Ch 28 Islamic Empires of the Early Modern

Ch. 28: Islamic Empires of the Early Modern Era

From 1300 to 1700, three “gunpowder empires” empires dominated parts of Europe, Africa, & Asia The Safavid Empire The Mughal Empire The Ottoman Empire

These empires were unique, but shared some similarities: All 3 empires were able to conquer neighboring people because they formed strong armies using cannons & artillery All 3 empires were Islamic & ruled by Muslim leaders with well-organized gov’ts made up of loyal bureaucrats All 3 empires blended their culture with neighboring societies to create a high point of Islamic culture

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans: Empire Builders • Mongol invasions & fall of Abbasid Caliphate allowed Ottomans to build power base in Anatolia (Turkey) • Osman—early leader, dominated other Turkic groups • 1350 s--Expansion into Europe! • Mehmed II –Conquered Constantinople in 1453, w/ siege warfare, cannons – Then further into Europe—Greece, Albania, Black & Caspian Seas – Invaded Italy & attempted to capture Pope, but failed Mehmed the Conqueror

Hagia Sophia after Ottoman Conquest

Ottoman Empire: A Military State? • Ghazi--Muslim religious warriors; “sword of God” • Military leaders played prominent role in Ottoman gov’t. • “Warrior aristocracy” competed w/ religious leaders for control of bureaucracy • Janissaries--conscripted boys (Christians), military slaves – received special training, learned Turkish language, & converted to Islam – Janissaries pledged loyalty to sultan (became his private army)—led to decline in role of aristocrats • A “Gunpowder Empire”—soldiers were outfitted with primitive gunpowder weapons & cannons

Ottoman Sultans & their Court • “Absolute” monarchs? ? • Sultans dealt with many factions – Ex. : Janissaries vs. religious scholars • Sultans were military leaders & ran an org. bureaucracy • Suleyman the Magnificent – Height of imperialism (conquered Baghdad & Belgrade) – Put pressure on Habsburgs and European vessels in Mediterranean Suleyman the Magnificent • However, sultans grew distant/secluded; focused on large harems more than political and economic issues

Battle of Lepanto • ( (vs. Austrian Hapsburgs, 1571)

Flowering of Ottoman Culture • Constantinople—bad scene immediately after 1453! • Mehmed began restoration; converted Hagia Sophia to mosque (Aya Sofya); built new mosques, palaces, hospitals, gardens, etc. • Adapted Byz ideas—aqueducts, concrete domes, markets, walls • Suleymaniye mosque is considered a hallmark of Ottoman architecture • Topkapi Palace housed gov’t offices, residence for sultan and his harem, pleasure pavilion, etc.

Suleiman Mosque Inside the Topkapi Palace (Harem’s den? )

Flowering of Ottoman Culture • Cosmopolitan markets • Coffeehouses—place for men to gather, smoke, talk politics; key for social & cultural life in Constantinople, poets, scholars • Commerce regulated by Otto gov’t, inspectors, guilds controlled trade/quality/training • Linguistic heritage—Arabic used for law & religion, Turkish preferred for arts & bureaucracy • Artistic legacy—poetry, arabesque mosaics, ceramics, carpet, architecture

Ottoman Decline • Ottoman Empire lasted 600 years; long-lived • REASONS for DECLINE: – Limits of expansion by late 17 th C—no new conquests, started to lose lands lost tax revenue – Corruption among gov’t. officials; local officials kept revenues & squeezed peasants for more rebellions! – Sultans became disconnected (focus on pleasure over governing) – viziers & Janissaries gained more power (were less loyal) – CULTURAL CONSERVATISM—ignorance of European advancements & resistance to printing press – Military technology fell by wayside (Ottomans continued to use large cannons when Europeans adapted light artillery) • The Empire was officially dismantled after World War I

