A variety of internal and external factors contribute to state formation, expansion, and decline. Governments maintain order through a variety of administrative institutions, policies, and procedures, and governments obtain, retain, and exercise power in different ways and for different purposes.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

Explain how and why various land-based empires developed and expanded from 1450-1750.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENTS

K.C.-4.3.II--Imperial expansion relied on the increased use of gunpowder, cannons, and armed trade to establish large empires in both hemispheres.

K.C.-4.3.II.B.--Land empires included the Manchu in Central and East Asia; the Mughal in South and Central Asia; the Ottoman in Southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa; and the Safavids in the Middle East.

K.C.-4.3.III.i.--Political and religious disputes led to rivalries and conflict between states.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

State rivalries:

• Safavid–Mughal conflict

• Songhai Empire’s conflict with Morocco

Possible answers:

• decline of the Mongol Khanates

• Firearms

• faster and larger ships

• intensification of trade results in an intensification in competition of trade routes

This is Contextualization

Empires to be aware of:

• Ottoman

• Safavid

• Mughal

• China (Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty)

• Songhai

• Russia

• France

• Holy Roman Empire (HRE)

State rivalries:

• Safavid–Mughal conflict

• Safavids mainly Shi’a AND were dependent on foreign trade

  • • Shah Abbas promoted Isfahan as a commercial center, extending trading privileges to foreign merchants and even allowing Christian monastic orders to set up missions

    • European merchants sought Safavid raw silk, carpets, ceramics, and high-quality craft items.

    • The English East India Company, the French East India Company, and the Dutch VOC all traded actively with the Safavids.

    • To curry favor with them, the English company sent military advisors to introduce gunpowder weapons to Safavid armed forces and provided a navy to help them retake Hormuz in the Persian Gulf from the Portuguese.

• Mughal (and Ottomans) mainly Sunni AND did not pay as much attention to foreign trade

  • • Mughal rulers concentrated on their land empire and had little interest in maritime affairs

    • allowed the creation of trading stations and merchant colonies by Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch merchants

    • Indian merchants formed trading companies of their own, ventured overland as far as Russia, and sailed the waters of the Indian Ocean to port cities from Persia to Indonesia

• Songhai Empire’s conflict with Morocco

• Askia Muhammad--in 1453, this slave general established Songhai Empire and eventually conquered Mali

• Sahara Desert until the 1590's had effectively buttressed against invasion

• 1591--2,500 musket bearing soldiers from Morocco crossed the Sahara and confronted the Songhai's 40,000 foot soldiers and defeated them

  • • Songhai military consisted of full-time soliders, but the king never modernized his army

• What was at stake:

  • • control of the Trans-Saharan Trade route

      • • gold

        • est. 2.5 million enslaved Africans crossed the Sahara and Red Sea between 1200-1500

How did they expand?

• Guns

  • • Used to conquered groups

    • Used to maintain empires

    • Control of trade routes post-1450 required acquisition of gunpowder technology

How did keep control?

• Recruitment of elites

  • • Mongols did the same thing

    • devshirme in the Ottoman Empire

• Tax collection

  • • Record keeping is getting better

    • Ming Dynasty requiring taxes in silver

• Religious Toleration

  • • Empires are multi-ethnic/religious/cultural by definition; hard to use those to keep control

    • different models applied:

      • • Akbar vs Aurangzeb in Mughal Empire

        • Christians & Jews in the Ottoman Empire

    • Conversion of conquered people

      • • some converted for political/economic reasons

• Monumental architecture

  • • Taj Mahal

    • Palace of Versailles

    • Blue Mosque

    • Naqsh-e Jahan Square (The Lotfollah Mosque and The Shah Mosque)

Using the above image: Jahangir Embracing Shah Abbas, and the description of the painting provided, source the following images in one way (H.I.P.P.)

H-Historical Context

I-Intended Audience

P-Purpose

P-Point Of View (limitations of using the document)

Key Takeaways

A) Land empires (and maritime empires) rose and had to establish their own hegemony. Try to understand:

• reasons state rivalries existed often include religious interpretation differences, competition over trade

B.) Once established, Land empires (and maritime empires) faced many of the same problems, but often tried to solve them differently. Try to understand:

• use of monumental architecture

• ways to deal with diverse populations and religious views

• techniques to win over elites and collect tax revenues