Conclusion

If I was to choose which empire I would like to visit, I would most likely visit the Japanese empire. It would be interesting to see how social classes were during this time period compared to social classes now. It would also be interesting to compare Medieval Japan to modern day Japan, and to see how their cultures have changed since then. I also would like to simply just travel to Japan in general, even if it was in modern times, just to see how different their culture is. I would like to see how differently it is having an emperor as a ruler instead of a president, and how the shoguns took part in ruling medieval Japan.

I think the Chinese were the most influential empire out of all of the others discussed in this blog. They were the empire that invented gunpowder, and without gunpowder many wars would have turned out differently and many things would have turned out differently. For example the Ottomans would not have been as successful without gunpowder, which was their primary advantage against opposing empires. The world would be different today without the Chinese empire because of this invention alone, not to mention all of the other things the Chinese have done for the world. They are still an important part of the world today, for many thing bought in stores such as toys or other products are likely made in China.

Medieval Japan and Korea

Samurai were fierce and loyal warriors

Literature was very popular in medieval Japan, particularly poetry and drama. They were not influenced by nearby empires because they decided to isolate themselves in order to preserve their culture, just as the Ming and Qing dynasties have done before them.

Medieval Japan was a very militaristic society which was based on social classes. This class system consisted of peasants, samurai, daimyo, shoguns, and the emperor. Merchants, artists, and farmers were all considered peasants and consisted of 80% of the population. Samurai were ranked much higher than peasants and were heavily respected due to their intimidating reputation. They were hired by a daimyo to protect them and their lands in times of danger. 

Daimyo were wealthy landowners who controlled their own land and the people on those lands. The daiymo were controlled by shoguns, who were military generals. While shoguns should have been controlled by the emperor, the emperor did not possess much power during this time, and Japan was mainly ruled by the shoguns. The emperor was little more than a figurehead for the empire.

Medieval Japan social classes

The Ming and Qing Dynasties

Ming Porcelain was considered superb

The people in the Ming and Qing dynasties loved art and literature. Even though they were more technologically advanced than the rest of the world and their art skills were superb they did not trade with anyone outside of china because they wanted to isolate themselves and preserve their culture. They did not want to be influenced by items and customs from Europe or other places.

The Ming emperor began as a peasant, who started a rebellion and eventually overthrew the emperor. He then founded the Ming dynasty, which became very powerful and prosperous. He reduced taxes while increasing trade, agriculture, stability, influence, and prosperity. Instead of continuing to expand influence he turned to isolation instead in order to preserve Chinese culture. He heavily restricted trade and contact with foreigners.

Agriculture was a big part of the economy

In the late 1500s several weak rulers took the throne. Due to this taxes raised and rebellions started. The Manchu from the north saw this as an opportunity and overthrew the Ming emperor and founded the Qing dynasty. The Qing dynasty mainly prospered under the rule of Kangxi and Qianlong. Population boomed, economy thrived, and agriculture grew heavily.

For a while China was far more technologically advanced than the rest of the world, however due to isolation other countries soon surpassed China and China could not keep up with their rivals. Do to this the Chinese imperial rule collapsed.

The Muhgal Empire

The people of the Muhgal Empire were a mix of Muslim and Indian cultures.The word "Muhgal" was derived from the Persian word "Mongol" and they were the first Muslim empire to rule India. They were known for their wealth and power, and created famous structures that still stand today, including the Taj Majal.

The Taj Majal is one of today's most famous structures

Prince Babur had the odds of being a successful leader in his favor, for he was a descendant both Timur and Genghis Khan. Baburs goal was to build an empire that rivaled his ancestors, and he succeeded in this. He killed 100,000 Indians with only 12,000 men for his first victory. Shortly after conquering India Babur died and Akbar the Great became the new ruler in 1556. Akbar was considered the greatest of all the Muhgal rulers. He worked hard to gain the respect and loyalty from his people and did not hesitate to prevent uprisings. He supported religious tolerance with his people and kept the government under control.

Akbar the Great was considered the greatest Muhgal Ruler

Jahangir, Akbars son, became ruler in 1605 after his fathers death. Jahangir started as a tough ruler however became a favorable ruler and continued many of his fathers practices. Shah Jahan became ruler in 1627. Under his rule the Muhgals fell under a cultural golden age, and he built one of the most famous structures in the world, the Taj Majal. After killing all rivals to the throne, Aurangzeb became the next emperor in 1658. He heavily expanded India, and was very religiously strict. He destroyed religious temples, and because of this his citizens rebelled.

While Aurangzeb increased the size of the empire, his harsh rule heavily crippled it. Rebellions continued to break out, civil war occurred, and they were invaded from the north. The empire slowly declined for the next 150 years, and is no longer around today. India was later captured by the British and was made part of their global empire.

The Ottoman And Safavid Empires

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans were one of the first empires to use Gunpowder

The people in the Ottoman empire were of Muslim religion and considered themselves ghazis, or "warriors of the Islam faith," due to their strong militaristic knowledge. The Ottomans were one of the first empires to utilize gunpowder, and this gave them an extreme advantage. They were a divers culture, however anyone who was not a Muslim in the Ottoman empire had restrictions and heavy taxes. Muslims were not taxed at all but were forced to join the military. Their military grew because of this, and because whenever a city was conquered they would take they boys from the city and raise them into their own military.

One of these ghazi leaders, named Osman I had built a strong state in Anatolia, and his descendants were referred to as Ottomans. Orhan I, who was Osman's son, was the first sultan of the Ottomans. He conquered several important Byzantine cities and much of the Balkan Peninsula. During the mid 1400s Mehmed II took control, and due to his strong militaristic knowledge, much expansion took place. In 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the Byzantine capitol. They changed Constantinople's name to Istanbul and it become the new capitol of the Ottomans. From 1520 to 1566, Suleyman II became sultan, and under his rule the Ottoman empire reached its peak. Expansion continued, and he reformed the tax, court, and government systems.

Modern Day Istanbul

After Suleymans reign the empire gradually declined due to a lack of proper heirs. Brothers were killing eachother in order to have the throne and were locked in prisons because of this. Due to their time in prison they did not have any knowledge of leading an empire and therefore were weak sultans. This empire is no longer around and they disappeared during the early 1900's.


The Safavid Empire

Around one fourth of modern day Muslims are Shia

People in the Safavid Empire were a mix of the Shia religion and Persian tradition, and because of this they had a unique culture. Their culture reached its peak under shah Abbas's rule. The making of traditional products was encouraged and because of this they prospered in trade.

The Safavids empire was founded by Esma'il, a 14 year old Persian Muslim. Conflict quickly formed between the Safavids and the Ottomans due to religious disagreements. Esma'il became shah of the Safavid empire after a series of victories across Iran and Iraq. Later 'Abbas became shah and made the Safavid empire prosper. He brought a cultural golden age, strengthened the government, and acquired modern gunpowder, making them equal to the Ottomans. The empire lasted until around 1722. Even though the empire is no longer around their relgion, Shia, still remains in use to this day.