Period 4 Gunpowder Islamic Empires - Weebly

Islamic Land-Based EmpiresStudy the new Islamic Empiresthat developed in the Middle Eastand India

Empires: Land-based and SeabasedSea-based empires as one major theme but alsotraditional land-based empires that continued todominate the Middle East and Asia (and a newland-based empire; Russia) Land-based empires continued to rely on armies, roads,and inland urban areas Both sea-based and land-based powers made use of guns,cannons, and musketsThe era after 1450 is commonly called the Age ofGunpowder empires due to the use of guns tosubjugate enemies and build control

Ottoman, Safavid, and the Mughal EmpiresIslamicRepresent the height ofMuslim political and militarypower in world historyCountered the growingEuropean global influenceAll three on decline by 1750;sea-based powers were stillon the rise

The Ottoman EmpireBegan as small warriorstate in a frontier inlandarea Named for Osman Peak during the 16th c(lasted until 1922)Ottomans successfullyconquered territory ineastern Europe,stopped at the gates ofVienna

The Rise of the OttomansAnatolia a stage for conflict HittitesAlexander the GreatRomansSeljuk TurksCrusadersMongolsOsman’s group came to dominateCaptured Constantinople; renamed IstanbulHagia Sophia became a mosqueReached its height under Suleiman theMagnificent Conquered BelgradeLaid siege to Vienna – winter made it difficult/retreatedTurning point in history?Controlled the water traffic between the Black andMediterranean Seas Venice as a tributary state Ottoman army continued to expand and defend frontiers

Ottoman EmpirePolitical CharacteristicsSultans political and military leadersEarly days Army elites cavalry leaders; land grants as rewards 16th C develop into warrior aristocracy Great deal of control over land and food productionNew elite military group, Janissaries, checked their power System known as devshirme required Christian boys to becomeslaves of sultan Given guns and heavy artillery (too heavy for cavalry) Came to control the weapons that ensured the Ottomanscontinuing military success Gave them political and economic power Old aristocrats found themselves out of military power just aseconomic weaknesses greatly reduced incomes from their lands Janissaries had a say in the sultan’s decisions by the mid-16th c

Ottoman EmpirePolitical Characteristics (cont)Ottoman sultans largebureaucracies centered inIstanbulVizier – head of imperialadministration (day to day work) Early sultans took active part; overtime viziers gained power Power challenge by Janissaries,fading cavalry leaders, and Islamicreligious scholarsOttomans plagued by problemsof succession Common for sons to go to war witheach other

Ottoman EmpireEconomic ChallengesIstanbul WealthyCosmopolitanControlled trade routesPrimary seaportBazaarsEconomic decline set in by the mid 17th c Empire probably reached the limits of expansionEmpire too large to be maintained Corruption among local governmentsHigh taxes for peasants Peasants revoltsSuccession issues –sons of sultans held as hostages to prevent coups Led to sheltered, pleasure loving less competent rulersDemands by Janissaries not only for political power but also for highsalaries Sultan began to reduce number of landholding cavalrymen, causing unrest amongdisplaced cavalrymen

Ottoman EmpireEconomic Challenges (cont)Inflation caused by increasingamount of New World silver –negative global effectOttoman sultan collected taxesaccording to legally fixed rates as value of silver declined, taxrevenues stayed the sameOttomans were at a disadvantagewhen trading in the world market Religious law limited the governmentability to reform tax laws When bureaucrats came up withspecial surtaxes, met with resistance

Ottoman EmpireCultural and Social CharacteristicsMajority Sunni As a result of expansion; large numbers ofChristians and JewsIstanbul cosmopolitan Crossroads of trade Sultans supported public worksInvited religious scholars, artists, poets,and architects Hagia Sophia restored as a mosque Aqueducts built City walls repairedSuleymaniye Mosque with impressivedomesSocial structure Large numbers of merchants and artisans Artisans organized into guilds Standards high; supervised by the government

Ottoman EmpireCultural and Social Characteristics (cont)Clerics influence apparent in successinsulating the empire from new culturaland technological developments inEurope Saw European societies as backwards andown civilization as superiorThis idea kept them fromunderstanding the tremendouschanges Europe was bringing to theworld Printing press brought by Jews after beingexpelled from Spain; not allowed to printanything in Turkish or Arabic As a result, the empire virtually untouchedby the print revolution

Ottoman EmpireCultural and Social Characteristics (cont)Changing balance of powerbest illustrated by the loss ofthe “Ottoman Lake” Famous sea battle at Lepanto Ottoman loss to Philip II ofSpain Rebuilt fleet but never regainedcontrol of the MediterraneanAlso lost power asPortuguese gained controlover the lucrative trade inIndian Ocean

Safavid EmpireGrew from Turkish nomadicgroup (similar to Ottomans)Shi’ite True heirs of Islam were thedescendants of Ali 12th descendant disappeared as achild; the Hidden ImamIsmail led army who united largearea south of the Caspian Sea Declared the official religion to beTwelver Shi’ism based on thelegacy of the Hidden Imam

Safavid Empire (cont)As Safavids expanded they came into conflictwith OttomansHostilities intensified by Shi’ite Sunni splitMet at Chaldiran in NW Persia Religious conflict at the heart Illustrated the importance of the new gunpowdertechnology Ismail sent cavalry – qizilbash (redhead for distinctiveturbans) armed with sword and knives to fightJanissaries with their cannons and musketsSafavids slaughtered, Ottomans won decisivevictory but didn’t follow up due to approachingwinterSafavids recovered, built up artillery, andcontinued to fight Ottomans for two centuriesBattle at Chaldiran a marker event Set the limits for Shi’ite expansion with consequencesstill apparent today Iran is in the midst of predominantly Sunni countriesconflicts continue

