Chapter 17

Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration

1©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nomadic Economy and Societyn Rainfall in central Asia too little to support large-scale agriculturen Animal herding

q Food q Clothingq Shelter (yurts)

n Migratory patterns to follow pasturelandn Small-scale farming, rudimentary artisanryn Trade links between nomadic and settled peoplesn Nomads engage in long-distance travel

q Caravan routes

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2

Nomadic Society

n Governance basically clan-basedn Charismatic individuals become nobles,

occasionally assert authorityn Unusually fluid status for nobility

q Hereditary, but could be lost through incompetenceq Advancement for meritorious non-nobles

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3

Gender Relations

n Women wielded considerable influenceq Advisorsq Occasionally regents or rulers

4©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nomadic Religion

n Shamans center of pagan worshipn Appeal of Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity,

Islam, Manichaeism from sixth century C.E.n Turkish script developed, partially to record

religious teachingsn Conversion to Islam in tenth century due to

Abbasid influence

5©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Military Organization

n Large confederations under a khann Authority extended through tribal eldersn Exceptionally strong cavalries

q Mobilityq Speed

6©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Turkish Empires and Their Neighbors, ca. 1210 C.E.

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7

The Rise of the Turksn At first – eighth to tenth centuries – Turkish peoples

on border of Abbasid empire service in Abbasid armies – later came to be known as Saljuq Turksq 1055, Saljuq leader Tughril Beg recognized as sultan

consolidating his power over Baghdadq 1071, Saljuq Turks defeat Byzantine army at Manzikert,

setting off a large-scale invasion of the Byzantine Empire and of Anatolia

n Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople in 1453n Ghaznavid Turks from Afghanistan invade northern

India first for plunder, later to ruleq Eventually establishing the Sultanate of Delhi

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8

Chinggis Khan (1167-1227) and the Making of the Mongol Empire

n Brought all Mongol tribes into one confederationn 1206, proclaimed Chinggis Khan (“universal

ruler”)n Chinggis:

q Broke up tribal organizationq Formed military units from men of different tribesq Promoted officials on basis of merit and loyaltyq Established capital at Karakorum

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9

Mongol Arms

n Mongol population only one million (less than 1% of Chinese population)q Army numbered 100,000-125,000

n Strengths:q Cavalryq Short bowsq Rewarded enemies who surrendered, cruel to enemies

who fought

10©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Mongol Conquests

n Conquest of China by 1220n Conquest of Afghanistan, Persia

q Emissaries murdered; following year, Chinggis Khan destroys ruler

n Ravaged lands to prevent future rebellionsq Large-scale, long-term devastation

11©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Mongol Empires, ca. 1300 C.E.

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12

Khubilai Khan (r. 1264-1294)

n Grandson of Chinggis Khann Rule of Chinan Ruthless warrior, but religiously tolerant

q Hosted Marco Polo

n Established Yuan dynasty (to 1368)n Unsuccessful forays into Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma,

Javan Two attempted invasions of Japan (1274, 1281)

turned back by typhoons (kamikaze: “divine winds”)

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13

The Golden Horde

n Conquest of Russia, 1237-1241q Established tributary relationship to fifteenth centuryq Rule over Crimea to late eighteenth century

n Raids into Poland, Hungary, Germany

14©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Decline of the Mongol Empire in Persia

n Overspending, poor tax returns from overburdened peasantry

n Ilkhan attempts to replace precious metal currency with paper in 1290sq Failure, forced to rescind

n Factional fightingn Last ilkhan dies without heir in 1335, Mongol rule

collapses

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15

Decline of the Yuan Dynasty in China

n Economic decline (support of paper currency led to rise in prices and decline of public confidence)

n Major Power struggles starting in the 1320sn Spread of diseases like the bubonic plague

spreads 1330-1340sn Political decline led to peasant rebellion in 1368

16©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Surviving Mongol Khanates

n Khanate of Chaghatai in central Asiaq Continued threat to China

n Golden Horde in Caucasus and steppes to mid-sixteenth centuryq Continued threat to Russia

17©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Tamerlane the Conqueror – The rise of the Turks (ca. 1336-1405)

n With the disintegration of the Mongol Empire political vacuums were left and eventually were filled by new rulers: e.g., q Turkish conqueror Timur

n Timur the Lame: Tamerlane

n United Turkish nomads in khanate of Chaghatain Major military campaigns

q Built capital in Samarkand

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18

Tamerlane’s Empire, ca. 1405 C.E.

©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19

Tamerlane’s Heirs

n Poor organization of governing structuren Power struggles divide empire into fourn Yet heavily influenced several empires:

q Mughalq Safavidq Ottoman

20©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Ottoman Empire

n Osman, charismatic leader who dominates part of Anatolia

n Declares independence from Saljuq sultan, 1299n Attacks Byzantine empire

q Followers known as Osmanlis (Ottomans)

21©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ottoman Conquests

n 1350s conquests in the Balkansn Local support for Ottoman invasion

q Peasants unhappy with fragmented, ineffective Byzantine rule

n Tamerlane defeats Ottoman forces in 1402, but Ottomans recover by 1440s

n The Capture of Constantinople, 1453q Sultan Mehmed II (“Mehmed the Conqueror”)

22©2011, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.