Islamic World; Aztecs & Incas
Similarities between Aztecs and Incas:
--Gender parallelism has existed in both of the empires >Men broke the ground, women planted it. >Men worshiped the sun, women worshiped the moon. --Both of the empires were conquered by Spanish --Women could become priestesses
Differences between Aztecs and Incas:
-Aztecs controlled people through military might, sacrifice, and through forced labor. -Incas forced language, culture, where people lived, and the amount of power people had to control. -Incan women were taken from their homes at an early age and taught to to cook, make clothes, and were promised off as wives for the elite men. -Aztec women while also cooking and making clothes, many went out to be teachers, priestesses, and members of craft workers associations.
Why are both 1453 and 1529 significant dates for the Ottoman Empire and Christendom?
1453: Siege of Constantinople marked an end to the Byzantine Christian identity 1529: Islam expands while Christianity contracts in the region.
Use two adjectives to define what the Moroccan explorer, Leo Africanus, thought of Timbuktu?
Academic; wealthy/economic/prosperous/metropolitan
What was the significance of the 1428 Triple Alliance?
Alliance between the Mexica and two other city-states Aggressive military conquest that brought Mesoamerica under Mexica control
Where was the Incan Empire?
Andes Mountains
How did the Songhay Empire build its economic base?
Commerce and taxes on commercial goods
At the end of the siege of Constantinople, what happened to Constantine XI, Mehmed the Conqueror, and the Hagia Sophia?
Constantine XI - died fighting like a common soldier / legend says angels turned him into marble and hid him in a cave so he could reappear to retake the city Mehmed - limited plundering to one rather than three days; cried at the destruction of the city Hagia Sofia - Christian church becomes an Islamic mosque
Explain why the Incan Empire is a great example of a bureaucracy?
Emperor at the top; he was a descendant of the creator god, Viracocha and thought of as the son of the sun god, Inti Each province had a governor People were grouped in hierarchical units, each headed by a local official Inspectors checked up on the local officials
Why did the Silk Road trade network become less popular in the 1500s?
Four reasons: 1) Mongol empire ended so no consistency there 2) Devastation of the plague 3) Ottoman Empire blocked commercial contact with Europe 4) Ocean trade booms!
Identify the seven aspects of a globally connected world that were already in place at the dawn of the 1500s.
Global empires, a global economy, global cultural exchanges, global migrations, global diseases, global war and global environment.
Who was Huitzilopochtli and what did he require?
He was the Aztec patron god; he required human blood as a "life giving force"
With what two other cultural/religious influences did Islam merge with in oceanic Southeast Asia?
Hinduism and Buddhism
Why is Sonni Ali a perfect example of the unique practice of Islam in Western Africa?
His behavior represented a hybrid of traditional Islamic practices (alms, fasting during Ramadan) and traditional West African practices (magician, etc).
Identify at least three characteristics of the Ottoman Empire.
Huge territory diverse people/religions long duration (1299-1922) Leadership was a "caliph" of Islam "strong sword of Islam," "terror of the Turks."
What roles did Aztec women fulfill in and out of the home?
In the home: cook, clean, spin and weave cloth, raise children, undertake ritual activities Out of the home: served as officials in palaces, priestesses in temples, traders in markets, teachers in schools, and members of craftworkers associations.
Provide at least three examples of "gender parallelism" that existed in Aztec or Incan culture.
Inca: Parallel religious cults: men worshipped the sun; women worshipped the moon Aztecs: both male and female priests Aztecs: women officials Inca: Men broke the ground; women planted it. Inca: Sapa Inca ruled over men and Coya ruled over women
What two conditions existed that prevented Western Christians from assisting Constantine XI?
Internal conflicts (recall that European states did not unite) Hostility between Roman Catholic Christians and Eastern Orthodox Christians
Of the three major religious ideologies of the time, which do you think held the greatest number of cultures - explain your choice.
Islam In the Hajj - Africans, Arabs, Turks, Persians, and Indians all came together in Mecca. Southeast Asian and Central Asian peoples were also Islaimic
What were quipus?
Knotted cords for data collection
Identify at least three examples of "mita."
Labor on state farms Labor on "sun farms" which supported temples and religious institutions Herders, Miners, State military State directed construction projects Manufacturing textiles, metal foods, ceramics, and stonework
Identify at least three strategies the Incan leaders used to culturally integrate people.
