3.1 APWH Land Empires

Unit 3: Land Based Empires

​Ms. Ro -APWH

1450-1750

• Mongols had the largest empire stretching from China to Africa.

• The empire collapsed due to decentralization and local resistance.

• After the Mongol Empire collapsed it created a vacuum.

Mongol Empire

Recap

These empires formed like others, through the conquest of economically or strategically important areas. However, there are a few unique ways these empires were forged. 

Many of these empires are also known as “Gunpowder Empires” because they were some of the first to use gunpowder armies on a large scale, several hundred years before Europe.

​

3.1 Expansion

"Gunpowder Empires"

Multiple Choice

Why were the newly formed empires called "Gunpowder Empires" ?

• They were called 'Gunpowder Empires' because they relied solely on cavalry for expansion.
• They were called 'Gunpowder Empires' due to their focus on naval power and trade routes.
• They were called 'Gunpowder Empires' because they primarily used swords and shields in warfare.
• They were called 'Gunpowder Empires' because they were some of the first empires who used gunpowder technology to expand and maintain their power.

Empire: Ottoman Rule on Land & Sea

• Ottoman cannons breached Constantinople’s walls

• Master Orban’s cannon—legend vs. reality

• Ottoman innovation in gunpowder technology matched European advancements

Mastery of Gunpowder

• One of the world’s great gunpowder empires

• 1453: Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople, renaming it Istanbul

• Marked two centuries of expansion

A Booming Empire

Ottoman Empire

Multiple Choice

Which Sultan conquered Constantinople?

• Selim I
• Bayezid I
• Mehmet II

• Suleiman the Magnificent

Multiple Choice

What did Mehmet II rename Constantinople?

• Istanbul
• Constantinople
• Byzantium
• Ankara

• Controlled North Africa, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Balkans

• Naval power: Challenged Spain, Venice, and Portugal in Mediterranean & Indian Ocean

Strength on Land & Sea

• Founded in 1299, lasted 623 years

• Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566): Peak of power

• Conquered Mesopotamia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, and besieged Vienna

Ottoman Expansion

Ottoman Empire

• Prisoners of war and enslaved people fueled the empire

• Devshirme: Christian boys taken, converted, and trained as soldiers or officials

• Janissaries: Elite soldiers loyal to the sultan

Slavery & the Devshirme System

• No hereditary aristocracy, unlike Europe

• Power centralized with the sultan

• Provincial governors managed vast territories

• Efficient taxation & administration system

Political Organization

Ottoman Empire

Multiple Choice

Janissaries

• Cavalry units of the Persian Empire.
• Naval forces of the Byzantine Empire.
• Elite infantry units (soldiers) of the Ottoman Empire.

• Artillery divisions of the Roman Empire.

Multiple Choice

What is a sultan?

• A sultan is a form of currency used in trade.
• A sultan is a type of traditional dance.
• A sultan is a title for a military general.
• A sultan is a Muslim sovereign or ruler.

Multiple Choice

What is Devshirme?

• A system of conscription in the Ottoman Empire for Christian boys to serve as soldiers or bureaucrats.
• A form of agricultural reform in the Ottoman Empire.
• A type of traditional Ottoman dance.
• A method of taxation in the Ottoman Empire.

• Jews & Christians allowed self-governance in exchange for taxes

• Ottoman Empire: A center of trade, culture, and knowledge

• Languages: Turkish (military/government), Arabic (religion), Persian (poetry)

​

Cultural & Religious Diversity

The Sultan as Caliph

• Ottoman sultans also served as caliphs of Sunni Islam

• Conquered Mecca & Medina (1517)

• Controlled pilgrimage routes & trade networks

Caliph: Muslim civil & religious leader.

Multiple Choice

When did the Ottoman Empire conquer Mecca & Medina?

• 1453
• 1517
• 1492
• 1600

Ottoman Empire

• Dominated Mediterranean and Indian Ocean trade for centuries

• Achievements in art, architecture, science, and medicine

• Declined but remained a major power until 1922

Legacy of the Ottoman Empire

• Janissary revolts: Armed elite soldiers demanded more power

• Internal struggles and wars with Europe & Safavid Persia

• By the 18th century, janissaries became hereditary aristocracy

Challenges & Decline