Unit 3 Introduction:
Welcome to what is commonly referred to as the 'Early Modern Period' (1450-1750). You are about to meet some brand new empires and some very interesting tyrants. However, this Early Modern world my look and feel more familiar to you. Names of the empires and their leaders may be more recognizable and political boundaries will begin to resemble contemporary maps.

Most people assume by the time you get to the Early Modern Period that Europe was already a global power indiscriminately taking over with their fleets of Christianized caravels. But they’re not, at least not in Afro-Eurasia. For the majority of the period they are moving into the outer reaches--a.k.a., the New World--that are not already dominated by major Afro-Eurasian, land-based empires.

When one compares the political maps of Afro-Eurasia from 1200-1450, to unit 3 (1450-1750), there is virtually no overlap (outside of the Americas). There is a transformation of state power and their respective geographical reach will seem unlimited, until each empire bumps into the other. Europe's ascent, however, is a more independent endeavor. It is not until later in this period that Europe, somewhat unintentionally, will help ruin some of these great powers; such as the Mughals, in 1857; the Tokugawa Shogunate, in 1868; the Qing (or Manchu) Empire, in 1911; or the Ottoman Empire, in 1919, just to name a few! So, let's all pump our collective brakes on European Empires and their quick domination of the world power in this period. They are still taking a back seat to the Land-Based empires, for now.