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You will learn Organisation of societies in India (Ind), China (Ch) and SEA How empires were ruled Good governance from India, China and SEA Duties of Rulers in ancient Ind, Ch & SEA Absolute monarchs; enjoyed unlimited power Controlled land & armies Made all the important decisions Sometimes divide up territories into smaller units Subjects must to obey rulers Duties of Rulers in ancient Ind, Ch & SEA Dynasty : Leadership of kingdom passed on to children of the rulers Usually a line of kings from the same family Others were leaders of empires Empire : Several countries/kingdoms under the rule of one state or country Duties of Rulers in ancient Ind, Ch & SEA Duties of Rulers : Defend against against foreign invasions Waged wars to increase territories Ensure country well-governed Employ officials to maintain law & order and to collect taxes Carry out public projects eg irrigation canals, roads and hospitals Patrons of religion, learning and the arts Social & Political Life in India Aryan India The Mauryan Dynasty The Gupta Dynasty Aryan India Migration of Aryans to India Social structure in Aryan Ind based on a class system Everyone had a place in society Society could function smoothly if people knew what their roles were Aryans : Punjab to Ganges Plain Society divided into 4 main classes A person’s caste was fixed from birth A last group : Untouchables – undertakers, sweepers Aryan India Early days : People could move across castes if they were skilled Brahmins (priests) made rules extremely rigid No movement from one caste to another allowed Cannot do the jobs of different caste members Could not mixed or marry freely Those who did not follow these rules would become ‘untouchables’ The caste system continued to be part of India for 3,000 years Aryan India Aryan govt was simple People settled in Punjab Organised into tribes under a rajah or king Rajah protected his people Assisted by a tribal council Position of rajah was hereditary ie passed down from father to son Aryan India Later in the Ganges plains, tribes formed many small kingdoms Boundaries/borders marked by rivers and mountains More powerful tribes conquered the weaker ones Kingdoms thus arose 4 B.C. – Chandragupta : first king to conquer other small kingdoms Set up a large empire He was from the Magadha kingdom Started the Mauryan Dynasty in 322 B.C. The dynasty lasted 140 years Chandragupta undertook expansion of his kingdom Set up a police state Huge army Used secret police to control freeedom of people Used spies to collect information about people Troops, chariots & elephants Capital at Pataliputra Made use of viceroys to look after provinces Chandragupta was a strict ruler Imposed harsh punishments on those who disobeyed the law Hence he had many enemies Took measures to avoid being assassinated Personal body guards; food tasters Would not sleep in the same room twice Chandragupta also made improvements to his people’s lives Set up postal service Built many roads Royal highway linked his capital to the furthest parts of his empire in the northwest Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador at the court of Chandragupta Maurya in Pataliputra, wrote about the prosperity of the Mauryan cities. He reported that agriculture was healthy, water abundant and mineral wealth was in plenty. Megasthenes wrote, “… the Indians, dressed in bright and rich colors. They liberally used ornaments and gems." He also spoke of the division of society according to occupation and the large number of religious sects and foreigners in the empire. http://www.itihaas.com/ancient/chandra.html There is no better work than promoting the welfare of the world. Whatever be my great deeds, I have done them in order to discharge my debt to all beings. Chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka, was one of the greatest Mauryan rulers His rule was filled with peace Brought about by his conversion to Buddhism After the battle at Kalinga, he stopped territorial conquest Asoka ruled his empire with kindness He felt peace was necessary for the happiness of his people Army used for border patrols His laws were less harsh than his grandfather Lives of the people improved under Asoka’s rule Continued with public projects New roads lined with shady trees Homes for elderly and orphans Free hospitals for people and animals Asoka travelled widely throughout his empire, listening to the opinions of his people Asoka stupas were the stupas commissioned by the famous Buddhist emperor Asoka centuries ago. Buddhist history relates that he had the help of numerous spirits and had 84,000 stupas built all over the world overnight. Only a relatively small number of these stupas are known to us. Each stupa contains the relics of the historical Buddha and is therefore accorded with highest respect. Wutaisan was mentioned by the Buddha over 2500 years ago as a place where Manjusri dwells and teaches. It was described to be in China, in a certain direction and a certain distance from India. However, in the early stages of Chinese Buddhist development, the description was treated more as a legend than an actual place. One of the Asoka stupas was said to be in this legendary sacred place. 