The Muslim Empires (1450-1800) Ch. 19

Ottoman, Safavid, and Mogul (Mughal) Empires

Lesson 1: The Rise & Expansion of the Ottoman Empire Rise of the Ottoman Turks In late 13th century a Turkish leader named Osman began to build power Expanded and built a strong military, used firearms Janissaries- a soldier in the elite guard of the Ottoman Turks; children taken from enslaved Christian populations and converted Fall of the Byzantine Empire Ottomans moved into Byzantine territory Took control of Constantinople in 1453, end of Byzantine (eastern Roman) Empire Renamed Constantinople  Istanbul Ottomans now controlled trade routes This is why Europeans began exploration  to find new trade routes to Asia

Life Under Ottoman Rule Expansion of the Ottoman Empire Moved further into Eastern Europe Controlled most of Hungary before they were pushed out in 17th century Life Under Ottoman Rule Imperial Sultans Political and military leader of Ottoman empire was the Sultan Position of sultan was hereditary  sons struggled for power, violence ensued Ottoman government was a bureaucracy Grand Vizier- chief minister who led council meetings Empire was divided into provinces and districts governed by officials Pashas- Responsible for collecting taxes and providing armies for the empire

Ottoman Society Sunni Muslim Ulema- religious advisors to the Sultan; administered legal system and schools for educating Muslims Very tolerant of non-Muslims Non-Muslims could practice their own religion if they paid a tax Significant Christian minority, especially in eastern Europe Subjects were divided by occupation Peasants- farmed land leased to them by the gov’t Artisans- organized into craft guilds, which provided for its members Merchants- mostly exempt from taxes and gov’t regulations; wealthiest Nomadic herders

Architecture and the Arts Women’s rights Allowed to own and inherit property Could not be forced into marriage, could sometimes seek divorce A few women served as senior gov’t officials Architecture and the Arts Sultans were major patrons of the arts Architecture blended Turkish and Byzantine cultures Beautiful mosques Textiles and rugs Silk weaving was brought to the west by the Byzantines

Lesson 2: The Ottomans and the Safavids Problems in the Ottoman Empire Ottomans reached their height under Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) Doubled the size of the empire Regulated laws and made sure they were properly enforced Executed two of his own sons on suspicion of treason His only surviving son, Selim II (the Drunken Sultan) was his only remaining heir After Suleiman, Ottoman sultans began to allow advisors and ministers to have more power As time went by, these elites took more and more power away from the Sultan Corruption, increased taxes, and constant wars weakened the empire

The Safavid Empire Shah Esmail seized much of Iran and Iraq in 1501 Ottoman economy declines European culture began to influence the Ottoman culture Clothing and art Coffee and tobacco Some Ottoman sultans unsuccessfully fought against westernization Ottomans didn’t invest in manufacturing their own goods As Ottomans bought more European goods, the balance of trade declined The Safavid Empire Shah Esmail seized much of Iran and Iraq in 1501 Declared himself the shah, or king, of a new Persian state Began conquering parts of the Ottoman Empire

Safavids reached their peak under Shah Abbas Most Muslims at this time were Sunni, but Esmail and his people were Shi’ah Safavids used Shi’ah Islam as a unifying force throughout their growing empire Forced majority Sunni population to convert, many refused and were killed or exiled Safavids reached their peak under Shah Abbas Modeled gov’t somewhat after the Ottomans Strong military with new weapons Declined after the death of Abbas, collapsed in 1700s Intellectual freedom gave way to religious orthodoxy Women were forced into seclusion and required to wear a veil Treatment of non-Muslims got worse Ottomans began to take over Safavid territory

Life Under the Safavids Culture combined Persian and Turkish elements Very active in trade Not as prosperous as surrounding empires Surrounded by Ottoman and Mogul Empires Safavids had difficulty trading with Europe Science, medicine, mathematics, and art flourished

Lesson 3: The Mogul Empire The Mogul Dynasty (Also known as Mughal) In the 1500s India was divided into many small Hindu and Muslim kingdoms Babur Founded the Mogul dynasty Descendant of Genghis Khan & Timur, Mongol leaders Inherited small empire that he expanded throughout India Akbar the Great Akbar took the Mogul throne at 14 Grandson of Babur Came to control most of India Born a Muslim, but showed great tolerance to Hindus Trade and manufacturing flourished due to a long period of peace and political stability After Akbar’s death the Mogul empire began to decline

Shah Jahan took power Grandson of Akbar Inherited a nearly empty treasury from his father Used military to expand borders of empire Spent lavishly on building projects Taj Mahal was a tomb for his late wife Had to raise taxes, which put more strain on peasants Jahan fell ill and his sons fought for power

Aurangzeb crowned himself emperor in 1658 Killed his brother and imprisoned Jahan Considered a controversial ruler Mogul empire reached its greatest size under Aurangzeb Constant warfare and religious intolerance made his subjects resentful Aurangzeb was a devout Muslim and not as tolerant as his forefathers Tried to outlaw drinking and gambling Prohibited building of new Hindu temples Tried to force Hindus to convert to Islam Led to many revolts against the imperial government After Aurangzeb there was a series of weak rulers that never stayed in power long

Life in Mogul India Moguls were Muslims ruling a largely Hindu population Architecture and art flourished Blended Persian and Indian styles

The Development of Sikhism During the reign of Babur, a guru (spiritual leader) named Nanak received a vision Everyone is a child of God and all faiths are different paths toward the same Creator Guru Nanak traveled and preached a monotheistic message God loves everyone One can find unity with God through humanity, meditation, and labor Rejected discrimination based on caste system, race, religion, or gender Sikhs initially experienced hostility and persecution from Mogul officials Today Sikhism is the world’s 5th largest religion

Europeans Come to India The arrival of the British hastened the decline of the Mogul Empire British came to India seeking cotton French also established a trading presence, but were driven out by the British War broke out between British and Mogul armies British defeated an army of more than ten times its size Mogul Empire was forced to give East India Company the power to collect taxes in India East India Company- a British trading company partially controlled by the government that had its own army British arrogance and incompetence angered and alienated the people of India Indians were taxed heavily British merchants and officials became extremely wealthy