A desire to reconnect the world after the plague

Paleolithic Persistence By 1500, Paleolithic people still lived in Australia and Siberia Assimilated outside technology into their societies but they still didn’t have domesticated agriculture - canoes, fish hooks, netting techniques, artistic styles Paleolithic People still existed in North America - abundant resources enabled complex hunting/gathering - had permanent villages, economic specialization, hierarchies, chiefdoms, food storage

Agricultural Village Societies Existed in much of North America and sub-Saharan Africa Mostly avoided oppressive authority, class inequalities, and seclusion of women typical of other civilizations In sub-Saharan Africa – there was a shift from matrilineal to patrilineal

Iroquois – Agricultural Villages Became fully agricultural by 1300 – in NY An Iroquois confederation was established by 5 tribes Iroquois League of Five Nations ended blood feuds and tribal conflicts; coordinated Iroquois relations with outsiders Iroquois Society - descent was matrilineal - married couples lived with the wife’s family - women controlled agriculture - women selected and could depose officeholders

Iroquois Confederacy

Herding People Turkic warrior Timur – tried to recreate Mongol Empire His army devastated Russia, Persia, and India In the following centuries, these pastoral peoples were “swallowed up” by expanding Russia and China empires

Timur’s Empire

15 th Century – China By the 15 th century, most of the world’s population lived in an empire China was pretty messed up because of Mongol rule and the plague There was recovery under the Ming Dynasty - efforts to eliminate all signs of foreign rule - promotion of Confucian learning - civil service exam re-established Highly centralized government established - power given to court eunuchs - restored farmland, irrigation projects, planted 1billion trees Arguably the most prosperous + well governed in 15 th century

Zheng He’s Voyages Admiral Zheng He was commissioned a fleet of over 300 ships and over 27,000 men in 1405 Purpose – get tribute from distant peoples There was no desire to colonize Government abruptly stopped the voyages in 1433 because it was seen as a waste of resources Chinese merchants and craftsmen continued to settle and trade in Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, but without government support

Zheng He’s Voyages

Europe – State Building and Cultural Renewal Europe’s population began to grow again by 1450 Europe – Very fragmented, independent competing states Renaissance began in Italian city-states - artistic return to naturalism - “returning to the sources” Greece/Rome - humanism – studying secular topics - Machiavelli’s “The Prince” – A guide to rule effectively - A challenge to Christianity?

Niccolo Machiavelli

European Maritime Voyages Portuguese began voyages in 1415 Columbus reached Americas in – Vasco da Gamma sailed around Africa to India Purpose - seeking wealth, converts, allies in Crusades against Islam Europeans used violence to carve out empires Chinese voyages ended; European ones kept escalating

China / Europe in Comparison Chinese voyages ended; European ones kept escalating - No overarching political authority in Europe to end the voyages - Rivalry between states encouraged more exploration - Much of European elite interested in overseas expansion - China had everything it needed; Europeans wanted the greater riches of the East - China’s food production could expand internally; European system expanded by acquiring new lands

The Ottoman Empire Ottoman empire lasted from 14 th to 20 th century Territory – Anatolia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, North Africa Sultans claimed to be the caliph Ottoman aggression towards Christians - Fall of Constantinople in Siege of Vienna in 1500’s - Europeans feared Turkish expansion

Ottoman Empire

Safavid Empire Established in 1500’s Shia – Safavid Sunni – Ottoman Sunni Ottoman Empire and Shia Safavid Empire fought periodically between 1534 and 1639

Yellow=Safavid / Purple=Ottoman

The Songhay Songhay Empire rose in West Africa in the second half of the fifteenth century Islam was limited largely to urban elites Songhay Empire was a major center of Islamic learning/trade

Songhay Empire Map

The Mughal Empire Created by Turkic group that invaded India in 1526 Effort to create a partnership between Hindus and Muslims 80% Hindu – 20% Muslim / Muslim Empire New age of energy, prosperity, and cultural brilliance Rise of Malacca as a sign of the times—became a major Muslim port city in the fifteenth century Malaccan Islam blended with Hindu/Buddhist traditions

Mughal Empire

The Aztec Empire Pop – 5-6million people Established out of an alliance of city-states Capital city – Tenochtitlan – center of trade Empire was loosely structured politically – fragmented Merchant class “pochteca” – became wealthty Trade included slaves for human sacrifice Purpose – sun god needs human blood

Aztec Empire

The Inca Empire Pop – 10million people Empire was 2500 miles long More centralized than Aztec - 80 provinces each with a governor - inspectors checked up on officials - census recorded on quipus Attempted cultural assimilation - leaders of conquered people learned Quechua - religious tolerance - human sacrifice (not as much as the Aztec)

The Inca Empire Mita – labor service to the state (fixing roads, etc.) - “Chosen Women” – removed from homes to make corn beer and cloth. Feasts given in return “Gender Parallelism” – separate but equal spheres - parallel religious cults for women and men - parallel hierarchies of female and male political officials - women’s household tasks were not regarded as inferior. Aztecs, sweeping was a powerful, sacred act Inca ruler and his wife governed jointly, were descended from sun and moon, respectively

Inca Empire

Webs of Connection Large-scale political systems brought together culturally different people. - efforts to integrate diverse peoples, e.g., in Ottoman, Mughal, and Inca empires Religion both united and divided far-flung peoples. - common religious culture of Christendom, but divided into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy - Buddhism linked people in China, Korea, Tibet, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia

Webs of Connection Islam was particularly good at bringing together its people - hajj brought diverse people together - yet conflict persisted between sunni/shia Patterns of trade - the Silk Road network was contracting - Indian Ocean Trade – Expanding

What If’s??? What if Ogodei Khan hadn’t died in 1241 and the Mongols had continued their advance into Europe? What if China had continued maritime exploration after 1433? What if the Ottomans had taken Vienna in 1529?