Table of Contents: “The
Rising Sun”
Section 1: Learn about Babur and his ways of life
The Conquests of Babur
Expansion of the Empire
Religion in the Ottoman World
Section 2: Adventure around the Safavid Dynasty
Rise of the Safavid Dynasty
Glory and Decline
Political and Social Structures
Section 3: Learn about the Mogul Dynasty
Safavid Culture
The Mogul Dynasty
The British in India
Section 4: Explore China and the Ming Dynasty
Mission to China
The Ming Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty
Section 5: Learn about Economic Changes and Life in China
Economic Changes
Daily Life
Cultural Developments
Section 6: Explore Japan and Europe
The Three Great Unifiers
Europeans in Japan
Tokugawa Rule
Economic and Social Changes
The Rising Sun
Published by:
Mr. Stidham
This
magazine will tell you about what’s happening now. It will bring you up on current events and help you to understand
recent trading. “The Rising Sun” is
full of fun and interesting facts. Out
reporters have worked very hard to create and understanding of recent
events. Thank you for reading “The
Rising Sun”.
Editor: Jenna Andreas
Production Editor: Kegan K.
Reporter: Dottie Guy
Chief Writer: Kristina
Scrpati
Artist/Photographer: D.J.
Online Editor: Jacob A.
Issue date: April 2004
Page 2
By: Kristina Scarpati
In
Afghanistan the military adventurer Babur seized Kabul, increased his forces,
armed them with invented firearms, and extended vision of conquest to the lands
of India. He had a force of eight
thousand men armed with artillery, and Babur destroyed the army of the ruler of
North India. All this happened nine months
before Babur’s army faced another Indian prince with a bigger army.
Babur said these words to these forces today: “Let us, then, with one accord, swear on God’s hold word, that none of us will even think of turning his face from this warfare, nor desert from the battle and slaughter that ensues, hill his soul is separated from his body.”
By: Jenna Andreas
Today
the Seljuk rulers gave a reward to the Ottoman Turks. The Turks are beginning to build power in the northwest corner of
the Anatolian Peninsula. The Ottoman
Turks helped defend the Seljuk Turk’s land from the Mongols. Therefore they were being rewarded. The Osman Turks are beginning to expand due
to the Seljuk Empire declining. Today
we’re starting a new beginning of the Ottoman Dynasty. The Ottomans are expanding westward and are
said to start controlling the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. Some people have said that the Ottomans will
probably expand into the Balkans. Today
the Ottomans are developing an elite guard called janissaries. They are mostly Christian, but will be converted
into Islam.
By: Jenna Andreas
At
this moment the Ottomans are moving to end the Byzantine Empire under the ruler
Mehmet2. There are 80 thousand troops
going against seven thousand defenders.
The Ottomans have massive cannons that launch stone balls weighing up to
1,200 pounds. They started the fight on
April 6, 1453 and fought until May 29.
They fought for nearly 2 months.
The fight was rough and hard on the people, and not many people agreed
with it. The Byzantine emperor died in
the last battle. Mehmet2 saw the ruin
and destruction of the city and commented, “What a city we have given over to
plunder and destruction.” As you can
tell he wasn’t happy, but they destroyed it over a fight.
By: Jenna Andreas
The Ottoman people
in the Anatolian Peninsula and throughout Western Asia were Sunni Muslims. The Ottoman sultans job is to guide the
flock and maintain Islamic law. The
sultans give their religious duties to a group of religious advisers called the
ulema. The ulema administer the legal
system and schools. This is a hard job
to do but everyone agrees that they are right most of the time. Islamic laws and customs apply to all
Muslims in the empire. The Ottoman system
is generally tolerant to non-Muslims.
Non-Muslims must pay a tax. Most
people in the European areas remain Christian.
However, large numbers are converting to the Islamic faith.
Page 4
By: Jenna Andreas
Present day Ottoman sultans are very enthusiastic patrons of the arts. Lately there has been a flourishing production of pottery, rugs, silk, jewelry and arms and armor. Artists come from all over the world to compete for the generous rewards the sultan gives out. Sinan has begun the first of his planned 81 mosques. The first ones have been framed with four towers, or minarets. The rugs that people have been making are very popular. They are made from wool and cotton and the cotton comes from different regions. Each rug has its own designs and colors. Not many rugs are exactly alike.
Rise of the
Safavid Dynasty
By: Jenna Andreas
About a week ago the empire of Timur Lenk collapsed. The area extending from Persia into central Asia fell into anarchy. A new dynasty called Safavids is now taking control. Unlike most people think, many Islamic neighbors are Sunni Muslims. The Safavids are ardent Shiites.
The Safavid dynasty was founded by Shah Ismail. Shah Ismail was the descendant of Safi Al-Din, it was founded about a month ago. Safavid used to be the leader of a community of Turkish ethnic groups in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is located near the Caspian sea.
Ismail has started to call himself Shah, which also means king. He is kind of a new Persian state. He has also conquered Baghdad. Abba’s had to sign a peace treaty, he lost most of his territory yesterday.
