Post on 30-Dec-2015
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Early Modern Muslim EmpiresIntroduction
This lecture will examine the three great empires whose heyday lasted from approximately 1450 to 1800
Ottoman Empire (centered in modern Turkey)
Safavid Empire (centered in modern Iran)
Mughal Empire (centered in modern India)
What these empires had in common was the rulers’ adherence to the Muslim faith
Islam had burst into the Middle East from Arabia through conquest in the 7th and 8th centuries
Islam had spread into India in the 13th century, although it had been in the Indus Valley (modern Pakistan) for centuries before that
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresOttoman Empire (1)
The Ottoman Empire emerged out of the remnants of the Seljuk Turks, and came to prominence in the 14th century
Being on the eastern edge of the tottering Byzantine Empire, that was the logical direction of conquest for the Ottomans
They conquered Constantinople in 1453, extinguishing the last remnant of the Roman Empire
The Ottomans moved their capital there and renamed the city Istanbul
They proved tolerant of Christians and Jews, as long as they paid the jitza (the tax on non-Muslims)
After extinguishing Byzantium, the Ottomans conquered the Balkans and would threaten the rest of Eastern Europe for centuries thereafter
Hagia SophiaInstanbul, Turkey
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresOttoman Empire (2)
The Ottomans would unsuccessfully besiege Vienna in 1529 and 1683
They were more successful extend-ing their rule into Muslim lands, conquering Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and North Africa
Janissaries The Ottomans famously built their
armies from Christians taken from their parents while still small, raised as Muslims, and trained as soldiers
Decline Yet over time, the Ottoman Empire
rotted from within, with the sultan’s sons perpetually fighting each other and far flung provinces establishing de facto independence, with the final collapse at the end of World War I
Suleiman theMagnificent(1520-1566)
OttomanJanissary
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresSafavid Empire (1)
This empire emerged in the 16th century in the area of the Islamic world that had fallen to the Mongols in the 13th century (the Persian Khanate)
The Mongols had been particularly cruel in this region, butchering 90 percent of the population
Although taking natives into their government, Mongol rule was never accepted by the survivors, especially the Persians
Shia Islam became intimately associated with the resistance movement to Mongol rule
Under the leadership of Ismail, the Persians threw off Mongol Rule
Ismail declared himself “Shah,” claiming to be a descendant of Ali, in keeping with Shiite doctrine
Shah Ismail(1502-1524)
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresSafavid Empire (2)
Shah Abbas The height of the Safavid Empire
came under Shah Abbas He famously encouraged carpet
weaving, which helped turn this cottage industry into a major source of export earnings and establishing the reputation of “Persian” carpets for extremely high quality
Yet he also did not trust his own nobility, building his army from Armenian and Georgian recruits
He also feuded with the Ottomans, who he saw as illegitimate because they were Sunnis
The successors of Abbas were not as competent, and by the 18th century the Safavid lands had fallen to the Ottomans, Mughals, and Russians
Shah Abbas(1587-1629)
A “Persian”carpet
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresMughal Empire (1)
While their empire was in India, the Mughals were not Indian
They were a Turkish people related to the Mongols
“Mughal” is a corruption of Mongol Indeed, rather than capturing India
from the Indians, they conquered its last alien Muslim rulers, another group of Turkish Moslems, known as the Delhi Sultanate
Akbar the Great Arguably the greatest ruler in India
since Ashoka (3rd century BCE) He established “sulahkul” as the
principal of his rule: universal tolerance
Eliminated the jitza Brought numerous Hindus into his
government
Akbar the Great(1556-1605)
Early Modern Muslim EmpiresMughal Empire (2)
The Mughal emperors of India became justifiably famous for their support of architecture and the arts
Taj Mahal Perhaps the most famous example of
the Mughal’s commitment was the Taj Mahal, built by the Emperor Jahan as tomb for his favorite wife
It took over a decade to build, and is today considered to be one of the greatest romantic symbols
Decline Seeds of Mughal destruction sown
under the rule of Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb (1658-1707) , who tried to impose strict Islamic rule
Mughal power collapsed later in the 18th century, leaving India disunited until it was colonized by the British, beginning later in that century
Taj MahalAgra, India