The Safavid Empire

Unlike the Ottomans who were Sunni The Safavid Empire Muslims, the Safavids believed in Shi’a Islam & strictly converted the people they conquered The Safavids were Turks living in Persia who built a powerful gunpowder army & created an empire in Safavid rulers were called shahs, using the Persian title for

the Safavid Empire: Shiite v. Sunni • Rose from Turkic nomads (post -Mongols & Tamerlane) • “Frontier warriors”—Shi’ites • Differences over views on caliph grew into doctrinal, ritual & legal differences conflict! • Safi al-Din—a Sufi mystic; led campaign to purify & reform Islam) among Turks in early 1300 s • Isma’il—was proclaimed shah (emperor) by 1501; conquered most of Persia & waged war w/ Ottomans

the Safavid Empire: Shiite Rule • Shah Isma’il proclaimed Twelver Shiism the offical religion of his realm • Twelver Shi’ites believe there were 12 rightful imams after Muhammad (12 th was driven into hiding) • Believed he will return to lead them & spread the “true” religion • Qizilbash-followers who wore “red hats” w/ 12 pleats to symbolize the 12 imams • Battle of Chaldiran, 1514 • battle w/Ottomans (Sunnis); driven by religious fervor • Safavids declined to use artillery, dismissing it as “unmanly” and unreliable (they also believed the Shah could make them invincible) • Safavid loss in the battle hindered growth of Shiite sect (Shiite rule became confined to Persia)

the Safavid Empire: Shi’ite Rule • Shah Abbas I – Encouraged trade (regionally & even w/ Europeans) – Moved capital to Isfahan (cultural center) – Promoted culture & the arts – Building projects: great mosques, universities, gardens, bath houses – Arts: miniatures, mosaics, carpets • Society & Gender roles – Patriarchy (based on Sharia law) – Women had legal disadvantages – Seclusion & veiling, imposed on all, but especially elites

Safavid silk carpet Persian Miniature

Shah Mosque Isfahan, 1611 -1666

Decline & fall of Safavids – Shah Abbas I paranoid: blinded or killed suitable successors – Practice of secluding princes weak leaders – Foreign threats--nomads, Ottomans, Mughals – March-Oct. 1722: Afghani attacks, Isfahan fell – Nadir Khan Afshar—winner of post-fall struggles for control; self-proclaimed shah in 1736; short-lived – Region became battleground for stronger neighbors

The Mughal Empire

Mughals in India • Babur – Expulsion from steppes = motivation for conquest – Turkic background – Used mobile artillery & cavalry to defeat larger Lodi force; scared the elephants! – outnumbered, defeated Hindu kings – Character: military strategist, fighter, patron of arts & music, writer, musician, designer of gardens – Capital at Delhi Babur’s victory at Panipat, 1526

Mughals in India • Akbar – height of Mughal rule – Had a vision for unity in empire – Social reforms: reconciliation w/Hindu princes, ended jizya, Hindus in bureaucracy, allowed widows to remarry, discouraged child marriages, made sati illegal, relief from purdah (seclusion) – Tolerance & universal religion: “Divine Faith” – Hindu warrior aristocrats controlled peasant villages; local controls left to support centralized gov’t – Economy: collected income via tribute, taxes

• Mughal Architecture – Red Fort, Taj Mahal (built by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife) – Blends Persian & Hindu traditions (domes, arches, minarets w/ornamentation) – Symmetry, color, creativity create paradise on earth Taj Mahal Agra, India 1631 -47

Decline of Mughal India – Peace & stability weakened by religious tensions between Muslims, Hindus, Sufis, and Sikhs – Sikhism: new sect in NW India, tried to bridge diff bet Hinduism & Islam, but persecution of Sikhs led to a rise in anti-Muslim feelings – From Shah Jahan’s reign on, rulers began to ignore admin. , milit. , & social needs for reform – Econ production & standard of living declined – Rulers conquered new lands, but spent lots of money & did not grow bureaucracy to govern them – Peasant uprisings, revolts of local Hindu princes – Local officials taking revenues from central gov’t – Invaders – Open to foreign influence—England waiting for economic opportunity & colonization

Siege attack on Rajput forces Akbar riding an elephant

Madonna and Child Turkey commissioned by Jahangir

Shah Jahan’s elephant Indian Bird