We will be exploring the gunpowder weapons and how the use of these weapons changed the balance of power in warfare, transforming global history by leading to a period of dominance by Western European powers. I will be comparing European, Russian, Islamic, Chinese, and Japanese uses of gunpowder weapons and explore how these powers fit guns into their political, military, and cultural systems.
One of the recurring things in history is the nature of nations and empires.
Civilizations are born, reach their potential under extraordinary leaders, and over time lose their vitality and strength. The remarkable feature in this cycle is that new civilizations emerge out of there fallen leaders, regenerated by new leaders and by outside cultural influences, often resulting in cultural power. Such were the circumstances under which the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires emerged between 1300 and 1650. Coming on the heels of the Mongol and Timurid conquests in Southwest Asia and Anatolia, new Muslim dynasties began the process of extending their realms with military might enhanced by the use of gunpowder weaponry.
Conquering an empire is not the same as establishing imperial authority, and the rulers of the new empires faced a monumental task in establishing an effective governing structure for their domains. Built upon the foundations of preexisting cultural ideas, the most outstanding emperors realized that the vitality of their empires required a considerable degree of toleration for their non-Muslim subjects-an ideal that stood in sharp contrast to the policies adopted by their contemporary counterparts in Christian Europe.
In the sixteenth century, the Asian empires were clearly aspiring, controlling the
East-West trade routes and drawing on the ample resources and manpower existing within their realms. Emperors also encouraged artistic pursuits which endure