AP World

The Ottoman Empire grew into the early modern era's most important state through jihad - encompassing SE Europe, the East, North Africa

Empreror as “strong sword of Islam” caliph ruler over Arabs and protector of Islamic holy lands (mecca, medina, Jerusalem) 

  • Prosperous, powerful, cosmopolitan state

  • Women's roles and autonomy were limited with the adoption of Islam except for the sultanate of women. 

  • Anatolia Christians converted to Islam and spoke Turkic - 90% by 1500

  • Fall of Constantinople 

  • Christians welcomed the Ottoman conquest due to fewer taxes and oppression, and greater autonomy (e.g Armenian and Eastern Orthodox communities self-regulation) 

  • Would could appeal to Islamic courts

  • Christian men were incorporated into the Ottoman elite, without conversion to Islam

  • Jewish refugees escaping the Spanish Inquisition welcome in the Ottoman Empire

  • Christians in the Balkans ruled differently than the rest of the empire because of limited Turkic settlement and religious tolerance. 

Islamic heartlands: the Ottoman and Persian Safavid empires

  • Ottoman rule became burdensome from Christians in borderlands who didn't covert 

 - devshirme (collecting/gathering) of young Christian boys to convert, learn Turkish, and serve the state as ministers of janissaries

Life in the Monasteries and Convents

  • During the Middle Ages, some men and women withdrew from worldly life to become monks and nuns. Behind the walls of monasteries and convents, they devoted their lives to the church.

 The Growth of Church Power

  • During the Middle Ages, the church became the most powerful 

  • The very success of the church brought problems. As its wealth and power grew, discipline weakened

  • Powerful clergy grew more worldly and any lived in luxury. 

  • Monks often ignored their vows

  • Priests were allowed to marry during this time and sometimes devoted more time to the interests of their families than to church duties

  • The growing corruption and decay led to calls for reform. 

    Papal Conclave 

  • Popes get elected for life during an election process called a papal conclave 

  • During a papal concave, the College of Cardinals will vote, and pray on who they think should be the next Pope

    Europeans and Asian commerce:

  • Europeans wanted commercial connections with Asia

    • Portuguese systematically journeyed towards Asian sea trade routes for 100+ years

    • Tropical spices, textiles, jewels - chief motivator

      • Cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, pepper

      • Chinese silk, Indian cotton, emeralds, rubies, sapphires

  • Recovery and population growth after the black death

    • National monarchies growing, taxing, and creating militaries

    • Cities grew into centers of international commerce

  • Portuguese empire of commerce

    • Indian Ocean commercial network more diverse and widespread than portugues imagining

      • European goods were undesirable and Asian ships were found to be heavily unarmed vs. Portuguese ships had cannons, so they outgunned the Ottoman Empire and other naive

    • Portugues began a “trading empire”