AP World History:: Unit 3

The Ottoman Empire, already introduced in an earlier unit as a small Anatolian principality founded around 1299, expanded very significantly during the period covered by this unit (1450-1750) to become:

- **A)** One of the most significant and extensive land-based empires of this period, controlling considerable territory across the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeastern Europe, and notably capturing the significant Byzantine capital of Constantinople in 1453 (already discussed in an earlier unit as a significant center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity), an event generally regarded as marking the final end of the Byzantine Empire - the Ottoman Empire's own very significant territorial expansion and considerable political, military, and economic sophistication provides an important foundational example for this unit's own broader comparative coverage of significant land-based empires during this period
- **B)** The Ottoman Empire's own significant later expansion having no meaningful, describable relationship to the earlier Ottoman founding already discussed in an earlier unit, the 1453 capture of Constantinople, or the broader significant land-based empire comparison already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **C)** An empire that achieved essentially no significant further territorial expansion of any kind beyond its own comparatively limited earlier Anatolian territory already discussed in an earlier unit, a characterization that significantly understates the Ottoman Empire's own actual, well-documented very significant later territorial expansion during this specific period
- **D)** An empire that captured Constantinople considerably earlier than 1453, a characterization that inaccurately misplaces this specific significant historical event's own actual, well-documented 1453 occurrence

The Ottoman devshirme system, a significant institutional practice used by the Ottoman Empire (already discussed above), involved:

- **A)** The devshirme system having no meaningful, describable relationship to significant Ottoman administrative and military recruitment practices, or the broader significant Ottoman imperial governance already discussed elsewhere in this unit
- **B)** The periodic recruitment (often through a form of conscription) of young Christian boys from within Ottoman-controlled territory, who were then converted to Islam and trained for significant service within the Ottoman military (as elite Janissary soldiers) or broader imperial administration - the devshirme system represents a significant, distinctive Ottoman institutional practice for recruiting and training a considerable portion of the empire's own military and administrative elite, illustrating a further significant example, complementing this unit's broader comparative coverage of significant land-based empires, of a specific administrative and military recruitment system developed to help manage a very considerable, ethnically and religiously diverse imperial territory
- **C)** A system that recruited exclusively from within the Ottoman ruling family itself, with no meaningful broader recruitment from the empire's own general population, a characterization that does not accurately reflect the devshirme system's own actual, well-documented broader recruitment from the empire's general Christian population
- **D)** A system used exclusively for agricultural labor recruitment, with no meaningful military or administrative training component of any kind, a characterization that does not accurately reflect the devshirme system's own actual, well-documented specific military and administrative training focus

The Safavid Empire, a significant Persian (Iranian) land-based empire that developed considerably during the period covered by this unit, is historically notable primarily for:

- **A)** The Safavid Empire having no meaningful, describable relationship to Shia Islam, Persian imperial administration, or the broader significant religious and political diversity within the Islamic world already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit and an earlier unit
- **B)** A complete absence of any significant religious, political, or administrative development of any kind, a characterization that directly contradicts the Safavid Empire's own actual, well-documented very significant religious and political development during this period
- **C)** Establishing Shia Islam as the empire's own official state religion, distinguishing the Safavid Empire religiously from the neighboring, considerably larger Sunni Ottoman Empire already discussed above - this significant religious distinction contributed to considerable, at times significant military conflict between these two neighboring significant land-based Islamic empires, illustrating a further significant example, connecting to the Sunni-Shia division already discussed in an earlier unit, of how significant religious difference could directly shape significant interstate political and military relations during this period
- **D)** An empire located in East Asia rather than Persia (Iran), a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Safavid Empire's own actual, well-documented Persian, Middle Eastern geographic location

The Mughal Empire, a significant Islamic land-based empire that came to control much of South Asia during the period covered by this unit, illustrates:

- **A)** The Mughal Empire having no meaningful, describable relationship to Islamic political rule over a predominantly Hindu population, significant religious and cultural interaction, or the broader significant South Asian political development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit and an earlier unit
- **B)** A complete absence of any significant political, administrative, or cultural development of any kind, a characterization that directly contradicts the Mughal Empire's own actual, well-documented very significant political and cultural development during this period
- **C)** An empire located in Sub-Saharan Africa rather than South Asia, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Mughal Empire's own actual, well-documented South Asian, Indian geographic location
- **D)** A further significant example, extending this curriculum's earlier coverage of the Delhi Sultanate already discussed in an earlier unit, of significant Islamic political rule over a predominantly Hindu South Asian population - the Mughal Empire's own considerable political, administrative, and cultural sophistication (including significant achievements in architecture, illustrated by the later construction of the Taj Mahal, discussed further below in this unit) illustrates a further significant example of the genuinely complex, at times both harmonious and tense, religious and cultural interaction that could develop under significant Islamic political rule over a religiously diverse population, connecting to this unit's broader comparative coverage of significant land-based empires

