Chapter 16: The Muslim Empires The Ottoman Empire: -Late 13th century -Turks with ladder Osman consolidated power in northwest Anatolian peninsula. - They were peaceful with pastoral pursuits until the Suljuk Empire began to decline and they expanded and founded the Osmani (later Ottoman) dynasty. Reformating - Westward expansion to cross the Bosporus all set up bases and settlements in the Bulkans and allies with Serbian and Bulgar forces against the Byzantine Empire. Clarifying - Ottoman leader Orkhan I began to claim title of Sultan or sovereign of domain. (like Aladdin) Connecting - Murad I succeeded Orkhan I and began to build a strong military administration based on recruitments of Christians into the elite guard. They were converted to Islam and then they "owed loyalty" to the Sultan. - Turks mastered siege cannons and muskets. (do their enemies have these weapons?) Questioning - Murad defeated the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 - Bayazid I annexed Bulgaria and slaughtered French Calvary - Mehmet II defeated Constantinople and Byzantine emperor Summarizing Expansion of the Empire - Advanced east and beat Safavids in 1514 and consolidated Turkish control over Mesopotamia. - Controlled Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina so Salim named himself caliph (successor to Muhammed) - Administered conquered regions with local rulers - Central government with pashas who were tax collectors and police. - Turks controlled coastal cities and trade routes (will they spread too thin and be overrun by people who want their land back?) Infering Turkish Expansion in Europe Completed conquest of Constantinople in 1453 Attempted conquest of Balkans Resistance of Hungarians and internal problems stopped attacks on Europe 1520 Turks begin conquests again and take parts of Europe Nature of Turkish Rule Ottoman political system- evolution on tribal institutions Sultan succeeds through sons Palace in the middle of the city- within palace is harem where the sultan and his favorite concubines live Who s ever child becomes Sultan, the mother becomes the queen mother Many women in the Harem the Sultanate of women Ruled through imperial council that met 4 days a week chaired by the grand vezir The Grand Vezir would relay what the Sultan said to the council and so forth Religion and Society in the Ottoman world Ottoman elites were Sunni Muslims Sultans (caliph) were defenders of faith
Some in the empire were not muslim- okay as long as they were loyal to the empire Millets (religious nation or community within the empire) had their own rabbi or patriarch who dealt with the empire Ottomans in decline Sultan executes two able sons- is succeeded by Selim II the drunken sultan First loss of territory 1699 Decline of rulers Power shift from sultan to grand vezir Ottoman art Sultans were enthusiastic art patrons Artists from all over the world- feared loss of sultan s attention= loss of head Well known for architecture (mosques) Ottoman artist invent new tile art Bring back silk worms: silk flourishes Turkish rugs: peasant made, each village had different style The Safavids Collapse of Tamarlane in early 15 th c. left Persia leaderless. 1501- Shah ( leader ) Ismail creates Safavid empire in Iran and Iraq. -1508- Baghdad too. - Ottoman Sultan retaliates. Loses. Tries again and regains some land. Reached height with Shah Abbas: peace, new weapons. Religion increases, intellectual freedom decreases, esp. for women. Safavid Politics and Society Population was mixed, mostly Iranian farmers/townspeople. Shi ite their faith. Shah claims to be leader of religion. Aristocracy led by the shah. A landlocked area- not much trade- greatly increases after contact with the English. Akbar and Indo-Muslim Civilization Akbar- great conquering Mughal monarch Humane character Acceptance in diversity of Indian society Divine Faith (Din-i-Ilahi)- worship combining characteristics of several religions w/ main belief being the infallibility in emperor s decisions Officials (zamindars) started off getting salaries, but then they were just assigned sections of agriculture for personal use During reign: peace & stability, commerce, lots of trade, flourishing manufacturing Twilight of the Mughals Akbar died (1605) and succeeded by son Jahangir
Empress took advantage of position to enrich family Expanded boundaries of empire Forced to raise taxes to cover finances Succession struggles led to Jahangir s illness causing power struggle between 2 sons (Dara Shikoh & Aurangzeb) Aurangzeb 1 of most controversial individuals in India s hist. Tried to eliminate social evils India became divided Collapse of Mughal Empire: Draining of imperial treasury Decline of competence of rulers Impact of Western Power in India o English, Dutch and Portuguese in competition for trade privileges o 1616: English permitted to install ambassador at imperial court in Agra o English presence rising; Mughal power decreasing o Tension between local authorities and English over payment of taxes leads to short war in 1686 o English expelled but allowed to return o Black Hole of Calcutta = underground prison for holding prisoners (many of whom died in captivity) o 1757, Battle of Plassey, 3000 man British army defeats Mughal-led army over 10x their size o British East India Company gaining power into the interior of the subcontinent o Company s takeover of land = disaster for Indian economy Resulted in transfer of capital from local Indian aristocracy to company officials Hastened destruction of local industries Applied British law allowing the land of those unable to pay taxes to be confiscated o In 1770 s series of famines = death of estimated 1/3 of population under company administration o Indian commanders avoided pitched battles with British troops but harassed and ambushed them Society and Culture Under the Mughals o Mughals last of traditional Indian dynasties o Daily Life Women
From aristocratic families often awarded honorific titles, received salaries and were permitted to own land and engage in business At court sometimes received an education Often expressed creative talents by writing poetry, painting or playing music Of all castes could spin thread Sold simple clothes to local villages and fine cottons, silks, and wools to Mughal court From mercantile castes sometimes took active role in business activities Adopted Muslim practice of isolation women and preventing them from associating with men outside the home; mainly practiced by upper class Child marriage (most women betrothed before age of 10) sill common practice Women instructed to obey husbands and remain chaste Hindu men forcibly married Muslim women and converted them to native faith Converts to Islam normally lost all inheritance rights within Indian family Emergence of social groups who achieved status and wealth on basis of economic achievement rather than traditional kinship ties The Mughal Cutlture -The Mughals combined Islamic themes with Persian and Idigenous motifs to produce a unique style that enriched and embellished Indian art and culture. -Most visible achievement was in architecture, like the Taj Mahal. -Akbar was the first of the great Mughal builders. -The other major artistic achievement of the Mughal period was painting. Painting was done on palm leaves. -By the 15th century,indian painting made the transition from palm leaf to paper, and the new mediums also sparked creativity. -Akbar established a state workshop for two hundred artists who worked to create the Mughal school of painting. -The "Akbar style" used extended spaces and portrayed physical human action. -Painting during Akbar's reign followed the trend toward realism and historical narrative. -An aspect of the long Mughal reign was a Hindu revival of devotional literature, much of it dedicated to Krishna and Rama. -The great poet Tulsidas presents the devotional story in Ramcaritmanas.