• Originally the Safavids were members of an Islamic religious brotherhood, named after their founder Safi al-Din (died 1334)

• Claimed to be descendents of Muhammad

• 15th century aligned themselves with the Shi’a branch of Islam

• Squeezed geographically and persecuted by Ottoman Sunni Muslims- they built a powerful army

Ismail

• Seized area where Iran is now

• Took ancient title of Shah, or king

• Established Shi’a Islam as the state religion

• Became a religious tyrant

• Battled with Ottomans (Selim the Grim)- Battle of Chaldiran in 1514

Shah Abbas (Abbas the Great)

• 1587 takes throne• Golden Age of Safavids-

culture drew from Ottoman, Persian, and Arab worlds

• Reformed military and civilian life

o Punished corruptiono Limited the power of the

military redheadso Created two new armies

that would be loyal to him

• Established relations with Europe

• Brought Chinese artisans - gorgeous artwork

• Isfahan- capital city• Demand from the west

for Persian carpets

• Abbas kills and blinds ablest sons so he was succeeded by his incompetent grandson, Safi

• By 1722 tribal armies from Afghanistan were taking over

• 1736- Nadir Shah Afshar took command and gained back some land but he was ruthless and one of his own troops killed him in 1747

Legacies of the Safavids

Art from Persia mixed with Shi’a Islam

Government modeled on the Ottoman example

Slave army like the Janissaries Welcomed foreigners= cultural

blending Established the cultural foundation

for modern Iran

• Mughals = Mongols invade India• Backdrop of crumbled Gupta Empire by 600

CE and subsequent invaders• Ongoing Conflicts

o 8th century began with long clash between Hindus and Muslims

o Hindus held off Muslims until 1000 CE, when Turkish armies led by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni devastated India

o Delhi became the capital of a loose empire of Turkish warlords called the Delhi Sultanate

o Between 13th and 16th centuries, 33 sultans ruled this divided country

o 1398 Timur the Lame destroyed Delhi completely

Babur Founds an Empire

o 1494 an 11-year old boy named Babur inherited a tiny kingdom in Central Asia

o Built up an army and swept down into India laying the groundwork for the empire

o Brilliant general, sensitive, loved poetry

The Golden Age of Akbar Ruled India with wisdom and tolerance

from 1556 to 1605 Muslim, who defended religious

freedom Genius at cultural blending Governed through a bureaucracy of

officials Fair tax policy Good military conqueror Smart tactician- turned enemies into

allies by appointing rajputs as officers in the army

Unified a land of at least 100 million people

Culture flowered Language blended (example Urdu) Literature and architecture flourished Died in 1605 and son becomes ruler

Jahangir and Nur Jahan

Jahangir (Akbar’s son) is a weak ruler and his wife, Nur Jahan, was in charge of the state and she ruled from 1611-1622

She and her husband tried to promote only Islam in the empire

Family conflict She didn’t care for Jahangir’s son Khusrau and

ousted him and shifted her favor on another son Khusrau rebelled against his father and sought

protection from the Sikhs- this led to the Sikhs being a target of the Mughal empire

Shah Jahan

Good man but could not stand competition so he killed his rivals

He loved his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, but when she died in 1631 (from childbirth), he was devastated and spent 22 years building her tomb, which is the famous Taj Mahal

He built other beautiful things but couldn’t manage the empire

1657 he became ill and sons scramble for throne (Aurangzeb wins, executes his older brother and puts his father in prison)

• Ruled from 1658-1707• Master at military strategy –

aggressive empire builder• Despite his territorial gain, the power

of the empire weakened because he oppressed his peopleo Rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawed

drinking, gamblingo Brought back tax on non-Muslimso Raised taxes to pay for military conquests

• Aurangzeb drained the empire of resources• Power of local lords grew while central power

weakened• 3 emperors reigned in 12 years after his

death• Patchwork of independent states• Western traders building power in the

meantime (Portuguese, Dutch, English, etc.) and gained foothold’s in the empire since the emperors did not perceive them as a serious threat