ISLAMIC
GUNPOWDER
EMPIRES
DO NOW: RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES
Reasons for Rise
Reasons for fall
AGE OF GUNPOWDER
EMPIRES 1450 – 1800
CHANGED THE BALANCE
OF POWER
This term applies to a number of states, all of which
rapidly expanded during the late 15th and over the entire
16th century. Most significant were Portugal, Spain, the
Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire, and the Mughal
Empire but also included England, France, Tokugawa
(Japan), Romanov Russia, and Ming/Manchu (Qing)
China
THE ISLAMIC EMPIRES 15001800
Three Islamic Empires dominate from southern Europe to
Northern India from 1500-1800
Ottoman Empire (Balkans, Middle East, North Africa, & Eastern
Europe)
Safavid Empire (Persia); Shia Islam
Mughal Empire (Northern India)-had lasting Islamic cultural impact
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
 Religion (of the rulers at least…)
 All three Islamic empires were military creations
 Governing
Autocratic: emperors imposed their will on the
state
Ongoing problems with royal succession
Ottoman rulers legally killed brothers after taking
the throne
 Inf luence of Royal and Upper-Class Women
Harem
Harem politics: women often influenced policies,
selections
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
RISE OF OTTOMAN EMPIRE
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Founded in 1289 by Osman
Later Expand into outer regions of
Byzantine Empire
Successful b/c of gunpowder in
early sieges
Use of Janissar y Corps
Christian troops raised by Ottomans
Were slaves, but paid well
Provided for by Gov – Loyal
Gunpowder weapons
14 th -15 th centuries: Expand into
South Easter n Europe
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1453: Conquer Constantinople
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Under the leadership of Mehmed
II (r. 1451-1481)
 Absolute monarchy; centralized
state
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POLITICS OF THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
 Sultans control politics and
economy
 Promoted religious toleration to
“People of the Books”
 Separate themselves from the
masses
 Sultans will promote cultural
heritage and development
 Architecture
 Coffeehouses
OTTOMAN SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Four Main Social Groups:
Men of the pen
Men of the sword
Men of negotiations
Men of husbandry
 Social Mobility becomes more
rigid over time
 Women had no rights aside
from tradition, class,
husbands’ wishes
THE OTTOMAN MILLET SYSTEM
 Millet System: Different communities based on religion
throughout the empire
 Each millet was headed by its own religious dignitary
 Advised sultan on affairs in the community
 Was punished by sultan for problems of the community
 In the millet system each community was responsible for
 Taxes
 Education
 Legal Matters: Marriage, Divorce, Inheritance
SULEYMAN THE
MAGNIFICENT
 Empire at its height under Suleyman
 Reigned 1520-1566
 Conquered lands in Europe, Asia, Africa
 Syria, modern-day Israel, Egypt
 Hungary, Croatia, Rumania
 Siege of Vienna (Austria) in 1529 failed
 Built powerful navy to rule
Mediterranean
 Encouraged development of arts
 Beautified Constantinople with mosques
 Empire began a slow decline after
Suleyman
WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF
OTTOMAN DECLINE IN THE
17 TH CENTURY?
Reached limits of expansive power
early on
Too large to be maintained
High taxes on peasants
corruption of govt. officials & weak
rulers Rebellions
Declining position of women
ACHIEVEMENTS OF MUSLIM EMPIRES
 Math and Astronomy
 Biology and Medicine
 Indian System (0-9)
 Algebra
 Maps
 Sunrise/sunset times
 Opened body for study
 Hospitals (Free)
 Physics in Chemistry
 Optics
 Alchemy
 Medicine
 Kept records
 Trained physicians
 Medical Encyclopedias
 TOOK GREEK
KNOWLEDGE FORWARD
– RENAISSACNE
SAFAVID PERSIA
(1501-1736)
ORIGINS OF THE SAFAVID EMPIRE
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Founder: Shah Ismail (r.
