The Islamic Empires

Mckenzie SheridanEvelyn

The Islamic Empires• Shah Jahan- built the Taj Mahal

with help of architects.• He was the first emperor of the

Mughal Empire.

The Peacock Throne• The Peacock Throne- the most

spectacular seat on which any mortal human has rested.

“Gun Powder Empires”• All three Islamic Empires has

Turkish rolling dynasties.• The Ottomans, Safavids, and

Mughals came from nomadic Turkish speaking people.

• All dynasties retained cultural traditions that their ancestors had adopted.

• They all use gun powder for warfare.

• They all Embrace Islamic Values.

…• The three empires were at their

height in the 16th and early 17th centuries.

• They weakened in the 17th century because they ceased to expand and gain access to new wealth.

• By the 18th century- the Safavid Empire collapsed and the Ottomans and Mughals were falling under European influence.

The Ottoman Empire• It was a successful frontier state.• Osman was chief of Turks, who migrated

to Anatolia.• The Empire was located on the border

of the Byzantine Empire and was a good location for Holy War.

• In 1352, they seized the fortress of Gallipoli, this increased their land mass.

• Adrianople became their second capitol and serves for expansion.

Expansion• They organized ghazi (Muslim religious

warriors) military, which led to more expansion.

• After expansion into the Balkans, the Ottomans created slave troops. They forced young Balkan boys to become slaves.

• They became a powerful military force with gun powder weapons.

• Mehmed II (known as Mehmed the conqueror) captured Constantinople, it then became the capital.

… still expanding

• The Ottoman’s continue their expansion into the 16th Century.

• They occupied Syria and Egypt. • They conquered Baghdad, Tigris and

Euphrates Valley, Belgrade and Hungary.• They became a naval power.• They seized the island of Rhodes from the

knights or St. john, besieged Malta, secured Yemen and Aden, and even dispatched a squadron to attack the Portuguese fleet at Diu in India

Safavid Empire

• First emperor was Ismail, he claimed title of Shah (ruler) at age 19.

• He reigned from 1501-1524.• He declared the religion of his realm twelver

shiisn and enforced it on everyone.• He and his successors controlled records of rule

and changed the stories to their favor.• The Qizibash or “red heads” were followers or

successors of Imam, who believed that Ismail was the hidden Imam and gave them invincibility in battle.

• In the battle of Chaldrain, Ottomans damaged Safavid state and occupied the capital at Tabriz but could not destroy it completely.

• The safavids recovered over time, and relied more heavily on Persian bureaucracy and abandoned Twelver Shiism ideology.

• Shah Abbas revived empire. Built strong military and by end of reign brought Iran, the Caucasus, and Mesopotamia under Safavid rule.

Mughal Empire -The Timurid Prince Babur established the empire in 1526.

- He led Muslim Armies to conquer most of the Indian subcontinent in the early 16th century.

-After Babur’s death his son Humayan took over and the empire went through many fluctuations.

-It was an Arab empire so it was not tolerant of other religions.

The Classic Period- Started in 1556.- Began with the succession of Akbar the Great. This brought

cultural and economic progress and religious harmony.

- Emperor Shah Jahan brought the empire into the “Golden Age of Architecture”

Example: Taj Mahal (pictured above)

The End

• The empire slowly declined through out the 18th century due to invasion and weak rule.