Chapter 15
• The Muslim Empires
1450 - 1800

Section One
The Ottoman Empire

Rise of the Ottoman Turks
• Built power in the northwest corner of the Anatolian
Peninsula
• Expanded westward into the
Balkans
• Claimed the title of sultan and built a strong military

Rise of the Ottoman Turks
• Janissaries an elite military guard, converted to Islam and trained as foot soldiers or administrators to serve the sultan
• Elite military guard & mastery of firearms

Expansion of the Empire
•The Ottoman empire expanded into Western Asia, North Africa and additional lands in Europe

The Fall of Constantinople
• Mehmet II, leader of the
Ottomans
• His forces laid siege to
Constantinople
• May 29, 1453 the Ottoman’s breached the walls of the city
• Sacked the city for three days

Western Asia & Africa
• Istanbul the new name for
Constantinople
• Sultan Selim I leader to the
Ottoman Turks between 1514 &
1517
• Took control of Mesopotamia,
Egypt & Arabia

Western Asia & Africa
• Jerusalem, Makkah & Madinah, holy cities of Islam
• Pashas, central government appointed officials who collected taxes, maintained law & order & were directly responsible to the
Sultan’s court in Constantinople

Europe
• Ottomans conquest of Europe was stopped by the Hungarians at the Danube Valley
• Turks were defeated in Vienna,
Austria in 1529
• Ottoman fleet was destroyed by the Spanish at Lepanto in 1571

Europe
• Conquered territories administered through local rulers

The Nature of Ottoman Rule
• “gunpowder empire” conquerors who unified the regions largely based on its mastery of the technology of firearms
• Sultan, head of the Ottoman system, was the supreme authority in both a political and a military sense

The Nature of Ottoman Rule
• Harem, private domain of the sultan, “sacred place”, place were his wives resided
• grand vizier, a chief minister, led the meetings of the council

Religion in the Ottoman World
• Sunni Muslims
• Ottoman sultans had claimed the title of caliph
• Ulema, group of religious advisers that administered the legal system & schools for educating Muslims

Religion in the Ottoman World
• Islamic law and customs were applied to all Muslims in the empire
• Generally tolerant of non-
Muslims

Ottoman Society
• Divided by occupation
• Four main occupational groups
• Peasants, artisans, merchants & pastoral peoples
• Women subject to restrictions, but their position was somewhat better
(inherit property, seek divorce)

Problems in the Ottoman Empire
• Empire began to lose some of its territory
• Sultans became less involved in government
• Training of officials declined
• Local officials grew corrupt & taxes rose

Problems in the Ottoman Empire
• Constant wars depleted the imperial treasury
• Corruption and palace intrigue grew
• Exchange of Western & Ottoman ideas and customs

Ottoman Art
• Flourishing production of pottery, rugs, silk & other textiles; jewelry & arms & armor
• Greatest contribution was in architecture
• Sinan, architect, built 81 mosques
• Modeled after Hagia Sophia

http://www.byzantines.net/epiphany/images/hagiasophialast.jpg

Ottoman Art
• Flourishing of textiles & rugs
• Factories produced silks for walls hangings, sofa covers & court costumes

http://www.ne-rugsociety.org/collectors-eye-images/catalogue-4.jpg

Section Two:
The Rule of the Safavids

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty
• *Safavids lived in Persia into
Central Asia
• *Ardent Shiite Muslims
• Sunnis & Shiites were the two major groups in the Islamic religion
• *Shah Ismail founder of the
Safavid Dynasty

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty
• *Shah, king of the Persian state
• *Shah Ismail ordered the massacre of Sunni Muslims when he conquered Baghdad in 1508
• Selim I, the Ottoman sultan defeated the Safavids at a major battle near Tabriz

Rise of the Safavid Dynasty
• Used the Shiite faith as a unifying force
• Shah claimed to be the spiritual leader of all Islam
• Capital moved from Tabriz to
Isfahan

Glory & Decline
• *Shah Abbas ruled the Safavids from 1588 to 1629
• Strengthened his army
• Fought the Ottomans over lost land
• 1612, signed a peace treaty

Glory & Decline
• *Orthodoxy, traditional religious beliefs
• *Persian women played a major role in society, but also forced into seclusion.

