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Difficulty: EasyState Building and Governance in South and Southeast Asia

An excerpt from a description of the Vijayanagara Empire by the Persian ambassador Abd-al-Razzak Samarqandi, who visited the region in 1443 CE:

'The sovereign of the Vijayanagara Empire has divided his territory among a large number of nobles and commanders, who hold lands in return for military service. These governors maintain their own troops, keep the roads secure, and collect taxes from the peasantry. Each year at the great Mahanavami festival, they must present themselves at the capital to pay a fixed tribute to the king's treasury. In the city, the king supports grand temples and brahmins [priests] to affirm his role as a protector of the dharma.'

The administrative structure described in the passage is best understood as an example of which of the following?

  1. A
    A European-style feudal system based on manorialism and the complete subjugation of serfs bound to the land.
  2. B
    A highly centralized bureaucracy based on Neo-Confucian administrative principles and exams.
  3. A decentralized administrative structure where local governors held military authority and paid tribute to the king.Answer
  4. D
    A government structure that relied on seasonal monsoon wind patterns to coordinate domestic troop movements.

Answer

A decentralized administrative structure where local governors held military authority and paid tribute to the king.
The passage describes the sovereign dividing territory among nobles and commanders who maintain their own troops and collect taxes, while paying a fixed tribute to the king. This represents a decentralized administrative structure where local governors retain significant regional power and military authority while acknowledging the central ruler's authority through tribute.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the passage to identify the key administrative features of the Vijayanagara Empire.
The passage notes that the king divided territory among nobles and commanders who maintain local troops and collect taxes, but pay a yearly tribute to the treasury.
Understanding the division of military and fiscal authority is necessary to characterize the political structure.
2
Determine whether the political power was concentrated in a centralized bureaucracy or decentralized among regional leaders.
Because local commanders held their own lands, collected taxes, and maintained their own armies rather than acting as agents of a centralized bureaucracy, the state is characterized as decentralized.
This distinguishes the state structure from highly centralized administrative systems.

Key Concept

Decentralized administration and tribute-based state building in South Asia
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

State Building and Governance in South and Southeast Asia

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