HI163 - Galleons and Caravans
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Week 7. The Rise and Decline of Land Empires
Lecturer: Giorgio Riello
Introduction
- Empires and Connectedness
- Empires and their Uniqueness
1. Variety of Empire
- Empires: Time and Space
a. Duration
b. Spatial reach
- A working definition
‘The nation-state proclaims the commonality of its people – even if the reality is more complicated – while the empire-state declares the non-equivalence of multiple populations… The concept of empire presumes that different people within the polity will be governed differently’
Jane Burbank and Frederick Copper.
- Categories of Empire
- Theory of Empire
- The ‘mirror-empires’ model: Peter Turchin, ‘A theory for formation of large Empires’, Journal of Global History, 4/2 (2009).
‘those societies inhabiting the warmer, more densely populated and productive hinterlands of Eurasia regularly sought to recruit and co-opt warriors from the northern forests and steppes as allies, auxiliaries, mercenaries, military slaves, march wardens, and royal guards’.
Thomas T. Allsen, ‘Pre-modern Empires’, in Jerry H. Bentley, ed., The Oxford Handbook of World History (Oxford: OUP, 2011), p. 1 (online)
See Table 1
2. Early Modern Land Empires
- The Mongol Empire
- The Timurid Dynasty
- Yuan and Ming China
- The Ottomans
- Safavid Persia
- Mughal India
- The Russian Empire
- The Habsburgs and the Holy Roman Empire
3. Organisation
- The Mughal Jagirs
- The Ottoman Timar
- The Chinese Administrative System
4. Universal empires
As Herfried Münkler states, differently from states, ‘Empires have no neighbours which they recognize as equals, that is, as possessing equal rights”.
- Suleyman the Magnificent
- Shah Abbas
- Shah Jahan
5. Connections
- Trade and Commerce
- Foreign relations
6. The demise of Empires
- Internal causes
- External reasons
Table 1. Mega-Empires in the Historical Record
Date (peak) / Empire name / World region / Area (million sq km)1270 / Mongol / Central Asia / 24.00
1290 / Khmer / Southeast Asia / 1.00
1310 / Golden Horde / Central Asia / 6.00
1310 / Il-Khanid / Southwest Asia / 3.75
1312 / Delhi / South Asia / 3.20
1350 / Chagatai / Central Asia / 3.50
1380 / Mali / Africa / 1.10
1400 / Mamluk / Africa / 2.10
1405 / Timurid / Central Asia / 4.40
1450 / China-Ming / East Asia / 6.50
1480 / Lithuania-Poland / Europe / 1.10
1683 / Ottoman / Europe / 5.20
1690 / Mughal / South Asia / 4.00
1760 / Maratha / South Asia / 2.50
1790 / China-Manchu / East Asia / 14.70
1800 / Russia / Europe / 15.50
Peter Turchin, ‘A theory for formation of large Empires’, Journal of Global History, 4/2 (2009), pp. 202-3
Chronology of Land Empires
1299. Ottoman. The Ottoman Empire is founded with the reign of Osman
1368. China. Ming empire is founded.
1369. Ottoman. The Ottomans begin the conquest of Bulgaria.
1453. Ottoman. Mehmet II conquers Constantinople ending the Byzantine Empire.
1501. Safavid. The Safavid Empire is founded in Tabriz by Shah Ismai'il I
1520. Ottoman. Suleiman I becomes emperor and start a period of conquest.
1526. Ottoman. Suleiman I crushes the Hungarian army.
1526. India. Babur founds the Mughal Empire
1543. Ottoman. Suleiman conquers Baghdad.
1587. Safavid. Shah Abbas become emperor. He dies in 1629.
1736. Safavid. End of the Safavid Empire.
Ottoman Dynasty
1299-1324. Osman I
1324-1362. Orhan I
1362-1389. Murad I
1389-1402. Bayezid I
1402-1413. Ottoman Interregnum
1413-1421. Mehmed I
1421-1444. Murad II
1444-1446. Mehmed II
1446-1451. Murad II
1451-1481. Mehmed II
1481-1512. Bayezid II
1512-1520. Selim I
1520-1566. Suleiman I
1566-1574. Selim II
1574-1595. Murad III
1595-1603. Mehmed III
1603-1617. Ahmed I
1617-1618. Mustafa I
1618-1622. Osman II
1622-1623. Mustafa I (second reign)
1623-1640. Ibrahim I
1648-1687. Mehmed IV
1687-1691. Suleiman II
1691-1695. Ahmed II
1695-1703. Mustafa II
1703-1730. Ahmed III
1730-1754. Mahmud I
1754-1757. Osman III
1757-1774. Mustafa III
1774-1789. Abduhamid I
1789-1807. Selim III
Continues to 1922
Mughal Dynasty
1526-1530. Babur
1530-1540. Humayun (first reign)
1540-1545. Sher Shah Suri
1545-1554. Islam Shah Suri
1555-1556. Humayun (second reign)
1556-1605. Akbar
1605-1627. Jahangir
1627-1658. Shah Jahan
1658-1707. Alangir
1707-1712. Bahadur Shah
1712-1713. Jahandar Shah
1713-1719. Farrukhsiyar
1719-1720. Shah Jahan II; Neku Siyar; and Mohammed Ibrahim
1719-1748. Muhammad Shah
1748-1754. Ahmad Shah Bahadur
1754-1759. Alamgir II
1759-1760. Shah Jahan III
1759-1806. Shah Alam II
Safavid Iran
1501–1524 Ismail I
1524–1576 Tahmasp I
1587–1629 Abbas I
1694–1722 Sultan Husayn
1729–1732 Tahmasp II
1732–1736 Abbas III
Yuan Dynasty
1260–1294. Kublai Khan
1294–1307. Temür Öljeytü Khân
1308–1311. Qayshan Gülük
1311–1320. Ayurparibhadra
1321–1323. Suddhipala Gege'en
1323–1328. Yesün-Temür
1328-1328. Arigaba
1328–1329. Jijaghatu Toq-Temür
1329-1329. Qoshila Qutuqtu
1329–1332. Jijaghatu Toq-Temür (second reign)
1332-1333. Irinchibal
1333–1370. Toghan-Temür
Ming Dynasty
1368–1398. Hongwu Emperor
1398–1402. Jianwen Emperor
1402–1424. Yongle Emperor
1424–1425. Hongxi Emperor
1425–1435. Xuande Emperor
1435–1449. Zhengtong Emperor (first reign)
1449–1457. Jingtai Emperor
1457-1464. Zhengtong Emperor (second reign)
1464–1487. Chenghua Emperor
1487–1505. Hongzhi Emperor
1505–1521. Zhengde Emperor
1521–1566. Jiajing Emperor
1566–1572. Longqing Emperor
1572–1620. Wanli Emperor
1620-1620. Taichang Emperor
1620–1627. Tianqi Emperor
1627–1644. Chongzhen Emperor
Southern Ming Dynasty
1644–1645Prince of Fu
1645–1646Prince of Tang
1645-1645Prince of Lu
1645–1653Prince of Lu
1646-1646Prince of Tang (Shaowu)
1646–1662Prince of Gui
Qing Dynasty
1616-1626Nurhaci
1626–1643Huang Taiji
1643-1661Shunzhi Emperor
1661–1722Kangxi Emperor
1722–1735Yongzheng Emperor
1735-1796Qianlong Emperor
1796–1820Jiaqing Emperor
1820–1850Daoguang Emperor
1850–1861Xianfeng Emperor
1861-1875Tongzhi Emperor
1875-1908Guangxu Emperor
1908-1911Xuantong Emperor