180 feet tall Asoka stupa which is visible from practically any part of Tai–Huai, Wutaisan Source : www.b-i-a.net/photos/ wutaishan/1.jpg King Asoka regularly fed the Brahmin priests. in accordance with the custom of the household, before his conversion to Buddhism. But he was not pleased with their demeanour at meal-time, as they were neither clean nor calm. The King thought to himself, "Charity on such a lavish scale should be given in proper quarters". Latter, one day he saw a serene - looking young novice, quietly walking along the street with restrained senses. The King was so impressed with the deportment that the novice was invited to the palace at once and requested to occupy a suitable seat; and the novice went up the throne and sat on it. The King then served him with and excellent meal and asked him to give an exposition of the Doctrine which his Teacher used to preach. The young novice Nigrodha delivered an instructive discourse on the following stanza of the Dhammapada:"Heedfulness is the path to Deathlessness. Heedlessness is the path to death. The heedful do not die, the heedless are like unto the dead". The word of the Buddha appealed to him and he became a Buddhist and staunch supporter of the religion. Source : www.goldenlandpages.com/hotspots/ buddhism/56.jpg Sanchi Gate and Stupa. First built at time of Asoka and enlarged over time. The stupa architectural form was originally a reliquary, but eventally became the most characteristic form for a place of Buddhist worship. At this time, Buddhism spread throughout the area ruled by the Mauryans. Source : www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/ udg/ Asoka's pillar. 32-foot high polished sandstone columns were erected at the time of Asoka's reign to commemorate events in Buddha's life or to mark routes to holy sites. Source : www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/ udg/ Capital from a pillar of Asoka: the Lions of Sarnath. Sarnath is where Asiddhartha Gautama first preached, and these lions echo his teachings to the four quarters of rthe world. The wheel symbolizes Buddhist law and also Asoka's legitamacy as an enlightened ruler. Source : www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/ udg/ The Gupta Dynasty Mauryan Dynasty began to decline after Asoka’s death Gradually broke into small kingdoms Constantly at war A.D. 4 : Gupta Dynasty Ruled for 180 years Hinduism remained a strong force The Gupta Dynasty Gupta Dynasty became very powerful during the rule of Chandragupta II (A.D. 376 to A.D. 415) His empire extended westwards and conquered ports in western India Made possible trade with western India Also brought states in Central India under his influence The Gupta Dynasty GOVERNMENT The Guptas set up a stable and strong government Capital : Pataliputra India divided into provinces and districts Royal guards and officers helped helped run these territories Village councils : running of villages The Gupta Dynasty RELIGION The Guptas allowed freedom of worship although they were Hindus Many Buddhist monasteries were built Many Indians followed the Buddhist way of life The Gupta Dynasty LAW Punishments not as harsh as in the Mauryan Dynasty Criminals not severely dealt with Most offenders merely fined People who repeatedly tried to rebel against the government had their right hands cut off So far ….. No major changes in the methods of government Kings of Mauryan and Gupta dynasties held all power in their hands Claimed to have blessings of the gods to be rulers Depended on loyalty of their officials and army officers to look after territories Ordinary people continued their way of life CHINA ZHOU DYNASTY MAP OF ZHOU Zhou Dynasty 11th century B.C. System of government : Feudalism Social System : Two different classes in Zhou society Upper Class • King & nobles Lower class • Scholars, peasants, craftsmen & merchants Zhou Feudal System King ruled only the capital and its surrounding areas Divided the country into territories known as feudal states Ruler of a feudal state was the feudal lord Ruled the feudal states, owned armies and peasants When a feudal lord died, his son inherited the land Zhou Feudal System KING OF ZHOU DYNASTY Gave people and land Paid tribute (jade, grain) and provided military service FEUDAL LORDS Gave protection and permission to farm land Paid grain and silk and provided free labour and military service PEASANTS QIN DYNASTY Presenting the MAN himself……. Qin Shihuang Did U know that …………. Qin Shihuang was originally known as Prince Zheng of the State of Qin? Prince Zheng actually forced his Prime Minister to commit suicide? I will be using QSH as a short form for Qin Shihuang from now on? You didn’t? Now you do! QSH was obsessed with immortality? Did U know that …………. QSH joined the existing walls in China to form the Great Wall of China? It took 10 years and 300,000 men to strengthen, join and extend the Great Wall of China during the rule of QSH? The Great Wall is the only man-made structure that can be seen by the naked eye from the moon? The Story of Prince Zheng Born in 259 B.C. Succeeded the throne at the age of 13 At 21, he discovered a plot by the PM to topple him Forced the PM to commit suicide As King of Qin, he sent his army to conquer the other 6 feudal states The Story of Prince Zheng