Comparative History in the Age of the Renaissance: Central and South Asia

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Comparative History in the Age of the
RenaissanceCentral and South Asia

• Anand Pattabiraman
• Daniel Riveros
• John Chang

Cerulean
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Central and South Asia
3
The Indian Empires

• Delhi Sultanate (1206 1526)
• Deccan Empire ( 1347 1518)
• Vijayanagar Empire (1336 1565)

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History

• Delhi Sultanate
• Qutb-ud-din Aibak (Slave state)
• First Islam dynasty that ruled India
• Mughal empire took over in 1562
• Sher Shah Suri regained but lost again
• Deccan Empire
• Revolted against Delhi Sultanate
• Bahmani Empire
• Conquered/expanded territory
• Lost because of political unrest
• Immigrants gained political power
• Internal conflicts led to split

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History

• Vijayanagar Empire
• Formed after Hoysala Empire to repel Muslim
  attacks
• Expanded terretory
• Conflicted with Deccan
• Reached peak with Krishnadevaraya
• Declined in 1565 after Battle of Talikota
• Deccan Sultanates united

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Delhi Sultunate Culture

• Social
• Philanthropy
• Islam/Muslim oriented
• Replaced Sanskrit with Persian
• Economic
• Monetary/Agricultural
• Religion
• Muslim dominated
• Non Muslims paid head tax
• Scientific/techonological

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tory-musliminvasions.htm
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Deccan Culture

• Social
• Islam/Muslim
• Economic
• Trade (similar to Vijayanagar)
• Religion
• Islam/Muslim
• Scientific/technological
• Advanced Army
• Artillery and cavalry

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Vijayanagar Culture

• Social
• Hindu caste system
• Patronized writers
• Economic
• Traded with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch
• and Arabic states
• Religion
• Dominantly Hindu
• Scientific/technological
• Developed sophisticated irrigation
• First army with long ranged artillery

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Mughal Empire

• Founded by Babur in 1506
• Humayun lost empire (1540) and won back (1555)
• Akbar re-gained more
• (1556 1707)
• Absolute sovereignty
• Mansabdari system
• Military bureaucratic system
• Invaded most of north and western India

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Economy

• Understood importance of trade
• Used both sea-trade and overland trade
• Free trade regime everyone has fair chance
• Faced competition with Europe
• Regional specialization
• Trade and commerce led to economic stability

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Social

• Diverse culture
• Flourished in art and books
• Women played large role
• Household, political opinion, battlefield
• Caste system

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Religion

• State religion changed
• God-ism, Islam
• Religious tolerance
• Akbar hoped to unite India
• Hindus appreciated, Muslims suspicious
• Aurangzeb ended

Akbar
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Technology

• Firearms
• Dubbed the first gunpowder empire
• Used other weapons to conquer India
• Moveable artillery, Mughal composite bow

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Safavid Empire
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Religion

• The Safavid empires declared religion was
  Shiism.
• Shiites and Sunnis had and have many disputes due
  to belief.
• This created tendencies between the Ottoman and
  the Safavid Empire.

Islam
Shiism
Sunnism
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Social

• Caste System
• Top Shah(Ruler)
• Middle Bureaucracy/wealthy people
• Low Common/Poor People
• Women
• Women initially had more freedom than other women
  in the world.
• Afterwards, there were strict rules they had to
  follow veils over head.

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Major Political

• The Safavid started as a group of Turkish tribes
  of Shiite Descent.
• The Safavid Empire was a monarchy and the rulers
  were called shahs (considered to hold divine
  powers)
• The powers of the Shah helped stop rebellions and
  unify the empire.

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Major Shahs

• Ismail
• Founder of the Safavid Empire by force.
• Abbas I (Abbas the Great)
• Man of the people the great
• He invaded of the Ottoman Empire
• Abbas II
• He created peace with Ottoman and Mughal Empires
  but land loss led to decline

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Science/Technological

• The Shah on a cup
• Na?ir al-Din al-?usi created
• Mathematics Law of Sines
• Biology first sensible theory of evolution
• Chemistry matter cannot be destroyed
• Gunpowder Empire
• Gunpowder assisted in conquering Iran

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Economy

• Main Industry
• Textile Industry
• Silk weaving
• Persian Carpets
• Geographical Location
• Advantages Linked different empires
• Disadvantages Were forced to avoid the Ottoman
  Empire

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Summary

• Islam dominated the regions
• Safavid Empire was a Shiite state which used
  gunpowder to improve its military status.
• The Mughal Empire had a stable government that
  emphasized religious tolerance for a long period
  of time and indulged in conquest.
• India was divided into three different empires,
  (Delhi, Bhamani, and Vijayanagar), which were
  each culturally diverse but structurally similar.

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Resources

• Camper, Griffin. "Safavid Empire." Safavid
  Empire. 4 Nov 2007 http//sun.menloschool.org/spo
  rtman/westernstudies/first/1718/2000/eblock/safavi
  d/index.html.
• Bankston, Carl L.. "Rise of the Gunpowder
  Empires." Great Events from History. Salem Press.
  4 Nov 2007 lthttp//salempress.com/Store/samples/gr
  eat_events_from_history_seventeenth/great_events_f
  rom_history_seventeenth_gunpowder.htmgt.
• Mukherjee, Anup. "Mughal Empire." i3pep.org. 12
  APR 2005. 4 Nov 2007 lthttp//www.i3pep.org/archive
  s/2005/04/12/mughal-empire/gt.
• Hooker, Richard. "The Mughals." World
  Civilizations. 06 JUN 1999. 4 Nov 2007
  lthttp//www.wsu.edu/dee/MUGHAL/ORIGIN.HTMgt.
• "The Mughal Empire." BBC. BBC. 4 Nov 2007
  lthttp//www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/his
  tory/mughalempire_1.shtmlgt.
• "The Mughal Empire." Sify. 4 Nov 2007
  lthttp//sify.com/itihaas/fullstory.php?id13384631
  gt.
• "Mughal Empire." Insecula. Insecula. 4 Nov 2007
  lthttp//www.insecula.com/us/article/F0010829.htmlgt
  .Siddiqui, Hameed Akhtar . "HISTORY OF BAHMANIS
  OF DECCAN". 10/30/07            
  lthttp//www.indiancoins.8m.com/bahmani/BahmaniHist
  .htmlgt.
• "India." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
  Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30  Oct.  2007
   lthttp//www.britannica.com/eb/article-46919gt.
•  "The Delhi Sultanate". Indianet Zone. 10/30/07
  http//www.indianetzone.com/4/the_delhi_sultanate.
  htm.
•  "The Delhi Sultanate". Rough Guides. 10/30/07
  lthttp//www.roughguides.com/website/travel/destina
  tion/content/default.aspx?titleid3xididh3288848
  16_1371gt.