Leaders of conquered peoples had to learn Quechua Sons of the leaders of conquered peoples had to move to the capital, Cuzco, to learn Incan culture and language Local leaders became lower level administrators Subject peoples had to acknowledge major Inca deities
How did the Aztecs control the people they conquered and what did they expect from them?
Military might Expected to provide labor and tribute Sacrifice
In addition to the four major Islamic empires that flourished during the "second flowering of Islam," where else did Islam emerge and who introduced it?
Oceanic Southeast Asia; introduced by Sufi holy men and merchants
Who were the Janissaries?
Originating in the 14 th century, the Janissaries became and elite fighting force of the Ottoman Army
Both the Safavids and Ottomans were Turkic Muslims (Islamized Turks), so why did they experience frequent conflicts?
Ottomans and most of the Safavid neighbors were Sunni while the Safavids were Shia. Additionally, they both considered territory on their adjoining borders to be theirs to govern. The Ottomans considered the sultan to be "caliph" of the entire Islamic world; Safavids saw that as a challenge to their shah's leadership. (During the decade following 1500, the Safavids chose to forcibly impose a Shia version of Islam as the of icial religion of the state. Over time it gained popular support and came to define the unique identity of the Persian (Iranian) culture.
Of all of the civilizations that we have met in this chapter, which one made the greatest attempt to unify its people?
Out of the many civilizations the Inca Empire did the most unity to the people. When they took their conquered people they taught them their language and culture that carried and grew their empire. They were also under absolute rule from the emperor so therefore following this idea they stayed the most unified.
Identify four components of the stability that existed in the Safavid, Ottoman, Mughal, and Songhay worlds that allowed for a "second flowering of Islam" to emerge.
Political coherence Military power Economic prosperity Cultural brilliance
As the empire grew, why did priests and rulers become "mutually dependent?"
Priests needed human blood for god so the priests relied on rulers to defeat neighboring tribes and take the people captive. Rulers relied on priests who performed the sacrifices so that there would always be light in the land.
What was a pochteca?
Professional merchants who became extremely wealthy despite not being a member of the elite; legally, "pochteca" were commoners.
What was/is the language of the Inca?
Quechua
Identify at least three roles that "chosen women" might hold.
Removed from homes at a young age and trained in Incan ideology Produced corn beer and cloth for state centers Promised off as wives for elite men Some became priestesses - "wives of the sun."
BONUS: Why is it a little surprising that the Safavid Empire retained its name from Safi al-Din?
Safi al-Din (1252-1334) was the founder of a Sufi religious order from which the Safavid Empire took its name. BUT...it left Sufism behind when it declared itself Shia
Who were the Mexica and where did they live?
Semi-nomadic group from northern Mexico who migrated southward By 1325 - lived on small island in Lake Texcoco The Mexica were the Aztecs
Identify the religious and cultural attributes that defined the Safavid Empire
Shia muslim, Persian
What was the "most notable" political change for the Islamic Civilization in the 15th and early 16th centuries?
The Islamic world had been severely fragmented since the fall about the Abbasids (about 900) By the 15th century, the Islamic world becomes "crystalized" (consolidates) into four major states/empires (Songhay, Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal)
What was Tlatelolco?
The largest marketplace
If the Ottomans supported religious autonomy from their Christian (and Jewish) minority, why did so many Europeans consider their presence a "terror of the Turks?"
The political and military expansion of Islam terrified Christians (this is ironic because the Ottoman leadership was actually tolerant of non-Muslims.
15. During the first 150 years of the Mughal Empire, how did its Muslim leaders treat their Hindu subjects?
Tolerant and inclusive
10. BONUS: Recall the role of an "ulama." Why might the Ottoman sultan have referenced them in his 1514 letter to the Safavid ruler?
Ulama were religious scholars so the Ottoman sultan is pointing out that he is justified in his assessment that the Safavid ruler was blasphemous.
What ideas and/or identities defined a "cultural divide" that emerged in the Songhay empire? (what kinds of people might have been on one side or the other)?
Urbanites tended to be Muslim while rural folks remained traditional animists.
Where was Malacca? Identify three characteristics of its culture.
Waterway between Sumatra and Malaya; transformed from a fishing village to a major, Islamic port city; Islam of Malacca was a blend of Islam, local religions, and Hindu/Buddhist mix; reputation for "rough" behavior.
Would you consider Tenochtitlan sophisticated? Why or why not?
Yes: highly engineered - canals, dikes, bridges, palaes, temples, market places, and even a "floating garden."
