Unit 4: Topic 7 - Changing Social Hierarchies from 1450 to 1750 Flashcards
Sultan
The royal leader of the Ottoman Empire. The sultan is a religious leader of the current sultanate. The sultan was always a man and was consider the ruler and leader of the Islamic World
Vizier
Royal advisors to the Sultan. They ran specialized departments in the Ottoman empire.
Jiyza
A special tax given to people not practicing Islam.
People of the Book
The holy texts of Christianity, The Bible (split into the old and new testament), as well as Judaism, The torah, were respected by Islam because they overlapped in many of the same history so there was a level of tolerance that the Islamic state had for what is called “The people of the book”.
How were Jews treated in the Ottaman Empire
As a result of the Spanish Inquisition (important development) thousands of Jews were expelled from Spain and many relocated to the Ottoman empire. The Ottoman empire had relative tolerance for Jews, however they still were forced to pay a special tax called the Jizya, a tax for non-Islamic practices. Regardless, Jews were treated with tolerance allowing them to have upper class occupations but were still barred from holding top government positions.
How were women treated in the Ottman Empire
Although the Ottoman empire showed tolerance to many groups the role of gender still prevented woman from holding status in the empire. Woman were not treated equally nor given equal access to resources/power. However, this is an exception to this rule, with the story of Roxalana who climbed the political ladder and held power as a political elite.
How did the role of Sultan change in relation with the Vizier
During this time, increased incompetent Sultans undermined the power and legitimacy of the Sultan. As a result, the Viziers, the advisors to the Sultans, slowly took more active roles in government. The viziers consolidated power and made more substantial governmental action leading to a power shift in the Sultanate.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Islamic state that resides in modern day India. They are known for one of the most influential works of architecture, the Taj Mahal. The Empire shared many similarities with the Ottomans using many of the same government structures and originally the same Jizya tax. During this time, however, the tolerance for other social groups differentiated the two empires. Particularly Akbar set a precedent for tolerance of other groups and helped to expand Mughal power.
Muhammad Akbar
Akbar is known as the “greatest Mughal emperor” of India. he believed that by adopting new practices to accommodate ethic and religious diversity would lead to economic, political, scientific, and military enrichment to the Mughal empire. He is known for ending the Jizya tax as well as granting land to Christians and supporting Sikhism. By doing so he garnered a new era of peace and harmony for the Mughal Empire
Manchu Chinese
The leading ethnic group in China’s Qing dynasty. The Manchu originate from Northeast Asia but controlled northern and western parts of modern-day China. Manchu was not the dominate ethnic group in China during neither the Ming nor Qing dynasties.
What was the transition of Chinese Dynastys.
The Mongols ruled China under the Yuan dynasty, from there the Ming Dynasty was an ethnic Han dynasty, then the Manchus who were ruling northern and western parts of China invades the Ming and forms the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty is like the Ming in that it’s an ethnic dynasty formed around the Manchus.
How did the Qing Dynasty rule as an ethnic dynasty and how did that effect the dominant Han Chinese population
The Qing dynasty is fundamentally a Manchu Ethnic Dynasty. They enforced the cultural practices of Manchus on to the Han population and in many scenarios would punish to extreme degrees if these cultural laws were not followed. For example, Han Chinese was barred from holding topic government positions. However, Han Chinese was still able to hold lower positions in government. Regardless they were still forced to conform to Manchu practices such as the way in which their hair was tied. If they did not adhere to these strict policies, they would be faced with execution. Resistance to these changes lead to the execution of hundreds of thousands of Hans executed.
Casta System - Spanish Colonies
The caste system was a social hierarchy system that was based on ancestry and race. It was used to reinforce the idea of European Blood supremacy, or the Whiter a person was the higher their status. It was a tool of colonization to create social structure. Although similar, this system should NOT be confused with the Hindu Caste system. The Caste System was used in similar manner and functioned similarly, whatever Caste you were born into you were in permanently. However, a small and rare difference was the opportunity to marry up, but this was generally not respected and mostly for Castes below the Creoles.
Englad/Netherlands - Changes in nobillty power
Nobility In England, held and even consolidated power in the English government. They controlled more power through land. Dutch landowners provided support to government by overseeing large amounts of farmland and other properties. There social power translated into political power directly in the Parliament.
France - Changes in noblility power
Louis XIV declared that “he was the state” he consolidated the power of the nobles and took it for himself. Notably, he moved all of the nobles to his palace in Versailles.
