Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, Songhai

demographic changes

China, Japan, India, and Europe: POP BOOM led to shifts in population distribution and urbanization.

Econ advancements in South and East Asia during the Early Modern Era

highly commercialized economies centered in large cities, production for distant markets, not local communities, seen in China, SE Asia, India, and across the Atlantic basin.

Ottoman Empire territory

Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa: Dar al islams LARGEST empire

How did ottomans claim legitimacy:

Jihad: religiously sanctioned war against infidels

combined roles in the Ottoman empire

the autocrat was a Turkic warrior prince, Muslim caliph, conquering emperor, and chief defender of the faith.

How did the roles of women change in the Turkish world as Islam was adopted

Independence and open association with men declined,

Elite turkish women became secluded and veiled, no polit influence

Women not counted in census + more women slaves

Positive rights for women under Ottomans

women did have property rights.

some became wealthy and endowed religious and charitable institutions

Women actively used ottoman courts to protect legal rights, (marriage, divorce, inheritance) sometimes representing themselves.

Islamic holy cities claimed by the ottoman empire

mecca, medina, Jerusalem

significance of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople:

Final end of the Roman/Byzantine Empire,

TECH TRANSFER: Mehmed II secured Hungarian cannon tech

Dar al Islam vs Christendom

How were Christians Treated in the Ottoman Empire?

Earlier: respected under the Millet System (millets were allowed to manage their own religious and legal affairs

Constant: Dhimmi System: limited freedoms, protection in exchange for jizya tax.

Later: Genocides: Christians blamed for decline in 19th-early 20th centuries.

Devshirme

Ottoman system for selecting young Christian boys from The Balkans(Albania, Bosnia, Greece) and training soldiers (elite janissary) and bureaucrats

Timar: Ottoman

System in which sultans granted land and tax revenues to individuals in return for military service.

iltizam/ tax farming

The Ottoman empire auctioned off the right to collect taxes to the highest civilian Bidders (multazims!)

Tax collectors were allowed to keep a portion of the revenue for their own use.

How did Christian europe View ottomans?

a looming threat to christendom

Safavid Empire contrast w Ottomans

Militant, messianic Twelver Shia Islam

Emerged from a sufi religious order:

Cultural transformation in Safavid

Unique persian (iranian) culture compared to Sunni neighbors

Empire Conflicts: based on sunni-shia hostility

Ottoman vs Safavids

Safavid-Mughal War (1649-1653)

Origins of Mughal Empire

Central Asian warriors

Muslim in religion

TUrkic in culture

Claimed descent from Chinggis Khan

Time frame for Mughal and Safavid Empire

16th-18th centuries

Mughal Zamindars

Large local landowners who collected taxes on behalf of the emperor, pocketed some funds

extension of imperial authority

central division w/in the mughal empire:

ruling muslims v hindu vassals

Mughal Emperor Akbar

Fostered a hybrid Indian-persian-Turkic culture

LIBERAL for Religion and Women: no child brides, yes widow remarriage,

Removed Jizya!!! restrained strict ulama islam scholars!

Islamic Ruling Class over african shamanism

Sonhay governed largely non-Muslim

populations

Askia (Mohammad 1) the great

Promoted Islam to unite his empire:

Songhai became largest kindgom in W Africa

West African cities that flourished under Askia Mohammad

Djenne, Timbuktu

Mughal and songhai similatiry:

muslim ruling calss over hindu/shamanistic vassals!

Shah Jahangir

Wife Nur Jahan gave audiences to visiting dignitaries, consulted with ministers.

Under this MUGHAL emperor, elite women exercised politcal power and advised/

Aurganzeb

this MUGHAL emperor, the liberal policies of Akbar were reversed, back to CONSERVATIVE ISLAMIC PURISM.

Jizya reimposed! Hindu Temples destroyed.

Intolerable tax demands to support expansionist wars!

Mughal House of Worship

Emperor Akbar had intellectual discussion w reps of diff religions, !

muslim, hindu, christian, buddhist, jewish, jains, zoroastrians.

