[DIDN’T DO ENTIRE]
The Muslim “Gunpowder” Empires: Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal
Study Guide
1. The Ottoman Empire: continuing ideas of earlier Muslim civilizations, the Byzantine
Empire, and new levels of achievement in warfare, architecture, and engineering.
2. How did the Safavid Empire create a distinct form of Islamic identity?
3. How did the Mughal Dynasty blend the Islamic and Hindu civilizations to create a
distinctive civilization?
4. How successful were Akbar’s social and political reforms?
5. Directly compare the achievement (think PRIMES) of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal
Empires.
Ottoman
Safavid
Mughal
P
-sultan was absolute
-vizier helped him (completely loyal to
sultan)
-succession crisis due to polygamy
-relied on: 1. warrior aristocracy (Turks)
2. Janissaires (Christians)
*hard to administer and keep records
-shah: warrior aristocracy
Persians were conquered-> worked for
gov’t
Russians (Christian) kidnapped-> army or
gov’t
-succession crises
-Muslim minority over Hindu majority
-warrior aristocracy gets land-> taxes,
tribute, from free peasants
-collected and managed by Hindus
-succession crises; 2nd class Hindus
-poorly centralized with an inefficient
bureaucracy/administration
-Mughals did not reform this
R
-Sunni
-toleration of dhimmi
had jizya
-beautiful mosques
-forced conversion, no dhimmi
-toleration with contempt of Hinduism->toleration: no forced conversion;
Hindu officials through government
->contempt: pilgrimage tax; no
holidays; no sacred cow; no
intermarriage
I
-cultural diffusion (largely from
Westerners who were conquered)
-law codes where Muslims had
privileges
-no clock or printing press
-Persian civilization dominated-> Shi’a
Islam
blue; Persian language
-really open to West, not threatened
-respect the civilization conquered:
architecture, arts, STEM
-Taj Mahal, etc. for the upper upper
class
M
-cavalry- Turk warrior aristocracy
-infantry- Janissaires; had guns
-navy
-wars of expansion-> tribute and then....
-no navy
-army- cavalry: warrior aristocracy
infantry: Russian officers and
Persian
troops with guns
-Chaldiran 1514
-cavalry- Mughal warrior aristocracy
-infantry- Hindus with gun, cannon
-no janissaries
-no navy- no sea based empire
E
-large middle class= manufacture
carpets, tapestries
-no coerced labor: FREE
-guilds and regulations to keep
manufactures of high quality- dhimmi
-without military expansion, no tribute, no
new resources
-export luxury manufacture: textiles, carpets
-built up domestic market with roads,
guesthouses, etc.
-manufactures- high quality luxury
cotton and silk
-organized trade
S
-big middle class= Turks, dhimmi
-highest class= military aristocracy
-freedom for labor- manufacturing,
agricultural
-one Shi’a society:
warriors
Russians and Persians
-Muslim:
warrior aristocracy
large middle class
peasants
-caste system of India
priest
warrior
merchant
farmer/servant
M.C.
peasants
6. How did the Gunpowder Empires interact with the West?
7. What caused the decline of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires?
FOR ALL:
-pressure from Europeans and their trading companies
-succession problems
-failure to modernize military
-religious intolerance for Mughal and Safavids, not OE
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
P
Internal
External
-corruption
-weak leaders (isolation)
->ignorant and conservative viziers and janissaries
->no reform after peasant revolts
-OE outclassed by other countries (Abu Taleb)
-Western threats in STEM subjects
I
M
-won’t adapt
-losing wars of expansion
E
-dhimmi were less and less loyal
-Portuguese and Spanish threaten trade routes
->one key to trade and manufacture
-inflation did not lead to growth due to regulations
->Spanish silver-> inflation
-ceased expansion= no tribute, no tax-> “sick man of Europe”
MUGHAL
Aurangzeb (1658-1707)
-eliminated equality for Hindus (paying tax)- unpopular
-restored sati and child marriage- popular with Hindu men
-corruption
-revolts by conquered people and disloyalty by Hindu infantry