The Taj Mahal, a very significant architectural monument constructed under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (already discussed above) during the 17th century, is historically notable primarily as:

- **A)** A significant architectural monument built as a mausoleum, illustrating the very considerable architectural sophistication and craftsmanship achieved under Mughal imperial patronage already discussed above - the Taj Mahal's own considerable architectural and artistic achievement represents a further significant example of the sophisticated cultural and artistic development that could flourish under a wealthy, well-organized land-based empire already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit, comparable in this general respect to significant architectural achievements already discussed in earlier units, such as the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe and the Khmer Empire's own Angkor Wat
- **B)** The Taj Mahal having no meaningful, describable relationship to Mughal imperial patronage, significant architectural achievement, or the broader significant cultural sophistication of land-based empires already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **C)** A monument constructed in the Ottoman Empire rather than the Mughal Empire, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Taj Mahal's own actual, well-documented Mughal, South Asian geographic and political context
- **D)** A monument that generated no meaningful lasting cultural, architectural, or historical significance of any kind, a characterization that significantly understates the Taj Mahal's own actual, well-documented very significant lasting cultural and architectural significance

The Ming Dynasty, a significant Chinese dynasty that ruled from 1368 (following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty already discussed in an earlier unit) through 1644, is historically notable for:

- **A)** The Ming Dynasty having no meaningful, describable relationship to Chinese political restoration, significant early maritime exploration already discussed in an earlier unit's coverage of Zheng He, or the broader significant later Chinese political and economic development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** Restoring native Chinese political rule following the earlier period of Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty control already discussed in an earlier unit, significantly sponsoring the extensive Zheng He maritime voyages already discussed in an earlier unit during the dynasty's own earlier period, and, later in the dynasty's own rule, adopting a somewhat more restrictive, inward-looking approach toward maritime trade and foreign contact - the Ming Dynasty's own considerable political and economic significance provides important further context for this unit's broader comparative coverage of significant land-based Asian empires, complementing this unit's coverage of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires already discussed elsewhere in this unit
- **C)** A dynasty that ruled continuously from a period well before 1200 through the entirety of the period covered by this unit, a characterization that inaccurately misplaces the Ming Dynasty's own actual, well-documented 1368 founding, considerably later than this earlier timeframe
- **D)** A dynasty that ruled over medieval Europe rather than China, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Ming Dynasty's own actual, well-documented Chinese, East Asian geographic and historical context

The Qing Dynasty, a significant Chinese dynasty established by the Manchu people (an ethnic group originating outside China's own traditional Han Chinese ethnic core) that succeeded the Ming Dynasty (already discussed above) in 1644, illustrates:

- **A)** The Qing Dynasty having no meaningful, describable relationship to Manchu ethnic rule over China, significant territorial expansion, or the broader significant Chinese political and territorial development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A dynasty established by ethnic Han Chinese rulers, rather than by the Manchu people, a characterization that inaccurately reverses the Qing Dynasty's own actual, well-documented Manchu, rather than ethnic Han Chinese, ruling origin
- **C)** A further significant example, complementing this unit's earlier coverage of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty already discussed in an earlier unit, of a non-Han-Chinese ethnic group successfully establishing and maintaining significant, long-lasting political rule over China - the Qing Dynasty achieved very significant further territorial expansion during the period covered by this unit, and it illustrates a further significant example of the genuinely complex ethnic and political dynamics that could characterize a significant land-based empire's own governance over a large, ethnically diverse imperial territory, connecting to this unit's broader comparative coverage of significant land-based empires
- **D)** A dynasty that achieved no meaningful territorial expansion of any kind during the period covered by this unit, a characterization that significantly understates the Qing Dynasty's own actual, well-documented very significant territorial expansion during this period

The Tokugawa Shogunate, a significant Japanese political system established in 1603 that brought considerable political unification and stability to Japan following an earlier period of significant internal conflict, is historically notable for:

- **A)** The Tokugawa Shogunate having no meaningful, describable relationship to Japanese political unification, a policy of significant restriction on foreign contact, or the broader significant East Asian political development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A complete absence of any significant political unification, stability, or broader governmental achievement of any kind, a characterization that directly contradicts the Tokugawa Shogunate's own actual, well-documented very significant political unification and stability during this period
- **C)** A political system established in China rather than Japan, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Tokugawa Shogunate's own actual, well-documented Japanese, East Asian geographic and historical context
- **D)** Achieving considerable political unification and stability within Japan following an earlier period of significant internal conflict, and, significantly, adopting a policy of considerable restriction on foreign trade and contact (sometimes called sakoku, or "closed country") for much of the period the Shogunate governed - this policy of considerable restriction on foreign contact represents a further significant example, complementing this unit's later coverage of Ming and Qing Dynasty China's own comparable, if not fully identical, periods of restricted foreign contact, of how a significant land-based Asian political power could deliberately limit its own external engagement during at least part of the period covered by this unit