Safavid Empire (cont)Shah Abbas I – Safavids at peak Captures boys in Russia and educatedto be soldiers; converted to Islam(similar to Janissaries) Slave infantrymen trained to use firearms Gave increasing power at the expense ofthe traditional qizilbashAbbas brought in European advisorsto assist in wars with Ottomans Improved cannons and musket Army swelled in size and efficiency, butno Safavid navy built to compete with thesea-based trade that was transformingthe world

Safavid EmpirePolitics and ReligionSafavid rulers based authority on military prowess and religiousauthority Traced authority to Sufi religious order Expansion seen as extension of Islam to new landsSaw the Europeans as infidels Also believe that defeating the Sunni was an act of faithPersian traditions shaped by Safavid political system Sumptuous palaces Highly ritualized courtLocal mosque officials, mullahs, supervised and supported by state Gave government the upper hand

Safavid EmpireEconomic and Social OrganizationTurkish chiefs challengedearly shahs Chiefs graduallytransformed into warrior elite(similar to cavalry elite inOttoman Empire) Supervised farms, assertedpolitical power, capturedpowerful positions in theimperial bureaucracyShahs appointed Persiansto fill other bureaucraticpositions Gave authority to slaveinfantrymen

Safavid EmpireEconomic and Social Organization (cont)Shahs supported tradeIsfahan (capital) major center ofinternational trade Network of road and workshops tomanufacture textiles and rugs Inland – not as many traders as Istanbul(why?) Guilds Silk production Carpets – signature businessAlso negatively impacted byinflation caused by flood of silverEconomicNot cosmopolitanArmenians kept insuburbs acrossriver; most peoplein city were Shi'iteMajority of peoplelived in rural areas,farmingNomadic groupsSocial

Safavid EmpireCultural CharacteristicsMixture of Turkish and Persian Iranians scholars more likely to use Persian In other Islamic lands more likely to read and writein ArabicCultural traditions like poetry, history,drama, and fiction kept Persian identifystrong Gradually separate identities seen by the timethe Mongols invaded When Ismail created Iran as a Shi’ite statereinforced differencesArchitecture Mosques in Islamic world relied on domes Safavid domes decorated in brightly colored floralpatterns that resemble Persian carpets Istanbul known for massive simplicityCalligraphy styles also different

Safavid EmpireCultural Characteristics (cont)Blended Sufi mysticism with militantpolitical objectivesSafavids traced ancestry to Safi al-Din,leader of Sufi religious order in NWPersia; empire founded on Sufi beliefsIsmail deployed armies to spreadShi’ism w/an emphasis on mystic unionw/God Later Safavid shahs banned Sufi ordersfrom the empire but Sufism continued tothriveLike the Ottomans, Safavids graduallylost vigor Collapsed in the 1720s Victim of Islamic infighting Ever-growing dominance of sea-basedpowers

Mughal Empire1450 – much of Indiansubcontinent tenuouslycontrolled by the DelhiSultanate Muslim leaders presided over apopulation that remainedprimarily Hindu – religiousfrictions (continues today)1523 Babur founded MughalEmpire Descendent of Timur andGenghis KhanDominated until the early1700s (continued to rule inname until 1858)

Mughal Empire (cont)Babur’s invasion motivated by Loss of ancestral homelandthrough intertribal warfare Dreams of living up to reputationof ancestorsMilitary strategies responsiblefor success in capturing Delhi Family’s control challenged afterhis death but son Humayanrecaptured northern India andexpanded the empireThe empire reached its heightin power and influence underBabur’s grandson Akbar

Mughal EmpirePolitical CharacteristicsAutocratic (like Ottoman and Safavid) Power based on military might and religious authority No navy (like Safavids), relied on armyFought the infidels (the Hindu) spreading Islam Some more tolerant (Akbar)Succession issues (like Ottomans and Safavids); Mughal princesfought each other to become heir Political instabilities caused by family controversies always threatenedthe empire

Mughal EmpirePolitical Characteristics (cont)Akbar incorporated rajas (regional Hinduleaders) into military and bureaucraticpositions to alleviate tensions Policy of cooperation and encouragedintermarriage Abolished jizra Ended ban on the building of new Hindutemples Ordered Muslims to respect cows Built strong bureaucracy modeled on a militaryhierarchy for collecting taxesEach region surveyed and tax rates basedon the regions potential for wealthMost local officials (usually Hindu) keptpositions if swore allegiance to Mughalsand paid taxes Reforms encouraged cooperation; greatgrandson Aurangzeb reinstituted manyrestrictions on the Hindus

Mughal EmpireEconomic and Social CharacteristicsLand revenue granted to military andgovernment officials in exchange forservice (also in the Ottoman and Safavid) Grew wealthyAs Mughal empire expanded, controlledcommercial networks based on cotton,indigo, and silk By 17th c overland trade with Europe goingstrongIndian merchant ships were privatelyowned; many Indian goods carried intothe Indian Ocean trade circuit were onDutch and English vessels Europeans brought trade goods fromthroughout Asia to trade for Indian cotton clothand clothing due to growing demand inEurope

Mughal EmpireEconomic and Social Characteristics (cont)Patriarchal (same as Ottoman and Safavid)Wives of rulers played key roles in all three empires Suleiman the Magnificent’s wife convinced him to execute his eldestson so her son could succeed to the throne (Ottoman) One Safavid ruler’s wife so enraged the qizilbash that theymurdered her Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal Shah Jahan also amassed power.Taj Mahal built for her but plans for a black marble monumentended when Shah was imprisoned by his sons in a struggle forsuccession