By 221 B.C., all the feudal states were unified under one ruler for the first time in Chinese history He called himself the “First Emperor of Qin” or Qin Shihuang “First Emperor of China” For the next 2,200 years, rulers after him took on the title of “Emperor” BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Central Government One School of Thought One Set of Measures for Trade 7 1’s One System of Coinage for Trade One System of Law and Order One Form of Writing One Standard Length for Axles BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER 36 Provinces One Central Government Each Province Military Governor Civilian Governor Inspector Did not have land or army. Why? Rewarded with money and presents BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Central Government Move powerful families from former feudal states to his capital at Xianyang. Why? All weapons (apart from his own) were collected and melted down to make bronze bells and huge statues BELL BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One System of Law and Order •One common set of laws to unify China •Very strict laws to control the people •Harsh punishment for breaking the law •Forced Labour •Execution •Through punishments, QSH forced people to accept changes that he introduced BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Form of Writing •Previously, people from different states had different forms of writing •QSH introduced one form of writing •China has only one form of writing since then BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Standard Length of Axle QSH ordered wide roads to be built from the capital to all parts of China. WHY? •Length of all axles standardized to 2 metres. •Movement of people and transportation of goods became easier. BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER •Different types of coins were used in the Zhou Dynasty •QSH ordered only one type of coinage to be used One System of Coinage •Coins of this shape remained in use for the next 2,000 years BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Set of Measures QSH noticed that different sets of measures used resulted in quarrels between merchants. Also made collection of taxes(in the form of goods) difficult. •Ordered a standard set of weights and measures to be used throughout his empire •made trading and collection of taxes easier BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One School of Thought •Burnt all books that express views different from his own •SPARED: Legalist School of Thought Controlling the people’s action was not enough Wanted to control their way of thinking. WHY? •Official chronicles kept in the state of imperial library •Books on divination, medicine and agriculture BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER Punishment for non-compliance Banished his eldest son for opposing his action QSH believed that he could unify the thinking of his people & destroy all records of Chinese history before his rule Some non-Legalist writings were saved QSH failed in controlling the thoughts of his people One School of Thought BRINGING THE CHINESE TOGETHER One Central Government One School of Thought One Set of Measures for Trade 7 1’s One System of Coinage for Trade One System of Law and Order One Form of Writing One Standard Length for Axles The Great Wall of China 221 BC : Form one continuous wall across the northern borders of China 10 years to complete about 6400 km in length today Countless died while building the Great Wall for QSH, incurring him great hatred by the people Lifelong project of building his tomb Obsessed with immortality Search for the Elixir of Life 510 BC QSH fell ill and died at the age of 50 Qin Dynasty fell quickly after his death Mount Li Han Dynasty Lasted for more than 400 years Founder : Han Gaozu Adopted Confucianism as the state-supported school of thought Wanted to people to respect and obey him Rejected Legalism Han Dynasty Han emperors extended territory Ruled peacefully To support wars and its army, govt established monopolies in salt, iron and coin business Obtained much profit from this Han Government Han empire divided into provinces Sub-divided into districts Districts governed by salaried officials Officers supposed to be promoted by merit This seldom happened Few men from humble background entered the govt Han Wudi Most powerful Han ruler Set up the Imperial Examination System (remember Confucius?) Need to pass this exam to serve the govt Established a tradition of a set way of thinking influenced by the teachings of Confucius Achievements of the Han Dynasty “Sons of Han” ;“Han People” Invention of Paper The First Seismograph Iron and Salt Industries Equipment to measure when and where an earthquake occurred Advanced methods of iron-making and salt-mining Sima Qian Famous Chinese historian A.D. 618 to A.D. 907 Lasted almost 300 years Stability and wealth Early Tang Rulers Did much to strengthen the defence of China Extended the Great Wall of China Tang Taizong A.D. 626 to A.D. 644 Taizong’s style was different from QSH Consultative leadership Consulted his officials Encouraged them to report weaknesses of govt to him Considered why dynasties before him fell Continued the Imperial Examination System Obtained the services of the