History of Every EARLY MODERN Empire, i guess... 

I do posts & consulting on Mesoamerica (Aztec, Maya etc): So far in this series i"ve been listing Prehispanic empires that didn't make it in the videos since me and Possible History found each other too late... But since i've already covered most of the major empires that I felt deserved a mention as of the last/Late Medieval video, and we're at the period of Spanish Conquest, this final comment willbe touching on the Aztec Empire's political structure, and giving corrections on how and why it fell... As while the idea the video repeats that Cortes got allies against the Mexica of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan due to it being oppressive and resented is a common misconception, the truth is sort of the opposite! It's LOOSE political structure, and really the way Mesoamerican politics worked in general, was it's undoing (alongside diseases etc). As mentioned in the pinned comment in the last video, the Aztec Empire has it's origins in a bunch of Nahuatl speaking nomads from above Mesoamerica in Northwestern Mexico migrating down into Central Mexico, and adopting Mesoamerican practices of city-building, state societies, and other cultural traits. The Mexica were among the last of these Nahua groups to arrive, founding their city of Tenochtitlan in 1325, and after initially helping the city-state of Azcapotzalco expand acting as soldiers for it, got caught up in the latter's succession dispute, which eventually results in Tenochtitlan, aided by the fellow Nahua cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan, overthrowing Azcapotzalco in 1428 and maintaining an alliance for further conquests, which is what we know as the "Aztec Empire", though the exact nature of that alliance is a bit disputed, and as we'll see, (and I've explained in less detail in my comments on prior videos) calling it an "empire" may be misleading. The Mexica were undeniably conquerors: As I mentioned, even early on they made a name for themselves as soldiers, and as what we know as the "Aztec Empire" grew, the Mexica relied on military campaigns to expand and maintain their political influence. But their actual administration or meddling in the local affairs of conquered states after conquering them was usually pretty minimal, even compared to other major Mesoamerican players like the Purepecha Empire, Monte Alban, etc: There were usually tax demands, the expectation you wouldn't block roads, and would lodge Aztec diplomats, merchants and armies, and put a shrine up to Huitzilopochtli, the patron Mexica god... but if they did that, Subject states usually kept their existing rulers, laws, customs, and managed their own affairs, as long as they met those other conditions. In fact, Aztec subjects could even have their own subjects, or go to war against each other without the Mexica nessacarily getting involved. As a result, subject states had their own identity, ambitions and the ability to pursue them: Attempts to secede via stopping payment of taxes, or switching allegiances to that of a different political network etc were common, the former particularly after the death of an Aztec Emperor, to see what they could get away with but also as a sort of traditional test to force the new emperor to prove their military might, since the threat of being reconquered, moreso then actual administrative control, kept subjects in line. Additionally, some states BENEFITTED from Aztec rule: Vassals which joined the empire voluntarily for protection or better trade access did so merely transactionally; but the core states within the Valley of Mexico with flourished from the taxes Tenochtitlan brought into the area; and those states heavily intermarried with Mexica royalty had more resulting influence, so it was in their interest for it's military power to be respected and new emperors to be tested too. There's a lot more that could be said about how political marriages and dynastic connections (and as I alluded to, economics) played into political influence, courting vassals etc , but I have to skip it sadly. What about sacrifices? The Mexica absolutely did them (though less then people think: likely 100s-1000s a year, not 10,000s), but so did everybody else, as sacrifice was a universal practice in Mesoamerica: The Mexica just did it the most, as most sacrifices enemy soldiers captured in wars and the Mexica were at the top militarily. People given as captives as spoils when states were initially conquered was a thing too, but sacrificial captives as regular tax payments were rare: Taxes were were usually economic goods, and that was the real driver of Mexica expansionism moreso then collecting captives, though certainly proving military might was part of what kept subjects in line to pay taxes, and by extension large sacrificial ceremonies flexed one's military power, so it's not entirely unrelated. So, why did Cortes make alliances against the Mexica? Opportunism, mostly. As