Islam & the Islamic Empires
Religious Diversity
Safavids
Mughals
Religious Diversity
• Religious minorities (dhimmis or ‘protected’ peoples)
include Armenian Christians, Greek Orthodox & Jews in
Ottoman Empire
– Divided into millets
– Paid special tax (jizya)
• Hindus in majority in Mughul Empire
– Policy of tolerance under Akbar the Great
The Ottomans
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Osman and his ghazis found empire
Create formidable military machine
Capture Constantinople, 1453
Height of Ottoman strength: Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1520-1566)
Persia
The Safavids
• Shah Ismail (r. 1501-1524) lays claim to ancient Persian throne
– Hereditary leader of militant Sufi group, the Safaviya
• Turkish speakers, from nomadic groups (qizilbash)
– Declares Iran will be Shiite
• Battle of Chaldiran, 1514, defeated by Ottomans
• Height of empire: reign (1588-1629) of Shah Abbas the Great
– Capital: Isfahan
The Golden Dome
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A bomb shattered the golden dome at one of Iraq's most revered Shiite shrines, al Askariya, last week,
setting off days of sectarian fury and mob violence. The shrine has special meaning because two of the
12 imams revered by Shiites are buried there. Also, according to legend, the 12th Imam, known as the
"Hidden Imam," was at the site of the shrine before he disappeared.
Shah Abbas
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Reigned 1588-1629
Height of Safavid Empire
Moved capital to Isfahan
Expelled Portuguese from Hormuz
By end of reign, most of northwestern Iran, the Caucasus and Mesopotamia
under Safavid rule
The Mughal Empire
• Babur (Zahr al-Di Muhammad) takes Delhi, 1526
– Goal: Build great central Asian empire
– Claims descent from Genghis Khan & Tamerlane
– Creates loose empire that runs from Kabul to borders of Bengal
Akbar (r.1556-1605)
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Created a centralized administration
Military campaign to consolidate power in Gujarat and Bengal
Laid foundation for later Mughal expansion in southern India
Policy of religious toleration (Muslim/Hindu)
Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707)
• Mughal Empire reaches greatest extent under Aurangzeb (late 17th
century)
– Rescinds Akbar’s policy of religious toleration
Imperial Similarities
• Land-based empires
• Strength rests on strength of leaders
• Leaders draw prestige, authority from personal military
prowess & piety
• Diverse populations & religions
• Governed through bureaucracies
• Traditions -- Islamic & peoples of the steppe (Mongols &
Turks)
• Rulers ‘owned’ the land
– Some to peasants in return for taxes
– Lifelong grants of land to supporters as rewards
• Rulers were autocrats
Economics & Trade
 Economies based on agriculture
Columbian Exchange has modest impact except for
coffee & tobacco which become important
 Tradition of land-based, long-distance trade continues
Centers include Bursa (first Ottoman capital), Aleppo (now
Syria), and Isfahan (Safavids)
Slow, expensive
• Mughals less engaged in long-distance trade
– Rulers focused on land empire
– Allowed foreigners to establish trading colonies
• Issue: Land-based trade did not create wealth on scale of
sea-based trade
• All three empires face money shortages
End of Empire
• Safavid Empire disappears in1722 when Afghan tribes capture
Isfahan
• Death of Aurangzeb, 1707, opens era of chaotic struggle
– By mid-century, India falling under British control
• By 1700, Ottoman Empire has lost Lebanon and Egypt, struggling
with pressure from Western powers
What Went Wrong
• Weak links in hereditary chains
– Suleiman the Sot, Ibrahim the Crazy -- successors to Suleiman
the Magnificent
• Intra-Islam tensions
• Economic decline
– Impact of 16th-century price revolution
• Ottoman merchants can’t compete with Europeans
• Inflation
– Hit those on fixed ‘incomes’ hard -- the cavalry holding land grants
– Empire no longer expanding
• Traditionally depended on conquests for adding wealth to treasury & didn’t engage in
trade
– Money-raising strategies
• Raised taxes
• Debased currency
• Cultural isolation
– Western scientific instruments not introduced in 1703
• Telescope ‘impious’ and ‘unnecessary’
– Printing press not fully accepted until 1729
– Favor stability over innovation