Bukhara and the Khwarezm Khanates. The Kazakhs and Turkomans

Abstract

In the early seventeenth century, Central Asia remained politically fragmented while its economy and trade stagnated. This stagnation contributed to Central Asia’s growing isolation from the international economy, as lucrative transit trade from China and India to western Europe was increasingly channeled toward safer maritime routes. Central Asia’s situation contrasted sharply with the state of development in Europe, where countries were entering an era of rapid economic growth, trade expansion and industrialization. In the area of warfare, European advancements in military technology canceled out the relative advantage traditionally held by Central Asia’s mobile light and heavy cavalry.