Geography of the Gunpowder Empires PDF

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Summary

Covers geographical influences of the Gunpowder Empires, primarily their mountains and neighboring seas...

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Geography of the Gunpowder Empires

Three civilizations that comprised the Gunpowder Empires (1500-1800): Ottoman Empire, Safavid Kingdom, and Mughal Empire 

Ottomans developed in modern-day Western Turkey on the shore opposite Contantinople  

Using that area as a base, the Ottoman Empire expanded into southeast Europe and central Anatolia 15th century: Ottomans expanded into Middle East, Egypt, and North Africa 

In 1453, Constantinople was captured by Mehmed II At its greatest extent, Ottoman Empire was 2/3 the size of the Roman Empire Neighboring Ottomans was the Safavid Kingdom, founded in the 15th century and occupied modern-day Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as parts of Central Asia To the east of the Safavid Persia was the Mughal Empire, which originated in Central Asia (modern-day Afghanistan) but spread into northern and central India 

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Safavid and Mughal societies maintained diplomatic relations, but occasionally military conflict broke out between them 

Conflicts were limited by the Caucasus and the Hindu Kush Mountains

Impact of Geographical and Environmental Factors: Ottoman Empire was situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, which allowed it to dominate trade passing between the East and the West and enrich itself 

Regions controlled by it were geographically and environmentally diverse, and their holdings in southeast Europe provided them sufficient human resources as well as forests, mines, and rich farmland, and likewise controlled the fertile heartlands of Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt 

Ottoman were able to expand rapidly and exploit resources and shift resources to needed areas 

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Maintenance of a strong navy granted them control over parts of the Mediterranean and facilitated rapid deployment and communications between diverse regions Safavid state in Persia partly controlled land trade between China and Europe and maintained the traditions of producing goods for export 

Mountainous regions did not produce sufficient amounts of food and hindered the centralizing efforts of the Safavid government, resulting in a network of semi-autonomous tribes whose loyalty to the Safavids was always uncertain 

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Northern border with Central Asia made raiding by nomadic groups a continuous problem, another factor that contributed to the weakening of the Safavid dynasty Mughal dynasty benefited from its control over both the Indus and the Ganges River valleys, allowing it to exploit the most fertile regions of the subcontinent 

Mountains to the north, combined with the latest military technology provided excellent defenses for the Mughal state

Geography of the Gunpowder Empires 

Most important was control over a number of coastal cities, which allowed for participation and profit from long-distance trade with Europe and China; ports served as important points in the growing global communication network...