Glory & Decline
• Afghan peoples invaded & seized the capital of Isfahan
• Turks took advantage of the situation to seize territories along the western border
• Persia sank into a long period of
*anarchy (lawlessness and disorder)

Political & Social Structures
• Persia under the Safavids was a mixed society
• *Safavids ruled, but a majority of the people were Persian
• *Political system organized in the shape of a pyramid
• *Government appointments based on merit rather than birth

The Role of the Shah
• Safavid rulers were eagerly supported by Shiites, who believed that the founder of the empire (Shah Ismail) was a direct successor of the prophet
Muhammad

Economy & Trade
• Trade & manufacturing activity
• Horse or camel caravans
• Resting places for travelers & roads clear of thieves & bandits
• Found trade with Europe difficult

Safavid Culture
• Science, medicine & mathematics
• *Planned city with wide spaces and a sense of order
• Palaces, mosques & bazaars

Safavid Culture
• *Imaginative metalwork, elaborate tiles & delicate glass vessels
• *Silk weaving
• *Carpet weaving, Persian carpets
• Riza-I-Abbasi, Persian painter

religious, political, and economic leader
Shah Ismail Shah Abbas

Section Three:
The Grandeur of the Moguls

The Mogul Dynasty
• Located on the Indian subcontinent
• *Hindu & Muslim kingdoms
• *Babur founder of the Mogul dynasty
• Forces used advanced weapons, including heavy artillery

The Mogul Dynasty
• *Babur captured Delhi & established his power in the plains of North India

The Fortress of Gwalior in India greatly impressed Babur

The Reign of Akbar
• Akbar, Babur grandson used
*heavy artillery
• Was a successful negotiator
• Highly centralized government
• Semi-independent states
• Known for his humane character

The Reign of Akbar
• *Religious tolerance
• Interested in other religions & tolerated Hindu practices
• Tolerant in his administration of government
• *Zamindars, local officials who kept a portion of the taxes paid by peasants in lieu of a salary

The Reign of Akbar
• Exported textiles, tropical food products, spices and precious stones

Decline of the Moguls
• Shah Jahan leader of the Moguls between 1628 & 1658
• Expanded the boundaries of the empire
• Failed to deal with growing domestic problems
• Inherited a nearly empty treasury

Shah Jahan http://www.islamicart.com/library/empires/india/images/shahjahan.gif

Decline of the Moguls
• Shah Jahan’s military campaigns
& expensive building projects put a heavy strain on the imperial finances & compelled him to raise taxes
• Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan’s son, controversial Mogul ruler

Decline of the Moguls
• Aurangzeb, attempted to eliminate India’s social evils
• Forbade sutte & levying of illegal taxes
• Suttee, cremating a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre
• Reversed religious tolerance

The British in India
• Established trading forts by
1650
• British ships carried Indianmade cotton goods to East
Indies, where they were traded for spices
• Attracted rivals in the French

The British in India
• Sir Robert Clive, chief representative for the East India
Company’s power in India
• Fought the French, imprisoned in the “Black Hole of Calcutta” and underground prison
• 1757, defeated the Mogul-led army

The British in India
• Collected taxes from lands in the area surrounding Calcutta
• Offended both their Indian allies and the local population, who were taxed heavily to meet the expenses of the East India
Company

Society & Daily Life in Mogul India
• Blending of Hindu and Muslim influences
• Women played an active role
• Fought in battle, owned land & took part in business
• Hindu practices remained unchanged by Mogul rule

Mogul Culture
• Brought Persian & Indian influences together
• Symbolized by the Taj Mahal
• Built in memory of his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal

•Mumtaz Mahal http://www.exoticindianart.com/artimages/mb77.jpg

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/india/taj3.jpg

Mogul Culture
• “Akbar style” combined Persian with Indian motifs
• Used perspective and lifelike portraits