AP World History

Muslim Gunpowder Empires

Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals

Presentation Outline

1) Similarities and Differences

2) Geography of Muslim Empires

3) The Ottoman Empire

4) The Safavid Empire

5) The Mughal Empire

6) Highlights of the three Muslim Gunpowder Empires

1)Similarities and DifferencesA. Similarities

1. The peak of Islam’s political and military power

2. All based on military conquest…hence gunpowder empires

3. All from Turkic nomadic cultures

4. All absolute monarchies

B. Differences

1. All were Muslim but Mughals ruled over a predominantly non-Muslim population…

WHY?

2. Ottomans had large Christian minority…WHY?

3. Safavids were Shi’ite (Shi’a) Muslims

2) Geograpahy

Muslim Empires

3) The Ottoman Empire

II. Rise to Power

A. Ottoman Turks began to build power on northwest corner

of the Anatolian Peninsula.

1. With decline of Seljuk Turks, they expanded and

founded the Ottoman dynasty

2. 1300’s: Ottomans expanded into Balkan Peninsula

3. Janissaries: young boys taken from the Christian population.

a. Boys were converted to Islam and trained as elite soldiers or

administrators to serve the Sultan

4. Ottomans defeated the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo

a. Controlled the Balkan PeninsulaJanissarie

s

B. Constantinople

1. Under the leadership of Mehmet II, the Ottomans laid siege to Constantinople

2. Fall of Constantinople in 1453 brought end to the Byzantine Empire

a. Immediately began restoring the city.

3. The Ottomans made the city their capital renaming it Istanbul

Mehmet II enters Constantinople

Mehmet was wellknown for hiscruelty…someestimates reach30,000 deathsper year that

he wasresponsible for!!!

C. Continued Ottoman Spread

1. The Ottomans took control of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Arabian Peninsula with holy cities of Mecca and

Medina

2. Ottoman rule spread across North Africa though by 1600’s this area was semi-independent

3. Ottoman attempts to penetrate Eastern Europe were stymied by the Hungarians

4. Greatest threat to Europe came under rule of greatest of Ottoman rulers, Suleyman I. Under his leadership, Ottomans seized Belgrade and won victory over Hungarians and occupied the country

Suleyman I

(Suleiman the Magnificent)

D. Ottoman Rule

1. The Ottomans copied many aspects of Byzantine political structure, especially imperial rule

2. A strong centralized government was established with the sultan at its head in Istanbul…no clear succession rules.

a. The position of sultan was hereditary…once in power, a sultan would murder all his brothers.

b. The private domain of the sultan was called the harem

3. The imperial bureaucracy was controlled by the sultan through his chief minister, the Grand Vizier

a. Most high government officials were Muslim by birth and many were chosen based on merit

b. The Ottomans administered their lands through local rulers called pashas

--Pashas collected taxes (giving a percentage to the Ottomans) and maintained law and order

4. As Caliph, the sultan was the supreme religious leader but he delegated many duties to the Ulema, who administered the legal system and education

5. Islamic law applied to all Ottoman territory

6. The Ottomans were tolerant of non-Muslims…head tax

a. Non-Muslim religions were headed by an official who was responsible to the sultan

7. Women had greater freedom under the Ottomans than in other Muslim nations

a. Could own and inherit property, could not be

forced into marriage, and were permitted to divorce

Women in the Ottoman court

E. Ottoman Decline

1. The Ottomans laid siege to Vienna in 1529

2. Ottoman advance into Mediterranean

stopped at Lepanto in 1571 by Western

coalition led by the Spanish…ended Turkish control of the

eastern Mediterranean

3. In 1600’s, the Ottomans attempted to expand into Europe again

a. Vienna was besieged again

b. Combined European force pushed Ottomans

out of Austria and Hungary

c. Ottomans would never threaten Central

Europe again

Siege of Vienna

Ottoman Decline???

Outsidechallengesincrease!!

Portugal makes it to Africa!!!

Inflation from new world bullion!!!

No innovations like western Europe!!!

Even withall of these issues, theOttoman Dynasty still

lasted until afterWorld War I!

Local officialsgrew

stronger!!

Ability of Sultans

declined!!