best men to rule the country Wu Zetian China’s first woman ruler – Wu Zetian A.D. 690 to A.D. 705 Changes made to central government Previously, men who succeeded in govt were sons of noblemen Wu opened the IE to commoners Now, even the son of a farmer could become a court official if he passed the IE Tang Dynasty came to an end in 10th century A.D. Wu Zetian Statue of a seated Buddha that the Empress Wu Zetian had carved into the 1000 Buddha Caves at Luoyang, China. The face is suppose to resemble the empress. Tang Dynasty – Golden Age of China Strongest and richest period Trade flourished Literature and the Arts flourished Li Bai Invention of Printing Peace and stability The world’s first printed book “The Diamond Sutra” a collection of Buddhist prayers China open to foreign influence and trade The Diamond Sutra Frontispiece (detail), showing the Buddha preaching to his aged disciple Subhuti This scroll was found in 1907 by the archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walledup cave at the 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas', near Dunhuang, in North-West China. It was one of a small number of printed items among many thousands of manuscripts, comprising a library which must have been sealed up in about AD 1000. Although not the earliest example of blockprinting, it is the earliest which bears an actual date. The colophon, at the inner end, reads: `Reverently [caused to be] made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong [i.e. 11th May, AD 868]'. Source : http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/diamond.html Funan Srivijaya 7th to 13th century A.D. Majapahit 1st to 6th century A.D. Late 13th to early 16th century A.D. Melaka 15th to early 16th century A.D. Funan 1st to 6th century A.D. Became important in mainland SEA in 1st century A.D. Founded by a Indian Brahmin Married a local queen and became the first king Funan rose to power because of trade and agriculture Land in Funan was fertile; people mainly farmers Irrigation was carried out Form of writing : Indian script Funan 1st to 6th century A.D. Traders : India, Sumatra & java Visited Oc-eo, the main port, on their way to China Funan declined by the 5th century A.D. Srivijaya 7 th to 13th century A.D. Srivijaya established by chiefs of Sumatra in late 7th century A.D. It was not located on fertile plains Grew up around the port of Palembang Well-located near the Straits of Melaka Srivijaya 7 th to 13th century A.D. Rulers of Palembang made it an attractive port for traders Suppress piracy in the surrounding waters Also conquered many territories Gained control over its rival ports Declined in the 13th century A.D. Srivijaya 7 th to 13th century A.D. New kingdom : Majapahit By 15th century A.D., control of trade shifted to Melaka More in Chap 7 Melaka Sultanate founded by a Hindu prince, Parameswara from Palembang Lasted more than a century Rose to become an important trading centre under Parameswara 2 social classes Upper Class : Nobles and traders Owned huge houses and slaves Lower Class : People engaged in hunting, fishing & collecting tin ore Many foreigners in Melaka Come from India, Arabia and China to trade Javanese hired as soldiers of war by Melakan rulers PARAMESWARA’S LEADERSHIP Reasons why foreigners traded at Melaka P was a resourceful leader Took advantage of Melaka’s strategic location to promote trade Suppressed piracy along the Straits of Melaka Introduced an effective system of administration He was helped by an Inner Council of Four And also other govt officials and village chiefs GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA System of taxation fair Foreigners pay 6% in tax An additional 1% in gifts Harbour masters (Shahbandars) looked after harbour activities and welfare of traders Standard systems of weights and measures, as well as coins, were used. Why? GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA P became a Muslim by marrying a Muslim princess Melaka now ruled by a Muslim ruler Muslim traders from India, Arabia & the Malay Archipelago began trading with Melaka Melaka prospered through trade GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA Rulers not only collected taxes and gifts from traders, they also owned trading ships and took part in trade GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA Siam posed an external threat to Melaka P had to send tributes (gifts) to Siam to prevent attacks from Siam His fear of Siam was lessened in 1403 He won the support of China The Ming Emperor, Yong Le, recognised Melaka as a vassel of China Said he would protect it from any Siamese attack GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA Melaka became more powerful in the mid 15th century during the rule of Sultan Mansur Shah Capable Bendahara (Chief Minister) Tun Perak Laksamana (Admiral) Hang Tuah During this time, Melaka furthered its territorial conquest Took over Pahang, Kedah, Trengganu and some states in Sumatra GOVERNMENT IN MELAKA Soon Melaka controlled many states on both sides of the Straits of Melaka Strongest state in the Malay Archipelago The conquered states were not tightly controlled by the govt in Melaka With territorial expansion, trade of Melaka increased in volume Large variety of goods were bought and sold