1501-1524)
Conquers much of
modern-day Iran and
Iraq
Title “Shah” was
originally used by
ancient Persian
dynasties
Shi’a Islam
Religiously intolerant –
forced conversion
Tries to convert Sunni
Muslims in Ottoman
Empire
SHAH ABBAS THE GREAT
(R. 1588-1629)
 Greatest of all Safavid leaders
 Went to war with Ottoman Empire
to regain territories lost in earlier
battles
 Safavids fail at this effort BUT, they
sign a peace treaty with the
Ottomans (1612) and regain some
territory
 Modernized military
 Made Alliances with Europe
 Invited European merchants into
country
 Created strong bureaucracy
SAFAVID SOCIET Y AND
ECONOMY/CULTURE
SOCIET Y
 Traditional Social
Structure
 Women are forced to
wear the veil and live in
seclusion
 Young boys kidnapped
and enslaved (like
Janissaries)
 Strong emphasis on
artisans, engineers and
merchants
ECONOMY/CULTURE
 Main Exports: Silk items
and Persian rugs
 Government invests
money in cultural
achievements
 Isfahan (capital)
 Architecture (City planning;
mosques)
 Literature, poetry and music
DECLINE OF THE SAFAVID EMPIRE
Leaders kept in seclusion from the
people
Inept leadership
Invaded by nomadic tribes in 1722
Gets caught in the middle of many
territorial and political battles
THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
Zahir al-Din Muhammad (Babur) invaded
northern India in 1523
Descendant of Chinggis Khan Conquered
Delhi in 1526
Controlled empire extending from
Afghanistan to most of India
THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
 Mughal Empire expanded under Akbar the Great (r.
1556-1605)
 Established Mughal (“Mongol”) Dynasty Ruled with absolute
power
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Established a centralized government Took personal power
 Expanded empire into southern India Tolerant of many religions
 Tried to reduce tensions between Hindus and Muslims Encouraged
“Divine Faith” which focused on the emperor
THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
Empire reached peak under Aurangzeb (r. 16591707)
Expanded Mughal Empire to its greatest extent
Almost all of India except southern tip
Did not follow Akbar’s policy of toleration
Imposed Islam on empire
Destroyed Hindu
temples Taxed Hindus
Caused further resentment among Hindus
MUGHAL CULTURE
Akbar’s tolerant policies helped unify the
empire.
A conflict of cultures led to the end of this
empire, but resulted in a culture unique to the
Mughal Empire.
Cultures that blended in the empire included
Muslims
Hindus
Persians Indians
FAILURE OF MUGHAL DYNAST Y
 After Akbar needed reforms ignored
 Government bureaucracy corrupt
 Army behind in weaponry & tactics technology too many
building projects
 Less religious tolerance Empire becomes too large
internal rebellions
 Rulers extravagant & pleasure seeking
SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ISLAMIC GUNPOWDER
EMPIRES
W H AT W ER E T H E SIM IL A R ITIES &
D IF F ER EN C ES B ET W EEN T H E T H R EE
MU SLIM EMPIR ES?
CONTINUITIES
- origins in in Turkic nomadic raiders of Central Asia based on military conquest
- effective use of firearms and siege warfare – “Gunpowder Empires”
- ruled by a succession of absolute monarchs
OTTOMAN
-Anatolia Peninsula,
Europe & Nth Africa
-religious fervor &
zeal for Islamic
conversion
-Sunni Muslim
SAFAVID
-Persia (Iran)
-religious fervor & zeal
for Islamic conversion
-mostly Muslim
-Shi’ia (Shiite)Muslim
MUGHAL
-Northern India
-rule pre-dominantly
non-Muslim population
DIFFERENCES
-Sunni/Shi’ia enmity (hatred) meant warring over territory & persecuting
adherents of rival brand of Islam
- leads to varying religious practices, legal codes & social organization
COMMON WEAKNESSES
succession problems
imperial central power weakens
failure to adapt Western military & scientific
advances
rulers better at conquests than administration
rulers too interested in pleasure seeking
too much building
peasants not taken care of-taxes
CULTURE
 Sponsored ar ts and public works
 Golden Age of Islamic art, architecture
 Mosques, palaces, schools, hospitals, caravanserais
 Istanbul
 Ottoman capital, a bustling city of a million people
 Topkapi palace housed government, sultan's residence
 Suleyman blended Islamic, Byzantine architecture
 Isfahan
 Safavid capital
 The "queen of Persian cities“
 The central mosque is a wonder of architecture
 Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal capital, created by Akbar
 Combined Islamic style with Indian elements
 Site abandoned because of bad water supply
 Taj Mahal, exquisite example of Mughal architecture