I said, states even within the Aztec Empire mostly had their own interests and identity, and would switch sides if they thought they would benefit from it. By extension, Cortes in many cases was actively being manipulated by local kings and officials, who were calling the shots at least as much as Cortes was. For example, Cortes's first ally was Cempoala, the capital of one of 3 major kingdoms of the Totonac civilization. There, it's king Xicomecoatl and other officials DID claim to be under the yoke of Aztec oppression and desperately wanted to be free of tax demands, and to an extent that may have been true... but they also then lied about there being an "Aztec fort" nearby they wanted the Conquistadors help to take out, which was really it's rival Totonac capital of Tzinpantzinco, and then after that ploy was found out, the Totonacs led the Conquistadors to Tlaxcala to get attacked, possibly to get rid of the Conquistadors or to test them (possibly even under Aztec orders), and mostly ditched them. Tlaxcala (which, by the way, was a republic with a senate) DID ally with Cortes primarily to be free of Aztec aggression, and people extrapolating Tlaxcala's motivations to other states is probably where the misconception of resentment driving Cortes's alliances comes from. But Tlaxcala was NOT an Aztec subject, it was an enemy state the Mexica were at war with and trying to conquer. And even it and it's officials like Xicotencatl II were not acting merely out of defense: En route to Tenochtitlan after allying with Cortes (an alliance the Tlaxcalteca set up), the Tlaxcalteca likely caused the Cholula massacre, placing a pro-Tlaxcalteca political faction in power there after Cholula recently switched from being aligned with Tlaxcala to becoming an Aztec ally. Tlaxcala is just one of Corte's allied states, and all the other states which would contribute armies to the Siege of Tenochtitlan like Texcoco, Huextozinco, Chalco, Xochimilco, Iztapalapan etc only ally with Cortes AFTER Moctezuma II has died, the massacre of the nobles and elite soldiers during the Toxcatl ceremony, Tenochtitlan being struck by Smallpox (though see further down) all of which would have undermined Mexica military power, it's ability to collect taxes and project it's political influence, etc. Hell, Xochimilco only joined AFTER being beaten but intially sided with the Mexica, while plenty of states never switched to Cortes's side. That timing/those details show they didn't join out of resentment, but opportunism: All of those bar Huextozinco were core states whom, again, married Mexica royalty and benefitted from the taxes they brought in. They DEPENDED on Mexica power and supremacy for their own political influence and economic prosperity, and only switched sides when Tenochtitlan was vulnerable anyways, didn't provide those benefits, and they had more to gain by turning on it. Some did have grievances (EX: Ixtlilxochitl II was a prince in Texcoco who was passed over for the throne in favor of a Mexica backed candidate: Half of Texcoco etc sided with the Mexica, he/his allies with Cortes), but overall Cortes got most of his allies not due to the nature of how it's political system worked, not because of resentment. Even more evidence is that this side-switching happened in so many other circumstances unrelated to Mexica rule: In the Mesoamerican political system where you get your independence even as a subject, pledging yourself to some other state to help them take out your current capital or rivals means you aren't really giving anything up, and can gain status in the new kingdom you prop up: This wasn't just how Cortes got allies, but it's how the Aztec Empire itself formed (After Azcapotzalco had a succession dispute which destabilized it's influence, the up and coming Mexica had Tlacopan and Texcoco helped them overthrow it to have status in the "Aztec Empire"), and you also see it happen over the next few decades after the Aztec Empire already fractured, like how the Zapotec kingdom of Tehuantepec worked with Conquistadors to topple the Mixtec kingdom of Tututepec (which as said last vid, was a remnant a major Mixtec Empire during the 11th/early 12th century AD), or the Iximche Maya doing so against the Kiche, etc. Lastly, as I allude to at the end there, the fall of Tenochtitlan did not mark the completion of Spanish colionization in Mesoamerica: Many states like Tututepec etc weren't a part of the Aztec Empire to begin with and had to be conquered later (many by Aztec armies now working with the Spanish), and in the last video I mentioned some of these, such as the Purepecha Empire to the west of the Aztec Empire. The intial smallpox epidemic was devastating and absolutely enabled Spanish campaigns, but the 95% death total is only reached by around 1600, roughly 80 years after contact, as a result of multiple epidemics rather then solely smallpox. Likewise, some Mesoamerican states remained unconquered all the way to the 1690s!

