The Muslim “Gunpowder” Empires Chapter 19

Geography The Ottoman Empire began in the Middle East The Ottoman Empire expanded from where the Muslim Empire began (the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia) It continued to spread to cover parts of North Africa, the Balkans, and Europe. Included areas such as Turkey, Persia, India, and China

Three “Gunpowder” Empires There were three gunpowder empires- Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Similarities: All of them were Muslim Formed by conquerors Mastered modern warfare (firearms) Rose at the same time

Absolutism The Ottoman Empire began with the decline of feudalism, the spirit of the Renaissance, the European encounter with the Americas, the Reformation, and the Commercial Revolution Ottomans, like the monarchs that were ruling Europe, used gunpowder and large armies to take over their land.

The Ottoman Empire (1300-1700) Ottoman Empire is named after Osman- a Turkish sultan whose military won in 1301. Osman’s army took over the land of modern day Turkey Ottoman Empire expanded in the 1400s and 1500s to include Southeast Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa; all with Muslim influences.

Here Come the Ottomans! By the 1400s, the Byzantine Empire was in decline Faced a growing threat from the Ottomans Ottomans: nomadic, Turkish speaking group These people migrated from Central Asia and Asia Minor

Here Come the Ottomans! Ottomans began moving and threatening the Byzantine Empire Ottomans defeated the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo (1389) 1390: Ottomans annexed Bulgaria Ottomans controlled the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits

Siege of Constantinople 1453: Ottomans took over the Byzantine capital of Constantinople The siege was led by Mehmed II: “the Conqueror” April 6, 1453- bombarded Constantinople with massive cannons Once the Byzantine Empire died, the Ottomans took over

Rise of Istanbul Mehmet changed the name to Istanbul Made the once Christian city a major city of the Ottoman Muslim Empire Rebuilt the Ottoman Empire Built universities, mosques, and schools

Rise of Istanbul Madrases- religious schools; major attraction for immigrant scholars Hagia Sophia- Justinian’s church that was turned into a mosque Istanbul- one of the world’s largest cities at the time with 700,000 people

Expansion of the Ottoman Empire Sultan Selim I- Conquered Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Arabia Holy cities: Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina Also expanded into southern Europe- Balkans and Russia Suleyman I- took over Hungary At the peak of the Ottoman Empire, it covered three continents- Europe, Middle East, and North Africa

Reasons for Ottoman Success New military technology Cannons- used to take down Constantinople’s walls Well equipped foot soldiers Increased battlefield effectiveness

Three Groups that Sustained the Invasions Gazis: Warrior “war leader” of Islam Warriors inspired by Islam to conquer territories and bring them to Dar al-Islam Government hospital to Islam Sufis: Member of a religious order Often come with troops to spread Islam Janissaries: Elite Ottoman foot soldiers Slaves to Captured Christians forced to convert

Life Under Ottoman Rule Imperial Sultans Sultans “hold power” Military and political head of state under the Seljuk Turks Became isolated from his people Hereditary- not always the first son though Private domain- harem- “sacred place” Topkapi Palace- “iron gate”- center of sultan’s power

Ulema Group of religious scholars Sunni Muslims Sultans claimed the “caliph” since 1500s Theory: sultan is responsible for guiding and maintaining Islamic law Religious practices: sultan was given responsibility from a group a religious advisers

Grand Vizier Ottoman sultan’s chief minister who carried out the main burdens of the state and led council meetings Did the typical day to day governing Council was needed to control the large bureaucracy Met 4 days a week

Pashas Bureaucrats The Ottoman Empire was governed by provinces and districts Pasha- an appointed official of the empire who collected taxes, maintained law and order, and was directly responsible to the sultan’s court

A Diverse Society Social classes: Men of the pen- highly educated people: scientists, lawyers, judges Men of the sword- military Men of Negotiation- businesspeople: bankers, tax collectors, artisans **Top two classes were made up entirely of Muslims

Millets Non-Muslims communities Each Miller was allowed to maintain its own religious traditions and educate its people Had to obey Ottoman law Paid tax Devshirme system- Christians who converted to Islam were offered positions in the military and bureaucracy

Ottoman Achievements Ottoman Empire absorbed the influenced of the Byzantine Empire Had Greco-Roman and Middle East influences Justinian: introduced silk cultivation Ottomans: silk for courts, wool rugs

Sultan Suleyman’s Golden Age Called the “Magnificent” by the Europeans Suleyman was a military leader Had absolute power Strengthened the government Based his government on Sharia

Decline of the Ottoman Empire Internal Disorder Nationalism and internal rebellions Government corruption and poor leadership Constant wars Government positions were given based on relation not based on merit Increased taxes Wars were costly

Ottoman Decline European Advances Europeans had better military technology Battle of Lepanto- Spanish and Italian forces defeated the Ottomans (1571) European economy was stronger than the Ottoman Empire’s Ottoman’s did not industrialize Fell behind economically

The Safavid Empire

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty Esma ‘il the Founder Began in the 1500s: new dynasty that took control after years of chaos 1501: Took over control of present day Iran and Iraq Ema ‘il called himself the shah (king)of the Persian state He was a descendant of Safial-Din Safi al-Din was a militant religious teacher

Shah Esma ‘il Devote Shiite Muslim Aggressive, militant, and intolerant Shia Muslims believe in the successors of Muhammad Made conversion to the Shia faith mandatory Declared it the state religion Ordered the massacre of Sunni Muslims in 1508

Tension between the Ottomans and Safavids Ottoman Empire was tolerant; Safavids were not Ottoman rulers tried to stop Safavid leaders from forcing civilians to convert This led to tension between Ottomans and the Safavids