I put this box in to balance

the slide

4) The Safavid Empire

III. The Safavid Empire

A. Safavids descended from Turkic tribesmen in northern Iran…were Shi’ite (Shi’a) Muslims

1. 1501 – seized much of what is today Iran & Iraq

a. Sent missionaries into Ottoman lands

b. Massacred Sunnis when conquering Baghdad in 1508

2. 1514 – Safavids defeated by

Ottomans; with

this loss, Shi’ism was

stopped from spreading

westward

B. Safavids reach their peak of power under Shah Abbas

1. Continued to fight with Ottoman Empire for many years…mostly unsuccessful

2. After his death (1629), the Safavid Empire began its decline.

C. Safavid Religion

1. As the empire adopted more Persian customs and used more Persian bureaucrats, the Shi’a ideology was also

affected.

2. Eventually, most of the empire converted to the Shi’a form of Islam. Most of the world’s Shi’a Muslims are still

located in this area today.

D. Trade

1. Safavids had vibrant middle class

2. Greatest area of productivity in Safavid Empire was textiles

a. Carpets were prized all over the world

E. Safavids and Ottomans

1. Similarities

a. Both were originally dominated by warrior aristocracies

b. Workshops produced many products…artisans were numerous

c. Both encouraged international trade however, the Ottomans benefited from better outside trading contacts than the Safavids

d. Women lose freedom…similar to other Islamic societies

--Subordinate to fathers, husbands

--Lack opportunities for expressionBy the mid-1700s the

Safavid Dynasty had collapsed!!!

5) The Mughal Empire

IV. Mughal Empire

A. 1526…Founded by Babur, a Muslim, who claimed to descend from Tamerlane and Genghis

Khan

1. Invaded India from Kabul and conquered the Delhi

Sultanate

--Using that city as his base, he

expanded into the

subcontinent

Babur

The Mughals nearlyControlled the entire

subcontinent…hadn’t been done before.

B. After Babur’s death the empire struggled until his grandson, Akbar took control. He continued the

expansion until most of India was under his control

1. Although his empire appeared highly centralized it was in reality a collection of

semi-independent states held together by the emperor

2. The Mughal Empire was the greatest empire in India since the Mauryans

3. Although Muslim, Akbar adopted a policy of religious tolerance

a. Hindus served in lesser positions in his court and even Christians were present in the form of advisors

--Eliminated the head tax on Hindus

b. Akbar even took a Hindu bride

Akbar

4. Akbar’s Social Reforms

a. Women’s position improved

--Widows encouraged to remarry…attempted to prohibit sati (self-immolation of widow after husband’s death)

b. Child marriages discouraged

5. Akbar’s Death…1605

a. Most reforms were unsuccessful, but, nonetheless, the empire was very strong

b. Not much new territory was added by new rulers

c. India began to lag behind Europe in technological innovation

d. India continued to be a vibrant commercial empire…especially exporting cotton textiles to Europe… most of the trade was handled by Muslim merchants

e. Both peace and political stability (both during Akbar’s reign & after it) = period of growth in trade and manufacturing

C. Jahangir (1605-1627) and Shah Jahan (1627-1658) succeed Akbar

1. Both continue Akbar’s policy of religious toleration

2. Both preferred the arts over the military, which they supported greatly

3. Women’s roles under them

a. Upper class women had better lives, while all other women lost status and rights

b. Child marriage became more popular and remarriage for widows decreased…sati increased in the upper classes

Jahangir

D. Shah Jahan’s Tribulations

1. In order to hold power, he had all rivals murdered

2. Shah Jahan’s military campaigns and corruption in his court impoverished the state

3. Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal for deceased wife

4. His son, Aurangzeb, killed brother and imprisoned Shah Jahan

Shah Jahan

E. Aurangzeb… Succeeds Shah Jahan…Beginning of the End

1. Programs

a. Wanted to rule all of India

b. Wanted to cleanse Islam of Hindu taint…ended religious toleration

2. By 1707, he controls most of India

a. Wars are very expensive and distracting…took him away from actually running the government

--Many revolts lead to the autonomy of local leaders

b. Hindus excluded from high office

c. Non-Muslims taxed…especially hard on the poor

d. Mughals and Hindus create a blended society…both Muslims and Hindus restricted women severely

e. Groups such as the Marattas and Sikhs challenged his rule

F. Arrival of the Europeans…the real end

1. The Portuguese, Dutch, British, and French all sought influence in India

2. Cities such as Goa, Bombay and Calcutta were centers of European trade.

a. Increasing British influence under the East India Company

3. Industrial Revolution gave Britain the strength to take control in India

6) Highlights of the three Muslim Gunpowder Empires