Page 5
Glory and Decline
By: Kegan K.
One of our greatest
rulers of Persia died about two weeks ago.
The year of 1629. Shah Abbas
ruled our country from 1588 to his death.
He strengthened our army, which he armed with the latest in weapons.
Now after his death,
the Safavid dynasty gradually lost its vigor, or lost its potential, its
emotion. Out society has fallen in its
success in talent and political skills.
The power of Shiite religious element began to increase at court and in
Safavid society at large.
Now the Turks have
taken advantage of this situation and seized our territories along the western
border. Persia sank into a long period
of political and social anachy.
Political and Social Structures
By: Jenna Andreas
Some people don’t know
that Persia under the Safavids is a mixed society. The Safavids are coming to power with the support of nomadic
Turkish groups. Right now the majority
of the people are Persian.
Safavid rulers are
eagerly supported by Shiites. The
Shittes believe the founder of their empire was Shah Ismail. Shah was a direct successor of the prophet
Muhammad. In return the Shahs declared
Shia Islam to be the state religion.
The Safavid Shahs play
an active part in trade and manufacturing activity. There is currently a large and affluent urban middle class
involved in trade. Most goods in the
empire travel by horse or camel caravans.
The road is in bad condition but the government has provided resting
places for the weary travelers. The
roads are kept clean of thieves and bandits.
Page 6
Safavid Culture
By: Kegan K.
Today science,
medicine and mathematics under the Safavids is equal to that of other societies
in this region. In addition, Persia
witnessed an extraordinary flowering during the region of Shah Abbas from 1588
till just a year ago, which was of course 1629.
The capital of
Isfahan, built by Shah Abbas, is a grandiose planned city with wide spaces and
a sense of order. Palaces, mosques, and
bazaars are arranged around a massive polo ground. The mosques are immence and are richly decorated, and the palaces
are delicate structures with slender wooden columns. To adorn the building crafts people created imaginative metal
work, elaborate tiles, and delicate glass vessels.
The Mogul Dynasty
By: Kegan K.
Thirty-five years ago,
in1500, the Indian subcontinent was still divided into a number of Hindu and
Muslim kingdoms. However, the moguls
established a new dynasty and brought a new era to the region. The Moguls were natives of India, but came
from the mountainous region north of the Indus River valley.
The founder of the
Mogul dynasty was Babur. His father is
a descendent from the great Asian conqueror Timur Lenk, and his mother, from
the Mongul conqueror Gengh is Khan.
Babur inherited a part of Timur Lenk’s empire in an upland river valley
of the Syr Darya.
Babur’s forces are far
smaller than those of his enemy’s, but they had advanced weapons, also used
those to a great effect. Babur captured
Delhi and established his power in the plains of North India. He continued his travel in North India until
he dies five years ago in 1530 at the age of 47.
Page 7
The British in India
By: Kegan K.
The arrival of the
British had a quick decline of the Mogul Empire. Last year, 1650, British ships carried Indian-made cotton goods
to the East Indies, where they were traded for spices.
British success in
India attracted rivals, especially the French.
The French established their own forts on the east coast at Pondichery,
south of Chennai at Surat, and in the Bay of Bengal for a brief period the
French went on the offensive side capturing the British for at Chennai.
The British were saved
by the military genius of Sir Robert Clive, an aggressive British Empire
builder; Clive eventually became chief representative in India of the east
India company, a private company empowered by the British crown to act on its
behalf. As chief representative it was Clive’s job to fight any force, French
or Indian, that threatened the East Indian company’s power in India owning to
Clive’s efforts, the French were ultimately restricted to the fort at
Pondichery and a handful of small territories on the Southern coast.
Mission To China
By: Dottie Guy
British official Lord
George Macartney has been sent to lead a mission to china on King George the 3rd
wishes. George Macartney brought
products from Britain that he thought would impress Emperor Qian long.
King George was noted
in writing a letter to the emperor stating: “No doubt the exchange of goods
between nations far apart tends to their mutual convenience, industry and
wealth.”
Emperor Qianlong took
this note as an un-impressing nonsense and responded: “You, O King, are so
inclined toward our civilization that you have sent a special envoy across the
seas… to present your native products as an expression of your
thoughtfulness…as a matter of fact, the virtue and prestige of the celestial
dynasty having spread far and wide, the kinds of the myriad nation’s come by
land and sea with all sorts of precious things. Consequently there is nothing we lack, as your principal envoy and
other have themselves observed, we have never set much store on strange or
ingenious objects nor do we need any more of your country’s manufactures.” Once Macartney had received this response he
had changed his mind about the Chinese and not to your surprise we didn’t trade
with Britain.
Page 8
The Ming Dynasty
By: Dottie Guy
The Ming Dynasty once
very productive in the cultural development is now going downhill. For the last couple of years, our
civilization has been ruled by children.
Not yet able or knowledgeable to control a kingdom.
The rulers before,
however, were great at bringing culture and new technology into the
kingdom. Like Zheng He, who had started
the serives of seven navel expeditions and took us the farthest were ever been
all the way to the east coast of Africa.
