New Asian Empires1200 - 1800

•In Asia, the period from 1200 to 1800, was a time of great empires and shifts in power.• From east of the Mediterranean Sea to India, strong Muslim rulers built large empires.•In China a new dynasty sought to revive the traditions neglected under the Mongols, while a military society rose in Japan

1. The Ottoman Empire and Safavid Empires2. The Mughal Empire3. The Ming and the Qing Dynasty4. Medieval Japan and Korea

1. The Ottoman and Safavid Empires• The Ottoman and Safavid Empires

flourished under powerful rulers who expanded the territory and cultural influence of their empires

“Golden Horn” – 15c map

1200 - 1800

The Ottoman Empire

• The Mongol conquest of the 1200s had ripped apart the Seljuk Turk empire in Anatolia, a region known as Asia Minor

• Small independent Turkish states then formed in the region

• 1200’s great chieftain arose and went on to found the Ottoman Empire

•Osman I (Othman): 1299-1326

1200 - 1800

Growth of an Empire• Anatolia lies between the

intersection of Asia and Europe

• Bordered by the Byzantine Empire to the west and Muslim empires to the east

• To the north, beyond the Black Sea is Russia

• Westerners came to refer to Osman and his descendents as the Ottomans

• Ghazis – “warriors for the Islam faith”

1200 - 1800

Invasion and Decline• Key to the Ottoman Success – was their military training• Janissaries – boys who were converted to Islam and trained as

soldiers and were loyal only to the sultan• Timur the Lame, a great central Asian –crushed the Ottoman

Empire; led to temporary decline in power

Tamerlane (1336-1405) or “Timur, the Lame”Janissaries

1200 - 1800

Fall of Constantinople Following a period of decline, a phase of expansion begun with reign of Mehmed II – determined to take Constantinople, the Byzantine EmpireTook months to capture the city First to use gun powder for cannons to batter the city’s walls

Mehmet II: 1444-1445; 1451-1481(“The Conqueror”)

1200 - 1800

•Mehmed II made Constantinople his capital, which became Istanbul.•He had people move there from all across his empire.•Soon the city was again a major trading center with people of many cultures

Europeans vs. Turks

Istanbul, a New Capital 1200 - 1800

The End of the Byzantine Empire

•He allowed his soldiers to pillage the city for three days, during which many residents were killed or enslaved.•Rebuilt Constantinople into a Muslim City

1200 - 1800

Hagia Sophia

•He had palaces and mosques built and even had Hagia Sophia, the great Orthodox Christian cathedral, turned into a mosque

1200 - 1800

Blue Mosque

•The Blue Mosque became the place of worship for Muslims.

1200 - 1800

Height of an Empire

• Under the next three sultans, expansion continued.• Expanded east to the rest of Anatolia

1200 - 1800

Selim I, ”the Grim”: 1512-1520•Addressed a threat to Persia –the Savafid Empire – and crushed it at the Battle of Chaldiran.•Swept through Syria, and into Egypt•Also captured Medina and Mecca, holy cities of Islam

1200 - 1800

Suleiman the Magnificent:(1520-1566)

Suleiman’s Signature

•The Ottoman Empire reached its peak under Suleyman I.•Passed through Hungary up to Vienna•Also gained control of the Mediterranean Sea and the North African coast.

1200 - 1800

Collection of Taxes in Suleiman’s Court

•His domestic achievements were equally impressive.•He reformed the tax systemand overhauled the government bureaucracy.•He improved the court system and legal code and had new laws issued to reduce corruption.•Titled the “Lawgiver”

1200 - 1800

Society and Culture

SULTAN

Divans

Social / MilitaryDivans

Heads of Individual

Religious Millets

Local Administrators& Military

Landowners / Tax Collectors

Muslims Jews

Christians

•The Ottoman Bureaucracy.•Ottoman Sultan ruled over a vast empire.•Numerous officials advised him.•Officials considered slaves•The upper class of his empire

•Second class, or lower class, consisted of everyone else in the empire

1200 - 1800

People of the Book

Conversations Between Muslims & Christians

•Following Islamic law, the Ottomans allowed religious freedom.•They required some religious groups, such as Christian and Jews, -People of the Book to Muslims – to form millets, or religious communities•Each millet could follow its own religious laws and choose its own leaders, who were responsible to the sultan.

1200 - 1800

The Empire’s Decline•Battle of Lepanto

(1571)

•After Suleyman’s reign, the Ottoman Empire, gradually declined. •One cause dealing with heirs – sultans killed their brothers to eliminate rivals•Throughout the next 300 years, weak sultans would be in power•Even so, the empire lasted until the early 1900’s.

1200 - 1800

The Ottoman Empire During the 16c

•Where were the Ottomans lands located in 1500’s?•What three continents did the Ottomans partially control?

1200 - 1800

The Safavid Empire• East of the Ottomans, Persian Muslims called the Safavids

began building an empire around 1500.• Came into conflict with the Ottomans and other Muslims. • The conflict related to Islam’s split into the rival Sunni

and Shia sects.• The Safavids were Shia: most other Muslims were Sunni

1200 - 1800

Growth of the Empire• The Safavid founder – 14 year old boy named Esma’il.• He took up the sword, after the death of his father, and

in a series of victories, he gained control of what is now Iran as well as part of Iraq

1200 - 1800

Shah Esma’il• He took the Persian

title, the Shah, or king of the Safavid empire

• Shiism I the official Safavid religion

• This act worried many of his advisors – most of his people were Sunni

• Eventually defeated in the Battle of Chaldiranagainst the Ottoman Turks.

• Died in 1524

1200 - 1800

Shah Abbas• Abbas, in 1588 became

Shah – he reformed the government, strengthened the military, and acquired modern gunpowder weapons.

• His achievements produced a golden age in Safavid culture.

1200 - 1800

Culture and Economy• He brought in Chinese potters to improve the quality of ceramics.• Capital – Esfahan – one of the world’s most magnificent cities.• Public spaces with graceful arches and lush gardens• Colorful tiles and domes decorated mosques• The Slave trade and Persian carpets became an important industry • The empire lasted until 1722.

1200 - 1800