Ch 20: The Muslim Empires

1. Ch 20: The Muslim Empires

3. The Ottomans • Seljuk Turkic kingdom collapsed after Mongol invasions in 1243, Ottomans took advantage of Seljuk weakness • Ottomans expanded from Anatolia into Europe & Middle East in 1350s (see pg 452) • Mehmed II, the Conqueror, took Constantinople in what year?!?! • Ottoman Empire strong enough to threaten Vienna as late as 1683

4. Warrior aristocracy became very important in the OE • Janissaries: elite infantry, usually forced into the military as young boys; provided with education, experts in firearms, gradually replaced cavalry • By the mid-1500s, janissaries were so powerful they began to wield strong political influence

6. Government • Technically the sultans were absolute monarchs, but janissaries & Muslim scholars often challenged their rule & helped govern • Ottomans were usually effective governors of conquered territories, mostly tolerated “peoples of the book” • Daily functions of the empire carried out by a large bureaucracy & grand vizier • Plagued by succession crises, just like the old Islamic states

7. Culture • OE is very diverse, spanning 3 continents • Mehmed II restores Constantinople to former glory; converts Hagia Sophia to a mosque, builds aqueducts, rebuilds walls • Ottoman architecture flourishes • The Suleymaniye Mosque is built in the 1550s • Markets & coffeehouses thrive in the capitol city • Government closely regulated trade. Why is this ironic? Did they inherit this tradition? • Turkic language used widely by 1600s

9. Decline • OE was basically built on expansion; once lands for expansion ran out (around 1700), the OE slowly declined in power • Corruption among officials grew, increasingly difficult to manage massive empire • Sultans became weak & irrelevant • Improvements in weapon tech discouraged by janissaries. Why?

10. Battle of Lepanto, 1571: OE lost control of E. Mediterranean • More importantly, new routes to India & E. Asia reduced OE’s economic/political status • Dismissal of Euro ideas further caused OE to fall behind

11. Lepanto: Catholic Nations defeats Ottomans off the coast of Greece in 1571

12. ANSWER: The Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto, by the Italian painter Paolo Veronese Background info: Several European Catholic nations unite to defeat the Ottoman navy in 1571. Europeans were quick to claim that victory was a result of divine will, while Ottomans believed their defeat was a punishment from Allah. Questions: What is going on in this painting? Who painted it, and what might his beliefs be? What is the painter’s POINT OF VIEW? What other document and/or painting might be useful in order to analyze the Battle of Lepanto?

13. The Safavids

14. Safavid dynasty would come to control Persia region, or modern-day Iran • Began as a religious campaign by Sufi mystics wanting to purify Islam • When Mongols retreated in 1300s, Sail al-Din and his Red Heads spread Safavid Empire • Isma’il proclaimed shah (emperor) in 1501 • Expansion caused clashes with OE • Safavids practiced Shi’i brand of Islam

15. Let’s Review... • The Sunni / Shi’i split occurred in Islam after Muhammad’s death in 632; the split originated over succession • None of Muhammad’s sons survived into adulthood, so hereditary succession not possible; Abu Bakr, a close friend of Muhammad’s, elected first caliph • Sunni: supported Abu Bakr as caliph • Shi’i: argued that Ali, Muhammad’s cousin & son-in-law, should be caliph • Over time, other differences developed

16. Most Muslims in OE were Sunnis • Battle of Chaldiran: epic clash in 1514; Safavid cavalry gets shredded by Ottoman guns • Battle stopped advance of Safavids & Shi’i Islam, but Ottomans turned west instead of invading Persia

17. Government & Religion • Formed an aristocratic warrior class like the OE • Used slave boys from S. Russia for troops • Abbas the Great: ruled from 1587-1629, improved military & power of the shah; turned to Europeans to learn about weapon tech. • Language of the government was Persian • Safavid shahs claimed descent from Ali

18. Strong government control over religion • Peoples of all faith pressured to convert to Shi’i Islam • Under Abbas I, roads & rest houses built, workshops to produce Persian rugs, colleges • Capitol was Isfahan during Abbas reign

19. Women • Both the OE & Safavids were very restrictive societies for women • Within the family, women were subordinate to husband or father • Seclusion and veiling imposed on women of all classes • Recent evidence suggests women did have some freedoms, but overall it was a bleak picture for Muslim women

20. Decline • Paranoid about his sons, Abbas I killed or blinded all of them; a series of weak rulers followed • Raiders from all directions took Safavid territory from 1629-1722 • In 1722, Isfahan fell to an Afghani army, ending the Safavid dynasty • After the 1720s, Persia would be a battleground for others to fight over

21. Comparing the Empires Similarities Differences Sunni vs. Shi’i Ottomans more advanced in trade & commerce Safavids relied more heavily on assistance from Europe, Ottomans mostly turned down European help • Large influence from warrior aristocrats • Heavy burdens placed on peasants • Encourage commerce and public works • Very restrictive on women • Islam practiced, but tolerated other religions

22. Mughal India

23. Founded by Baburin 1526; Babur was a king in central Asia but had lost his throne, so he invaded India • Babur’s 12,000 men defeat 100,000 man army of the Lodi dynasty at Panipat; used gunpowder, cavalry tactics, & scared the Lodi elephants to win • Mughal rule of northern India would be challenged until 1560

25. Akbar • In 1560, Babur’s grandson Akbar comes to the Mughal throne; he is recognized as one of the greatest leaders in history • Akbar is a great general, patron of the arts, but illiterate • Akbar extended Mughal rule over much of India through force, but compromised with various groups • Ended the jizya (non-Muslim tax), promoted Hindus in his government, allowed the building of Hindu temples, & ordered Muslims to respect cows

26. Akbar actually invents a new religion called Din-i-Ilahi, hoping it could unite Muslims & Hindus in India • Like the OE, warrior class given privileges and estates of villages/peasants • Akbar builds houses for the poor, limits consumption of alcohol, & tries to advance the position of women • Encouraged widows to remarry, discourages child marriage, & bans sati • India enjoys civil peace during Akbar’s reign

28. After Akbar • Akbar dies in 1605, but Mughal India would reach its peak in the centuries afterward • Contact with Europe increases, & Indian cloth & textiles become immensely popular with Europeans • Akbar’s successors left much of his reforms & managing style intact, but focused on pleasure rather than politics • Artworks take off, including the TajMahal

29. Jahangir ruled from 1605-1627 & Shah Jahan from 1627-1658; their wives would actually run India • Jahangir’s wife NurJahan would run the empire, but died giving birth to 19th child • Shah Jahan’s wife MumtzaMahal had less power, she is buried in the TajMahal • Despite this, women’s status in India declined after Akbar

31. Decline • Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb came to the throne in 1658 • Aurangzeb was smart & hard-working, but wanted to extend Mughal control & purify Islam from Hindu influences • Succeeded in conquering all of India, but exhausted treasury in the process • Discriminated more against Hindus, & reinstated the jizya • Mughal India became weak & decentralized

32. 1200-1350: _______ retreat from Middle East • 1281: Founding of the _______ dynasty • 1350s: Ottomans conquer ______ Peninsula • 1501-1510: ________s conquer Persia • 1526: _______ dynasty founded by Babur • 1683: Last Ottoman siege of ______ fails • 1722: Fall of the _______ dynasty