Unit 3: Topic 2 - Empires: Administration Flashcards
England’s justices of the peace
Justices of the peace were officials selected by the landed gentry to maintain peace in England’s countries, settle legal matters, and carry out the monarch’s laws.
France’s intendants/ tax farmers
Intendants were royal officials and bureaucratic elites who were sent out to execute the orders of the central government. They sometimes were described as tax farmers because they oversaw the collection of various taxes.
Oprichnina
Ivan IV established the oprichnina, a paramilitary force loyal to him. They were created to control boyars. Ivan IV’s policy included mass repression of the boyars (Russian aristocrats), including public executions and confiscation of their land and property.
Devshirme
Ottoman sultans used a selection process called devshirme to staff their military and government. Under this system, young Christian boys were recruited by force. These young boys were taught skills in politics, the arts, and the military, and they received a very high level of education.
Janissaries
Janissaries were members of the elite forces of the Ottoman standing army. Some of the boys who were selected in the process of devshirme became them.
Samurai
In Japan, the landholding aristocrats had samurai, an army of warriors. They were paid in rice and gold, which gave them economic power.
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate wanted to reorganize the governance of Japan so control was more centralized. It was divided into 250 territories. Each territory was controlled by a daimyo, a landholding aristocrat, and the daimyo needed to maintain residencies in both their home territory and the capital.
Zamindars
Inhe Mughal empire, zamindars, paid government officials, were in charge of duties, such as taxation, construction, and water supply. They helped him create an effective, centralized government
Versailles
France’s Louis XIV built the Versailles, where he he resided and also kept nobles close to him. By keeping the nobles close to him the Versailles, Louis XIV made it difficult for them to act independently and plot against him.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is one of the key magnificent architectural accomplishments of the Mughal Empire. Shah Jahan built it as a tomb for his wife.
Ottoman Empire’s tax farming
The Ottoman Empire used tax farmers, local officials and private collectors distant from the central government, to collect taxes. They grew wealthy and corrupt from stealing from the taxes.
