Ch. 17

Economy and Society of Nomadic Pastoralism  Nomadic Pastoralists and their animals - Herds of animals - adapted to ecological conditions -followed migratory cycles that took account of seasons and local climate - climate limited development of human society - produced limited pottery, leather goods, iron weapons, and tools

 Nomadic and Settled Peoples - traded w/settled peoples - agriculture and manufactured goods - linked societies from China to Mediterranean Basin  Nomadic Society - two social classes: nobles & commoners - nobles: charismatic leaders, clans & tribes into alliances, fluid class -commoners: gain recognition and move up

 Gender Relations - adult males dominated - women: tended to animals, excellent horse riders & archers  Nomadic Religion - Turkish religion revolved around shaman- religious specialist (supernatural powers) -6 th century many Turks converted to Buddhism, Christianity, or Manicheism

 Turkish Conversion to Islam - 10 th century large scale conversion; esp. Turks  Military Organization - Khans (rulers), indirectly through leaders of allied tribes - superior equestrian skills - these skills helped to attack settle communities of wealth

Turkish Empires in Persia, Anatolia and India  Saljuq Turks and the Abbasid Empire - entered the above reasons for different reasons at different times - opportunities for trade - along borders of Abbasid realm at times served in Abbasid army - 11 th c. overpower caliphs, who become figureheads

 Saljuq Turks and the Byzantine Empire - migrating in Anatolia 11 th c. - peasants viewed them as liberators - displaced Byzantine authorities, set up own political and social institutions - discriminated against the Byzantine Empire - welcomed converts to Islam

 Ghaznavid Turks and the Sultanate of Delhi - led raids in lucrative sites of N. India - goal at first was to plunder later more interested in permanent rule - foe of Buddhism and Hinduism, destroyed many sacred temples, shrines, monastaries - encouraged conversion to Islam

Chinngis Khan and the making of the Mongol Empire  Chinggis Khan’s Rise to Power - Unifier of the Mongols originally named Temujin - alliance w/Mongol clan leader, steppe diplomacy (loyalty but betrayal through advancement) - brought all Mongol tribes into a single confederation became known as Chinggis Khan (universal ruler)

 Mongol Political Organization - mistrusted Mongol tribal organization - had military pledge allegiance to him alone, no tribal affiliation - most important part of the empire was the army  Mongol Army - relied on equestrian skills and archery - after united all Mongols turned his attention to Central Asian conquests

 Mongol Conquest of N. China - extended Mongol rule to Northern China, dominance by 1220  Mongol Conquest of Persia - ruled by Saljuqs known as the Khwarazm shah - despised Mongols ordered them to assassinate Chinggis Khan, unsuccessful - Chinggis retaliated and took control of his army and his realm - destroyed qanat irrigation system - no establish central gov’t, assigned overlords for administration.

The Mongol Empire after Chinggis Khan  Khubilai Khan - after Chinggis death there was a power struggle, divided empire into 4 regional realms amongst grandsons. - Consolidated China - ruthless attacks against enemies, improved welfare of subjects, tolerant of religions

 Mongol Conquest of Southern China - Kubilai in 1279 est. Yuan Dynasty till attempted several invasions in SE Asia but was unsuccessful  The Golden Horde maintained a large army -extracted tribute from Russian cities and agricultural production, did not find the land appealing

 The llkhanate of Persia -Khubilai’s brother Hulegu defeated Abbasid empire and started the Mongol’s ilkhanate in Persia. - needed to become governors as well as conquerors - difficult adjustment as administrators - could not maintain land lost most of it w/in a century.

 Mongol Rule in Persia - Mongols in China frowned upon their subjects, they were mere cultivators - outlawed marriages, forbade them from learning the Mongol languages, resisted assimilation to Chinese cultures, dismantled Confucian educational end exam system. - did not do their own administrations but rather brought in others to administer - tolerated religious and cultural traditions

 Mongols and Buddhism - Most Mongols followed native shamans - Others followed Lamaist Buddhism similar to their original beliefs - Lamaist- made room for magic & super- natural, recognized Mongols as legitimate rulers, and Mongol khans as incarnations of the Buddha

Mongols and Eurasian Integration  The Mongols and Trade - linked lands more directly - maintained a good courier network relaying news, information, & gov’t orders - encouragement of travel and communication facilitated trade, diplomatic travel, missionary efforts and people to new lands - safe trade routes allowed for more merchants to travel allowing for more commercial investment -creating a safe direct link between China and Europe for the first time

 Diplomatic Missions - diplomatic communication was essential, security of roads and travelers benefitted ambassadors as well as merchants.  Missionary Effects - highways for missionaries as well as merchants (Islam, Lamaist Buddhism, Nestorian Christians, Roman Catholics)

 Resettlement - moving people into new lands - often recruited specialized workers from their allies and placed them in areas among the empire where they were needed. - Uigher Turks often used for their intellect - often conquered people who were specialized were integrated into the empire - this promoted Eurasian integration and exchanges of peoples from different societies

Decline of the Mongols in Persia and China  Collapse of the Ilkhanate - Persia  excessive spending of treasury, overexploitation of peasantry  reduced revenue - Paper money attempt  drive metals to gov’t  unsuccessful  merchants closed shops -Gov’t struggles when last Mongol ruler died the Ilkhanate essentially did too.

 Decline of the Yuan Dynasty - did not have reserves to back up paper money  population lost confidence  prices rises to reflect diminished value - internal fighting (power struggles, assassinations, civil wars)  Bubonic Plague -facilitating trade and communication unknowingly spread the disease - SW China  China & C. Asia  SW Asia & Europe - depopulation in China and labor shortages weakened the Mongol regime

 Surviving Mongol Khanates - Despite their collapse in Persia and China Mongols did not completely disappear - Khanate in Chaghatai prevailed in C. Asia -Threat in NW borders of China - Khanates of the Golden Horde continued to be successful near lands N of the Black and Caspian Sea. -Mongol near Russia cont’d to be a threat until Josef Stalin forcibly moved them

Tamerlane the Whirlwind  The Lame Conqueror - the end of the Mongols created a political vacuum. -Ming took over China - Turkish Timur aka Tamerlame took over Persia - Modeled himself after Chinggis Khan, steppe politics

 Tamerlane’s Conquest - Places invaded and used for taxes include: Persia, Afghanistan, Golden Horde, India, attempts in Asia & Anatolia, tried for China but died before it could be accomplished in Like others he was a conqueror not a ruler, no real administration, only tribal leaders were allies, relied on overlords in his conquered territories

 Tamerlane’s heirs - no organization meant conflicts between sons and grandsons. -territory divided into four parts The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire  Osman -after the Mongols collapsed nomadic people moved into territories of Anatolia. - Series of campaigns of conquest emerged one of its leaders was Osman he declares independence from the Saljuq sultans and begins to create his own state - His followers begin to be called Ottomans

 Ottoman Conquests - Places of Ottoman spread and conquest include: Dardanelles at Gallipoli on the Balkan peninsula and into the Byzantine Empire  The Capture of Constantinople - captured by Sultan Mehmed II, aka “Mehmed the Conqueror” - changed name to Istanbul, absorbed rest of Byzantine empire including Greece and the Balkan region as far as SW Asia, SE Europe, Egypt, and N Africa.