Muslim Empires and Mercantilism - Long deck

A comprehensive vocabulary review set covering key historical figures, concepts, terminology, and specifics of the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, and Mercantilism.

Ottoman Empire

An empire founded by Turkish Muslims who originated in Asia Minor, conquered Constantinople in 1453, and expanded into Southwest Asia, Southeastern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, and North Africa.

Constantinople

The Byzantine capital conquered by the Ottoman Turkish Muslims in 1453, subsequently named Istanbul.

Asia Minor

Modern-day Turkey, the home region from which the Ottoman Empire expanded into surrounding continents.

Mehmed II

The Ottoman Sultan who captured Constantinople in 1453 by deploying 26-foot cannons, moving ships overland into the harbor, and breaching the city walls after 7 weeks.

Cannons of Mehmed II

Artillery pieces measuring $26\text{-foot}$ in length used to fire $1{,}200\,\text{lb}$ boulders against the defensive walls of Constantinople.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Also called the 'Law Giver,' an Ottoman ruler who presided over the empire for 46 years, renowned for his fairness and legal reforms.

Law Code of Suleiman

A celebrated Ottoman legal code based on fairness, establishing that no person could be imprisoned without a trial and that promotions must be based on ability rather than wealth.

Devshirme

The Ottoman practice of drafting boys from conquered lands into military service, supplying the Sultan with 20,000 slaves.

Janissaries

An elite military force of 30,000 soldiers, typically Christian boys selected by the Sultan, trained to maintain internal order and protect the empire.

Ottoman Trade Commodities

Major commercial goods traded by the Ottoman Empire, notably coffee and ceramics.

Mediterranean Sea

The body of water along which the Ottoman Empire was strategically positioned, making it a pivotal commercial hub connecting Asia and Europe.

Freedom of Religion (Ottoman Empire)

Muslim legal policy observed by the Sultan granting religious tolerance to non-Muslim subjects, particularly Christians and Jews.

People of the Book

The designation given by Ottoman Muslims to Christians and Jews who read the Bible, guaranteeing them freedom of religion under Muslim law.

Maim

To injure or disfigure; a method used by many Ottoman rulers against their strongest sons or brothers to eliminate potential challenges to the throne.

Hagia Sophia

A monumental building in Constantinople that originated as a Byzantine Orthodox Christian church, was converted into a Muslim mosque by the Ottomans, and currently serves as a museum.

Justinian

The Byzantine emperor who rebuilt the Hagia Sophia as the world's largest enclosed building after it caught fire during the 5th and 6th centuries.

Mughal Empire

An empire founded in Northern India by Muslim rulers descended from the Mongols (also spelled Mogul).

Southern India

The region of the Indian subcontinent that remained independent from the Mughal Empire and conducted international trade in silks, spices, and gems.

Babur

The founder and first of three major rulers and historical eras of the Mughal Empire cited in the study guide.

Akbar

Liberal Mughal emperor who ruled India from 1556 to 1605 with wisdom and tolerance, using strong military power to expand his borders and promoting religious freedom.

Aurangzeb

Mughal emperor who persecuted his subjects, forced Islam on the population, depleted empire resources, and triggered a civil war among his 12 sons upon his death.

Cultural Diffusion (Mughal)

Akbar's policy of incorporating varied cultures into his administration, broadening arts and literature by blending Muslim, Hindu, and Persian influences.

Indian Textiles

Cloth and woven goods from India that exerted a significant design and production influence on the British textile industry.

Indian Ocean Trade Competitors

The three European nations—Portugal, England, and the Netherlands—that rivaled each other by constructing coastal ports across the Indian subcontinent.

Islam (Mughal Empire)

The religion practiced by the ruling class of the Mughal Empire that spread throughout India.

Hinduism (Mughal Empire)

The majority religion practiced by the general population (subjects) under the rule of the Mughal Empire.

Shah Jahan

The Mughal king who commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his deceased wife.

Taj Mahal

A tomb in Agra modeled after the Hagia Sophia, built by Shah Jahan for his wife.

Tomb

A structure characterized as a house or chamber for the dead, exemplified by the Taj Mahal.

Agra

The city located $176\,\text{km}$ away from the capital of New Dehli where the Taj Mahal was erected.

New Dehli

The capital city situated $176\,\text{km}$ from Agra.

Mercantilism

An economic policy pursued by European colonial powers to attain self-sufficiency, grounded in the premise that colonies exist solely for the benefit of the mother country.

Mother Country

The dominant European colonizing state that extracted resources and commercial advantage from its subordinate colonies under mercantilism.

Balance of Trade

The commercial calculation determining a nation's profit, requiring that a state export more goods than it imports.

Export

To sell domestic commodities to other nations, which mercantilist policies seek to maximize ('SELL more than you BUY!!').

Import

To purchase commodities from foreign nations, which a mercantilist state seeks to minimize to protect its balance of trade.

Self-Sufficient

The state of complete economic independence wherein a nation does not rely on any foreign country for goods, aiming to export only.

Money = Power

The core mercantilist doctrine stating that a nation's geopolitical dominance depends entirely on accumulated wealth ('MO' MONEY MO' POWER!').

Istanbul

The new designation given to the city of Constantinople following its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Balkan Peninsula

A geographic region in Southeastern Europe invaded and occupied by the expanding Ottoman Empire.

1453

The year Mehmed II and the Ottoman Turkish Muslims breached the walls of Constantinople and brought an end to the Byzantine capital.

Seven Weeks

The duration of the Ottoman siege required by Mehmed II to break through the fortified walls of Constantinople.

46 Years

The total length of the reign of Suleiman I (the Magnificent) over the Ottoman Empire.

20,000

The exact number of slaves held by the Ottoman Sultan who were conscripted through the devshirme system.

30,000

The numerical strength of the elite Janissary military corps trained to defend the Ottoman Sultan and enforce state order.

1556–1605

The specific historical timespan during which Akbar ruled India with religious tolerance and expanded the Mughal borders.

12 Sons of Aurangzeb

The royal heirs whose violent civil war for imperial succession plunged the Mughal Empire into shambles.

Western Traders (India)

European merchants who capitalized on the Mughal Empire's fragmentation following Aurangzeb's death to build roots and eventually conquer the region.

5th and 6th Centuries

The era in which the original Hagia Sophia cathedral sustained fire damage before being fully reconstructed by Justinian.

Silks, Spices, and Gems

The primary luxury trade items exported internationally by the independent regions of Southern India during the Mughal era.