III. The Mughal Empire ( )
A. Foundations 1.Muslim sultans reigned over largely Hindu population of India 2.founder: Babur ( ) was a descendent of the Mongol ruler Timur (“Mughal” is Persian for “Mongol”) 3.Akbar “the Great” expanded empire to all of India – promoted Hindu-Muslim coexistence (married a Hindu princess) –w ealthy due to cotton trade
B. Military & Politics 1.Mughals lacked a powerful navy 2.used Dutch & English trade ships for military support in exchange for trade privileges 3.rajputs: Hindu princes who held positions of power in Mughal government
Taj Mahal: architectural example of the blending of Hindu and Muslim culture
C. Society & Religion 1.Lower social castes converted to Islam 2.Sikhism: blended Hindu & Muslim beliefs –an “army of the pure” (didn’t cut hair, wore turbans, bracelets, and carried a sword to prove devotion)
D. Decline of “Gunpowder” Empires 1.All three Muslim empires: collapsed due to their inability to adjust to complex changes in military technology & the global economy 2.too much taxation for warfare 3.internal conflict
4.fell behind Europe in invention & sciences 5.European advantages: – ship design, use of cannons on ships – joint-stock companies in new global financial system
IV. Islam in E. Africa & S.E. Asia
A. Swahili Coast 1.“sawahil”: Arabic for coast 2.Swahili: pidgin trade language made up of a mixture of Bantu speakers, Arabic, Persian, Portuguese 3.during 1600s Portuguese lose much of Swahili Coast & Arabian entrepots – keep Mozambique (E. Africa), Goa (India), Macao/Timor (S.E. Asia)
B. East Indies 1.Islam spread rapidly in S.E. Asia in the 1300’s 2.Acheh Sultanate adopts Islam in 1600s - Dutch seize Strait of Malacca from Portugal in Resistance to Portuguese, Spanish, & Dutch by Muslims -“Moros” in the Phillipines -largest Muslim country today: Indonesia
MOROS (Philippines) ACHEH SULTANATE (Malacca)
Thesis Writing Exercise What were the major economic and social similarities and differences between the “Gunpowder” empires?
SIMILARITIESDIFFERENCES Economic: Economic: Social: Social: The Gunpowder Empires (Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals)