Download Srivijaya - Angelfire

You will learn
• Types of internal and external threats
• How these threats brought about the
fall of kingdoms and empires in ancient
India, China and Southeast Asia
• The measures each civilisation took to
respond to these threats
EXTERNAL & INTERNAL THREATS
• Let’s look at the causes of
decline of the Indus Valley
civilisation, the Mauryan and
Gupta dynasties
• Indus Valley civilisation
• began in 2500 B.C.
• Abrupt end in 1500 B.C.
Mauryan Silver
•Remember the well-planned
cities of Mohenjo-Daro and
Harappa?
•What caused them to decline?
•
•
•
•
Foreign Invasion
Natural Disasters
Succession issue
Poor government
• Attacked by the Aryans, invaders from Central Asia,
who migrated to India
• Indus people forced southwards where they settled
• Could explain the mysterious disappearance of the
Indus Valley civilisation
• Earthquakes and floods could have caused decline
• Indus River could have overflowed, flooding its banks
and causing severe damage to the cities
• Successors unable to fill leadership
gap of a great ruler
• Not as capable
• Great Mauryan Dynasty came to an
end after the death of Asoka
• Mainly because his successors
were weak
• Imposed heavy taxes on people
• Much unrest and dissatisfaction
with the govt
• Many rebellions resulted – empire
declined
• Another reason : Buddhism not
promoted as strongly after Asoka’s
death
• Did not have a great influence on
people
• No common set of beliefs to hold
people together as had been in
Asoka’s time
• Final result : Last Mauryan king
was murdered in 185 B.C. & a new
dynasty established
• Foreign invasion also caused the downfall of the Gupta Dynasty
• Reign of Skanda Gupta (A.D. 335-367) – repeatedly attacked by
tribes from Central Asia
• One was the Xiongnu, also known as the “Huns”
– They had already begun attacking the empire during the rule of
Kumara Gupta who ruled before Skanda
– Kumara had managed to keep the empire intact
• These attacks greatly weakened the Gupta Dynasty
• Eventually collapsed at the end of the 5th century A.D.
• In South India – rivalry and constant warfare among rival
kingdoms led to their rise and fall
• Kingdoms : Pandya, Chera, Pallava, Chola
• Later part of 6th century A.D., Pallava had become strongest
power in south India
• Strong rival in the north – Chalukya kingdom
• A.D. 642 – Pallava king invaded Chalukya capital and killed the
king
• Since then, the two kingdoms continued to fight each other for
the next 200 years
• Both kingdoms became weak
• Pallava eventually conquered by another kingdom, the Chola in
A.D. 891
• Ended Pallava dominance and marked the rise of the Cholas
• Causes for the decline of Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han,
Tang, Song dynasties
• Harsh and unpopular laws and/or rules
• No unity or central control – weak leader
• Foreign invasions
• Natural disasters
• Shang Dynasty ended in 11th century B.C.
