Asian Empire Travel Blog: Medieval Japan and Korea

Medieval Japan

Since the government was losing control of Japan, thiefs, bandits, and fighting broke out. Bandits were stealing food and land, so the landowners hired an army called the Samurai, a group of professionally trained warriors. The Samurai followed a strict code of ethics called Bushido, which meant samurai had to be loyal and respectful to their lords no matter what, even if their family or their own life is at risk. The master was always first. 

In 1600, Tokugawa won a battle to win the position for shogun, or general. The emperor was so impressed that he made Tokugawa shogun.

Samurai

Here is an interview with Tokugawa.

Q: When you were made shogun, where did you set up your capital?

A: I set it up in a quiet fishing village called Edo (which will later be Tokyo).

Q: What happened when you were shogun?

A: Agriculture rose, population increased, and economic activity increased as well. We created the Five Highways, which are roads that link to the main cities.

Q: What was the class of Japan, starting from top to bottom?

Tokugawa

A: First there was the emperor, then the shogun, then the daimyo, and then the samurai, and then came the peasants, and then the artisans, and finally the merchants.

Q: I thought peasants would be on the very bottom. Why are they higher than artisans and merchants?

A: Because they were helpful to the city. Even though they were not apart of the military, they served us food from their land and they help us build new things.

Japan still exists today, of course, and all the culture that their ancestors brought to the area. Some of these cultural influences are the arts and poetry, such as haikus and drama in plays.

Medieval Korea

In 1392, a man named Yi Song-gye gained control of the land of Korea and created the Choson kingdom. In the kingdom, the kings made government based on Confucianism. The Japanese had incaded the land twice, along with China's threat to attack.

Here is an interview with Yi Song-gye.

Q: When did you find Korea?

A: 1392.

Q: How long did the Choson kingdom last?

A: It lasted a very long time. It lasted 518 years. It ended in 1910.

Q: What kind of achivments happened during the time of the Choson kingdom?

A; One of the greatest things we invented was the Korean alphabet.

The Choson Kingdom

The Choson kingdom ended in 1910 due to the kings of the Choson kingdom to isolate from Korea. But the culture lives on today, The alphabet still exits!

Asian Empire Travel Blog: 2 Paragraphs

I have now written four blogs about the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty. In this fifth blog I will be talking about two subjects. One of them is about ruling empires and/or dynasties at a very young age. The other subject will be about rulers changing laws

Paragraph 1: Ruling Empires/Dynasties at a Young Age
As I have read the chapter, something caught my attention. I have noticed that a ruler have started out at a very young age. Prince Babur, who started ruling at age 11, was the king of the city of Ferganda. When I was 11, I was starting 6th grade and still played jump rope and kick the can. And when Babur was 14, he had a victorious army. And on top of that, he led them to the city of Samarqand and took it! When I was 14, I was just learning Algebra 1! That man probably had no childhood and no fun, unless he thought fighting was fun.

Paragraph 2: Rulers Change the Laws
As I read this chapter, I've noticed that almost all of the rulers of empires/dynasties have changed the same rules/laws. I think all of them have reformed tax systems, improved court systems, and expanded land. It seems like a pattern to me. I know all kings, emperors, and sultans want more land for the empire or dynasty, but why did they all change their tax system and court system? I think they changed it because they want to keep their people happy and safe.

Asian Empire Travel Blog: The Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty

Kangxi and his grandson, Qianlong, both ruled the Qing Dynasty. Kangxi ruled from 1661 to 1722. His grandson, Qianlong, ruled from 1736 to 1796. Kangxi and Qianlong were one of the best emperors of the Qing Dynasty. They both made the citizens of the Qing Dynasty happy and both brought new knowledge to the people.

Qionlong

Kangxi

If Qianlong was still alive today, here is what I would ask him and what he would answer.

Q: How long did you rule the Qing Dynasty?

A: 60 years.
Q: What did your grandfather, Kangxi do to the dynasty?

A: He reduced taxes, expanded the empire into some areas of central Asia, supported the arts, and enjoyed entertaining priests in court.

Q: What did you do during your reign?

A: I expanded the Qing Dynasty by conquering Taiwan, Mongolia, and Tibet. Then the population of the dynasty increased a lot. I also thrived the economy.

Q: Can you tell me about Lord George Macartney?

