The Fifteenth Century
1450 to 1750AP World History Period 4PeriodizationYears: 1450 to
1750Signs of the modern era emergingGlobalizationExploration and
colonization of the AmericasGunpowder Empires
Signs of Modernity (Change)Population growthWorld population
doubles from 1400 to 1800Commercialization of
economiesUrbanizationStronger centralized statesreplaced local
controlactively promoted trade, common cultureMilitary power soars
after gunpowder revolution
Limits of European controlEuropeans ruled Americas and
controlled sea trade BUT limited power in mainland Asia and
AfricaChina and Japan controlled European trade and missionary
activitiesAfricans set terms of the slave tradeLate Agrarian
Era?People and animals provide energy to make things (no Industrial
Revolution yet)Landowning elites still dominant (not middle
class)Most commoners rural peasants (not urban workers)Kings ruled
(not democracies)Still patriarchal (no womens rights yet)Major
States and Empires c. 1500
World Map c. 1750
World Migrations
World Map 1900
The Fifteenth CenturyLimited Paleolithic
PersistenceHunter-Gatherer SocietiesAustraliaSiberiaAfrica and
Americas
Agricultural VillagesNorth AmericaIroquois ConfederacyLoose
confederation that settled disputes peacefullyValued individual
liberty and limited government influence British settlers
Agricultural Village SocietiesSub-Saharan AfricaRival city
statesKingdom of SonghaiTrans-Saharan trade
Ming China1368-1644Recovery from Mongol ruleStrong central
governmentNeo-Confucianismcivil service systemZheng He Armada
(1405-1433)7 voyages for diplomacy and tradediscontinued
Zheng He
Western EuropeRecovery from Black DeathState-building:
Independent, competitive statesWestern European RenaissanceMaritime
voyaging, exploration, and colonization
Islamic WorldOttoman Empire center of Islamic worldSafavid
Empire Mughal EmpireSonghai Empire Malacca
The AmericasAztec and Inca Empires
AztecMexica peoplemigrated south into the Valley of Mexico1325:
small island on Lake TexcocoDrew upon Toltecs and Teotihuacan 100
years of military conquest of Mesoamerica
Aztec PoliticsLoosely structured city-statesFrequent
rebellionsTributary systemDecentralized
TenochtitlanCapital city200,000 peopleKept records of
tributeTemples, pyramids, canals, bridgesfloating gardens
Aztec ReligionHuman sacrificePresent in most Mesoamerican (and
other) cultures, but most prominent in AztecTlacaelel
Huitzilopochtli- Sun godGods gave blood to create mankind man must
repay regularly to keep cosmic order (sun rise)
IncaWestern hemispheres largest imperial stateEstablished by
Quechua-speaking peopleDrew upon previous Andean
civilizationsMoche, ChavinExpanded by military conquest
Inca PoliticsCentralized, bureaucratic stateDivine RightState
owned all resourcesMita systemProvincial systemRecord keeping
quipus, knotted cords ColonizationVoluntary hostage-taking
Quipus
Inca SocietyPolytheismHuman sacrificeGender
Parallelismpatriarchal
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