Muslim Empires Ottoman Safavid and Mughal Ottoman 13

Muslim Empires Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal

Ottoman 13 th – 14 th centuries came to power l The Ottomans moved into Asia Minor in the 1350’s – bypassing Constantinople l By the 15 th century, the Ottomans were strong enough to attack l In 1453 the Ottomans led by Mehmed II captured Constantinople l They soon would become a major naval power l They were protectors of Islam l

Military leaders l Troops made up of Janissaries – young boys drafted for the Muslim armies – some parents sent their sons because of the honor to fight and opportunities l Soon, Janissaries made their way into politics l By the 16 th century they had the power to removed sultans and decide new rulers l Ottoman rulers were absolute monarchs l Day to day activities were managed by a vizier l

Ottomans built their capital at Constantinople – converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque l Constantinople was still alive with merchants and markets l Most of the people living there belonged to the merchant class l A complex system of organizing these merchants was put into place l Early Ottomans wrote in Persian, Arabic remained their major language, but the court used the older Turkish language l

The Ottoman decline was slow l They built their empire on war and expansion l The major source of decline was the lack of competency among the leaders l Then came peasant uprisings l One problem with the Ottomans is that they refused to follow the Industrial Revolution of Europe l They were defeated by the Spanish in a naval battle at Lepanto in 1571 l

The Portuguese defeated them as well l Then silver entered the Ottoman empire causing inflation l The Ottoman were also falling behind the European Christians l They continued to follow the Turkish, Arab, and Persian ideas that nothing Europe did was important l They blocked western innovations l

Safavid Empire Rose in what is now Iran l Focused on Shia variant of Islam l They had a long rivalry with the Ottomans who were Sunni l Ismail – famous leader – in 1501 took Tabiz – and became the Emperor l The Safavids finally went head to head with the Ottomans in 1514 at Chaldiran l

The war was a clash between Sunni and Shia Islam l It also demonstrated the use of new weapons l The Safavids lost l The Ottomans however could not follow with further expansion which allowed the Safavids time to regroup l The outcome of the war determined that Shiism would remain in Persia or Iran and Iraq l Abbas I – another famous Safavid ruler l Read 468 -472 l

The Fall of the Safavids The collapse was rapid l Abbas I grandson was weak l Abbas II took the throne but much of the damage had already been done l By march 1722 – the Empire fell to the Afghans l

The Mughals Babur – famous leader l He ruled not caring so much about religion l He created a dynasty in Asia that lasted for more than 300 years l He had a taste for the arts l He did and his son Humayan took over l He was followed by Akbar – the greatest leader l

Great military commander l He wanted to unite India l Oversaw all of the government administration l Carried out social reforms and even created his own religion l P. 474 -477 – achievements l Read the end – the Fall… l