The Pax Edo
The Early Edo Period was a time of newfound stability for the formerly chaotic Japanese archipelago. Although the samurai were the official ruling class of the nation, however, in many ways they were ...
18 Jan 202429min
The Righteous Reign of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
The tenure of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was marked by a fervent support of Neo-Confucian reforms, some of which were extremely radical and some of which were downright wacky. It was during his reign that th...
15 Jan 202425min
Tumult and Turnover in Joseon
The Kings of Joseon were faced with many difficult decisions throughout the 1600s as their nation faced Manchurian invasion, internal military coups, and a tumultuously factional political class. Supp...
11 Jan 202431min
The Rise of the Qing Dynasty
As the Ming Dynasty faced utter collapse in the face of famines, plagues, and peasant rebellions, the Qing Dynasty of Manchuria would surge and, eventually, take its place as the ruling dynasty of Chi...
8 Jan 202426min
The Fall of the Ming Dynasty
Under pressure from outside and within, the Ming Dynasty of China gradually lost control after a series of famines, plagues, and peasant rebellions. By the early 1600s, however, the Later Jin Dynasty ...
21 Des 202326min
Iemitsu's Marvelous Machine
The reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu proved to be a stabilizing force in Japanese politics, as he defined the duties of the various office-holders throughout the Bakufu which helped make the Edo Shogunate th...
18 Des 202327min
A State of Emergency
The reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu was marked by a general trend toward increasing the shogunate's power through self-perpetuating bureaucracy. His son Ietsuna's reign would prove to be a test of the Bakuf...
14 Des 202328min
The Shimabara Rebellion
As the Bakufu continued to persecute Christianity, and certain daimyo continued taxing their subjects at punitive rates, a rebellion broke out in Kyushu in 1637 which would prove to be the end of any ...
11 Des 202326min