What if Austria-Hungary was made of chocolate?

6:15 Damn, an upstart government in the north that captures Beijing, chasing out the older Nanjing government, where they flee to Taiwan to continue the fight against the upstart Beijing government? Never heard of it

I'm a bit concerned that the last episode hasn't been released yet.

Waiting for 5th and the final episode of this series!

Please finish the series 🙏🥺

Gotta say, I'm seriously loving this series. I'm quite disappointed at the lack of native empires in North America, however. A few - especially the Iroquois - could definitely hold this position given the requirements outlined earlier on. I do get, however, that it's harder to define North American empires due to a lack of definitive sources. Hopefully Tecumseh's coalition will get a bit of a spotlight in the next video, although their claim is far shakier than the Iroquois.

Great video! Can you someday make a what if everything went perfect for the Netherlands?

13:40 OMG, a dutchman finally answered us about what his country did to their prime Minister in 1672 😂

I only just noticed you have 125k subscribers. I remember when you were still small a year or two ago. Congrats it's well earned!

How is the kalmar union not an empire? North Sea empire too for that matter. I'm just surprised that Norway and Denmark aren't empire territories yet

25:30 "Join me next week," you have a funny definition of next week PH.

Where final part?

Awesome man! Love this series!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Technically in 1620 Portugal had influence and control over most of Africas and South Asias costlines

I hereby revoke your right to say “first”, lil bro

Still waiting on final empires episode…

Cool, these were my favorite type of videos

really good video, keep getting better :D

Another amazing video

i lost my SHIT when i saw that a new every empire vid had dropped i love this series and youre content best for you that it is good

where is the next one??

let's go! I've been waiting for this!

Great video PH. Just a remainder for next video that Mexico and Haiti both had two empires (albeit not very relevant ones) and Brazil was an empire for most of the 19th century. You probably already knew that but Latin American history often gets ignored, and I'd love to see them at least mentioned in the next video.

When’s the last episode coming?

Need the final video asap..sir..

When is the final part coming out?

Wooooo! PT2 babyyyyy

Given how there were hundreds if not thousands of princely states at the time, in which many rulers proclaimed themselves ‘emperor’ its just an impossible mission.

This is a great video, Mr. Possible History, and I love it. You mention the Maratha Empire; the Marathas were the ones to defeat the Mughals. And what do you think of a scenario where the Marathas unite India and modernize, similar to what Japan did, and what if the Marathas form a Greater India with Myanmar, Burma, Cambodia, Faun ( present-day Vietnam), Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines in a more peaceful way and have trade network and representation. Imagine the Marathas colonizing the Middle East, taking on Persia, and becoming a dominant power in South Asia and the Middle East. What do you think of that idea, Mr. Possible History? Any thoughts, comments, and opinions about this idea for a future scenario?

interesting video, but I really hope to see more of a shift back to alternate history videos after this series instead of more purely educational ones. Many of the people drawn to your channel are already pretty familiar with history, and while these sorts of videos can definitely fill gaps in our knowledge, your alternate history videos are really where you shine!

India was always decentralized, the issue with the Mughals is that they failed to federalize and became increasingly intolerant of non-muslims as time went on.

When is the next episode!

These videos bring back the meaning of life for m... ...y atlas of world history, of course, which I always leaf through and check how it matches.

It's a good day to be early to his videos

cant wait for the next video and see the chaos

12:00 you forgot to note that spain inherited Portugal because the Portuguese king died with no heirs during the battle of the three kings, in morroco, great history

1:49 Finally correct ottoman map! Thank you.

0:13 bro censoring things for the first time

1:03 Minor correction, it's ArDaBil, not ArBaDil. Great video as always!

You should do a what if everything went perfect for the ottomans after the siege of vienna

Are you going to make a part 2 of the "What if everything went perfect for Napoleon"?

My favorite series!

Nice

I love this series

Still waiting for the rewriting history series he promised

This video makes me want to play Europa Universalis IV so badly

Suggestion: What if everything went perfect for Norway (pls)

It would be nice to see the maps from all episodes overlayed

Yay another PH vid

Can you make a “What if everything went PERFECT for Japan” video?

Spain was the most important state in the indepence of USA, lirerally give them soldiers, invade the british and they give them money

I'm surprised you didn't include the gradual colonisation of Australia by the British since it began in 1788 and you did show a few timestamps of the 1800s

Where's the last episode ?

Small note: it's the Empire of Japan, not the Japanese empire

Something I just noticed is the complete sidelining of Denmark's empire throughout this series. Even ignoring Cnut's North Sea Empire, the Danes were a major power in northern Europe during this time period, to the point where the Swedish Empire was only able to rise by breaking free of the Kalmar Union. It hurts to see Iceland and Greenland going uncolored.

0:14 Damn, you used a painting about a revolution in 1830 to talk about about a revolution that was in 1789

Could you do a "What if history went perfect for spain" video? Theres many points in history where the Spanish Could have been better.

Day 25 asking for "What if Everything Went Perfect for Romania"

Can you make the last episode it has not comed out yet🙁

Video Idea: What if Columbus discovered Antarctica instead of America What if Everything went perfect for Mongol Empire(idk why you skipped this one in your video pls explain in reply)

can you make a video of what if pokemon were real? how would this change history?

Pls make whaf if everything went perfect for the axis

Idea for a video: What if Bohemia united Germany?

Bruuuh continue China warlord era series or German victory in ww1 scenario these were sooo good

Where is next episode of this series? Im not able to find it, was it taken down, or never published?

A minor correction on 7:40 It is close to "Belligerent", thus "alii" means "others", not "war", as the word war does not appear when Marte/Mars is mentioned on the third line but rather the "aliis" means "others". Therefore it is "Ella", which for some reason is lacking the B (like in Casus Belli), that is "war".

