Chapter 17 Nomadic Empires and Eurasian Integration 1
Nomadic Economy and Society n Rainfall in central Asia too little to support largescale agriculture n Animal herding q Food q Clothing q Shelter (yurts) n Migratory patterns to follow pastureland n Small-scale farming, rudimentary artisanry 2
Nomads in Turkmenistan 3
Nomadic Economy n Trade links between nomadic and settled peoples n Nomads engage in long-distance travel q Caravan routes 4
Nomadic Society n Governance basically clan-based n Charismatic individuals become nobles, occasionally assert authority n Unusually fluid status for nobility q Hereditary, but could be lost through incompetence q Advancement for meritorious non-nobles 5
Gender Relations n Women wielded considerable influence q Advisors q Occasionally regents or rulers 6
Nomadic Religion n Shamans center of pagan worship n Appeal of Buddhism, Nestorian Christianity, Islam, Manichaeism from sixth century C.E. n Turkish script developed, partially to record religious teachings n Conversion to Islam in tenth century due to Abbasid influence 7
Military Organization n Large confederations under a khan n Authority extended through tribal elders n Exceptionally strong cavalries q Mobility q Speed 8
Turkish Empires and Their Neighbors, ca. 1210 C.E. 9
Saljuq Turks and the Abbasid Empire n Eighth to tenth centuries, Turkish peoples on border of Abbasid empire q Service in Abbasid armies n Eventually came to dominate Abbasid caliphs n 1055, Saljuq leader Tughril Beg recognized as sultan n Tughril consolidated his hold on Baghdad, then extended rule to other parts of the empire n Abbasid caliphs served as figureheads of authority 10
Saljuq Turks and the Byzantine Empire n 1071, Saljuq Turks defeat Byzantine army at Manzikert, take emperor captive n Large-scale invasion of Anatolia n Many conversions to Islam n Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople in 1453 11
Ghaznavid Turks and the Sultanate of Delhi n Mahmud of Ghazni, Afghanistan, invades northern India n At first for plunder, later to rule n Northern India completely dominated by thirteenth century n Persecution of Buddhists, Hindus 12
Chinggis Khan (1167-1227) and the Making of the Mongol Empire n Temüjin, b. 1167 n Father prominent warrior, poisoned ca. 1177, forced into poverty n Mastered steppe diplomacy, elimination of enemies n Brought all Mongol tribes into one confederation n 1206, proclaimed Chinggis Khan ( universal ruler ) 13
Mongol Political Organization n Broke up tribal organization n Formed military units from men of different tribes n Promoted officials on basis of merit and loyalty n Established capital at Karakorum 14
Mongol Arms n Mongol population only one million (less than 1% of Chinese population) q Army numbered 100,000-125,000 n Strengths: q Cavalry q Short bows q Rewarded enemies who surrendered, cruel to enemies who fought 15
Mongol Conquests n Conquest of China by 1220 n Conquest of Afghanistan, Persia q Emissaries murdered; following year, Chinggis Khan destroys ruler n Ravaged lands to prevent future rebellions q Large-scale, long-term devastation 16
The Mongol Empires, ca. 1300 C.E. 17
Khubilai Khan (r. 1264-1294) n Grandson of Chinggis Khan n Rule of China n Ruthless warrior, but religiously tolerant q Hosted Marco Polo n Established Yuan dynasty (to 1368) n Unsuccessful forays into Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Java n Two attempted invasions of Japan (1274, 1281) turned back by typhoons (kamikaze: divine winds ) 18
The Golden Horde n Conquest of Russia, 1237-1241 q Established tributary relationship to fifteenth century q Rule over Crimea to late eighteenth century n Raids into Poland, Hungary, Germany 19
The Ilkhanate of Persia n Abbasid empire toppled n Baghdad sacked, 1258 q 200,000 massacred n Expansion into Syria checked by Egyptian forces 20
Mongol Rule in Persia n Nomadic conquerors had to learn to rule sedentary societies q Inexperienced, lost control of most lands within a century n Persia: dependence on existing administration to deliver tax revenues q Left matters of governance to bureaucracy n Eventually assimilated into Islamic lifestyle 21
Mongol Rule in China n Strove to maintain strict separation from Chinese q Intermarriage forbidden q Chinese forbidden to study Mongol language n Imported administrators from other areas (especially Arabs, Persians) n Yet tolerated religious freedoms 22
The Mongols and Buddhism n Shamanism remains popular n Lamaist school of Buddhism (Tibet) gains strength among Mongols q Large element of magic, similar to shamanism q Ingratiating attitude to Mongols: khans as incarnations of Buddha 23
The Mongols and Western Integration n Experience with long-distance trade q Protection of traveling merchants q Volume of trade across central Asia increases n Diplomatic missions protected n Missionary activity increases n Mongol resettlement policies 24
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 1290s q Failure, forced to rescind n Factional fighting n Last ilkhan dies without heir in 1335, Mongol rule collapses 25
Decline of the Yuan Dynasty in China n Mongols spend bullion that supported paper currency n Public loses confidence in paper money, prices rise n From 1320s, major power struggles n Bubonic plague spreads 1330-1340s n 1368, Mongols flee peasant rebellion 26
Surviving Mongol Khanates n Khanate of Chaghatai in central Asia q Continued threat to China n Golden Horde in Caucasus and steppes to midsixteenth century q Continued threat to Russia 27
Tamerlane the Conqueror (ca. 1336-1405) n Turkish conqueror Timur q Timur the Lame: Tamerlane n United Turkish nomads in khanate of Chaghatai n Major military campaigns q Built capital in Samarkand 28
Tamerlane s Empire, ca. 1405 C.E. 29
Tamerlane s Heirs n Poor organization of governing structure n Power struggles divide empire into four n Yet heavily influenced several empires: q Mughal q Safavid q Ottoman 30
The Ottoman Empire n Osman, charismatic leader who dominates part of Anatolia n Declares independence from Saljuq sultan, 1299 n Attacks Byzantine empire q Followers known as Osmanlis (Ottomans) 31
Ottoman Conquests n 1350s conquests in the Balkans n 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 32
The Capture of Constantinople, 1453 n Sultan Mehmed II ( Mehmed the Conqueror ) n Renamed city Istanbul, capital of Ottoman empire 33