The Muslim World Expands

WH Chapter 2 Review

The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire– By 1300 CE, the Byzantine Empire (the remnants of the Roman

Empire) was in decline, and a group of Turks would rise up to fight for Islam

• Turks Move into Byzantium• The Turks saw themselves as ghazis, or warriors for Islam

– Osman establishes a state• A strong ghazi, was called Othman by the West, and this led to calling

his followers, Ottomans.• One of the first to use gunpowder weapons in large quantities, they

also used cannon to breach walls of cities.• Osman’s son Orkhan I captured Adrianople and declared himself

Sultan (overlord).• Most Muslims were required to serve in the military.

– Timur the Lame halts expansion• A Samarkand, Tamerlane won a major victory against the Ottomans

• Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion• Mehmed I wins control after a bloody sibling rivalry and conquers

more land

– Mehmed II Conquers Constantinople• The greatest city in the West, down from a population of 1,000,000 to

50,000, Constantinople fell in seven weeks of seige. Renamed Istanbul 1451.

– Ottomans take Islam’s Holy Cities• Mehmed ‘s grandson Selim the Grim used impressive military

The Empire Reaches it’s Height• Suleyman the Lawgiver

• Also known as Suleyman the Magnificent

– The Empire Reaches it’s Limits• Captured Belgrade in 1521• The next year, they captured Rhodes, an important island in the Eastern

Mediterranean, then used their naval strength to take Tripoli and Northern Africa

• In 1526 the Turks advanced to Hungary and Austria to the outskirts of Vienna.

– Highly Structured Social Organization• Suleyman was gifted in administration and lowered and simplified the tax

code. These innovations solidified Ottoman rule.• The practice devshirme, boys were taken into the army and trained to be loyal

to the Sultan.• An elite force of Janissaries were the core of the army, and very advanced for

their time.

– Cultural Flowering• Suleyman had wide interests and studied poetry, history, geography,

astronomy, architecture, and mathematics. Art and literature flourished under Suleyman.

• The Empire Declines Slowly– Suleyman set the way in which power was assumed, with a new Sultan

killing his brothers, and keeping his sons prisoner in the harem. Suleyman killed is oldest and ablest son, exiled his second son, and the third son took power, but was weak, and this was the pattern for future Sultans. As a result, the empire slowly declined, even as it held power until the early 20th century.

Patterns of Cultural Blending

• Causes of Cultural Blending– Migration– Pursuit of Religious Freedom or

Conversion– Trade– Conquest

• Results of Cultural Blending– Language– Religion and Ethical System– Styles of Government– Racial or Ethnic Blending– Arts and Architecture

The Safavids Build an Empire• Isma’il Conquers Persia

– Squeezed between the Ottomans in the west and the Mughals in the east, in 1499 a 12 year old conquered the old empire in just two years and took the ancient Persian title, the Shah.

– The Safavids were named after a religious brotherhood, led by Safi al-Din, and aligned themselves with the Shi’a sect of Islam.

– Isma’il was a tyrant and butcher, who forced conversion to Shi’a and killed those who would not.

– These actions led to confrontation with the Ottoman Empire who followed the Sunni sect of Islam.

– Selim the Grim (Ottoman) expelled Shi’a from the Ottoman Empire and some 40,000 perished . In battle, the Ottoman superiority with cannon and gunpowder weapons defeated the Safavids, and established the current border between Iran and Iraq.

Safavid Golden Age• Shah Abbas, or Abbas the Great, 1587r

– Reform• Abbas reformed both military and civilian life. Soldiers were

requited from both Muslims and Christians , and equipped with modern weapons and artillery.

• The government was tolerant of religion, allowed exchanges of ideas, and as a result, industry art and culture flourished.

– A New Capital• A new capital was built at Esfahan, considered by many to be

the most beautiful in the world.

– Art Works• Metalwork, calligraphy, miniature paintings, glassworks, tile,

pottery

– Carpets• Persian rugs today are still considered the finest in the world

worth many tens of thousands of dollars

• The Dynasty Declines Quickly– The Safavids suffered much the same fate as the

Ottomans, as palace politics and succession issues killed most of the capable future rulers.

The History of the Mughals– The Gupta empire of India declined in 400 CE, and

then the Islamic invasions began about 700 CE. A Strong group descended from Timur the Lame (who halted the Ottoman expansion) and Ghengis Khan who called themselves Mughals (Mongols).

– For about 300 years, Hindus and Muslims fought along the Indus river, but around 1000 CE, well armed Turkish troops devastated India led by Sultan Mahmud. The Hindus became a conquered people.

• Delhi Sultanate– From the 13th to the 16th Centuries (1200’s – 1500’s)

33 different Sultans ruled from Delhi• Babur Founds an Empire

– At the age of 11, Babur inherited a kingdom in the region of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, though his elders took it away from him and drove him south. In the years that followed, Babur would become an excellent general and set the foundation for the Mughal Empire.

– Babur’s son however, was incompetent, and lost most of the territory.

Akbar’s Golden Age– Babur’s grandson, unlike his father, was a great leader, who

would rule with wisdom.• A Military Conqueror

– Understanding the principles of military power, Akbar equipped his armies with many powerful cannon, which enabled him to conquer much of India.

– Akbar turned enemies into allies by bringing them into the empire and giving them positions in the military and government.

• A Liberal Ruler– Akbar was tolerant of other religions and allowed their practice,

even his Hindu wives. He abolished the jizya, or pilgrimage tax. He created a graduated income tax, so that more prosperous people would pay more and poorer people would pay less. This turned out to be very successful.

– A controversial policy was land grants. Land was granted to bureaucrats, but when they died, the property went back to the state, causing indifference to land improvements they could not keep.

• Blended Cultures– Akbar was astute at allowing cultures to blend. The soldiers of

the army, which came from many regions, created a polyglot language called Urdu (Arabic, Persian, Hindi)

• The Arts and Literature• Architecture

Akbar’s Successors• Jahangir and Nur Jahan

– Akbar’s son, Jahangir (Grasper of the World), left governing to his wife, Nur Jahan, who ruled with an iron fist.

– Nur Jahan installed her father as prime minister, and when her oldest son Khusrau rebelled, she exiled him.

– Khusrau, against his fathers wishes to expand Islam, went to the peaceful Sikhs (Hinduism and Sufism, but separate from Hinduism) for protection. Guru Arjun protected him, but was captured and tortured. The Sikhs became a target for Muslim attacks.

• Shah Jahan– Jahangir’s son and successor, assassinated all rivals. Jahan loved only

building and his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. When she died, giving birth to her 14th child, he enshrined her memory in the greatest tomb the Taj Mahal.

• The People Suffer– The people however were suffering drought and famine

• Aurangzeb’s Reign– Aurangzeb was Shah Jahan’s third son, but he moved decisively to secure

the throne, by executing his older brothers, and having his father arrested.

– Aurangzeb was a fundamentalist who rejected religious tolerance, re-instituted the pilgrimage tax, and forced others to convert to Islam. All of the gains of Akbar were lost, and the Hindus rebelled. While the empire would grow to it’s height under Aurangzeb, he fundamentally wreaked the empire.

• The Empire’s Decline and Decay– More than 2 million died by war and famine, the empire would never be

whole again, and this gave the Europeans the entrance they needed.