ISLAMIC GUNPOWDER EMPIRES

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ISLAMIC GUNPOWDER EMPIRES
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Do Now Rise and Fall of Empires

• Reasons for Rise

• Reasons for fall

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AGE OF GUNPOWDER EMPIRES 1450 1800CHANGED THE
BALANCE OF POWER
This term applies to a number of states, all of
which rapidly expanded during the late 15th and
over the entire 16th century. Most significant
were Portugal, Spain, the Ottoman Empire, the
Safavid Empire, and the Mughal Empire but also
included England, France, Tokugawa (Japan),
Romanov Russia, and Ming/Manchu (Qing) China
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THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES 1500-1800
Three Islamic Empires dominate from southern
Europe to Northern India from 1500-1800 Ottoman
Empire (Balkans, Middle East, North Africa,
Eastern Europe) Safavid Empire (Persia) Shia
Islam Mughal Empire (Northern India)-had
lasting Islamic cultural impact
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Common Characteristics

• Religion (of the rulers at least)
• All three Islamic empires were military creations
• Governing
• Autocratic emperors imposed their will on the
  state
• Ongoing problems with royal succession
• Ottoman rulers legally killed brothers after
  taking the throne
• Influence of Royal and Upper-Class Women
• Harem
• Harem politics women often influenced policies,
  selections

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OTTOMAN EMPIRE
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RISE OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE

• Founded in 1289 by Osman
• Later Expand into outer regions of Byzantine
  Empire
• Successful b/c of gunpowder in early sieges
• Use of Janissary Corps
• Christian troops raised by Ottomans
• Were slaves, but paid well
• Provided for by Gov Loyal
• Gunpowder weapons
• 14th-15th centuries Expand into South Eastern
  Europe
• 1453 Conquer Constantinople
• Under the leadership of Mehmed II (r. 1451-1481)
• Absolute monarchy centralized state

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Politics of the ottoman empire

• Sultans control politics and economy
• Promoted religious toleration to People of the
  Books
• Separate themselves from the masses
• Sultans will promote cultural heritage and
  development
• Architecture
• Coffeehouses

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Ottoman SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• Four Main Social Groups
• Men of the pen
• Men of the sword
• Men of negotiations
• Men of husbandry
• Social Mobility becomes more rigid over time
• Women had no rights aside from tradition, class,
  husbands wishes

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THE ottoman MILLET system

• Millet System Different communities based on
  religion throughout the empire
• Each millet was headed by its own religious
  dignitary
• Advised sultan on affairs in the community
• Was punished by sultan for problems of the
  community
• In the millet system each community was
  responsible for
• Taxes
• Education
• Legal Matters Marriage, Divorce, Inheritance

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SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT

• Empire at its height under Suleyman
• Reigned 1520-1566
• Conquered lands in Europe, Asia, Africa
• Syria, modern-day Israel, Egypt
• Hungary, Croatia, Rumania
• Siege of Vienna (Austria) in 1529 failed
• Built powerful navy to rule Mediterranean
• Encouraged development of arts
• Beautified Constantinople with mosques
• Empire began a slow decline after Suleyman

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WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF OTTOMAN DECLINE IN THE
17TH CENTURY?

• Reached limits of expansive power early on
• Too large to be maintained
• High taxes on peasants
• corruption of govt. officials weak rulers
  Rebellions
• Declining position of women

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Achievements of Muslim Empires

• Math and Astronomy
• Indian System (0-9)
• Algebra
• Maps
• Sunrise/sunset times
• Physics in Chemistry
• Optics
• Alchemy

• Biology and Medicine
• Opened body for study
• Hospitals (Free)
• Medicine
• Kept records
• Trained physicians
• Medical Encyclopedias
• TOOK GREEK KNOWLEDGE FORWARD RENAISSACNE

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Safavid persia(1501-1736)
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Origins of the safavid empire

• Founder Shah Ismail (r. 1501-1524)
• Conquers much of modern-day Iran and Iraq
• Title Shah was originally used by ancient
  Persian dynasties
• Shia Islam
• Religiously intolerant forced conversion
• Tries to convert Sunni Muslims in Ottoman Empire

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Shah abbas the great(r. 1588-1629)

