Empires: Belief Systems [AP World History] Unit 3 Topic 3

Summary

This video from Heimler's History covers the role of religion in the growth and consolidation of land-based empires from 1450-1750. It highlights how religion unified and sometimes fractured empires, focusing on two major religious schisms: the Protestant Reformation in Christianity and the Sunni-Shi'a conflict in Islam. The video also explores how the Mughal ruler Akbar promoted religious tolerance, supporting various faiths, including the emerging Sikhism. The content aims to help students succeed in their exams by providing clear explanations of key historical events.

Takeaways

• 📜 Religion played a crucial role in the expansion of land-based empires from 1450-1750, both unifying and dividing them.
• 💔 The Protestant Reformation was a major religious schism in Christianity, sparked by Martin Luther's criticisms of the Catholic Church’s corruption, particularly the sale of indulgences and simony.
• 🔨 Martin Luther's 95 Theses, nailed to the Wittenberg Church in 1517, challenged the Church's practices and led to the spread of Protestant ideas thanks to the printing press.
• 🏛 The Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation with the Catholic Counter Reformation, addressing some abuses but reaffirming opposition to Protestantism.
• ⚔️ A major Islamic schism occurred between the Sunni Ottoman Empire and the Shi’a Safavid Empire, with religious differences intensifying territorial disputes.
• 📜 The Ottomans, under Sultan Suleiman, condemned the Safavids for their Shi’a beliefs, calling them heretical and blasphemous.
• 🙏 Despite the Sunni-Shi’a conflict, the Mughal Emperor Akbar promoted religious tolerance, granting equal treatment to Hindus, Muslims, and even supporting Sikhism and Christianity.
• 📚 Akbar's reign saw the emergence of Sikhism, which blended elements of Islam and Hinduism, reflecting his inclusive religious policies.
• 🕊 The religious tolerance shown by Akbar in the Mughal Empire contrasted with the religious conflicts in the Ottoman and Safavid empires.
• 🎓 The video emphasizes helping students understand these religious conflicts for their AP World History exam.

Q & A

What role did religion play in the expansion of land-based empires from 1450-1750?

Religion was a key unifying force for many land-based empires during their expansion, but it also caused divisions, leading to conflicts within and between empires.

How did the rise of more powerful central governments in Europe affect the Catholic Church?

As kings began consolidating power, they competed for the people's allegiance, which weakened the Catholic Church's authority that had previously provided cultural continuity during the feudal era.

What were some key factors that led people to question the authority of the Catholic Church during this period?

The Catholic Church's inability to stop the Black Death, growing theological disputes, and corrupt practices such as the sale of indulgences and simony caused people to question its authority.

Who was Martin Luther and what role did he play in the Protestant Reformation?

Martin Luther was a German monk who challenged the Catholic Church's practices, especially the sale of indulgences. His 95 Theses, nailed to the Wittenberg Church in 1517, sparked the Protestant Reformation, leading to a permanent split in the Christian church.

What were indulgences and simony, and why did they become controversial?

Indulgences were sold as a way to absolve sins, and simony was the sale of church offices. These practices were seen as corrupt because they prioritized money over spiritual and theological qualifications.

How did the Catholic Church respond to the Protestant Reformation?

The Catholic Church responded with the Catholic Counter Reformation, addressing some corrupt practices like the sale of indulgences and church offices, but they maintained their opposition to Protestant beliefs.

What was the religious schism between the Ottoman and Safavid Empires?

The Ottoman Empire followed Sunni Islam while the Safavid Empire followed Shi'a Islam. This religious difference fueled conflicts and territorial disputes between the two empires.

How did the Ottomans react to the Safavids’ imposition of Shi'a Islam?

The Ottomans were deeply angered by the Safavids' imposition of Shi'a Islam, and they issued harsh statements against the Safavid rulers, accusing them of heresy and blasphemy.

Who was Akbar, and how did he promote religious tolerance in the Mughal Empire?

Akbar was the ruler of the Mughal Empire who promoted religious tolerance by granting land to both Hindus and Muslims, supporting various religious institutions, and welcoming new religious movements like Sikhism.

What was the significance of the Council of Trent during the Catholic Counter Reformation?