• Last Shang king was a cruel ruler
• Forced people to build luxurious palaces and parks
for his own enjoyment
• Subjects punished severely for disobedience
• Led a much unhappiness among his people
• When Zhou king attacked, the Shang slaves led him
and his soldiers into the Shang capital instead
• A dynasty could collapse because there was no unity or central
control
• Look at feudalism during the Zhou Dynasty
• Feudal worked well provided there is a strong king who cou;ld
aontrol the feudal lords
• Later Zhou Period – period of the Warring States – in-fighting
among the feudal lords for power and territories
• All because the king was weak
• Powerful feudal states would conquer the weaker ones
• Zhou Dynasty fell when the powerful state of Qin emerged as
the victor
• Cruel and harsh methods used
by kings also resulted in
rebellions
• This was the case with QSH
which led to the end of his
empire
• QSH wanted his dynasty to last
10,000 generations
• His wish never fulfilled
• Qin Dynasty came to an end in
206 B.C. (founded in 221 B.C.)
• QSH’s son and successor, Hu
Hai, was a weak ruler
• Indifferent to the sufferings of
the people
• Increased taxes; demanded
more military service and
public labour
• Killed his capable Prime
Minister Li Si
• Hu Hai later committed suicide
Qin Shihuang
• The third and last Qin
emperor had his adviser and
chief eunuch, Zhao Gao,
killed
• Without effective leadership,
the Qin Dynasty ended in
206 B.C.
• The last Qin emperor
defeated by a peasant
named Liu Bang who
established the Han Dynasty
• China often
attacked by
nomadic tribes of
the north especially
the Xiongnu
• Lived in the deserts
north of China
• Brought the other
tribes under its
control
•
•
•
•
The Xiongnu was a Turkish-speaking tribe
They were later known in Europe as the Huns
Often raided border villages of China
Robbed people of their animals and crops
•
•
•
Reign of Liu Bang or
Emperor Han Gaozu –
Xiongnu attacked and
defeated the Han
Chinese in 201 B.C.
This defeat was only a
temporary setback for
the Han
Foreign invasion was not
the main cause of the
decline of the Han
Dynasty
Liu Bang
SONG OF THE GREAT WIND
A great wind rises, Clouds fly and scatter;
With power over the four seas, I return to my homeland;
Where shall I get brave warriors to safeguard the four quarters?
(Tr.Ronald C. Miao)
Note Liu Bang wrote this poem at wine party he gave in his
hometown after putting down Ying Bu's armed rebellion in 195
B. C..
Source : http://www.chinapage.com/poem/liubang/liubang2n.html
Source : http://www.chinapage.com/poem/liubang/liubang2n.html
• Remember what we learnt about the Chinese
believing that the the Emperor ruled because he had
the Mandate of Heaven?
• Natural disasters were taken by the Chinese as a sign
that the Emperor had not governed well
• They believed that Heaven had withdrawn this
Mandate
• Thus they could rebel against the emperor
• Remember how earthquakes indicated that the Emperor was not
favoured by Heaven and needed to be overthrown?
• Natural disasters also caused hardship to the people
• Contributed to the decline of kingdoms or empires
• Eg Later Han period A.D. 25 – 220 – poor peasants
struggled to survived
• Country hit by drought, famines and floods
• Followed by outbreak of infectious diseases
• People so poor that they had to sell their wives and
children to survive
• They blamed the government and rebelled
• Can you blame them?
• Emperor of Later Han period had to rely on his
military to crush these rebellions
• However, one of the military leaders forced the last
Han emperor to step down in A.D. 220
• This ended the Han Dynasty
Han ruins
• The Tang Dynasty also experienced a great
rebellion by An Lushan, a general and
adopted son of Emperor Xuanzong & his
favourite concubine Yang Gueifei
• An Lushan tried to seize the throne in A.D.
755
• Emperor & his concubine had to flee the
capital, Changan
• An Lushan rebellion took a decade to put
down
• Weakened the Tang Dynasty so much that it
never really recovered from it
A painting on silk of Yang Kwei-fei by Chobunsai Eishi (1756-1829).
Source : http://www.taleofgenji.org/yang_kwei-fei.html
• The generals sent to the provinces to put down the rebellion
later set themselves up there
• They became independent of the central government
• More rebellions took place towards the end of the 9th century
• Weakened the government further
• Last Tang emperor too weak to stop his generals from splitting
up his empire
• Forced to give up his throne in A.D. 907 thus ending the Tang
Dynasty
• The Song Dynasty was also troubled by foreign attacks
• 1126 A.D. – northern China was conquered by the Jurchen tribe
from north-eastern Manchuria
• The Song capital – Kaifeng – as well as the emperor was
captured
• One of the Song’s emperor’s sons, Gaozong, escaped to the
south
• There he became the emperor of southern China
• His dynasty became known as the Southern Song
• This China was divided into two
Imperial Order from Emperor Song Gaozong to General Yueh Fei
Source : http://www.chinapage.com/callig1.html#sgz
• Another group of foreign invaders,
the Mongols, attacked China in the
13th century
• By this time, China had weak rulers
• The Mongols defeated the Jin
• The weak Song soldiers and the
Great Wall could not stop the
Mongols
• The Mongols, under Kublai Khan,
had a well-trained army and
excellent horses
• Conquered China in 1279 A.D.
