid Empire


  • Founded in early 16th century
  • Lacked natural defensive barriers, so built up military with gunpowder and enslaved Christian soldiers from Caucasus region
  • Shia Muslim, unlike the Sunni Ottoman Empire
• Mughal Empire


  • Established in first half of 16th century
  • Expanded rapidly using gunpowder weapons
  • Under Akbar, became most prosperous 16th century empire by being tolerant of diverse beliefs
• Qing Dynasty


  • Ethnic Manchu rulers conquered Ming Dynasty in early 17th century
  • Built up military with gunpowder weapons to expand
• Expansion of land-based empires


  Inevitable clashes between empires
• Safavid-Mughal conflict was a series of wars over territory in Afghanistan, with no clear victor
• Legitimize power


  Methods a ruler uses to establish their authority
• Consolidate power


  Methods a ruler uses to transfer power from other groups to themselves
• Ways rulers legitimized and consolidated power


  1. Formation of large bureaucracies

  2. Reliance on elite military forces

  3. Promotion of state religions

  4. Dynastic succession
• Ottoman bureaucracy


  • Used the devşirme system to staff bureaucracy with highly trained individuals, many of whom were enslaved Christians converted to Islam
• Officials that ensure laws are kept throughout the Empire
• The bureaucracy is used by rulers to maintain control of their Empire
• Dev sheer system


  Used by the Ottomans to staff their bureaucracy with highly trained individuals
• Many Christians converted to Islam were sent to an educational institution and the top performers were appointed to elite positions in the Ottoman bureaucracy
• Extensive education and training made the Ottoman bureaucrats wise administrators and loyal to the Sultan
• Military professionals


  • Second way rulers administered their Empires
• Religious ideas, art, and monumental architecture


  • Third way rulers administered their Empires
• Divine right of kings


  Religious belief that monarchs were God's representatives on Earth, legitimizing their authority
• Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty


  • Hung Imperial portraits of himself surrounded by books to convince the Han population of his legitimacy
• Sun Temple of Cusco, Inca Empire


  • Walls covered in gold, courtyards filled with golden statues, used to legitimize Inca rulers' association with the Gods
• Palace of Versailles, built by Louis XIV


  • Used to transfer power to the monarch by requiring French nobility to live there and compete for the king's attention
• Innovations in tax collection systems

  • Fourth way rulers administered their Empires
• Zamindars in the Mughal Empire


  • Elite land owners granted authority to tax peasants on behalf of the Imperial government
• Ottoman tax farming system


  • Rights to tax subjects awarded to highest bidder, who could then charge more than required
• Aztec tribute lists


  • Conquered regions required to send goods to the Imperial capital, communicated who was in charge
• The Roman Catholic Church in Europe had become plagued with corruption by the period, including the sale of indulgences
• Martin Luther


  Catholic monk who published the 95 Theses criticizing the Catholic Church's practices, leading to the Protestant Reformation
• The Catholic Church initiated its own Reformation at the Council of Trent, cleaning up corruption but reaffirming its doctrine
• The Sunni-Shia split in Islam was intensified by political rivalries, such as the Safavid Empire's declaration of Shia Islam and persecution of Sunnis
• Sikhism


  Syncretic blend of Hindu and Islamic doctrines, retaining some elements of both while discarding gender hierarchies and the caste system