The Muslim World Expands
CHAPTER 18
The Ottoman Empire
 By 1300 Byzantine Empire declining
 Ghazis (warriors for Islam) began moving into
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Anatolia
Osman (Othman) – followers - Ottomans increased
Muslim power
Son Orkham I declared himself sultan
Captured Adrianople – 2nd most powerful Byzantine
city
Treated conquered people well
Improved lives of peasants
Muslims required to serve in military; non-Muslims
exempt but had to pay a tax
Ottoman Empire
 Timur the Lame (Tamerlane) – warrior from central
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Asia, destroys Baghdad
Temporarily disrupts rise of Ottomans
Mehmed II conquers Constantinople, most
important Byzantine city
Bombarded city with canons, hit city from both sides
(carried boats across Bosporus)
Byzantine Empire falls to Ottomans in 1453
Opened the city to all backgrounds and religions
Rebuilt city, now called Istanbul
Ottoman Empire
 Selim the Grim (Mehmed’s grandson)
 Captures Mecca, Syria, Palestine, into N. Africa,
Egypt, expanded empire greatly
 Suleyman the Lawgiver – most important Ottoman
leader
 Further expands Ottomans into Europe and North
Africa
 One of the most powerful military and political
leaders of his time
Ottoman Empire
 Efficient government
 Law code
 Simplified tax system
 Reduced government bureaucracy (agencies)
 Used slaves to staff the palace
 Devshirme (dev SHEER muh) system – boys drafted
from conquered people
 Educated, converted to Islam, trained
 Janissaries – became elite fighting force
Ottoman Empire
 Allowed freedom of worship for Jews and Christians
 Millets – local religious communities (like a small
nation)
 Reported to the sultan
 Great cultural achievements similar to Renaissance
 Mosques, art, literature, poetry – ideas from all over
the world
Ottoman Empire
 Empire declined due to lack of succession
 Killed ablest son, exiled another
 Selim II inherits throne
 Sets a pattern that would cause decline of Ottomans
 Sultans would strangle their brothers and keep their
kids captive and cut off from the world (remove the
threat)
 Weak line of sultans
The Safavid Empire
 Shi’ite Muslim dynasty in Persia (Iran)
 Isma’il (age 12) begins to conquer Persia over 2 year
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period
Declared himself shah, or leader
Forced thousands to convert (from Sunni) or put to
death
Golden Age under Shah Abbas
Created two armies
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Persians
Christians modeled after Ottoman janissaries
Safavid Empire
 Reformed the government
 Punished corruption
 Gave jobs based on competence (merit)
 Accepted Christianity
 Industry, trade, and art grew
 New capital – Esfahan
 Chinese artisans, artists brought in
 Calligraphy, glasswork, tile, pottery
 Mosques, palaces, marketplaces
 Carpet weaving goes from local craft to national industry
Safavid Empire
 Made same mistakes as Suleyman
 Killed or blinded ablest sons
 Weak, cruel, incompetent shahs led to decline of
empire
 Legacy of cultural blending – Persian, Chinese, even
European ideas
Mughal Empire
 Mughal or Mongol
 13th – 16th centuries India had been attacked by
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various groups
Babur (age 11) inherits small kingdom and slowly
strengthens it
Akbar (grandson) “Greatest One” – Golden Age
Military conquest; gave conquered high positions –
turned them into allies
Used heavy artillery
Mughal Empire
 Tolerance towards Christians and Hindus
 Governed through bureaucracy of officials and
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people of all types held these positions
Cultural blending of Indian, Persian, etc.
Even new languages – Urdu came from soldiers;
Hindi the common language
Today Urdu is a blend of Arabic, Persian, Hindi
Taj Mahal later built by Shah Jahan for his wife
(Mumtaz Mahal)
Spectacular building in India