HIST103: World History (1600–Present)

2a. Explain the significance of the Mughal Empire and its interactions with different European states

• How did the Mughal Empire interact with Europe?
• How was the Mughal Empire similar to and different from Europe?
• What role did Babar and Akbar play in creating the Mughal Empire?

The Mughal Empire (1526-1858) was one of the most significant ruling dynasties in Indian history. It was a time of cultural and economic success and united most of the Indian subcontinent through extensive land and maritime trade networks. Babur (1483–1530), a direct descendant of Chinggis Khan and a master of warfare, founded the empire. His grandson, Akbar the Great (1542–1605), is famous for using guns and war elephants to expand the Empire into the subcontinent. He was also known for his religious tolerance. The Hindustani language, a mixture of Persian and Hindi, symbolized the melding of Islamic and Hindu cultures. Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal between 1632 and 1638. Initially, international trade with Europe was facilitated by Muslim trading networks. The city of Gujarat was a center of international trade and developed into a multicultural, cosmopolitan trading city.

The Mughal Empire's commercial success brought the attention of rivals, such as the Maratha Empire (1674–1818), founded by Shivaji Maharaj (1630–1680). By uniting the Maratha chieftains, the Empire spread across the Indian subcontinent from Tamil Nadu in southern India to Peshawar (a city in today's Pakistan) in the north. It emphasized a break from Islamic influence and a return to Hindu hegemony.

Meanwhile, Bartolomeu Dias (1450–1500) was the first Portuguese explorer to round the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, and Vasco de Gama (1469–1524) was the first to arrive in India by sea in 1498. The Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) divided the newly discovered lands in Africa and the Americas between Portugal and Spain.

To review, see India and International Connections and The Mughal Empire.

2b. Describe why European states were interested in trade in East Asia, what they sought, and what they acquired

• Why did European states want to trade with East Asia?
• What goods did Europeans seek and acquire?
• What were the short and long-term political, social, cultural, and economic consequences of European trade with East Asia?

Asia was the center of global trade and commerce for most of modern history. Europe remained on the fringes of the Silk Road, a vast trade network of land and sea routes that linked East Asia, India, and the Middle East. However, trade with East Asia became a driving force for European exploration, expansion, and domination as they bought spices from East Asia to preserve food and make it palatable, in addition to tea and silks. 

The Europeans focused on overland trade until the Ottoman Empire restricted access to the Silk Road when it assumed power in 1299. Portugal and other European states created their own ocean trading routes. The Dutch and English established major trading companies to gain footholds in India and Asia. In 1857–1858, the British East India Company obliterated the 300-year Mughal Empire when it took control of India. 

To review, see The Portuguese Empire and The British Empire.

2c. Explain the importance of the Malacca Sultanate to global trade patterns

• Where was the location of the Malacca Sultanate important to global trade?
• How did global trade impact cultural diffusion in the Malacca Sultanate?
• How did maritime trade networks influence global trade during the Malacca Sultanate?

The maritime trade routes connecting China, India, and Africa were as busy as any along the Silk Road. The Malacca Sultanate controlled the trade that bustled through the Malacca Strait in modern-day Malaysia until Albuquerque of Portugal conquered it in 1511. Ships from India, the Middle East, and China passed through the port of Malacca, a trading hub for Indian cloth, Chinese porcelain, spices, tea, and other prized goods.

The Malacca Sultanate was a cosmopolitan place with marine merchant vessels from all over the world. It was highly diverse, with people from all parts of Afro-Eurasia passing through. The Undang-Undang Laut Melaka, a strict legal code the Sultanate enforced, ensured the safety of merchants and made trade fair and accessible to all vessels. When the Portuguese conquered the Malacca Sultanate in 1511, the balance of global power shifted from Asia to Europe.

To review, see The Malacca Sultanate.

2d. Describe how the Chinese and Japanese states functioned during this period and their role in global trade

• When did the Qing Dynasty and Tokugawa Shogunate rule?
• How did they maintain power and centralized authority?
• What was the relationship between the Qing Dynasty and Tokugawa Shogunate?
• How was trade facilitated in each state, and what were the long-term impacts of the policies?

Throughout most of history, China was the commercial center of Afro-Eurasia. China's leaders believed they ruled the center of the world according to the concept of tianxia ("all under heaven"). China was an imperial and commercial powerhouse during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The Ming influenced Korea and Japan and took territory in southeast Asia as far as Vietnam. In China, the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911) saw the rise of the Manchu Leaders, the ruling class that perfected the Civil Service Exam to maintain a bureaucratic meritocracy.

In Japan, the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868) ruled as a military dictatorship. Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), a Japanese daimyo (feudal lord), seized power in 1603. He established himself as the shogun, or head general of Japan, and established a strict military-based government that required citizens to obtain permission from the bakufu or shogunate to travel between regions. The samurai were Japan's noble class. Tokugawa established a feudal system that required each daimyo to spend every second year in Edo, the capital city, to establish and maintain power.

Both China and Japan restricted trade with foreign powers. The Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) established the Canton System, which confined trade with foreign powers to the Canton region. Similarly, the Sakoku policy in Japan restricted foreign trade to the port city of Nagasaki to Chinese and Dutch ships. While these isolationist policies helped the ruling governments to maintain authority, they also led to their downfall when the British weakened the Qing and the United States forced Japan to trade with U.S. merchants in 1854, leading to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

To review, see:

• Exchange in East Asia
• Emperor Qian Long and the Qing Dynasty
• The Tokugawa Shogunate

Unit 2 Vocabulary

• Akbar the Great
• Albuquerque of Portugal
• Babur
• bakufu
• Bartolomeu Dias
• British East India Company
• Canton System
• Cape of Good Hope
• Chinggis Khan
• daimyo
• Edo
• Gujarat
• Hindustani
• Malacca Sultanate
• Manchu leaders
• Maratha Empire
• Ming Dynasty
• Mughal Empire
• Nagasaki
• Ottoman Empire
• Qing Dynasty
• Sakoku policy
• Shah Jahan
• shogun
• shogunate
• Silk Road
• Taj Mahal
• tianxia
• Tokugawa Ieyasu
• Tokugawa Shogunate
• Treaty of Tordesillas
• Undang-Undang Laut Melaka
• Vasco de Gama