The Majapahit was missed, but good video!

I’ve watched every episode!

And there wasnt a part 5

ty

14:01 the Dutch were also actively trading with North American natives at this time, they had small settlements along Long Island and Connecticut.

Myanmar and Cambodia were mentioned but not Thailand or Vietnam is kind of weird, given Thailand and Vietnam were and still are strong players in the region

It’s gonna be a long one holy jesus

11:00 The Habsburg Empire was already split in two all the way back in 1521/'22. Back then, Ferdinand received the Austrian Hereditary Lands to rule and own as his own, since the Hungarians wouldn't let him marry their king's sister otherwise. And then later on Ferdinand became King of Bohemia and of Hungary in 1526/'27. Further down the line in 1531, Ferdinand got elected King of the Romans (Emperor-elect, basically). It's nothing more than a meme that Charles V divided the Habsburg Empire in 1555/'56. It was already divided long before that, and Charles did not even have anything to do with Bohemia or Hungary for example.

2:57 cheeky Bill Wurtz reference

19:46 Poland disappeared for 123 years, not 200...

I feel like the Haudenosaunee deserved a mention

Asking for what if everything went perfect for the ottomans day 11

Bro, put subtitles for other countries, I'm Brazilian and I can't understand much

Did you really overlook and downplay the Ming Dynasty's involvement in the Japanese invasion of Korea???? The Chinese halted the Japanese troops and even pushed them back. I know Admiral Yi won decisive naval battles that were crucial to end the war, but straight out calling the Ming ineffective as a combatant before the Ming to Qing Transition is downright historical revisionism. But i also understand that you oversimplified and wanted to keep the video short, i just wanted to let you guys know. Sorry.

18:50 You forgot to mention the time Poland nearly got partitioned between Sweden and Russia because they occupied 95% of its land. Actually, that should be your next video. What if Poland had fallen in the Deluge?

When will the next episode come out?

6:15 sounding very familiar

Portugal was done dirty the Treaty of Tordesillas wasn't spoken about and the fact that they had literally the most op navy at the time as well just that they where big for a few years which is rude to assume since they pioneered European maritime techniques and technology

Still waiting on the Last video.. the modern empires

Idea: What if Saxony United Germany

Great video, but I don't like the empires being labelled as you mention them. I think the label takes away from the impressive maps you've prepared for the list, and I would rather see the colour stick out on its own.

"they were still allowed to call themselves emperor's and have very nice things." Definitely never heard that before

21:00 I see you've become familiar with Sam.

I'm really curious what would have happened if the dutch had invested into their army and basically turn it into a force to be reckoned with. Would they be able to start becoming a major superpower given their already superior navy at the time?

10:20 Jesus Christ he looks like Mac Tonight… 😂😂😂

Poland disappeared from the map for 123 years not 200

Hey, what would be happened if the Aq Qoyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu Federations managed to consolidate & form Persia instead of the Safavids?

Sorry bit what happened to the Kalmar union?

Hungary was only partially conquered by the Ottomans. I can understand the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom being lumped into the Ottoman Empire, but about third of Hungary still remained outside the Ottoman Empire. This might not sound much, but the area was extremely important for the Habsburgs. Not only did it provide a buffer between the Turks and the Holy Roman Empire, but it also generated substantial revenues (about the same amount as the Austrian Hereditary Lands and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown did each), which covered the bulk of the usual annual expenses of defence against the Ottomans.

when is the next episode

Nice time to see Big Chin Charles Frankstein of a Empire

I noticed a problem in this (and the last) video: African empires are still underrepresented; in Zimbabwe, the state of Great Zimbabwe exerted influence over southern Africa, even building a giant stone capital (so if we count tose pre-Aztec states as empires, then Great Zimbabwe deserves a mention), but more substantially, its successor states of Mwenemutapa and the Rozwi empire had much more territory, wealth and influence, so they definitely count as empires; in Madagascar, the Merina managed to unite most of the island (akin to the Khmer or Pagan); in the territory of modern-day Nigeria rose many empires, including the Oyo and Benin empires; in Ghana the Ashanti empire became the dominant force, subjugating neighbouring states, and stopping European advancement. On the other hand, many colonial empires are misrepresented: the Dutch Cape colony was started in 1652, Russia had control over Alaska since the 18th century, the Kingdom of Great Britain founded New South Wales in Australia in 1788, The Spanish had conquered more territory in South America than shown (e.g. Paraguay since 1536), and the Omani empire isn't even shown, albeit having control over southeastern Arabia and the East African coastline. Also also, how is Denmark controlling Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Svalbard... not considered a colonial empire? Looking forward to an update :)

What about the Kalmar union, it may not have lasted long, but it was still bigger than the swedish one, right?