Chapter 18 – Asia Empires
Muslim Empires
- Ottoman Empire
o Conquer Constantinople in 1453
o Come to rule most of the eastern Mediterranean
- Suleiman I
o Great Law-giver of the Turks
- Sultan
o Turkish political ruler (comparable to an emperor)
- Grand Vizier
o Prime minister who headed the bureaucracy for the sultan
- Janissaries
o Elite corps of fighting men
- Law
o Established laws that tolerated non-Muslims
o Millets, or communities, took care of their own laws
- Decline and Reform
o In the 1600’s the Ottoman Empire’s power began to decline
o Sultans began to incorporate European ideas into their government
- Safavid Persia
o Followed the Shiite form of Islam
- Shah Abbas
o Looked for alliances with the West to fight the Ottomans
o Spread Persian culture and ideas
- Nadar Shah
o Expanded the Persian Empire to its greatest heights
- Mogul Empire
o Muslim Monguls establish control over Northern India
- Timur Lenk
o Conquered central Asia and Northern India
- Akbar
o Brought peace to northern India
o Recognized religious tolerance of Hindus
- Mogul Civilization
o Lavish court centers of learning and the arts
o Shan Jahan built the Taj Mahal
- Mogul Decline
o Hindus and Sikhs rebel against Mogul authority, establishing independent kingdoms
Chinese Dynasties
- Ming Dynasty
o Emperor Hong Wu expels the Mongols and brings peace and stability
- Exploration
o Chinese emperors send expeditions of junks throughout Asia and Africa
o Later emperors focus on military power instead of exploration
- The Forbidden City
o Center of the capital city of Beijing where the emperor and his family lived
- Qing Dynasty
o Manchus establish a new dynasty
- Adapting to Chinese Culture
o Manchus adapted to Chinese culture and customs
o Manchu received top jobs in civil service and military
- Queue
o Shaving and braiding of hair
- Daily Life
o Chinese use labor-intensive farming methods, work done by humans, to feed people
o Silk production brought extra income for families
- Contacts with Europe
o Portuguese built a trading post at Macao in 1557
o Jesuits arrive to convert people to Christianity and took positions at the court
- Decline
o Qing became corrupt and overtaxed the people
o In 1850, The Taiping Rebellion threatened the Qing and further weakened China’s ability to deal with European countries.
The Japanese Empire
- Tokugawa Shogunate
o Brought peace and stability to the Japanese system of feudalism after a period of warfare.
o Shogun’s were given central authority
- sankin-kotai
o daimyo would spend time at the shogun’s court to ensure loyalty
- metsuke
o group of officials who would report on what was going on in the country
- Contacts with the West
o Christian missionaries led by Francis Xavier spread Christianity in Japan
o Shogun imposes isolation on Japan because of foreign influences
Southeast Asia
- Portuguese
o Interested in spice trade, establish trading centers in Malaya and Indonesia
- Spanish
o Interested in conquest and conversion, establish colony in the Philippines
- Dutch
o Interests in trade, establish control over Indonesia
- French
o Interested in colonization, establish control of Indochina
- Thai Kingdom
o Trailok establishes a sting kingdom centered around Ayutthaya.
o Mongkut plays the French and British off eachother to keep the Kingdom of Siam independent.