The World on the Eve of the Ascendency of the

West

I. What Europe wanted

II. Why they wanted “it”

III. Where “it” came from

These powerful Islamic empires used heavy artillery and muskets, in part, to control central Asia and Middle Eastern trade.

For example, Ottoman cannon brought an end to the Byzantine Empire in 1453 with the destruction of Constantinople. Ottoman Janissaries or musketeers were an elite force within Ottoman armies.

The Ottomans and the Mughals were generally tolerant of the ethnic groups within their territories. Christians in the Ottoman Empire were allowed to practice their religion in separate communities called Millets. Mughal rulers like Akbar the Great granted rights to Hindus within the empire.

IV. How “it” was obtained: The Gunpowder Empires

The Ottoman EmpireUnder Suleiman

Ottoman law was based on the Sharia or Islamic law based on the Quran. Ottoman law was

organized on the order of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520 – 1566).

Early Modern Islamic Art and Architecture.

The Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa controlled trade on the Mediterranean Sea. The wealth generated by this trade was crucial in the intellectual and artistic rebirth of Europe – the Renaissance.

V. Venice and Genoa

VI. Going straight to the source

VII. What the Spanish find