Muslim Empires & Mercantilism

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key people, institutions, events, and economic theories of the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, and European Mercantilism.

Ottoman Empire

An empire founded by Turkish Muslims based in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) that conquered Constantinople in 1453 and expanded into Southwest Asia, Southeastern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, and North Africa.

Mehmed II

The Ottoman ruler who conquered Constantinople by transporting ships over land into the harbor, using 26-foot long cannons to fire 1,200 lb boulders at city walls, and breaking through after a 7-week siege.

Suleiman the Magnificent (Law Giver)

Sultan who ruled the Ottoman Empire for 46 years, known for fairness and establishing a renowned law code that eliminated imprisonment without trial and based promotions on ability rather than wealth.

Devshirme

The Ottoman system of drafting boys into the army from conquered territories, which provided the Sultan with 20,000 slaves.

Janissaries

A corps of 30,000 elite soldiers trained by the Sultan to maintain order and protect the Ottoman Empire, usually composed of drafted Christian boys.

Maim

To injure or disfigure; an action carried out by many Ottoman rulers on their strongest brothers or sons to eliminate potential rivals for power.

Hagia Sophia

Originally an Orthodox Christian Church in Byzantine Constantinople rebuilt by Justinian as the biggest enclosed building in the world, converted into a Muslim mosque after the Ottoman conquest, and functioning as a museum in the present day.

People of the Book

The term used for Christians and Jews who were granted freedom of religion under Islamic law by the Ottoman Sultan.

Mughal Empire

An empire in Northern India established by Muslim rulers who were descendants of the Mongols (also known as Mogul), featuring three major rulers: Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb.

Akbar

Mughal ruler from 1556 to 1605 who used military power to expand his borders and governed with wisdom and religious tolerance, creating peace across his empire.

Cultural Diffusion (Mughal Empire)

The integration of diverse cultures under Akbar's rule through arts and literature incorporating Muslim, Hindu, and Persian works, which later influenced the British textile industry.

Aurangzeb

Mughal ruler who forced Islam on his subjects, depleted the empire's resources, and whose death resulted in a civil war among his 12 sons that allowed Western traders to gain control.

Taj Mahal

A tomb modeled after the Hagia Sophia, built by Shah Jahan for his wife in the city of Agra, 176 km from the capital of New Dehli.

Mercantilism

An economic policy practiced by European colonial powers aiming for self-sufficiency, grounded in the theory that colonies exist exclusively for the benefit of the mother country.

Balance of Trade

An economic condition where a nation exports more than it imports (sells more than it buys) to achieve financial independence and become self-sufficient.