Social Structures and Hierarchies (1450-1750)

Overview

• Examination of changes in social hierarchies during 1450-1750.
• Focus on state responses to ethnic diversity, economic opportunities, and shifts in political power.

State Responses to Ethnic Diversity

Treatment of Jews

• Expulsion Side:

  • Spain and Portugal:
    • Spain expelled Jews in 1492 post-Reconquista to maintain Christian dominance.
    • Jews fled to Portugal, which also expelled them due to Spanish influence.

• Tolerance Side:

  • Ottoman Empire:
    • Welcomed expelled Jews, allowing some to rise in the court and contribute economically and culturally.
    • Imposed restrictions such as the jizya tax and designated living areas for non-Muslims.

Qing Dynasty's Response

• Manchu rulers adopted some Chinese cultural aspects but maintained ethnic divisions:
  • Reserved high positions for Manchus.
  • Imposed the traditional Manchu hairstyle on Han men as a sign of dominance.

Mughal Empire's Tolerance

• Akbar the Great:
  • Promoted ethnic and religious tolerance.
  • Abolished the jizya tax (later reintroduced).
  • Funded religious buildings for various faiths.

Rise of New Political Elites

European Maritime Empires

• New economic opportunities from global trade led to new political elites.

Spanish Casta System in the Americas

• Lack of Traditional Nobility:
  • Conquistadors established a new social hierarchy.
  • Casta system based on race and heredity:
    • Peninsulares: Born in Iberian Peninsula, top of the hierarchy.
    • Creoles: European descent, born in the New World.
    • Mestizos and Mulattos: Mixed European-Indigenous and European-African ancestry.
    • Enslaved Africans and Indigenous Peoples: Bottom of the hierarchy.
  • Cultural complexity of native peoples was reduced by this system.

Struggles of Existing Elites

Russian Boyars

• Aristocratic class losing power under Peter the Great:
  • Abolition of the boyar rank.
  • Employment requirement in the Russian bureaucracy.

Ottoman Timars

• Land grants (timars) granted to aristocrats:
  • Converted to tax farms by Sultans, redirecting revenue to the state.
  • Resulted in loss of power and influence for existing elites.

Conclusion

• Social structures evolved significantly during this period due to state policies addressing diversity, new economic conditions, and shifts in political power.
• The lecture provides insights into the complexity and fluidity of social hierarchies across different regions.