The Council of Trent (1545-1563) was significant because it addressed many of the abuses within the Catholic Church, such as the sale of indulgences, while reaffirming the Church's doctrines and opposing Protestant beliefs.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to Religious Schisms in Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

This section introduces the theme of the video, focusing on how religion played a pivotal role in both unifying and fracturing land-based empires from 1450-1750. It sets the stage for discussions on religious schisms in Christianity and Islam, explaining how rulers used religion to consolidate power, while sometimes these very beliefs led to divisions and conflicts. The video promises to delve into these dynamics, beginning with the Christian schism in Europe.

05:03

⛪ The Christian Schism: Catholic Church's Decline and Martin Luther’s Reformation

This paragraph explores the decline of the Roman Catholic Church’s influence in Europe during the transition from feudalism to stronger central governments. As kings competed for power, the Church's authority weakened, and events like the Black Death further eroded its influence. The paragraph discusses key theological disputes, corruption in the Church (such as the sale of indulgences and simony), and the role of Martin Luther, whose 95 Theses challenged the Catholic Church's practices. Luther’s focus on faith alone as the path to salvation sparked the Protestant Reformation and caused a permanent schism in Christianity.

🔨 Protestant Reformation and Counter Reformation

Building on the previous discussion of Martin Luther, this paragraph outlines how the Protestant Reformation spread beyond Germany to places like Geneva and Scotland. It also covers the Catholic Church's response, known as the Counter Reformation, which sought to address internal corruption at the Council of Trent. Although the Church reformed some practices, like the sale of indulgences, it remained opposed to Protestant doctrines, leading to a lasting division in Christianity.

☪️ Islamic Schism: Ottoman-Safavid Rivalry

This section turns to the Islamic world, focusing on the schism between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, which was at the heart of the rivalry between the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. The Safavids' shift to Shi’a Islam led them to reject the legitimacy of Sunni Muslims, sparking conflict with the Ottomans. The paragraph emphasizes how religious differences exacerbated territorial disputes between these neighboring empires, as illustrated by the Ottoman Sultan’s denouncement of the Safavid ruler in 1514.

🤝 Akbar the Great: A Model of Religious Tolerance

This final paragraph introduces Akbar, the ruler of the Mughal Empire, as an example of religious tolerance in contrast to the conflicts between Christians and Muslims. Akbar promoted harmony by granting land to Hindus and Muslims alike and even supported the Catholic Church in India. He also embraced Sikhism, a new religion blending Hinduism and Islam. Akbar’s open-minded approach to religion offers a hopeful counterpoint to the religious disputes discussed earlier. The video concludes by encouraging viewers to subscribe for more educational content.

Keywords

💡Land-based empires

These are empires that expanded and consolidated power through control of large, contiguous land territories between 1450-1750. In the video, the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires are examples. Their rulers used religion, military, and administrative tactics to legitimize their power, a central theme of this lesson.

💡Roman Catholic Church

The dominant form of Christianity in Europe for centuries, which provided social and cultural continuity, especially during the feudal era. The video discusses how the Catholic Church lost influence as kings consolidated power and how it was criticized for corruption, leading to the Protestant Reformation.

💡Protestant Reformation

A significant religious movement started by Martin Luther in 1517, challenging the authority and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church. The video highlights how the sale of indulgences and simony were major issues that led Luther to propose reform, eventually resulting in a permanent schism in Christianity.

💡Martin Luther

A German monk who initiated the Protestant Reformation by questioning the Catholic Church's practices. His 95 Theses criticized indulgences and other church abuses, and the printing press helped spread his ideas quickly, leading to the division of Christianity into Protestant and Catholic branches.

💡Indulgences

A controversial practice in the Catholic Church where people could buy absolution for their sins. The video mentions this as one of the main reasons Martin Luther criticized the Church, seeing it as an abuse of power and one of the sparks for the Protestant Reformation.

💡Simony

The practice of selling church offices, which was common in the Catholic Church and another reason for Luther's criticism. In the video, simony is highlighted as a corrupt practice that contributed to the Protestant Reformation by eroding the church's spiritual authority.