Source : http://www.chinapage.com/painting/kublai.html
• Causes for decline of Funan, Srivijaya and
Melaka
• Funan & Srivijaya – foreign invaders
Funan
• conquered by kingdom of Chenla in 6th century A.D.
• People of Chenla moved south and occupied fertile plains of
Funan
Srivijaya
• Decline of Srivijaya
• Began when Rajendra (A.D. 1014 to 1044) RULER OF CHOLA KINGDOM
from South India attacked Srivijaya
• Captured Palembang in A.D. 1025
• Chola controlled and ruled these territories for about a century
• Srivijaya further weakened when more territories were
conquered in 13th century
• Northern part of Malay Peninsular taken by Siam
• King Kertanegara from rival kingdom of Singhasari (in Java)
took over Srivijaya’s territories in south-eastern Sumatra
Srivijaya
• External threats can also be economic in nature
• Srivijaya declined partly because of the growth of other ports in
Southeast Asia
• Many traders sailed directly to ports of Eastern Java to trade
• Palembang, the Srivijayan port, became one of the port of call
for these traders
Srivijaya
• Majapahit was one of the kingdoms that took trade away from
Srivijaya
• Later, Majapahit declined because of the rise of the kingdom of
Melaka
• 15th century : Melaka risen to become a great port and
emporium in SE Asia
• Many small kingdoms broke away from control of Majapahit and
traded with Melaka
• Melaka declined in the 15th century – several causes
• Main causes – weak and corrupt leadership &
disloyalty
• Last sultan, Mahmud, was unsuitable
• Weak character; not interested in state affairs
• No capable PM to help him
• After the great Tun Perak (Chief Minister [Bendahara] of
Melaka) died in 1498, his brother Tun Puteh succeeded
him
• Tun Puteh an old man, Bendahara for only 2 years
•
•
•
•
Replaced by Tun Mutahir – greedy and corrupt
Executed by Sultan for plotting against him
Replaced by Paduka Tuan, a toothless, paralysed old man
Thus Malacca was without capable leadership when the
Portugese attacked in 1511
• Another reason – lack of unity
among its people
• Two factions/groups in Melaka
• Malays and Indian Muslims
• Quarrels and political intrigues
common
• Appt of Tun Mutahir, an Indian
Muslim, as Bendahara made the
Malay faction unhappy
• Tun Mutahir appointed his own
relatives to power
• Malay faction became jealous
• Rich and powerful foreign merchants of Melaka, especially
the Javanese, did not help defend Melaka
• Afraid their business would be affected once the Portugese
took over
• Some secretly supported the Portugese
• Others openly helped them
• Local Malays not loyal to Sultan as Melaka was a feudal
state
• Many forced to work as slaves for the Sultan and nobles
• No reforms to improve welfare of the people
• People thus had no love for and no loyalty to the Sultan
• Offered little resistance to the Portugese
• Melaka depended on Javanese
mercenaries for her defence
• They were not prepared to
sacrifice their lives for Melaka
• When Portugese victory
inevitable, some deserted the
army
• Others joined the Portugese
• Melaka was also dependent on
foreign food supplies
• When besieged by the
Portugese, she was doomed
• The great Melaka Sultanate ended
in 1511 A.D. after a century of
prosperity
• Melaka Malays were no match for
the guns and cannons of the
Portugese
• Portugese soldiers well-armed and
well-trained
• Disciplined and experienced fighters
• Had a good leader in Alfonso
d’Albuquerque
DEFENSIVE MEASURES
•
•
•
•
Strong walls or fortifications for protection
Kings maintained large armies
Horses, chariots and elephants to defend themselves
These measures were inadequate when foreign armies
were superior
• Weak leaders make it easier for foreign troops to take over
a kingdom
CHANDRAGUPTA
•
•
•
•
•
Chandragupta’s empire put security as an important aim
The capital, Pataliputra, had 570 watch towers
A moat surrounded the city
He had a War Office of 30 officials
His army : 700,000 soldiers, 8,000 chariots and 9,000
elephants
DIPLOMACY
• Nations often use diplomacy to avoid war and maintain
peace
• Diplomacy is the art and practice of continuing relations
between nations
• Asoka sent missionaries to Tibet, Myanmar and even
Greece to spread Buddhism
• Through Buddhism, India made friends with other countries
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
•
•
•
•
Zhou Dynasty : Zhou kings
built sections of what is
known as the Great Wall of
China to ward off the Xiongnu
These walls were later joined
and strengthened by Qin
Shihuang in 221 B.C.
