Gunpowder Empires
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Transcript of Gunpowder Empires
Gunpowder EmpiresThree of the great empires of history—the Ottomans in Turkey, the
Safavids in Persia, and the Mughals in India—emerged in the Muslim world between the 14th and the 18th centuries. As powerful societies moved to expand their empires, Turkish, Persian, Mongol, and Arab
ways of life blended. The result was a flowering of Islamic culture that peaked in the 16th century. The rulers of all three great Muslim empires
of this era based their authority on Islam. They based their power on strong armies, advanced technology, and loyal administrative officers.
Ottoman Empire
In 1453, the Ottomans attacked Constantinople & conquered the Byzantine Empire
By the late 1600s, the Ottomans expanded into the Middle East, Northern Africa, & Eastern Europe
Sultan
Ottoman rulers were called sultans & they governed with absolute power
Suleyman the Magnificent
The greatest Ottoman sultan was Suleyman the
Magnificent who came to power in 1520
Under Suleyman, Ottoman armies attacked Eastern
Europe & the empire reached its height
Suleyman’s greatest accomplishment was creating a stable gov’t for his empire
He was known as “Suleyman the Lawgiver”
because he created a law code that governed
criminal & civil issues
He created a simplified & fair tax system to raise money for his empire
He granted freedom of worship to Christians &
Jews living in the empire
Janissaries
The Ottoman army included 30,000 elite
soldiers called janissaries who were
slaves that were trained to be loyal to the
government
Safavid Empire
The Safavid Empire
The Safavids were Turks living in Persia who built a powerful
gunpowder army & created an empire in modern-day Iran
Unlike the Ottomans who were Sunni Muslims, the Safavids believed in Shi’a Islam & strictly
converted the people they conquered
Safavid rulers were called shahs, using the Persian
title for king
Shah
Safavid rulers were called shahs, using the Persian
title for king
Shah Abbas
The greatest ruler of the Safavid Empire was Shah Abbas who came to power in 1587
Abbas borrowed ideas from outside groups to improve
the Safavid Empire
He modeled Ottoman janissaries, used merit to employ gov’t workers, &
introduced religious toleration which helped
Safavids trade with European Christians
Art flourished, especially carpets that blended
Persian & European designs
The Decline of the Safavid EmpireLike the Ottomans, Shah Abbas blinded
or killed his most capable sons in
order to keep power
As a result, weak leaders led to a
rapid decline of the Safavid Empire
While the Ottoman Empire lasted until 1922, the Safavid
Empire fell in 1747
Mughal EmpireLike the Ottomans &
Safavids, the Mughals built a powerful army with guns
& cannons
The Mughals were Muslims who descended from Turks, Afghans, & Mongols living
in central Asia
Babur
In 1494, Babur became king of the Mughals, expanded the army, & began invasions into India to
create his empire
Akbar the Great
In 1556, Babur’s grandson Akbar became king of the Mughal Empire & expanded
the empire into almost all of India
Akbar was the greatest of all the Mughal rulers
He held religious discussions with Hindu & Muslim scholars
He ended the tax that non-Muslims were required
to pay & created a fair & affordable tax system
Akbar’s greatest achievement was cultural blending &
religious toleration
Because he was Muslim ruling in a largely Hindu
region, Akbar allowed non-Muslims to worship freely
He married many wives, among them
were Muslim, Hindu, & Christian women
The Divine Faith was an example of syncretism because
it blended ideas from Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, &
Zoroastrianism
Akbar hoped the Divine Faith would end conflicts between
Muslims & Hindus
But, the Divine Faith never attracted many Muslim or
Hindu converts…When Akbar died, so did the Divine Faith
Divine Faith
Taj Mahal
The greatest example of Mughal architecture is the Taj Mahal which was built in 1631 by Shah Jahan
Mughal architecture was known for blending of Hindu & Islamic designs
Qing Dynasty
In 1644, northern invaders from Manchuria conquered China & created the second foreign dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing Dynasty
Manchus
During this era of Manchu rule, China grew to its largest size by claiming Taiwan,
central Asia, Mongolia, & Tibet
Kangxi
But, Emperor Kangxi earned Chinese respect by keeping Confucian beliefs, lowering taxes,
& restoring peace and prosperity to China
Kangxi was the first emperor to tour China & visit peasant villages
Shinto
Japan’s isolation gave rise to a unique Japanese culture, most specifically the Shinto religion
Shinto is a polytheistic religion
based on the respect of nature & ancestor worship Shinto worshipers believed in divine spirits called kami that live in natureThe most important of the Shinto gods is the sun goddess who
gave light to the world
Japanese Feudalism
By the mid-1000s, the imperial gov’t grew weak, regional landowners
gained power, & Japan became lawless &
dangerousAs a result, Japan
developed a feudal system
Daimyo
Farmers traded land to strong warlords called daimyo who
offered protection
Samurai
Daimyo were served by loyal warriors called
samurai
In 1192, the first shogun was named
by the emperorThe emperor remained in place, but the shogun held real power & ruled
as military dictators Shoguns’ power varied
over time, but the pattern of gov’t
controlled by a shogun lasted until 1867
Shogun
Tokugawa Shogunate
In 1603, Tokugawa became shogun of Japan, moved to capital to Edo (later called Tokyo), & restored gov’t
& order to JapanTokugawa ruled until 1615, but he created a line of
succession called the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan until 1867
IsolationismTokugawa shoguns decided to exclude foreign merchants &
missionaries
By 1639, Japan adopted a
“closed country policy” &
ended almost all foreign contacts
Istanbul
Sikhism
A monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region of India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, and marked by rejection of idolatry and caste. Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world.