💡Sunni and Shi'a Islam

Two major branches of Islam, the divide between which fueled conflict between the Ottoman (Sunni) and Safavid (Shi'a) Empires. The video emphasizes how religious differences contributed to political and territorial disputes, highlighting the religious schism between these two Muslim empires.

💡Ottoman Empire

A powerful Sunni Muslim empire that clashed with its Shi'a Muslim neighbor, the Safavid Empire. The video explains how their religious differences, along with territorial disputes, created ongoing conflict between the two empires in the 16th century.

💡Safavid Empire

A Shi'a Muslim empire that enforced Shi'a Islam and denied the legitimacy of Sunni Muslims, leading to conflict with the Sunni Ottoman Empire. The video notes how this religious divide was both a political and ideological driver of their rivalry.

💡Akbar

The ruler of the Mughal Empire, known for his policy of religious tolerance. The video contrasts Akbar’s approach to religion with the conflicts seen in other empires, emphasizing how he granted land to both Hindus and Muslims and even supported emerging religions like Sikhism.

Highlights

Introduction to the growth of land-based empires from 1450-1750 and how rulers consolidated and legitimized their power.

Religion played a central role in the expansion of empires during this period, acting as both a unifying force and, in some cases, a source of division.

The video discusses two major religious schisms: one in Christianity and one in Islam.

The Roman Catholic Church was dominant in Europe but began losing power as centralized governments emerged, and the Church's authority was questioned, especially after the Black Death.

Theological disputes and corruption, such as the sale of indulgences and simony, contributed to the weakening of the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther's discovery in Romans 1 that salvation was through faith alone, and his discontent with the Church's corruption, led to the Protestant Reformation.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Church, challenging the Catholic Church's practices and beliefs.

The Protestant Reformation spread through Europe, leading to a permanent split in the Christian church and the rise of movements like Calvinism and Presbyterianism.

The Catholic Church responded with the Catholic Counter-Reformation, correcting many abuses but maintaining doctrinal opposition to Protestant beliefs.

The schism in Islam was primarily between the Sunni Ottoman Empire and the Shi'a Safavid Empire, with deep religious and territorial disputes.

The Safavids' imposition of Shi'a Islam and denial of Sunni legitimacy led to a long-standing conflict with the Ottoman Empire.

Religious tensions between the Sunni and Shi'a factions still persist today.

Akbar, ruler of the Mughal Empire, is presented as a symbol of religious tolerance, supporting Hindus, Muslims, Catholics, and even new religions like Sikhism.

Akbar's policies of inclusivity and support for various religious groups contrasted with the religious conflicts seen elsewhere during the period.

The video concludes with a message about helping students succeed in AP World History by summarizing key historical events and encouraging viewers to subscribe for more content.

Transcripts

Hi and welcome back to Heimler’s History.

We’ve been going over Unit 3 of AP World History.

And what we’ve been seeing is how land-based empires grew from 1450-1750 and how the rulers

of those empires consolidated and legitimized their power.

In this video we fittn ta be talking about religion.

In most of these empires religion was one of the key ingredients their expansion stew.

And in many ways, religion for these empires was a unifying force, but under certain conditions

it fractured empires and drove them apart.

Mmmmm.

Intrigue.

Let’s get to it.

So in this video we’re going to look at two major religious schisms: one in Christianity

and one in Islam.

Let’s start with the Christian schism in Europe.

Now you may remember that in large part the particular flavor of Christianity that had

dominated Europe for centuries was the Roman Catholic Church.

Now the Catholic Church got a little wobbly through Europe’s transition from feudalism

to more powerful central governments.

The reason is simple.

When European society was fractured politically and socially in the feudal era, it was the

Roman Catholic Church that largely provided cultural continuity to the people through

its belief system and elaborate rituals.

But when kings started consolidating power, the kings themselves began competing for allegiance

for the people’s hearts and minds.

And so the Catholic Church lost power during this period.

Not only did they lose power, but the people began to question the Church’s authority

because for all the effort put forward by the Church, they were unable to stop the devastating

effects of the Black Death.

Additionally, there were theological disputes in the church.

John Wycliffe, for example, got himself into trouble for translating the Bible from Latin

into the vernacular language so that anyone who could read, could read the Bible.

And even more than that, the Church grew corrupt during this period.

Two of the main abuses included the sale of indulgences and simony.

