Chapter 15 (Islamic Empires)

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Osman

Leads bands of semi nomadic Turks to become ghazi: Muslim religious warriors

Balkans

Forced Christian families to surrender young boys to military service: devshirme

Mehmed II (The Conquerer)

Capture of Constantinople, renamed Istanbul. Transformation from warrior sultan to emperor of “two lands” (Europe, Asia) and “two seas” (Black Sea, Mediterranean)

Sulleyman The Magnificent

Expanded into Europe, Asia, besieged naval Vienna, develops naval power, reformed taxes and laws, expanded educational services

Ismail I

Young military leader of Safavid (after Safa al-Din), orphaned, becomes Shah, proclaims official religion of realm Twelver Shiism

Battle of Chaldrian

Heavy use of Ottoman gunpowder technology give them the upper hand. Ismail escapes, two centuries of ongoing conflict. Ottoman Selim (I) the grim attacks Safavids. Shah Abbas the Great revitalizes weakened Safavid empire.

The Mughal Empire

Zahir L-Din Muhammad (Babur The Tiger), Chagatai Turk (Central Asia), invades northern India for plunder. Babur has gunpowder tech, founds Mughal (Persian) dynasty. Expands through most of Indian subcontinent.

Akbar The Great

Grandsom of Babur after Humayan, the second emperor is driven into exile. Wins fear and respect after throwing Adham Khan, leader of the army, out the window twice.

Akbar The Great (cont.)

Created centralized government in region of historical decentralization. Retakes control of India, destroyed Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar. Promoted “Divine Faith”

Aurangzeb

Expands Mughal empire into southern India, hostile to Hinduism. Demolished Hindu temples, replace with mosques

Common elements of Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires

Empires based on military conquests, prestige of dynasty dependent on piety and military prowess of the ruler.

Women and Politics

Women officially banned from political activity

Agriculture and Trade

Coffee, tobacco important

Religious Diversity

Safavid: Zoroastrians, Jews Christians

Mughal: Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians, Christians, Sikh (Akbar most tolerant)

Status of Religious Minorities

Jizya, freedom of worship, property, legal affairs. Ottoman communities: millet system of self-administration. Jizya abolished under Akbar.

Capital cities

Istanbul cultural capital of Ottoman empire, massive monumental architecture. Ishafan major Persian city, Akbar builds magnificent Fatehpur Sikri

Deterioration of Imperial Leadership

Ottoman princes become lazy through luxury (Selim the Sot, Ibrahim the Crazy), religious tensions between conservatives and liberals intensify, Wahhabi movement denounces Ottoman rule

Economic and Military Decline

Foreign trade controlled by Europeans, Janissaries mutiny when paid with debased coinage, 1589, other revolts follow

Cultural Conservatism

Europeans actively studying Islamic cultures for purposes of trade, missionary activities. Swiftly fell behind in technological development. Handwritten books preferred.