Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

Overview

• Dominated Eurasia during this period.
• Key empires: Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, Russian, Qing.
• Expanded through military conquests, alliances, strategic policies.
• Required complex administrative systems for governance.
• Influenced global trade, culture, and religion.
• Legacy includes architecture, language, social structures.

Likely Topics on Tests

• Methods for consolidating power (90%): Focus on administrative systems like devshirme and mansabdari.
• Changes within belief systems (85%): Protestant Reformation, Islamic movements.
• Methods for empire development (80%): Gunpowder empires' expansion methods.
• Methods for legitimizing power (75%): Often included in broader empire-building questions.
• Differences in increasing influence (70%): Specific aspects like military or administration.

Key Empires and Their Territories

• Ottoman Empire: Anatolia, Balkans, Middle East, North Africa; Capital: Constantinople.
• Safavid Empire: Persia, Caucasus, Mesopotamia; State religion: Shi'a Islam.
• Mughal Empire: Indian subcontinent; Peak under Akbar.
• Russian Empire: Expanded across Eurasia; Largest contiguous empire.
• Qing Dynasty: China, Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang; Peak under Qianlong Emperor.

Rise and Expansion Strategies

• Military conquests and disciplined armies (e.g., Ottoman Janissaries).
• Strategic alliances (e.g., Mughal marriages).
• Exploited rival states' weaknesses.
• Religious ideology for justification (e.g., Safavid Shi'a identity).
• Economic incentives (e.g., Russian Siberian fur trade).

Political and Administrative Systems

• Centralized bureaucracies.
• Use of hierarchies for provincial control.
• Religious tolerance policies (e.g., Akbar's Din-i Ilahi).
• Legal systems based on religious/customary law.
• Importance of patronage and loyalty.

Economic Structures and Trade Networks

• Agriculture as economic backbone.
• Participation in regional/global trade.
• Artisanal production and luxury goods.
• Trade agreements with European powers.
• Infrastructure for trade facilitation.

Social Organization and Cultural Practices

• Hierarchical social structures.
• Patriarchal gender norms.
• Patronage of arts and literature.
• Syncretism and cultural exchange.
• Value placed on education and scholarship.

Military Innovations and Warfare

• Professional standing armies.
• Cavalry and gunpowder technology.
• Fortifications for defense.
• Naval power for coastal territories.

Religious Policies and Interactions

• Official state religions.
• Varying degrees of religious tolerance.
• Role of religious institutions in society.
• Inter-religious conflicts.
• Influence of religious leaders.

Legacy and Global Impact

• Lasting cultural, artistic, architectural legacies.
• Spread of imperial languages and scripts.
• Exchange of ideas and technologies.
• Geopolitical consequences of imperial rivalries.
• European colonial expansion contributing to empire decline.