A: He was a British official who came to China to talk about expanding trade. He seemed disrespectful and tried to bring his own goods to discontinue ours. We asked him to show some respect, but he refused, so we sent him away.

The Qing Dynasty started to weaken and Europe eventually had new advances that the Qing Dynasty did not. Isolation prevented them from knowing of these advances. In the 1800s the Europeans toppled the Qing Dynasty with their efforts to open their closed society.

Today, the arts and literature of the dynasty is still aroud today. They started to make fiction more popular and founded porcelain. 

    

Porcelain

 

Asian Empire Travel Blog: The Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty started with a peasant named Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the last Mughal emperor with the help with his rebel army. He then created the Ming Dynasty and renamed himself Hongwu. During his reign, he reduced taxes, improved agriculture, banned all Mongols, and improved trade. He wanted every Mongol influence expelled and when he got anyone challenging his authority, he eliminated them. The people of the Ming Dynasty thought that Hongwu was a good leader because he did a lot of good deeds.

Hongwu

If I interviewed Hongwu, here is what I would ask and what he would answer.

Q: How did you find the Ming Dynasty?

A: When the Yuan Empire declined, we attacked the city and I stepped up to take the throne.

Q: What did you do during your reign?

A: I changed the taxes, improved agriculture and trade, and revived traditional Chinese practices. I also improved the civil service examination system.

Q: Is it true that you added more guards to keep an eye on the city?

A: Yes.

Hongwu died in 1398, and then his son took over. The Ming Dynasty began to weaken in the 1500s and then in the 1600s rebellions broke out due to famine and hardships. The Ming Dynasty ended in 1644 when the Manchu attacked and stole the city of Beijing.

Beijing. China

Asian Empire Travel Blog: The Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire

Prince Babur conquered the capitol of India, Delhi in 1525. He named it the Mughal Empire. After he died, Akbar took over. They both ruled the empire at one point, but Akbar took the throne after his partner died. The people thought that Akbar was a very good leader because he would do anything to keep his citizens safe and happy.

Akbar

Here is a script if I interviewed Akbar.

Q: When you became the emperor of the Mughal Empire, what did you do to keep your empire alive?

A: I did everything I could. I married a noble's daughter to get her father's support, I changed the tax system, and I created a centralized government.

Q: After ruling, you're son, Jahangir, ruled the empire. What influences did he do?

A: He adopted Persian culture, and even married a Persian woman, practiced religious tolerance like I did, and supported the arts.

Q: Can you tell me about the Sikhs?

A: They were a rebellious group who had created Sikhism, which is a blend of elements of Islam and Hinduism. They believe in reincarnation rather than afterlife and they do not practice rituals that came from earlier religions.

The Mughal empire started to decline in the 1600s due to Aurangzeb's harsh laws and ruling. Soon invaders poured in from the North after Aurangzeb died. But some of the Mughal culture still exists today. One of the most famous sculptures called the Taj Mahal still exists. It represents the Mughal architecture and how it the empire was so great at one time. 

The Taj Mahal in India

Asian Empire Travel Blog: The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire

The people of the Ottoman Empire liked to take any land that they could get. The leader of the empire, Mehmed II, took over Constantinople to create his empire. He used weapons, such as cannons, to barge into the walls of the capital. As years went by, the Ottomans gained more land, expanding their empire. After Mehmed resigned, a new sultan, Suleyman I, took the throne. The citizens of the Ottoman Empire liked him because he got more land, reformed the tax system, and improved the court system. But he also made Non-Muslims pay lots of taxes. The society were cut in two classes.

Suleyman I

Map of the Ottoman Empire

                                      

Here is a script if I were talking to Suleyman.

Q: When did you start ruling the Ottoman Empire?

A: I ruled after Mehmed retired and started in 1520.

Q: How long did you rule?

A: I retired in 1566. I ruled for 46 years.

Q: What did you do that your people liked you so much?

A: I expanded the empire, changed the tax system, and made a better court system.

Q: Who was one of the greatest architects in the empire?

A: Sinan. He built a great mosque of me and it symbolized the greatness of my reign.

The Ottoman Empire sadly does not exist today. It ended in the early 1900s due to weak sultans. After Suleyman I left, everything went downhill. New sultans had to kill their brothers to eliminate rivals, and princes came in to be sultan, but they did not know how to govern.

Even though the Ottoman Empire is over, the cultures from it still exist today. The mixtures of cultures from the empire still live in people today in the 21st century.