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Credit Sprint's Guide to AP® World History, Unit 3: Land-Based Empires, c. 1450 to c. 1750

AP® weight 12–15%

Large Eurasian empires used gunpowder weapons, bureaucracies and religious legitimacy to expand and govern diverse peoples. The Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, Qing, Ming and Russians built strong states that traded, taxed and controlled their populations.

Land-based empiresOttomanmillet, Janissaries SafavidShi'a Islam Mughaltolerance, tax Ming and Qingexam, silver RussiaSiberia, furs

What you need to know

  • The Ottoman Empire took Constantinople in 1453, using cannons. It ruled Muslims and non-Muslims through the millet system, recruited the devshirme for the Janissary army and administration, and reached its height under Suleiman.
  • The Safavids made Shi'a Islam the state religion of Persia, which separated them from the Sunni Ottomans and led to long conflict. Isfahan under Shah Abbas became a famous center of art.
  • The Mughal Empire ruled most of South Asia. Akbar practiced religious tolerance and a strong central administration, while Aurangzeb's strict policies and heavy taxes contributed to unrest.
  • Ming China restored Chinese rule after the Mongols, and the Qing, founded by Manchus, expanded to Central Asia. Both used the civil service exam and a tributary system, and silver from the Americas flowed into China in exchange for goods.
  • Russia expanded under Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible, and later Peter the Great, who westernized the army and built St. Petersburg. Expansion across Siberia was driven by the fur trade.
  • Gunpowder empires used cannon and firearms, centralized taxation and bureaucracies, and sponsored art and architecture to show the ruler's authority. Rulers also relied on religion to legitimize their rule.

Exam traps

Watch forThe millet system gave religious communities self-government under the Ottomans. It did not mean full equality.
Watch forDo not confuse the Ming and the Qing. The Ming were Han Chinese, and the Qing were Manchu.
Watch forThe Safavid and Ottoman conflict was political as well as religious, since both fought over territory and trade routes.

Key terms

  • Gunpowder empires: Large states such as the Ottomans, Safavids and Mughals that used cannons and firearms to expand and centralize power.
  • Ottoman Empire: A Muslim empire that took Constantinople in 1453 and ruled much of the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Europe.
  • Suleiman the Magnificent: The Ottoman sultan who led the empire to its height in the 1500s and codified laws.
  • Devshirme: The Ottoman system of taking Christian boys from the Balkans to train as soldiers or officials.
  • Janissaries: Elite Ottoman infantry soldiers recruited through the devshirme.
  • Millet system: An Ottoman policy that let religious minorities govern their own communities and pay a tax.
  • Safavid Empire: A Persian empire that made Shi'a Islam its state religion and clashed with the Sunni Ottomans.
  • Shah Abbas: The Safavid ruler who strengthened the state and made Isfahan a showcase capital.
  • Mughal Empire: A Muslim dynasty that ruled most of South Asia from 1526 and governed a mostly Hindu population.
  • Akbar: The Mughal emperor who pursued religious tolerance, abolished a tax on non-Muslims and centralized administration.
  • Taj Mahal: A marble tomb built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, a symbol of Mughal architecture.
  • Aurangzeb: The Mughal emperor whose strict religious policies and costly wars weakened the empire.
  • Ming dynasty: The Chinese dynasty (1368 to 1644) that restored Han rule after the Mongols and later restricted foreign contact.
  • Qing dynasty: The dynasty founded by the Manchus (1644 to 1912), the last imperial dynasty of China.
  • Tributary system: A Chinese system in which neighboring states gave gifts and recognized China's supremacy in exchange for trade and protection.
  • Ivan the Terrible: The first Russian ruler to take the title tsar, he expanded the state and centralized power.

Practice questions

Five of the 47 Unit 3 questions in Credit Sprint. Every choice is explained in the app.

1. What did the Ottoman capture of Constantinople in 1453 achieve?
  1. It began the conquest of the Americas by Ottoman ships
  2. It ended the Byzantine Empire
  3. It brought the Ottomans under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor
  4. It ended Muslim rule in the eastern Mediterranean
Show answer

It ended the Byzantine Empire. Mehmed II used large cannons to breach the walls, taking the city that controlled routes between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, and renamed it Istanbul.

2. Aurangzeb's policies (r. 1658-1707), such as reimposing the jizya, are often cited as
  1. a successful reform that strengthened the empire for centuries
  2. an agreement to share power with European companies
  3. proof that the empire never used taxes
  4. a cause of rebellions that weakened the Mughal state
Show answer

a cause of rebellions that weakened the Mughal state. Reversing earlier tolerance and fighting costly wars in the Deccan strained resources and angered Hindu and Sikh subjects, contributing to Mughal decline.

3. Which was a goal of Tokugawa Japan's sankin-kotai (alternate attendance) system?
  1. To permit foreign merchants to govern the provinces
  2. To keep daimyo loyal by requiring them to spend time in Edo
  3. To provide free education to peasant children
  4. To force daimyo to move permanently abroad
Show answer

To keep daimyo loyal by requiring them to spend time in Edo. The system drained daimyo wealth on travel and residences and kept hostages at the capital, which reduced the chance of rebellion.

4. The construction of the Taj Mahal under Shah Jahan illustrates
  1. how Mughal rulers used architecture to display wealth
  2. the decline of Mughal artistic traditions
  3. a Hindu temple built by a Hindu king
  4. the influence of Roman engineering in India
Show answer

how Mughal rulers used architecture to display wealth. The tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal combined Persian domes and gardens with Indian craftsmanship, and showed the resources of the empire.

5. Which statement about Russian expansion into Siberia in the 16th and 17th centuries is accurate?
  1. Russia expanded by sea to colonize the Caribbean
  2. Russia gained Siberia by purchasing it from the Ming
  3. Siberia was empty of all peoples when Russia arrived
  4. Cossacks and traders pushed east in search of furs
Show answer

Cossacks and traders pushed east in search of furs. Fur, called 'soft gold', drove expansion, and the state collected tribute from Indigenous peoples while building forts across the region.