CHAPTER TWENTY
The Muslim Empires
World Civilizations, The Global
Experience
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
I. The Ottomans: From Frontier Warriors to Empire Builders
II. The Shi’a Challenge of the Safavids
III. The Mughals and the Apex of Muslim Civilization in India
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
I. The Ottomans: From Frontier
Warriors to Empire Builders
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Mid-1200s, Mongols defeat Seljuks
Ottomans emerge dominant push out Mongols
Into Balkans, 14th & 15th centuries
1453, take Constantinople- Mehmed II
renamed Istanbul
Expansion into Middle East, North Africa, &
Europe
Dominate Mediterranean
A. A State Geared to Warfare
- Military dominant (Beginning of Gunpowder
Empires)
- Turkic horsemen become warrior nobility
- Janissary infantry become powerful
- Conscripted youth from conquered peoples
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
The Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
B. The Sultans and their Court
• Use factions against each other
• Vizier- Oversees large bureaucracy, held more
power than the Sultan
• Succession -No clear rules
C. Constantinople (Instanbul) Restored and the
Flowering of Ottoman Culture
- Suleyman mosque, 16th century
- Commercial center with Government control
of trade and crafts
- Artisan guilds (government)
- Turkish language prevails over Persian and
Arabic in court life starting in 17th century
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Expansion of the Ottoman Empire
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
D. The Problem of Ottoman Decline
Strong until late 1600s (late 17th century)
Decline
Extended until WWI
Infrastructure insufficient
Dependent on conquest and with the end of
conquest brings deficiencies
Regional leaders divert revenue
Sultans less dynamic
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
E. Military Reverses and the Ottoman Retreat
Janissaries
Conservative
Stop military, technological reform
Lepanto, 1571
Defeated by Spain, Venice
Turks lose control of eastern Mediterranean
Portuguese outflank Middle East trade
Sail around Africa into Indian Ocean
Victories over Muslim navies
Inflation
Caused by New World bullion
Comes at same time as loss of revenue from
control of trade
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
II. The Shi’a Challenge of the Safavids
- Safavid family
Sufi preachers, mystics
Sail al-Din Leads revival
- 1501, Ismâ'il takes
Tabriz & Named shah
- Chaldiran, 1514
Safavids defeated by Ottomans
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
The Safavid Empire
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
II. The Shi’a Challenge of the Safavids
A. Politics and War under the Safavid Shahs
Tahmasp I
Becomes shah: restoration
Abbas I (1587--1629) the great
Height of Safavid Empire
Persians as bureaucrats
B. State and Religion Adopt Persian language after Chaldiran
Also Persian court traditions
Shi'ism modified
Spreads to entire empire
C. Elite Affluence and Artistic Splendor
Abbas I supports international trade, Islamic culture,
building projects (Mosques in Isfahan)
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Persian Tiles
As Isfahan flourished under Shah Abbas I, wealthy Persians decorated their homes and
mosques with tiles featuring scenes, often gardens, painted by local artists. This tile painting
shows a woman at leisure in her garden, holding a vase while her servant offers her fruit.
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
D. Society and Gender Roles: Ottoman and Safavid
Comparisons
Commonalities
Warrior aristocracies
Move to rural estates after conquest
Threat to central power
Imperial workshops
Artisans patronized
International trade encouraged
Women lose freedom
Subordinate to fathers, husbands
E. The Rapid Demise of the Safavid Empire
Abbas I
Removes heirs
Weak grandson inherits
Decline begins
Internecine conflict, outside threats
1772, Isfahan taken by Afghanis
Nadir Khan Afshar
Shah, 1736
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
III. The Mughals and the Apex of Muslim Civilization in India
Babur
Driven from Afghanistan by the Ozbegs
Invades India, 1526
Turkic & Mongol Khan descendents
Panipat, 1526; Defeats Muslim Lodi dynasty
Khanua, 1527; Defeats Hindu confederation
1530, death at 48 , Succeeded by his son
Humayan
Humayan flees to Persia
Mughal rule restored by Humayan by 1556
A. Akbar and the Basis for a Lasting Empire
Humayn's 13-year-old son Akbar
Reconciliation with Hindus
New religion, Din-i-Ilahi
Blend of Islam and Hinduism
Toleration- no jizya (head tax)
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
The Growth of the Mughal Empire from Akbar to Aurangzeb
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
B. Social Reform and Social Change
Women
Position improved in the court and administration but
decline elsewhere
Widows encouraged to remarry with the sati prohibited but
this was not wide spread
Child marriages became more popular (age 9)
Sati prohibited but still practiced
Seclusion undermined by women's market days (however,
strictly inforced by upper- class)
C. Mughal Splendor and Early European Contacts
Death of Akbar
Reforms don't survive
Empire stays strong name
Cotton textiles to Europe
Especially among laboring and middle classes
D. Artistic Achievement in the Mughal Era under Jahangir and
Shah Jahan, 17th century
Nur Jahan ruling more than Jahangir
Continue toleration
Less energetic
Support arts: Taj Mahal
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
E. Court Politics and the Position of Elite and
Ordinary Women
Nur Jahan
Wife of Jahangir
Head of powerful faction
Mumtaz Mahal
Wife of Shah Jahan
Also powerful but Shah Jahan was an able ruler
Ordinary women
Position declines
Sati spreads among upper classes despite being
outlawed
More of Akbar's reforms die out
Chapter 20:The Muslim Empires
F. The Beginnings of Imperial Decline
Aurangzeb
Succeeds Shah Jahan
Programs
1. Rule all India
2. Cleanse Islam of Hindu taint
1707, controls most of India
Expensive, distracting
Other developments disregarded
Revolt
Autonomy of local leaders
Hindus exluded from high office
Non-Muslims taxed
Marattas and Sikhs challenge rule
- India open to foreign rule and exploitation (England)