HIS 1003 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Mehmed The Conqueror, Jinshanling, Hongwu Emperor
Document Summary
Religion, power and empire: columbus and conversion. Islamic empires: christian europe and religious upheaval of the reformation, catholic reformation. Ming dynasty: hongwu emperor ousted mongol yuan dynasty in 1368. Why did chinese exploration stop in 1433: reassert confucian values: focus attention on agriculture and local villages, return of the mongols: focus on combating the mongols. Purpose of great wall: military protection: prevent raids by mongols and other steppe nomads, keep chinese in, safeguard silk road and allow for charging tolls, workers included: workers, soldiers, forcibly recruited peasants, slaves, convicts and war prisoners. Ming dynasty increased building: ousted yuan mongols in 1368, yongle fortified wall because of increasing raids. Fall of ming dynasty: continued invasions of mongols, financial troubles, peasant rebellions, pirates, take-over by manchu qing dynasty 1618. Motivations for european sea travel: silk road falls apart, challenge from the ottoman empire 1289, osman makes the turks into warriors (ghazi) Mehmed ii (the conqueror) (1451-1481: captures constantinople, 1453.
