MONGOLS, TURKS AND
MUGHALS
THE GUNPOWD ER KI NGD OMS
MAP OF THE REGION
• Byzantine
Empire – was
the old Eastern
Roman Empire.
• Religion - Greek
Orthodox
Christians.
• The Ottoman
Turks – Religion
Muslim.
OSMAN AND THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Osman I – founder of the
Ottoman Empire
• 1300 AD – Osman I
built his empire in
modern day Turkey.
• The Ottoman
Empire is named for
Osman.
• The Ottomans were
the 1st to use
gunpowder and
cannons as
weapons.
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• Leaders were called
Sultans = overlord or
“one with power.”
• They were tolerant of
other religions.
• Ghazis or princes
followed a strict code of
Islamic conduct and
were allowed to raid
the territories of
“infidels.”
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• The Ottoman Empire
was a family dynasty
that ruled for 600 years.
• They were tolerant rulers
and they allowed
communities to follow
their own religious laws,
practices and customs.
The Great Mosque of
Damascus, Syria
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
A devshirme
• It was forbidden to
enslave another Muslim.
• The Turks held a
devshirme “boy levy” or
gathering. Christian
boys between the ages
of 10 – 20 were selected
to serve as special
slaves of the Ottoman
Empire.
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• In Istanbul, the boys
converted to Islam, were
made eunuchs,
educated and given
training in the martial
arts. The top performers
became an elite guard
of foot soldiers in the
service of the sultan
known as the janissaries.
MEHMET II - THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• 1453 – Mehmet II or
Mehmet the
Conqueror assembled
a force of 125 ships
and 100,000 soldiers
armed with his
janissaries, gunpowder
and the 1st cannons to
assault the Byzantine
capital of
Constantinople.
THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE FALLS TO
MEHMET II
• What evidence of a “Gunpowder Kingdom”
do you see in this painting?
THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE FALLS TO
MEHMET II
• 1453 -The Byzantine
Orthodox Christians in
the East held out for 5
weeks, but finally, the
Ottoman Turks broke
through.
• The city was sacked
and Hagia Sophia was
turned into a Muslim
mosque.
MEHMET II - OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• Mehmet II was an able
ruler. He was tolerant
of all peoples.
• He re-built the city of
Constantinople and
renamed it Istanbul.
• Istanbul became a
multi-cultural nexus of
people, cultures, and
religions.
MEHMET II - OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• However, the Ottoman Turks now blocked
the Spice trade from the East. This prompted
European nations to search for an all-water
route to the East.
SULEIMAN I- OTTOMAN EMPIRE
• Suleiman I, Suleiman
the Magnificent or
Suleiman the Lawgiver,
was one of the more
famous and capable
Turkish rulers.
• He was known for his
military successes, the
splendor of his court
and his cultural
achievements.
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE – REVIEW
Can you name the top 3 rulers of the Ottoman Turks?
Which one took Constantinople?
Which one is known for his wisdom and laws?
Which one is the Ottoman Empire named for?
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE – FALLS
• After 600 years of rule,
during World War I –
1914 – 1918, the
Ottoman Turks sided
with the Central
Powers (the German
side), against the
Allies.
• The Central Powers
lost, and the Ottoman
Empire fell.
TIMUR THE LAME OR TAMERLANE
• 1400’s - Turkish rule was
interrupted by an Islamic
fundamentalist named
Timur the Lame or
Tamerlane.
• He claimed to be of the
bloodline of Genghis Khan.
• He believed the Turkish
sultans were too tolerant of
Hindus.
TIMUR THE LAME OR TAMERLANE
• Tamerlane swept in New
Delhi, India, and slaughtered
over 100,000 Hindus.
• He replaced the Great Laws
of Genghis Khan with sharia
– a belief in the moral code
and religious law of Islam.
• Islam was firmly established
in N. India.
TIMUR THE LAME OR TAMERLANE
• Why might
Tamerlane’s
Empire
practice the
religion of
Islam?
• Which regions
might
Tamerlane go
to war with and
why?
TIMUR’S DESCENDANTS – THE
MUGHAL RULERS OF N. INDIA - BABUR
Babur, 1st Mughal Emperor
• 1200 – 1500 AD - 17 brutal
campaigns were fought
between Hindus and Muslims.
Muslim Sultans treated Hindus
as conquered people.
• Finally, in 1526, Babur, a more
tolerant descendant of Timur,
defeated the sultan of Delhi.
• Babur was the 1st Mughal
Emperor.
MUGHAL RULERS OF INDIA – AKBAR
THE GREAT
• 1560’s - He was the “Great
One,” - known for his
tolerance of other religions
and his wisdom.
• He did not overtax the
Hindus.
• He ruled a unified India of
over 100 million people. His
country was larger than all
European nations –
combined.
Akbar the Great
above
MUGHAL RULERS OF INDIA – SHAH
JAHAN
• Akbar’s grandson, Shah
Jahan, took the throne by
killing all his rivals.
• He had 2 passions –
building, and his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal.
• When she died, he built
her a tomb that was to
be “as beautiful as she
was.”
• It was the Taj Mahal.
Shah Jahan
MUGHAL RULERS OF INDIA – SHAH
JAHAN AND THE TAJ MAHAL
• Described as Islamic art
and architecture in Indiathe Taj Mahal.
• It took 22 years to build.
20,000 workers toiled daily
on the world’s most
famous tomb. Over 1,000
elephants brought in
white marble, and over
28 precious stones for the
design.
INDIA AND IMPERIALISM
• By the 1600’s, the Dutch,
Portuguese, French and
British all wanted control of
the valuable spice trade
coming out of India.
• By the 1850’s, Great Britain
gained control of India and
made it the “Jewel in their
crown.”
• India would not be free
again until 1947.
Mohatama Gandhi,
pictured here, will lead
India’s move for freedom
from the British.