Zheng he also established our routs to Africa, Japan, and South Asia.
But one of our best
leaders was also the first Hongwu emperor.
He defeated the Mongols and the Yuan dynasty. He was also one of the 1st emperors who was a
peasant. This was good for us because
since he has once been a peasant that made him more lenient to his people
helping out the peasants. He was not
good at trade and stayed with his confusions ways and stuck to agriculture as
the country’s source of wealth. Hongwu
made the military a class higher than any civil servant.
Fall of the Quin Dynasty
By: Dottie Guy
What once was a time
of peace and prosperity has now fallen.
Today Tzu His, most likely the worse empress of our time, died of
natural causes a day after she killed the emperor. Tzu His on her deathbed left a 2 year old child in control of our
people. What happened to our once
well-controlled nation?
The impact of the west
may have been a factor in drama. When
we cut off the Opium with Britain causing the wars and eventually leading to
our now British colony’s. Or maybe the
region of Qianlong which brought many uprising caused by lack of
government. Whatever the cause may have
been hopefully we can get a ruler like ones in the past before we become
extinct.
Page 9
Economic Changes
By: Jacob A.
There is more that
three hundred million people now, as opposed to 80 million back in 1391. Due to a long period of peace and stability
during the Qing dynasty, and a faster growing species of rice from southeast Asia
increased the food supply. But because
we have a larger population it means there is less land for our families.
The Bosses tried to
make more land b stopping wealthy people from owning a lot of land ; but all
the land that could be farmed is being farmed and that makes people mad.
Then merchants and
manufactures are now expanding into silk, porcelain, cotton, goods, and other
things, though we haven’t developed commercial capitalism like Europe.
Daily Life
By: Dottie Guy
Here in our society we
organize around our families. Family is
very important to us, a family is expected to provide for the members
needs. Education for children, support
of unmarried daughters and the care of olans, which consists of hundreds of
related family. Some of which all live
under the same roof.
The male play a huge
role in the family life. Male can
divorce a wife who doesn’t produce a son also have more than one wife, but in
doing so much be able to take care of them all. Women in our society have little power and are considered
inferior to men. The process of having
your feet bound is away to show that the women doing so become more
marriageable. Although we do this trend
there are many culture who don’t like it, and only half of 2/3 of our women
population do so. The women whom work
in the field or in a middle spot have to keep their feel unbound.
Page 10
Cultural Developments
By: Kristina Scarpati
This morning the Chinese novel made a new form of literature. Works in this literary form started to get
really popular. You all should consider
reading many to be the first realistic social novel. The story depicts the corrupt life of a wealthy landlord.
Another great one you
should read is called, “The dream of the Red Chamber” By Cao Zuegin. As you know it is considered China’s most
distinguished novel. We will be
publishing it today. It tells us the
story of tragic love between two young people caught in the financial and moral
disintegration pf a Chinese clan.
The Three Great Unifiers
By: Kristina Scarpati
Today in out country
Japan, the three great unifiers are Oda Nobunaga and his will be the 1st
to seize the imperial capital of Kyoto.
The second unifier that is here today is Toyotemi Hideyoshi who is the
farmers son. And here is Tokugaua
Ieyasu. He will be taking care of
Japan. Also, people today: European
Merchants will be the 1st to go.
Only a small Dutch community in Nagasaki will be allowed to remain in
Japan.
Page 11
Europeans in Japan
By: Kristina Scarpati
The first Europeans
will be arriving today. Portugeuse
ships will arrive at Japanese ports to take part in the regional trade between
us, china, and southeast Asia. All
these visitors will be welcome. Oda
Nobunaga and Touotomi Hideyoshi found the new firearms are enemies and unifying
the islands.
Tokugawa Rule
By: Kristina Scarpati
This afternoon are
tokugawa rulers will set out to establish control our feudal system that we
have governed for over three hundred years.
Our state will be divided into about 250 separate territories and each
will be ruled by Daimyo. Out Daimyo is required to maintain twho residences,
one on our lands and one in Edo, where their court of the shchun will be
located.
Economic and Social changes
By: Kegan K.
A major economic
change took place under the Tokugawa.
Since the 14th century has many upper-class Japanese,
influenced by Confucianism had considered trade and industry beneath them. Under the Tokugawa, trade and industry began
to flourish as never before, especially in the growth of cities f Edo, Kyoto,
and Osaka.
This year, 1750, Edo
had a population over a million and is one of the largest cities in to
world. Banking flourished, and paper
money became the normal medium of exchange in business transactions. A Japanese merchant class emerged and began
to play a significant role in the life of the Japanese nation.
Some farm families’
benefit by exploiting the growing demand for cash crops. Most peasants, however, experienced both
declining profits and rising costs and taxes.
Many were forced to become tenants of to work as hired help. When rural conditions became desperate, some
peasants revolted. Almost seven
thousand peasant revolts and demonstrations against high taxes took place
during the Tokugawa Era.
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