CHAPTER 12 The Worlds of the Fifteenth Century Robert W. Strayer Ways of the World: A Brief Global History Second Edition and Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources Second Edition CHAPTER 12 The Worlds of the Fifteenth Century Copyright © 2013 by Bedford/St. Martin’s

Australia 250 separate groups 15th century – hunters and gatherers Continued after Europeans arrived 18th century They had obtained knowledge from outsiders Outrigger canoe, fish hooks, complex netting, artistic styles, rituals, and mythological practices No agriculture practiced “fire stick farming”– set fires , clears underbrush and encourages certain plants to grow

North America Chinookan, Tulalip, Skagit and other people Northwest coast Fishing and hunting societies Permanent villages and sturdy houses Ranked societies including slavery, chiefdoms

Igbo and Iroquois More numerous than hunter and gathering societies was the many people who grew crops (agriculture) but had avoided growing into a civilization Small village based communities – organized by kinship North America, Amazon River basin, Southeast Asia, and Africa south of equator Societies without oppressive leaders, class inequalities, and seclusion of women

Igbo (EE-boh) east of Niger River in forest region 15th century Neighbors Yoruba and Bini had developed small states and urban centers Igbo rejected kingship and state building Instead – titled society – wealth men received ranks, women’s associations, hereditary ritual experts, balance of power among kinship groups Traded among themselves /distant people Slave trade would disrupt these societies

New York State- agriculture village people – Iroquois Maize and bean farming Alliance or confederation 5 Iroquois speaking people - Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca Great Law of Peace -Five nations agreed to settle differences peacefully Men hunters, warriors and political leadership Women could depose and select leaders

Pastoral Peoples: Central Asia and West Africa The Mongol Empire disintegrated Later late 14th and early 15th century -Timur – Turic warrior – attacked Persia, Russia, and India Like Chinggia Khan he brought with him great destruction

He died before he could invade China His descendants retained control of an area between Persia and Afghanistan throughout the 15th century Last great military success for nomadic people from Central Asia

Africa Pastoral people established empires and lasted into the 19th century Fulbe – West Africa’s largest pastoral people Migrated eastward after 1000 Lived in small communities among agriculture people Paid grazing fees and taxes Movement east they adopted Islam 19th century these people launched jihads which gave rise to new states

Ming Dynasty China 1368-1644 China recovered from the Mongol Empire and Plague Early years a government campaign to erase any sign of foreign rule Mongol dress, names were forbidden Rise of Confucianism

Emperor Yongle 1402-1422 – Encyclopedias – 11,000 volumes Contribution of more than 2,000 scholars History, philosophy, ethics, government and more Capital moved to Beijing Imperial residence built –Forbidden City

Forbidden City

Temple of Heaven built

Confucian based rituals practiced here Two empresses wrote instructions for female behavior based on Confucian traditions China was looking toward its past and reviving its culture Civil service exam reestablished Created a highly centralized government Power was in the hands of the Emperor

Eunuchs loyal to the emperor were given power Millions of acres of land restored, canals built, reservoirs built and irrigation projects Billions of trees planted /attempt to reestablish the forest Economy rebounded - International and domestic trade increased - Population grew 15th century China had recovered and was one of the best governed, and most prosperous civilization in the world

Zheng He China also started ocean expeditions Emperor Yongle commissioned the fleet of 300 plus ships with a crew of 27,000

6 Expeditions

Visiting Southeast Asia, Indonesia, India, Arabia, and East Africa Zheng He attempted to have foreign states take part in the tribute system He brought back to China ostriches, zebras and giraffes among many more different items Dozens of rulers went to China with Zhen He and performed the rituals of the tribute system Established Chinese power and prestige in Indian Ocean

Chinese did not attempt to conquer new lands Expeditions stopped in 1433 Fleet deteriorated at port Emperor Yongle died and officials saw these expeditions as a waist Chinese merchants continued to trade with Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia but without government support

European Comparison: State Building and Cultural Renewal Western Europe had not experienced the Mongols but was devastated by plague Second ½ of the 15th century Western Europe was rebounding Europe had many separate, independent and competitive states (unlike China that was an empire with centralized government)

Spain, Portugal, France, England, Milan, Venice, and Florence had a tax system and created standing armies Small Russian state emerged centered in Moscow emerged 15th century State building driven by the needs of war England and France – Hundred Years war 1337-1453 – fought over claims of territories Joan of Arc – angel of God told her to lead the French to victory / burned at the stake

Joan of Arc

Renaissance – or a rebirth of culture – arts – started in Italy 1350-1500 Renaissance reflected the belief of wealth male elite were living in a new age New art reflected a humanist reflections – topics of grammar, history, poetry, rhetoric, and ethics Niccolo Marchiavelli’s 1469-1527 wrote the Prince – about how politics really worked Christine de Pizan she wrote City of Ladies - about women in society –

Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper

Michelangelo Sistine chapel

Raphael Madonna

European Voyaging 1415 Portugal took the lead in ocean exploration Sailing down the west coast of Africa establishing outposts (later used for slave trade) Prince Henry established schools for navigation and ship building

1492 Columbus sailed west from Spain and landed in America

1497 Vasco da Gama west around the tip of Africa to India

Motivated by wealth – gold, spices, silk and more and bringing people to Christianity China had ended its sea voyages and the Europeans were left unchecked to bring the world’s people under its control

Islamic Heartland: The Ottoman and Safavid Empires Ottoman Empire – from 14th century to early 20th century Empire by mid-15th century included Anatolia peninsula and deep into southeastern Europe (Balkans) Later expanded to Middle East and North Africa, around the Black Sea and parts of Eastern Europe

It became one of the great empires of the world – matched only by the Ming dynasty and the Incas They wanted to reestablish the Islamic word and considered themselves protector of the faith – “Sword of Islam” They controlled the Byzantine and changed Constantinople to Istanbul (1529)

Safavid emerged from a Sufi religious order Safi al-Din 1252-1334 The Safavid was created to impose the Shia version of Islam as official religion of state Over time this version gained popular support and helped define the Persian culture The Shia Empire created a divide in Islam Most of Persia’s neighbors were Sunni Military conflict 1534-1639

Songhay Empire – West Africa Second ½ 15th centuries Islam was the growing faith- mostly in urban centers and elites

Sonni Ali 1465-1492 Gave alms and fasted during Ramadan but possessed charms thought to render his soldiers invisible Sonni Ali’s successor made the pilgrimage to Mecca Caliph of the Land of the Blacks Songhay became a Muslim state

Mughal Empire in India

An Islamic Turic group that invaded India in 1526 Mughal a Persian term for Mongols established control of India Created political unity Blended Hindu and Muslim into partnership Together the 4 Muslum empires, Ottoman, Safavid, Songhay and Mughal brought prosperity to the Islamic world – “second flowering of Islam” International trade flourished

Aztec Empire Mexica people – nomadic had migrated from northern Mexico and by 1325 had settled on a small island Texcoco Over the next 100 years developed military and served as mercenaries for more powerful people Negotiated elite marriages and alliances to create their own capital city Tenochtitlan

Alliance with two other groups started a military conquest and over the next 100 years brought a large part of the Mesoamerica under their control Now claimed to be descendants of the Toltec and Teotihuacan Population 5-6 million

Tribute was required from conquered people Trade local and long distance Pochteca or professional merchants Slaves many for sacrifice – made on a massive scale – blood to run to satisfy the sun god

Incan Empire Quechua speaking people known as the Inca lived in the Andes Mountains Create the largest state in the Western hemisphere Followed the traditions of the Andean civilizations Much large than the Aztecs it stretched over 2,500 miles

Emperor and absolute ruler and son of the god Inti State owned all land and resources People grouped 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 were governed by local official People were force relocated to fit the needs of the empire

Conquered people must acknowledge Incan deities but could practice their own religion Road building across the empire Terrace farming Chosen women – girls removed from home as children, trained in Incan ideology And produced beer, and cloth

Later given as wives to men of distinction or sent to serve as priestesses as “wives of the sun” Gender parallelism – men and women operate two separate but equivalent spheres Not social equality – men occupied top positions Incan men venerated the sun and women the moon Clearly defined social roles for men and women

Web of Connection Christians and Muslims interact in Ottoman Empire - Hindus and Muslim in Mughal Religion linked people Christianity linked Western Europe and Russia but they were divided by Catholic and Orthodox Later the Protestant Reformation (16th century) shattered Christian unity in Western Europe Buddhism linked China, Korea, Tibet, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia

Islam united Muslims Hajj – Pilgrimage to Mecca brought Africans, Arabs, Persians, Turks, Indians, and many more Sharing a common faith Violent split existed between Sunni Ottoman Empire and Shia Safavid Empire Trade throughout the Muslim world brought great wealth and knowledge as cultures interacted with each other

Looking Ahead to Modern Era 1500-2112 16th century and after – Europeans forged a global relationship throughout the world Afro-Eurasia, Americas, and pacific became linked with enormous consequences Global empires, global economy, global cultural exchange, global migration, global disease, global war and global environmental changes 19th century first in Europe and then elsewhere was the Industrial Revolution

Human ability to create wealth, new innovations to technology gave human kind a great leap forward in a short time Human population explosion world wide Societies became more urbanized People throughout the world started working for wages

Urban wealth – merchants, bankers, industrialists, and educated professionals rose at the expense of the rich landowner 1500 and after Western Europe was the most innovative, most prosperous, most powerful, most expansive, and most imitated part of the world

Europeans created new societies across the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Spread their languages and Christian religion 20th century – European people or European decent exercised influence and control over earth’s many people

The End