Rosa Crespo
Mr. Rodríguez
AP World History
Per. 5
1/24/10
Spain vs. Ottoman
During the early modern times, during 1450 – 1800, the Ottoman Empire and
the Spanish Empire had major advances that profoundly influence their later
developments. In this period for the first time in history a global connection trade was
establish, and had an enormous effect throughout the world. Though Spain and the
Ottoman Empire built their empire by conquering, they develop differently social,
economical, and political structure. Mostly because Spain was a Christian empire and
the Ottoman was n Islam Empire.
In both the Ottoman Empire and Spain ruler had the power to make the decision
they like. Both the Ottoman Empire and Spain political system was highly centralized.
Rulers of the Ottoman Empire, administer their empire, they had absolute control and
power over their realm. Spanish kings assigned viceroys, political rulers in Spain that
answer to the king, to rule in the Spanish territory in the Americas. The Spanish Empire
had grown too big with the rediscovery of the Americas that it was almost impossible to
be controlled by one person. Also the fact that both lands were divided by an ocean,
there was very bad communication among them to lead to the need of viceroys. On
the other hand the Ottoman a large, but connected empire was run by one person.
Spain and the Ottoman Empire were both very religious, but not always deal with other
religions the same way. Ottomans impose taxes for every non-muslim that lived in the
empire called jizya. Spaniards had no religious toleration; by 1478 the Christian king
had formed a Spanish Inquisition to expel every non-Catholic in Spain. The Iberian
Peninsula had been Muslim territory and expelling them was a way to make sure that
they would not be a threat. Whether the Christians in Anatolia were in the Ottoman
army. The Empires made important conquests for their realm. It made the empires
wealthier and with plenty of new resources. Spaniards form colonies in the America
and the Ottomans took over the Byzantine Empire. Both conquests met the up turn for
trade in both empires.
The Ottoman and Spanish societies were deeply influence by their religion and
ancestry. Once they have conquered a place both societies try to covert the people
that were conquered. The Spaniards had some religious orders to convert people, the
Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans. Some of the Ottoman’s troops were a form of
ghazis, which were solders that devoted their lives to Allah. Both the orders and the
religious troops were eager to find new converter for their religion. Women at this time
were still subordinate to men, but there were some exceptions where a woman actually
had some power or freedom. In the Ottoman Empire women of the ruling family could
deeply influence in politics. Spanish women could inherit property. In both the
Ottoman Empire and Spain the lower class women could own businesses if needed. At
this time the intellectual achievement of the Ottoman Empire and Spain wet different
directions. The Ottomans keep their traditional form of Islam art and literature, while in
Spain (all over Europe) there was a re birth of classical culture called Renaissance. In
Europe there were a lot of cultural changes that affected Spain, but the Ottoman
Empire stayed the same.
In the Ottoman Empire and in Spain trade was an important factor to their
economy. The Colombian Exchange deeply affected both empires. In the Ottoman
Empire the population increase due to the new crops introduce from the Americas.
Spain was getting wealthier and its population also had increase. Slave trade had a
huge role in both economies. Spain needed slaves a large quantity of slaves to work in
the sugar plantations in the Americas. The Ottoman Empire had always use slaves.
Technology was something both empires had though several different ways. As Spain
power grew they started to develop new technology, not only weapons but a variety for
different needs. Though the Ottoman Empire only specialize in gunpowder (the
Ottoman Empires one of the Gun Powder Empires).
During 1450 -1800 Spain and the Ottoman Empire saw life from a very different
perspective of how to run political, economical, and social affairs, but also had similar
ideas, trade, patriarchal, and a centralize government. Spain and the Ottoman Empire
different and yet so alike.