AP World History: Unit 3 Overview - Land-based Empires (1450-1750)

Key Concepts

• Land-based Empires: Empires with power derived from territorial holdings.
• Main Empires:
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Safavid Empire
  • Mughal Empire
  • Qing Dynasty

Ottoman Empire

• Founded in the 14th century, expanded rapidly with gunpowder weapons.
• Conquered Constantinople in 1453, renamed Istanbul.
• Expanded into Eastern Europe using enslaved Christians as elite fighters (Janissaries).
• Predominantly Sunni Muslim.

Safavid Empire

• Founded in the 16th century, expanded using gunpowder and an enslaved army.
• Predominantly Shia Muslim, causing tension with Sunni Ottomans.
• Military included enslaved Christians from Caucasus as elite soldiers.

Mughal Empire

• Established in the 16th century in South Asia, replacing the Delhi Sultanate.
• Expanded using gunpowder; known for religious tolerance under Akbar.
• Predominantly Muslim ruling over Hindu majority.

Qing Dynasty

• Established in the 17th century by Manchu people, following the fall of the Ming Dynasty.
• Expanded using gunpowder weapons; Manchu rulers over Han population.

Empire Administration

• Legitimizing and Consolidating Power:
  • Formation of large bureaucracies (e.g., Devshirme system in the Ottoman Empire).
  • Development of elite military forces (e.g., Janissaries in the Ottoman Empire).
  • Use of religious ideas, art, and monumental architecture (e.g., Divine Right of Kings in Europe, Sun Temple of Cusco by the Inca).
  • Innovations in tax collection (e.g., Zamindar system in Mughals, Ottoman tax farming).

Religious and Cultural Developments

• Christianity:
  • Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther's 95 Theses against Catholic Church corruption.
  • Catholic Counter-Reformation to clean up corruption (Council of Trent).
• Islam:
  • Intensified Sunni-Shia split due to Safavid's Shia Islam establishment.
  • Ismail's decision to enforce Shia Islam with hostility towards Sunnis.
• Sikhism:
  • Syncretic blend of Hindu and Islamic traditions in South Asia.
  • Retained belief in one God and reincarnation, discarded gender hierarchies and caste system.