Gunpowder EmpiresThree of the great empires of history—the Ottomans in Turkey, the

Safavids in Persia, and the Mughals in India—emerged in the Muslim world between the 14th and the 18th centuries. As powerful societies moved to expand their empires, Turkish, Persian, Mongol, and Arab

ways of life blended. The result was a flowering of Islamic culture that peaked in the 16th century. The rulers of all three great Muslim empires

of this era based their authority on Islam. They based their power on strong armies, advanced technology, and loyal administrative officers.

Ottoman Empire

In 1453, the Ottomans attacked Constantinople & conquered the Byzantine Empire

By the late 1600s, the Ottomans expanded into the Middle East, Northern Africa, & Eastern Europe

Sultan

Ottoman rulers were called sultans & they governed with absolute power

Suleyman the Magnificent

The greatest Ottoman sultan was Suleyman the

Magnificent who came to power in 1520

Under Suleyman, Ottoman armies attacked Eastern

Europe & the empire reached its height

Suleyman’s greatest accomplishment was creating a stable gov’t for his empire

He was known as “Suleyman the Lawgiver”

because he created a law code that governed

criminal & civil issues

He created a simplified & fair tax system to raise money for his empire

He granted freedom of worship to Christians &

Jews living in the empire

Janissaries

The Ottoman army included 30,000 elite

soldiers called janissaries who were

slaves that were trained to be loyal to the

government

Safavid Empire

The Safavid Empire

The Safavids were Turks living in Persia who built a powerful

gunpowder army & created an empire in modern-day Iran

Unlike the Ottomans who were Sunni Muslims, the Safavids believed in Shi’a Islam & strictly

converted the people they conquered

Safavid rulers were called shahs, using the Persian

title for king

Shah

Safavid rulers were called shahs, using the Persian

title for king

Shah Abbas

The greatest ruler of the Safavid Empire was Shah Abbas who came to power in 1587

Abbas borrowed ideas from outside groups to improve

the Safavid Empire

He modeled Ottoman janissaries, used merit to employ gov’t workers, &

introduced religious toleration which helped

Safavids trade with European Christians

Art flourished, especially carpets that blended

Persian & European designs

The Decline of the Safavid EmpireLike the Ottomans, Shah Abbas blinded

or killed his most capable sons in

order to keep power

As a result, weak leaders led to a

rapid decline of the Safavid Empire

While the Ottoman Empire lasted until 1922, the Safavid

Empire fell in 1747

Mughal EmpireLike the Ottomans &

Safavids, the Mughals built a powerful army with guns

& cannons

The Mughals were Muslims who descended from Turks, Afghans, & Mongols living

in central Asia

Babur

In 1494, Babur became king of the Mughals, expanded the army, & began invasions into India to

create his empire

Akbar the Great

In 1556, Babur’s grandson Akbar became king of the Mughal Empire & expanded

the empire into almost all of India

Akbar was the greatest of all the Mughal rulers

He held religious discussions with Hindu & Muslim scholars

He ended the tax that non-Muslims were required

to pay & created a fair & affordable tax system

Akbar’s greatest achievement was cultural blending &

religious toleration

Because he was Muslim ruling in a largely Hindu

region, Akbar allowed non-Muslims to worship freely

He married many wives, among them

were Muslim, Hindu, & Christian women

The Divine Faith was an example of syncretism because

it blended ideas from Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, &

Zoroastrianism

Akbar hoped the Divine Faith would end conflicts between

Muslims & Hindus

But, the Divine Faith never attracted many Muslim or

Hindu converts…When Akbar died, so did the Divine Faith

Divine Faith

Taj Mahal

The greatest example of Mughal architecture is the Taj Mahal which was built in 1631 by Shah Jahan

Mughal architecture was known for blending of Hindu & Islamic designs

Qing Dynasty

In 1644, northern invaders from Manchuria conquered China & created the second foreign dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing Dynasty

Manchus

During this era of Manchu rule, China grew to its largest size by claiming Taiwan,

central Asia, Mongolia, & Tibet

Kangxi

But, Emperor Kangxi earned Chinese respect by keeping Confucian beliefs, lowering taxes,

& restoring peace and prosperity to China

Kangxi was the first emperor to tour China & visit peasant villages

Shinto

Japan’s isolation gave rise to a unique Japanese culture, most specifically the Shinto religion

Shinto is a polytheistic religion

based on the respect of nature & ancestor worship Shinto worshipers believed in divine spirits called kami that live in natureThe most important of the Shinto gods is the sun goddess who

gave light to the world

Japanese Feudalism

By the mid-1000s, the imperial gov’t grew weak, regional landowners

gained power, & Japan became lawless &

dangerousAs a result, Japan

developed a feudal system

Daimyo

Farmers traded land to strong warlords called daimyo who

offered protection

Samurai

Daimyo were served by loyal warriors called

samurai

In 1192, the first shogun was named

by the emperorThe emperor remained in place, but the shogun held real power & ruled

as military dictators Shoguns’ power varied

over time, but the pattern of gov’t

controlled by a shogun lasted until 1867

Shogun

Tokugawa Shogunate

In 1603, Tokugawa became shogun of Japan, moved to capital to Edo (later called Tokyo), & restored gov’t

& order to JapanTokugawa ruled until 1615, but he created a line of

succession called the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan until 1867

IsolationismTokugawa shoguns decided to exclude foreign merchants &

missionaries

By 1639, Japan adopted a

“closed country policy” &

ended almost all foreign contacts

Istanbul

Sikhism

A monotheistic religion founded in the Punjab region of India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, and marked by rejection of idolatry and caste. Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world.