The church had lots of building projects to fund and not to mention the bishops gold-plated

mitre ain’t gonna pay for itself, so they instituted these two practices.

The sale of indulgences was the practice of selling the absolution of sins.

And who wouldn’t do that?

If you just dropped your coin into this coffer, your sins are forgiven.

Simony was the sale of church offices.

Now all things being equal, in a church the person who both spiritually and theologically

qualified probably ought to get the office.

But not in those days.

In those days, if you had the boom boom you had the office.

But in the face of all this corruption, enter an obscure German monk named Martin Luther.

This poor monk found that he was unable to quench the churnings of his guilty conscience

through the prescribed means of the church.

So he immersed himself in the Bible, specifically Paul’s letter to the Romans, and what he

found there was nothing less than a revelation to him.

He discovered in Romans chapter 1 that salvation was guaranteed the believer by faith alone,

and not through the elaborate system of works handed down by the Catholic Church.

And so put that together with Luther’s deep distaste for the sale of indulgences and simony,

and he decided he was going to do something about it.

So on October 31, 1517, after he was done trick-or-treating, he nailed a document with

95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church.

These theses outlined Luther’s newfound understanding of salvation apart from works

and his complaints about the abuses of the church.

Now it probably won’t surprise you to hear that the Catholic Church reacted harshly to

Luther’s complaints and what they considered innovations in doctrine.

After all, they relied on the money which those corrupt practices brought in.

But because of the introduction of the printing press, Luther’s ideas spread across Germany

with great speed and took hold in the people’s imaginations.

And this became the occasion for what’s known as the Protestant Reformation and a

permanent split in the Christian church.

The Protestanet Reformation spread into Geneva under the leadership of John Calvin and then

further north in Scotland under the leadership of John Knox.

Now eventually the Catholic Church did acknowledge that some of its practices had become corrupt

and they engaged themselves in the Catholic Counter Reformation.

At the Council of Trent which lasted from 1545-1563, the Church corrected many abuses

concerning the sale of indulgences and the sale of church offices.

Additionally, they reaffirmed that they still thought Martin Luther and all the Protestants

were doctrinal turds.

Okay, that’s enough talk of the conflicts in the Christian Church, let’s talk about

an Islamic conflict.

The schism in the Christian Church was bottom up.

The Islamic problems were more top-down.

The main conflict was between the Ottoman Empire and her neighbor the Safavid Empire.

Now the Ottomans were Muslim and the Safavids were Muslim, but they weren’t the same kind

of Muslim.

The Ottomans were Sunni Muslims and the Safavids were Shi’a Muslims.

Around 1500 the Safavid Empire fully shifted to the imposition of Shi’a Islam and in

doing so denied the legitimacy of any Sunni Muslim.

Now as you can imagine that proclamation really baked the Ottoman’s muffins.

And since these two empires bordered each other, they were in constant dispute, sometimes

armed dispute over who owned what.

And it’s very difficult to separate how much of this was sheer territorial dispute

and how much of it was embedded in their religious disputes.

I tend to lean towards the latter when I read what the Ottoman sultan wrote to the Safavid

ruler in 1514:

You have denied the sanctity of divine law… you have deserted the path of salvation and

the sacred commandments… you have opened to Muslims the gates of tyranny and oppression…

you have raised the standard of irreligion and heresy…

[Therefore] the ulama and our doctors have pronounced a sentence of death against you,

perjurer and blasphemer.

Now thankfully given enough time the Sunnis and the Shi’a learned to get along and give

each other a big Muslim hug.

Hmm?

Okay, I’m getting word that they in fact have never learned to hug and that they still

consider each other blasphemers.

Okay, I stand corrected.

Is there anyone who can talk some sense in the middle of all this religious disagreement?

Oh there is: Akbar, the ruler of the Mughal Empire.

This guy was open to giving a hug to anyone from any religion.

He granted land to Hindus and Muslims without discrimination.

He even helped fund the burgeoning Catholic church in India.

Akbar was up for new religions too.

During his reign a new religion called Sikhism, which was basically a blending of Islam and

Hinduism, emerged and he offered them a seat at the table as well.

And I think the tolerance of Akbar should bring us to a close in this video.

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