QSH also extended the wall
across the length of northern
China, spanning thousands of
kilometres
Later dynasties also continued
with the building of the Great
Wall
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE GREAT WALL
•
•
•
•
Managed to put invaders off
But could not ensure the
safety of China forever
Chinese thus also adopted
diplomatic measures
Help to prevent attacks from
taking place
POLITICAL MARRIAGES
• Political marriages – an act
of diplomacy
• Han Gaozu & successors
sent the Xiongnu precious
gifts like silk annually
• Even offered Chinese
princesses as brides to
marry the Xiongnu chiefs
• Not entirely successful
though
• Xiongnu still launch attacks
Han Gaozu
POLITICAL ALLIANCES
• Chinese emperors formed
alliances with other
kingdoms for survival
• When Han Wudi decided
to attack the Xiongnu, he
sought the help of allies or
friends
• Sent an official, Zhang
Qian (remember him?) to
make friends with a tribe
from Central Asia who had
been defeated by the
Xiongnu earlier.
POLITICAL ALLIANCES
•
•
•
•
Attempt failed because Zhang
Qian was captured by the
Xiongnu and imprisoned
In the end, Han Wudi decided
to attack the Xiongnu himself
129 B.C. to 119 B.C., he
carried out several campaigns
against the Xiongnu
Managed to drive them
further north into the desert
SIAM AS OVERLORD
• Melaka constantly under threat of
Siam after its founding
• Parameswara had earlier
offended the Siamese
• He had no choice but to
recognise Siam as his overlord
• Sent tributes or gifts to the king
of Siam
• This meant Melaka was a vassal
state of Siam
• Paid tribute to Siam and
recognised Siam as a stronger
power
THE CHINA FACTOR
•
•
•
•
•
•
Parameswara did not trust the
Siamese
1403 – Asked for Chinese protection
as China was stronger than Siam
Asked to be a vassal state of China
The Ming Emperor agreed
1411 – Parameswara visited China to
further strengthen his friendship with
China
His successors continued this policy
of friendship with China by sending
missions and gifts
DIPLOMACY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Diplomacy – achieved by befriending
countries that could offer protection
against another power
1407 – China warned Siam not to
attack Melaka
Siam obeyed
1419 – Siam warned again
1431 – Ming Admiral Zheng He
warned the Siamese when they tried
to attack Melaka
In this way, Melaka was protected
from enemy attacks
Able to enjoy peace and prosperity
PORTUGUESE ATTACK
• This protection helped trade with
China to grow
• Now that Melaka was safe from
Siamese attacks, more foreign
traders flocked to Melaka
• However, no guarantee that
protection from a strong power
would always come when needed
• 1511 – when Melaka was
attacked by the Portuguese, no
help came from China
• Thus Melaka fell easily to
Portugal
• Emperor Xuanzong - grandson of Wu Zetian
• Dedicated and concerned ruler initially
• Fell in love with Yang Gueifei
– spent all his time with his favorite concubine
– neglected state affairs
• While fleeing Changan, Xuanzong’s soldiers threatened to
leave him unless he killed Yang Gueifei
• Xuanzong had no choice but to witness his concubine
killed whilst escaping
Earthquakes
• The earth’s surface is made up of plates of rock which are constantly
moving against each other, thus creating fault lines
• In 1995, 5000 people died when an earthquake hit the port of Kobe on
the western island of Honshu
• It measured 7.6 on the Richter Scale
• According to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory in the US, the
world’s largest nuclear weapon only packs a punch equal to 5 on the
Richter Scale
Source : The New Paper on Sunday, 18 Aug 2002