Hindu Maratha Confederacy / MARATHA EMPIRE in 1674

A powerful state that challenged and eventually overtook the declining Mughal empire due to its misrule and oppression of Hindus

Mughal Declijne:

Fatal fracturing due 2 internal conflict

Maratha Confederacy/empire: battled the Mughal Empire

How did Islam Differ in the Songhai empire

largely limited to urban elites: rulers, merchants, scholars

less conversion,

most african population in the countryside kept Old African animism/shamanism

Conversion to ISLAM

MUCH MORE in OTTOMAN and SAFAVID than Songhai and Mughal

Sonni Ali dvlpments

• building of mosques, observed Ramadan, gave prayers

• BUT: took part and maintained trad African religion 2 appease his court

• violent conquests + lukewarm Islam

Askiya Muhammad dvlpments

• Closer alliances with muslim scholars of Timbuktu

• Pilgrimage to Mecca, returned with title of caliph

• Tensions b/w african court + muslim scholars!!

SONGHAI DECLINE

Short Term: Invasion by the more technologically advanced Morocco with its gunpowder weapons!

long-term: political instability, succession conflicts, rebellion in outer regions, continued tension b/w muslims and traditionalistsm

Osman I

Laid the empire’s foundations

Declared independence of his province from seljuk turkic empire. it then grew!

Sultan Mehmed II

captured Constantinople and transformed it into a thriving Ottoman Capital

Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent

16th century, led the empire to its peak.

Expanded territory and established legal code.

Flourishing of Ottoman culture: literature, architecture, science

OTTOMAN DECLINE

• Loss of economic pwr + ctrl over trade routes: European Powers found new sea routes to Asia

• Corruption and Poor leadership:

• Janissaries became less disciplined + resisted change

• Military Defeats: loss of territories to Austria and Russia

• struggle to keep up with modern technology and industrial advancements happening in EUrope

• Nationalist Movements: diff ethnic and religious groups

• end after ww1 in 1922

Tech innovation ottomans:

GUNPOWDER: Among the first to incorporate large cannons + artillery: essential in territorial conquest!

Strong Navy + military organization

Role of women in ottoman

held considerable influence, influence over decisions at court

Ottoman economy

After conquest of constantinople, this empire had ctrl over key trade routes!

Silk, spices, coffee, precious metals: high demand in european markets

AGRIcultural BASE : Peasants worked the land + paid taxes to the state

Rise of Regional powers in Mughal empire

Mughal Decline:

British East India Comp slowly gained political and economic power

played rival Indian rulers against each other + slowly expanded territorial ctrl

Brits official ended Mughal Rule and took direct ctrl: British Raj

Mughal Economy:

Agrarian:

Textiles: cotton fabrics

British East India Company

Mughal Mansabdari System: social mobility

A military and administrative hierarchy that rewarded loyalty to the emperor with ranks and land grants

allowed talented individuals, even peasants, to rise thru the ranks

Sikhs and Marathas

Hindu rebellionn groups against Aurangzeb’s strict Islamic-only policies

Nur Jahan

effectively ruled on Jahangir’s behalf, issueing royal decrees,

of the most pwoerful and influential women in mughal history

Din-i Ilahi

Akbar’s syncretic religion: combined Islam, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity to promote unity

Baburnama:

The memoirs of the first mughal emperor, Babur.

First Mughal Emperor: Babur

laid the foundation of the empire after defeating the Delhi Sultanate in teh Battle of Panipat in 1526.

used GUnpowder tech

Shah Ismael I

Established Shia Islam as the official state religion, distinguished from its sunni neighbors.

Peak Safavid empire

Iran and parts of Iraq

Shah Abbas I

Expanded the Bureaucracy and military, creating a more centralized and efficient administration,

Welcomed foreign advisers and adopted European military technology

Isfahan

capital city in Safavid empire: an architectural masterpiece, mosques, palaces, gardens

Persian Miniatures and calligraphy

Ghulams

strong Safavid military rank composed of converted Christians, who served as loyal soldiers to the Shah

Ulama

Safavid rulers maintained tight control over the Ulama(islamic religious Scholars)

Safavid Economy

Carpets, textiles, ceramics

Shah Abbas’s foreign policy

encouraged trade by establishing trade routes and inviting European merchants to establish connections,

boosted econ and empires cult exchange

Safavid tech

gunpowder firearmy and artillery acquired from Europe to combat rivals like the Ottomans.

Qizilbash

tribal warriors fiercely loyal

Shah ISmail I

Focused on Twelver shi’a islam to unite persia

Battle of Chaldiran

1514, OTtoman empire defeated. Sunni vs shia

Shah Abbas I

after shah ismael 1, made the ghulams (slave soldiers) and fpcused on trade relations w/ europe + Isfahan transformaiton into art

Golden Age