Absolutism Outside of the West - WordPress.com · 2020-04-15 · ABSOLUTISM OUTSIDE OF THE WEST...
Transcript of Absolutism Outside of the West - WordPress.com · 2020-04-15 · ABSOLUTISM OUTSIDE OF THE WEST...
ABSOLUTISMOUTSIDE OF THE
WEST
Gunpowder, Isolation, and Power
THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES Ottomans, Safavids, and
Mughals
THE GUNPOWDER EMPIRES
Known for their modern militaries and extensive use of professional soldiers, three large and powerful Muslim empires dominated the area between the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Indian subcontinent.
Collectively, these empires are often referred to as the Gunpowder Empires.
Included:
The Ottoman Empire → Anatolia
The Safavid Empire → Persia
The Mughal Empire → India
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
(1300 TO 1922 CE)
Founded by a Turkic group initially allied with the Seljuk Turks
Sunni Muslims, initially nomadic
Granted territory in Anatolia by the Seljuks for helping to fight against the Byzantines
Empire begun by Osman I → Turks settle down, become agriculturalists, begin expanding
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Ottoman territory expands as the Byzantines and Seljuk Turks weaken
Control over the Balkans give the Ottomans diverse populations → degree of religious tolerance, although non-Muslims had to pay an additional tax
Development of jannisaries → professional soldiers drawn from Christian communities
Policy called devshirme
Conquered Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire
Most important leader = Suleiman I (The Magnificent)
Conquests go all the way to Hungary and Austria in the 1600s
SAFAVID EMPIREFounded by a religious brotherhood associated with Shi’a Islam in Azerbaijan, the Safavid Empire spread into Persia, bordered by the Ottomans, Mughals, and Uzbek tribal groups.
Safavids were religious rivals of their Sunni neighbors → frequently at war
Developed a VERY strong military
Most important leaders
Isma’il→ conquered Persia, first Safavid leader to adopt the traditional Persian title of shah (king)
Abbas the Great → reformed the military, taking the Ottoman janissaries as his model
Reformed the government, hiring officials on the basis of competence and loyalty
Strong connections with European nations, particularly those that did not like the Ottomans
MUGHAL EMPIRETurkic Muslim forces attacked into India in the 12th century, establishing a loose confederation of kingdoms in the north of the subcontinent known as the Delhi Sultanate.
Babur, descendant of Genghis Khan, conquered the north of India in 1525, establishing the Mughal Empire.
Established dominance by using cannons for the first time in India
Most important leader → Abu Akbar (Akbar the Great)
Conquered much of the rest of the Indian subcontinent
Remarkably religiously tolerant → eliminated the tax on non-Muslims; hired Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Jewish, Jain, Sikh, and Shi’ite advisors
Used a graduated tax system that was fair to the poor
MUGHAL EMPIREFamous for it’s remarkable artistic contributions in portraiture, book illustrations, and architecture
Blended traditional Muslim forms, native Indian styles, and European Renaissancetechniques
Subsequent leaders spent heavily, and expanded their conquest of India
Led to massive debt, and an increase in taxes
Failure to invest in agricultural development led to widespread famine
Aurangzeb → later Mughal emperor, came to power by assassinating his older brother and imprisoning his father
NOT religiously tolerant → believed that the crumbling of the Mughal empire was due to “infidels”
Reinstated the tax on non-Muslims, destroyed Hindu temples
Hindu communities began rebelling against the Mughals, leading to a loss of power