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The Tropics &New Empires
AN AGE OF ACCELERATING CONNECTIONS (600 – 1450)
• Where are the “Tropics?” The lands between the Tropic of Capricorn and Cancer.
• Although the region shares similar latitudes, different longitudes and altitudes cause the Tropics to vary in a number of ways . . . – Lands around the Indian Ocean are affected by seasonal monsoons
– Some areas with heavy rainfall contain dense rainforests– Some parts (southern Sahara) see no rain at all– Many people still relied on hunting, fishing, & gathering – Tending herds was common in arid areas– Agriculture was key the to the livelihood of others in the Tropics.
What are similarities between societies from within the Tropics?
• In the Eastern Hemisphere trade greatly affected the development of this region. (Yams from SE Asia arrived in equatorial Africa, Bantu‐speaking farmers introduced grains from West Africa to the south, Ethiopian coffee was introduced to the Middle East)
• Most people continued to live simply off of the land.• Irrigation projects were built throughout the Tropics.
(Farmers in Southeast Asia constructed water‐control systems to irrigate terraced rice paddies, in SE India stone dams were built across rivers that gradually released stored water into canals) – Many of the more complex irrigation projects were built by governments, and when those governments fell these systems were not maintained.
• Throughout the tropics people mined and refined metals.
• Iron was the most abundant and useful metal of the tropics, it was used to make spears, arrows, and tools.
• Blacksmiths were adored for their abilities to work with iron (some believed they had magical powers).
• Thousands of mine shafts have been found throughout the Tropics (Some more than 100 ft. deep).
• Most of what we know about the Tropics at this time comes from Ibn Battuta. – Muslim scholar from Morocco– Traveled extensively throughout the Tropics (Middle East, Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, sub‐Saharan West Africa) and wrote about his travels .
Just as Ibn Battuta was traveling around the Tropics, Islam was also spreading.
• The conversion to Islam was more peaceful south of the Sahara than in other areas for it was spread by merchants and not invading armies.
• The Sahara Trade routes (Gold / Salt trade) heightened the importance of West Africa with the rest of Afro‐Eurasia and the influence of Islam in Africa.
• In West Africa, rose the Mali Empire (previously the area was under the Ghana Empire –which fell to desert nomads around 1076, and later the area will become the Songhai Empire).
– Underscoring the idea that Islam was gradually moving into the region, both Sundiata and his rival professed Islam, but many believed it was magic that determined the outcome of their clashes.
• Mali depended upon agriculture and control of the lucrative trade routes.– Ghana did too, but Mali was much larger and the Mali rulers were Muslims.
Mali Empire • The rise of Mali coincided with the rise of the Aztecs and the Mongols, all around 1200
• Founded by Sundiata
• In 1324, the leader Mansa Musa made his pilgrimage to Mecca, traveled in a lavish caravan of slaves and provisions exhibiting his empire’s vast wealth along the way.
• He gave gifts of gold as he journey, so much so it lowered the price of gold for years in places like Cairo.
• When he returned back to Mali, he built more mosques and schools to expand the Islamic faith.
• For the most part Mali had an effective government (ex: similar to the Mongols trade routes were
protected), but by 1500 rebellions against less able rulers and Africans societies jealous of their wealth caused the Mali Empire to shrink.
Many of the constructed mosques in West Africa blended traditional architectural techniques with Arab & Islamic ideas revealing cultural diffusion in the region.
• The arrival of Islam in India was more violent than in parts of Africa. Fragmented since the fall of the Gupta Empire, Indians were forced to confront raids by Afghan warlords unified by Islam (Often Hindu & Buddhist temples were destroyed).
• By the early 1200s, northern India had been conquered by Muslim invaders.
• Sultan Iltutmish consolidated these conquered lands into the Delhi Sultanate, a Muslim state recognized by the caliph in Baghdad.
• Shockingly, his daughter – Raziya became his heir (his sons were irresponsible pleasure seekers).
• Therefore, a woman was ruling a Muslim state.• Although a capable ruler, she was ultimately overthrown and imprisoned because she was a woman.
• As time went on the state continued to expand its control over the subcontinent.
• Religious toleration was used to ease resistance, but a heavy reliance on high taxes and terror was mostly used to keep subjects submissive.
• Nonetheless, the Delhi Sultanate did establish an effective government with a bureaucracy and provisional governors that promoted trade and economic growth.
• However, the sultanate never could shake the fact they were “outsiders” (foreign origins & an alien religion) ruling over India.
• By the mid 1300’s, various parts of the subcontinent were breaking free.
• In 1398, Tamerlane (we talked about him when we learned
about the Mongols) came in conquered the city of Delhi.
Mali (1230s – 1500) Delhi Sultanate (1206 – 1400)
•Islam spread peacefully
•Empire established by locals/Africans
•Trade (including long distant) was important (i.e. gold & salt)
•Mining was important (gold)
•Blacksmiths (iron) were considered to have magical powers
•Islamic
•Built mosques
•Regional trade
•Ibn Battuta visited both
•Effective administrative systems, governments
•Faced rebellions, led to their downfall
•Islam arrived through invasion
•High taxes, ruthless policies, cruel toward Indians, used terror
•Empire established by outsiders / Turks & Afghans
•Once had a female ruler (Raziya)
•Built irrigation projects, canals to grow crops year‐round