Glen Chou, Jonathan Li, Catie Kim, Alex Wang

Change Over Time The Ottoman Empire Russia The Ottomans were originally nomadic people in Anatolia who rose to power by conquering Christian territory. They rose in the 1500s under Suleiman the Great’s rule but declined in the early 1700s. Originally, the Ottomans used bows and arrows and cavalry to fight wars, but they slowly made the transition to guns and firearms. The Russians expanded once the princes of Muscovy freed territory of Mongol rule under the Golden Horde. They rose to power in the 1500s under Ivan IV’s rule, but they lasted much longer than the Ottomans. As Peter came to power, they came into conflict with the Ottomans and they tried to liberate the Orthodox Christians from the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire, Europe, and Russia

The Ottoman Empire They were Muslim. They took a warlike approach to Europe and began to conquer many new lands in Europe and subjected them to Ottoman control.

Europe They were Christian. They had small homelands but large overseas empires. Sent Catholic missionaries to convert Native Americans.

Russia They were Orthodox Christians. They approached new peoples and ethnicities with tolerance but still believed that their own culture and ways were superior to others. Large homelands but no overseas empires, unlike Europeans. The tsars encouraged Russian Orthodox Christian missionaries to convert the peoples of Siberia to Orthodox Christianity, like the Europeans encouraged Catholic missionaries. The Russians encouraged the peoples they conquered to learn the Russian language. Russia was noted for absorbing new ideas and styles from western Europe, especially the structure of leadership; however, the European overlays were still mostly superficial in the social lives of the elite.

The Ottomans Originally rode horseback and were lightly armored. Skilled at shooting short bows made of compressed layers of bone, wood, and leather. The conquest of Christian lands in the Balkans opened the Ottomans to new technology from captured European Christian soldiers, who were turned into the Janissaries. The addition of the Janissaries to the Ottoman army allowed the army to be much more flexible in its military operations. Ottomans set up and Observatory in Istanbul and established over 300 centers of learning known as medresses. Attracted students from all over the world

The Ottomans (cont.) Observatory lead advancements in math, astronomy, philosophy, and religious science. Following the destruction of the observatory, discovery in astronomy halted until translations of Copernicus’ heliocentrism were created Learned about handguns and cannons from the Europeans; employed experts to help them manufacture their own weapons Ottoman military strategy and organization was also influenced by Europeans

Europe They went through the Scientific Revolution and became much more knowledgeable about their surroundings. For example, Isaac Newton discovered the laws of gravity. The Europeans had a gunpowder revolution, caused by the advent of firearms. This in turn led to the decline of the cavalry, or horseback-riding soldier.

Russia Peter traveled in disguise across Europe to discover how Europe was so economically successful and studies European ships and weapons Studies resulted in his insight that trade generated money while toleration attracted more people; attempted to reform Russia Peter the Great wanted to equip Russia with modern technology, institutions, and ideas; resulted in heavy borrowing of Western education style (cipher schools, Academy of Science), and other cultural assimilations Built factories and iron and copper foundries to support a military, raise taxes, and increase forced labor

From Europe to Russia Peter the Great traveled Europe in disguise to find out that their success came from trade, toleration, and technology and used this information to modernize his empire and army. Imitated European fashion: clothes and shaved beards. Modeled government after the Prussian government. Reorganized army according to European models

Russia and the Ottomans The Ottomans were enemies of the Russians Peter wanted a warm-water port on the Black Sea; therefore, he created a small, powerful navy that could block and limit the output and input of Ottoman ports. In order to justify his actions, Peter said that his efforts were to liberate Constantinople from the Muslims. Peter also believed that he was the protector of the Orthodox Christians trapped under Ottoman rule.

The Ottomans and Europe The Ottomans interacted with Europe with war. When the Ottoman Empire was still newly formed, they made aggressive military campaigns into Christian Europe, capturing much of the Balkans and conquering as far north as Vienna, Austria. They also got the idea of firearms from the Europeans after capturing Christian soldiers, who were turned into Janissaries. During the Tulip Period between 1718 and 1730, European styles and ways became briefly popular in the Ottoman Empire.

References modernization.htm e_Ottoman_Empire