Topic 3.1 Flashcards
European, East Asian, and Gunpowder Expansion (48 cards)
1
Q
What is a Gunpowder Empire? (1450-1700)
A
Refers to a large, multiethnic states in the Southwest, Central, and South Asia that relied on firearms to conquer and control territories
2
Q
What were the three gunpowder empires?
A
Ottoman Empire, Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire
3
Q
What did the year 1450 signify the end of?
A
The end of the medieval period and the beginning of the early modern period.
4
Q
How did the early modern period begin in Europe?
A
- Several countries were becoming powerful, wealthy nations
- New monarchies began to launch overseas explorations and establish colonies around the world
- New monarchies centralized power by controlling taxes, the army, and many aspects of religion
- In each area, bureaucracies increased and the power of the middle class grew at the expense of lords and the churches
5
Q
Which new monarchies were established?
A
- Tudors in England
- Valois in France
- Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand in Spain
6
Q
What was Russia the product of?
A
It was the product of Mongol influence from Central Asia to the east, and of Europe as a result of Viking invasions and trading
7
Q
Who did Russia remain linked to?
A
Europe
- Its capital was in Europe
8
Q
Who was Ivan IV? How did he rule?
A
- Was crowned the Russian Tsar in 1447
- He immediately set out to expand the Russian border eastward
- First by taking control of the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia held by the descendants of the Golden Horde
- Relied on Gunpowder
9
Q
What did Ivan IV allow the Stroganov’s do? (Control of the Volga)
A
- They were major Russian landowners
- He allowed them to hire bands of fierce peasant warriors known as Cossacks to fight the local tribes and the Siberian khan.
- Successfully gained control of the Volga River
- Allowed safer trading without the Crimean Tartars
10
Q
Who continued to push eastward toward the Pacific for the Russians?
A
- Fur traders and militias defeated on indigenous tribe after another
- Missionaries followed, converting many to Eastern Orthodox
- By 1639, the Russians had advanced east as far as the Pacific Ocean
- Fur trading expeditions continued across the Pacific to Alaska and down the coast of North America to California
11
Q
Who overthrew the Ming Dynasty in China? (Mongols)
A
The Manchu overthrew the Mongols and established the Qing Dynasty (the final Chinese Dynasty)
12
Q
Who was Emperor Kangxi?
A
- One of China’s longest reigning emperors, ruled during the Qing Dynasty
13
Q
Who was Emperor Qianlong? How was his rule over China? What did it lead to?
A
- A poet, who was also knowledgeable in art and calligraphy
- Annexed Xinjiang
- Emptied the empire’s treasury during failed campaigns to Burma and Vietnam
- The bureaucracy became corrupt, meaning high taxes
- These problems caused the White Lotus Rebellion
14
Q
Why were the European powers upset with China?
A
- They sold limited trading privileges to them
- The British were upset by this because China had no need for their goods
15
Q
What did the gunpowder empires have in common?
A
- They descended from Turkic nomads who once lived in Central Asia
- They spoke a Turkic language
- They took advantage of power vacuums left by the breakup of Mongol khanates
- They relied on gunpowder weapons, such as artillery and cannons
16
Q
What did Tamerlane’s invasion set the stage for?
- Who made up his army?
- How were his conquests?
A
- The invasion of Central Asia and the Middle East set the stage for the rise of the Turkic empires.
- His army was made out of nomadic invaders from the broad steppes of Eurasia
- Made ruthless conquests in Persia and India
- Violent takeover of areas of Central Asia included the massacre of some 100,000 Hindus before the gates of Delhi in India
17
Q
What was the ghazi ideal?
A
- Came from the Eurasian steppes
- It was a model for warrior life that blended the cooperative values of nomadic culture with the willingness to serve as a holy fighter for Islam
18
Q
How did Tamerlane impact those he ruled?
- Samarkand
A
Samarkand:
1. Encouraged learning and the arts
2. Championed literature
3. Architecture
4. Never had an effective government
19
Q
What were Tamerlane’s invasions a testament of?
A
- A testament to the significance of gunpowder
- Used it to build a government dependent upon his military and the use of heavy industry
- To protect the Silk Roads
20
Q
What did Tamerlane’s rule shine a light upon?
A
- Shed a light on two major forces that has battled each other continually from the late 10th century to the 14th century
- Mongols versus Islamic forces
21
Q
Describe the Ottoman Empire
A
- Was the largest and most enduring of the great Islamic Empires of this period
- Founded by the Osman Dynasty in 1300s
- A single dynasty controlled the empire for more than 600 years
22
Q
Who was Mehmed II?
A
- Called ‘The Conqueror’ (1451-1481)
- Firmly established the Ottoman Empire’s capital after his forces took Constantinople in 1453.
- Changed its name to Istanbul
23
Q
What was the importance of Istanbul (Constantinople)?
A
- Prospered because of its location
- A nexus for trade, the city controlled the Bosporus Strait, the only waterway linking the Aegean Sea with the Black Sea
24
Q
Describe Mehmed II’s conquests after taking Istanbul?
A
- Next seized lands around the western edge of the Black Sea.
- Then moved to the Balkans in Southeast Europe.
- Forced the city of Venice to pay him a yearly tax
- When the Mamluk Dynasty’s power declined, Istanbul became a center of Islam.
25
What was the impact of Suleiman I on the Ottoman Empire?
- The Ottoman Empire reached its peak under him (1520-1566)
- Experienced a transformation as the state adapted to new internal and external perssures
26
Describe Suleiman I's conquests?
- Failed to take Vienna twice, yet the ability of the Ottoman Empire to send troops so far into Christian Europe cause great fear there
- His navy captured the island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean and Tripoli in Northern Africa
27
What led to the Ottoman Empires decline?
- A period of reform in the 18th century
- Challenges in defending the Ottoman territory against foreign invasion occupation led to their defeat and dissolution in 1922
28
Who was Ismail?
- An early Safavid hero who conquered most of Persia and pushed into Iraq
- Although 14 or 15 years old, he soon conquered all of Iran and was proclaimed shah in 1501
29
What were the two Safavid problems?
1. Despite being on the Arabian Sea, the empire did not really have a navy
2. The Safavids lacked natural defenses
- Nevertheless, they rose to power in the 1500s due to their land-based military might and strong leadership
30
Who was Shah Abbas I?
- Called Abbas the Great
- Presided over the Safavid Empire at its height
31
How did Shah Abbas I rule over his empire?
- His troops were often Christian Boys
- Relied on Europe for weapons and to advise his troops about the new military technology
32
What did the Shah's of the Safavid Empire begin to control?
- Religion, using Shi'a Islam caused hostilities with the Ottoman Empire who was strongly Sunni Islam
33
Describe the hostilities between The Safavids and the Ottoman Empire
- In 1541, Safavid forced were stopped by the Ottomans of Tabriz which became part of the border between Sunni and Shi'a societies.
- The hostility between the two groups lives on in present-day Iraq and Iran
- Another dispute arose over control of over land trade routes.
34
How were Women treated in the Safavid Empire?
- Women were rarely mentioned in local Safavid histories; however, Safavid women were permitted to participate in their societies.
- Were veiled and restricted in their movements
- Access to rights provided by Islamic law for inheritance and, in extreme cases, divorce.
35
Who were the two powerful rulers of the Mughal Empire?
Babur and Akbar
36
Who was Babur? Describe his conquests
- Descendant of Tamerlane in the 1520s
- Founded a 300-year dynasty during a time when India was in disarray
- He completed conquests in northern India and, under the new Mughal name, formed a central government similar to that of Suleiman in Turkey.
37
Who was Akbar? How was his rule?
- Babur's grandson, achieved grand religious and political goals
- The Mughal Empire under Akbar was one of the richest and best governed states in the world.
38
What was accomplished in the Mughal Empire under Akbar?
- Overseas trade flourished during the relatively peaceful period
- Traded goods included textiles, tropical foods, spices, and precious stones, which were exchanged for gold and silver
- Merchant castes carried by trade and were allowed to participate in banking and the production of handicrafts
39
What were castes? What were the four Hindu categories? What about the other categories?
Strict social groupings designated at birth
- Divides Hindu people into four categories: Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and the Shudras.
- Outside of the system were the achoots or the Dalits and the untouchables
40
What was the Indian caste system the basis for?
The basis of educational and vocational opportunities for Indian society.
41
How did the Gunpowder Empires begin to decline?
Declined as Western Europe grew in strength economically- particularly in terms of sea power
42
How did Russia defer from the Islamic Gunpowder Empires?
Russia modernized and reorganized its army, modeling it after the armies of England, France, and the Netherlands
- Remained powerful enough to survive with the competing European power
43
How did the Ottoman Empire begin to decline?
1. After Sulieman's death, a European force made up of mostly Spaniards and Venetians defeated the Ottomans in a great naval conflict known as the Battle of Lapento
2. Fell victims to weak sultans and strong Europeans neighbors
44
What did the Ottoman Empire become known as?
The Sick Man or Europe
45
How were successors to Sulieman treated after his death?
1. Often held hostage to harem politics
* the efforts of women and concubines of the sultan to promote their own children as likely heirs to the throne
* In this way, some women became powerful behind the scenes
46
What marked the turning point in the Ottoman Empire?
- The Siege of Vienna in 1683 marked a turning point in Ottoman domination in Eastern Europe
- British and French involvement in the Ottoman territories, Greece's independence in 1821, and the Russian expansion in the 19th century further weakened the Ottoman Empire
47
What began the Safavid Decline?
- The ineffectual leaders who followed Shaha Abbas combined lavish lifestyles and military spending with falling revenues, resulting in a weakened economy
- They were not able to quell a rebellion by the heavily oppressed Sunni Pashtuns in present-day Afghanistan
- The resulting chaos was an impediment to centralization and tax to collection
- With this weakness, the Ottomans and the Russians took advantage of it and seize territories
-Replaced by the Zand Dynasty in 1760
48
Describe the rule of Aurangzeb (Mughal Empire)
- How did it lead to the end of the Mughal Empire?
- Aurangzeb (1658-1707) inherited an empire weakened by corruption and the failure to keep up with the military innovations of external enemies.
* Nevertheless, he wanted to extend the boarders and bring India under there rule
* He wanted to rule the empire of Hindu influences
* He drained the empire's treasury and was unable to put down peasant uprisings
* His policies led to frequent conflicts and rebellions
- Revolts among the Hindu and Islamic princes
- The empire grew unstable after his death, which allowed the British to take political power away from them in the 19th century
