The big picture
Between 1500 and 1700 five large states were strong in Asia and nearby Africa. They are often called gunpowder empires in the first three cases, because cannons and guns helped them win. All five collected taxes, kept big armies and ruled many peoples.
Look at the timeline bars in the 3D lesson to see when each one was in power.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottomans took Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1453. Their best-known ruler, Suleiman (1520–66), is called "the Magnificent". The empire reached south-east Europe, west Asia and north Africa such as Egypt and Algeria.
The janissaries were trained foot soldiers. The empire sat on trade roads between Europe and Asia, so it earned a lot from tolls and taxes.
Safavid Iran
Shah Ismail founded the Safavid state in 1501 and made Shia Islam the state faith. This was different from the Sunni Ottomans next door, and the two states fought often.
Shah Abbas I (1588–1629) moved the capital to Isfahan, built a strong army and sold Iranian silk widely.
Mughal India
Babur won the battle of Panipat in 1526 and began Mughal rule. Akbar (1556–1605) built a strong government. Officers got a rank called a mansab. He treated people of all religions fairly and chose able men from many groups.
Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Delhi. Land tax paid for the army and the court.
Ming and Qing China
China was ruled by the Ming family until 1644. Then the Manchu people from the north started the Qing rule. China made silk, tea and porcelain that the world wanted. Foreign traders paid in silver, so silver poured into China.
Cities grew, and farmers grew new crops such as maize and sweet potato from the Americas.
Tokugawa Japan
After long wars, Tokugawa Ieyasu became shogun in 1603 and made Edo (now Tokyo) the centre. The emperor stayed in Kyoto, but the shogun held real power. Peace lasted over 200 years.
In the 1630s the shoguns banned most foreign trade and travel. Only Chinese and Dutch traders could come, at the port of Nagasaki. This is often called the "closed country" policy.
Africa in this time
Africa had many kingdoms too. North Africa was largely under Ottoman rule. In West Africa the Songhai state had trading towns like Timbuktu until its fall in 1591. In East Africa, Swahili coast towns traded gold and ivory across the sea. In Ethiopia, a Christian kingdom lasted through this age.
Try it
Make a 5-state timeline. Draw a line on paper from 1500 to 1700. Draw one bar for each state, starting at the year it began in this period. Predict: which state starts last? Then check by tapping the buttons in the 3D free-play step.
Key formulas and definitions
- Ottoman: 1453 Constantinople; Suleiman 1520–66
- Safavid: 1501 Shah Ismail; Shah Abbas 1588–1629
- Mughal: 1526 Panipat; Akbar 1556–1605
- China: Ming until 1644, then Qing
- Japan: 1603 Tokugawa shogunate; 1630s closed country
Worked examples
1. How many years passed between Babur's win at Panipat (1526) and the start of Akbar's rule (1556)?
1556 − 1526 = 30 years.
2. Shah Abbas ruled from 1588 to 1629. For how many years?
1629 − 1588 = 41 years.
3. Tokugawa shoguns began in 1603 and the country closed in the 1630s. About how many years later?
About 30 years later (1630 − 1603 = 27, so roughly 30).
Common mistakes
- Mixing the Ming and Qing. Ming came first and ended in 1644; Qing came after.
- Thinking the Mughals ruled Iran. Mughals ruled India; Safavids ruled Iran.
- Thinking Japan was closed to everyone. Chinese and Dutch traders could still come to Nagasaki.
- Forgetting that the Ottoman Empire reached into Africa and Europe, not only Asia.