The Muslim Empires Chapter 21

The Ottomans  After the destruction of the Mongols 1243, another Turkic group moved into the Middle East and took advantage of the chaos.  Seljuk Turks – their empire had collapsed by the time of the Mongols  Anatolia  OSMAN – his dream led him to develop the foundations that became the Ottoman Empire  MEHMED II – “the Conqueror” – took Constantinople in 1453 and ended the Byzantine Empire.  The Ottoman armies moved into the Arab lands as well as into Europe – by 1683, they laid seige to Vienna.

Ottoman – Safavid – Mughal Empires

 Early Ottoman successes were due, in large part, to the cavalry – where they were granted tracts of land and the labor of peasants as rewards. They were at times seen as possible threats to the power of the sultans.  Janissaries – by the mid 1400s, the power of the Ottoman may be seen as coming from their infantry divisions – Janissaries. Young boys were taken and forced into military service – with that came an education and many converted ti Islam.  As the use of firearms and artillery developed – the power of the Janissaries increased.

Sultans and Their Courts  In theory the sultans were absolute in their power – but in reality, the sultans maintained their power by manipulating the various aspects of the military, religious scholars, and legal experts into compeating with themselves.  Trade within the empire was often controlled by dhimmis.  Many of the people conquered by the Ottomans initially were pleased by the tax relief and efficiency of the Ottoman bureacracy.  Ottoman sultans grew distant from their people as they lived in isolated lives of luxury and extravagence.  VIZIER – head of the imperial bureaucracy

Suleyman I  SULEYMAN the Lawgiver – Ottoman sultan r  Codified Ottoman law  Developed infrastructure of the Ottoman Empire: schools, hospitals, roads, mosques, etc.  1529 – pushed his empire as far as Vienna, Austria – besieging the city. His failure to take Vienna marked the highpoint of Ottoman land growth.

Ottoman Society  Hagia Sophia – turned into a mosque  Used Byzantine technology to reinvigorate the ancient aqueduct and irrigation system – all leading to increased farm production and better urban conditions  TRADE  Coffee houses  Languages – Arabic but the rise of Turkish over Persian

The Battle of Lepanto and Ottoman Decline

Safavid Empire  In the chaos after the Mongols and rivalry among Turkish groups, the Safavids rose to power as frontier warriors who pursued a militant form of Islam. SHI’A  Sail al-Din – Sufi mystic and preacher who began a campaign to purify Islam and spread Islam among the Turks.  Red Heads – Safavid followers – promoted Shi’a and developed enemies  Isma’il – led Turkic followers to victory and was proclaimed SHAH in 1501.

Battle of Chaldiran 1514  The Safavids consoldiated power in Persia and were poised as a threat to the Ottoman Empire.  In August 1515, the Sunni Ottomans battled the Shi’a Safavids.  The Safavids were defeated and the Shi’a pish west was halted – BUT the Ottomans were unable to take advantage of the victory and bring down the Safavid Empire.

Politics and War Under the Safavid Shahs  Ozbeg – nomadic Turkic people often at odds with the Safavids  Isfahan and Tahmasp I were successors to Isma’il – they maintained power by balancing the demands of Turkish leaders (who were granted areas of local control) with the Persians who were used to run the imperial bureacracy. Armies of slave boys were developed – similar to the Janissaries.  Shah Abbas I – Abbas the Great – developed stronger Russian boy slave armies – contact with European technology – firearms.

State and Religion  Padishah – “king of kings”  Imams – Safavids claimed descent from one of the Shi’a imams or successors of Ali  Mullahs – local mosque officials and prayer leaders who were supported by the state – more Persian than Arab.  Sunnis, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians were pressured to convert to Shi’a Islam – even today, Iranian identity is linked to Shi’a Islam.

Decline of the Safavids  Safavid Empire did not last as long as its opulence may have led one to expect.  Abbas feared his own family and murdered or blinded most of them – he was succeeded by a weak grandson who what thought to be easily manipulated by his advisors.  Able shahs were few – most were isolated in luxury and easily controlled.  1722 – the capital of ISFAHAN was seiged by Afghanis - +80,000 dead.  Nadir Khan Afshar – soldier took power briefly and claimed Safavid descent – but the empire was divided and for years was a trarget for its neighbors and nomad invaders.

The Mughal Empire  Founder of the Mughal Empire - Babur – part Turkic and Mongol, Babur moved into India in order to claim an empire – NOT because of religious motivation.  Bengal  Deccan  Punjab  Rajput  Kashmir

AKBAR  Humayan – son and succesor of Babur – he assume dpower in 1530 – large empire but it needed bureacratic reform. Humayan was ousted by a brother who used Afghani and Rajput forces. Humayan lived with the Safavids until he was able to reclaim the capital of Delhi – then books killed him.  Akbar – son of Humayan  Din-i-Ilahi – new faith of Islam and Hinduism.

Mughal and European Contacts  Aurangzeb – son of Shah Jahan  TRADE  Cotton  Textiles

Shah Jahan  One of the most famous Mughal rulers was the Shah Jahan.  IN 1631, his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their fourteenth child.  The despondent Shah Jahan had a tomb built for his wife which is still considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world – the Taj Mahal.

Sikh Golden Shrine – Amritsar, India – the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion

Sikhism  Sikhism is a religion that originated in Punjab – an area in India and Pakistan.  Belief in one supreme god  Gurus – religious philosophers and teachers  Sikh is to: mediate, work diligently and to share one’s creations  Male Sikhs have the name SINGH somewhere in their name.  Male Sikhs are recognized by their turbans

 Sikhs traditionally wear:  Uncut hair  Wooden combs  Special underwear  Iron bracelets  Swords  ***all designed to show honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on God, and never bowing to tyranny.