• Greatest of all Safavid leaders
• Went to war with Ottoman Empire to regain
  territories lost in earlier battles
• Safavids fail at this effort BUT, they sign a
  peace treaty with the Ottomans (1612) and regain
  some territory
• Modernized military
• Made Alliances with Europe
• Invited European merchants into country
• Created strong bureaucracy

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Safavid society and economy/culture

• SOCIETY

• ECONOMY/CULTURE

• Traditional Social Structure
• Women are forced to wear the veil and live in
  seclusion
• Young boys kidnapped and enslaved (like
  Janissaries)
• Strong emphasis on artisans, engineers and
  merchants

• Main Exports Silk items and Persian rugs
• Government invests money in cultural
  achievements
• Isfahan (capital)
• Architecture (City planning mosques)
• Literature, poetry and music

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Decline of the safavid empire

• Leaders kept in seclusion from the people
• Inept leadership
• Invaded by nomadic tribes in 1722
• Gets caught in the middle of many territorial and
  political battles

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The Mughal Empire

• Zahir al-Din Muhammad (Babur) invaded northern
  India in 1523
• Descendant of Chinggis Khan Conquered Delhi in
  1526
• Controlled empire extending from Afghanistan to
  most of India

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The Mughal Empire

• Mughal Empire expanded under Akbar the Great (r.
  1556-1605)
• Established Mughal (Mongol) Dynasty Ruled with
  absolute power
• Established a centralized government Took
  personal power
• Expanded empire into southern India Tolerant of
  many religions
• Tried to reduce tensions between Hindus and
  Muslims Encouraged Divine Faith which focused
  on the emperor

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The Mughal Empire

• Empire reached peak under Aurangzeb (r.
  1659-1707)
• Expanded Mughal Empire to its greatest extent
• Almost all of India except southern tip
• Did not follow Akbars policy of toleration
• Imposed Islam on empire Destroyed Hindu temples
  Taxed Hindus
• Caused further resentment among Hindus

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Mughal Culture

• Akbars tolerant policies helped unify the
  empire.
• A conflict of cultures led to the end of this
  empire, but resulted in a culture unique to the
  Mughal Empire.
• Cultures that blended in the empire included
  Muslims
• Hindus
• Persians Indians

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Failure of Mughal Dynasty

• After Akbar needed reforms ignored
• Government bureaucracy corrupt
• Army behind in weaponry tactics technology too
  many building projects
• Less religious tolerance Empire becomes too
  large internal rebellions
• Rulers extravagant pleasure seeking

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Similarities and differences between Islamic
gunpowder empires
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WHAT WERE THE SIMILARITIES DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
THE THREE MUSLIM EMPIRES?

• CONTINUITIES
• origins in in Turkic nomadic raiders of Central
  Asia based on military conquest
• effective use of firearms and siege warfare
  Gunpowder Empires
• ruled by a succession of absolute monarchs

OTTOMAN -Anatolia Peninsula, Europe Nth
Africa -religious fervor zeal for
Islamic conversion -Sunni Muslim
SAFAVID -Persia (Iran) -religious fervor
zeal for Islamic conversion -mostly
Muslim -Shiia (Shiite)Muslim
MUGHAL -Northern India -rule pre-dominantly non-Mu
slim population
DIFFERENCES -Sunni/Shiia enmity (hatred) meant
warring over territory persecuting adherents
of rival brand of Islam - leads to varying
religious practices, legal codes social
organization
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Common weaknesses
succession problems imperial central power
weakens failure to adapt Western military
scientific advances rulers better at conquests
than administration rulers too interested in
pleasure seeking too much building peasants not
taken care of-taxes
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culture

• Sponsored arts and public works
• Golden Age of Islamic art, architecture
• Mosques, palaces, schools, hospitals,
  caravanserais
• Istanbul
• Ottoman capital, a bustling city of a million
  people
• Topkapi palace housed government, sultan's
  residence
• Suleyman blended Islamic, Byzantine architecture
• Isfahan
• Safavid capital
• The "queen of Persian cities
• The central mosque is a wonder of architecture
• Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal capital, created by Akbar
• Combined Islamic style with Indian elements
• Site abandoned because of bad water supply
• Taj Mahal, exquisite example of Mughal
  architecture