the muslim world 1300-1700
TRANSCRIPT
The Muslim World 1300-1700
Modern World History
Questions to Consider
• Question: How did the Silk Road help these Middle Eastern societies grow?
• Question: What factors allowed the Ottomans to grow to be so powerful?
• Question: What factors caused the Safavids to decline and fall?
• Question: What were the major factors that led to the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire?
European Trade and the Silk Road in the East
The Silk Road The Silk Road was an interconnected series of routes
through southern Asia traversed by caravan
connecting China to the Middle East … and from
there to Europe
Before the discovery of the sea route to India, it was the
most important connection between the East and
West
The Silk Road Question: How did the Silk Road help these Middle
Eastern societies grow?
Goods as well as knowledge and ideas traveled
between east and west. This is cultural diffusion.
Example: Buddhism spread from India to China
The Middle East served as the middle ground between
European consumers and the silks and spices of
East Asia, making it the necessary location for trade.
• Most of the trade had ended by the 1300s.
• 3 Major Empires developed along the route.
The Ottoman Empire Anatolia (Turkey) was settled by
nomadic, militaristic Turks pushed out
of Central Asia by the Mongols in the
1200s.
Ottomans formed military societies
under the leadership of an Emir and
raided territories of the “infidels” (non-
Muslims).
Success largely based on gunpowder.
The Ottomans generally acted kindly
toward the people they conquered, by
ruling through local officials, and often
improved peasants’ lives. Osman I, the first Emir
Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion
Mehmet II (the Conqueror) conquered Constantinople in 1451, ending Christian Byzantine Empire and threatening Christianity in Western Europe.
Suleiman I (the Lawgiver), helped the Ottoman Empire reach its greatest size,
stretching from Hungary to Iraq.
His armies advanced into central Europe. Bosnia’s population is still Muslim today.
The Hagia Sophia
in Constantinople (Istanbul)
Ottoman Social Structure A military state with a complex
bureaucracy
The palace guards were janissaries,
Christian boys taken from
conquered Christian lands,
castrated, and then turned into
highly trained, elite soldiers.
»What advantage did this serve?
The Ottomans granted freedom of
worship, particularly to Christians and
Jews.
Young Greek boys being
converted to Islam and
becoming Janissaries
Suleiman’s Achievements Ottoman leaders followed
Islamic law.
Suleiman simplified taxes and bureaucracy, which made life better.
Art, architecture, and literature also flourished.
Suleiman’s Mosque
Decline of the Ottoman Empire Suleiman chose a weak heir which set up the eventual
downfall of the empire.
Spain and Italy destroyed Selim’s Turkish fleet in
1571, limiting Ottoman military influence.
Massive instability and weak, ignorant sultans
resulted from power plays for throne
The power of the Ottomans slowly declined.
It officially dissolved after World War I.
Question: What factors allowed the Ottomans to grow to be
so powerful?
The Safavids Located at center of Persian
(Iranian) segment of Silk Roads.
Shah = Persian title for king.
In 1500s, Shah Abbas the Great revived the glory of ancient Persia and made his capital the international center of the silk trade.
The Safavid Court with Shah
Abbas
Cultural Diffusion The golden age of the Safavids was
under Shah Abbas.
He established relations with Europe, and industry and art flourished because of it
Persian carpets (still popular today) were elaborate and became a national industry
A Safavid Painting
Safavid Military Power
Safavids were Shi’a Muslims (the branch that claimed its
leaders were descendants of Muhammad)
Shah Isma’il became a religious tyrant and killed anyone who
did not convert to Shi’a Islam (including Sunni Muslims).
Incompetent rulers allowed the dynasty to be conquered.
Mughal Empire (1526 – 1857)
The Mughals were a Muslim people
who invaded India from the North
Their empire was eventually unified in
1526 by Babar.
He led 12,000 troops to victory against
an army of 100,000 commanded by
the Sultan of Delhi
• He established capital at Kabul
(in present Afghanistan)
Babar watching his
gardeners at work
The Golden Age of Akbar Akbar was a Muslim who firmly defended
religious freedom
“His aim was to achieve a Hindu-Muslim equilibrium based on the brotherhood of mankind with no one religion holding the ultimate truth”
These religions co-existed:
Islam
Hindu
Jain
Sikh
(Scattered Christian and Jewish communities on the coast)
Akbar
The Golden Age of Akbar A genius at cultural blending.
A new language, Urdu, arose - a
mixture of Arabic, Persian and
Hindi (Urdu is the language of
modern Pakistan.)
Hindus and Christians held high
offices. Affordable taxes.
To honor the non-violent Jain religion,
he banned killing animals during
their festivals.
Art, literature, and architecture
flourished. Intricate stonework.
Akbar
Jahangir and Nur Jahan Akbar’s son Jahangir succeeded
him as ruler.
He rejected Akbar’s religious
tolerance by attacking Sikhs
His wife Nur Jahan ran the
empire because he was
such a weak ruler
She designed the clothes that
still dominate Indian
fashion.
Jahangir
Shah Jahan His wife Mumtaz Mahal died while giving birth to their 14th child.
He built the Taj Mahal as her tomb because of his love.
Cost of building angered many of his people.
One son imprisoned him in her tomb and killed his older brother so he could become the shah.
Empires Expand 1627-1707
Campaign for
the southern tip
of the Indian
subcontinent
=
Strained
relations
between Hindus
and Muslims
=
Social unrest
Shah Jahan’s Son Aurangzeb
• Shah Jahan’s son rigidly enforced
Islamic laws, outlawing drinking and
gambling.
• He tried to erase all of the gains the
Hindus had made under Akbar.
• Uprisings by the Hindus and the Sikhs
over Muslim intolerance and high
taxes were a constant problem.
Aurangzeb
The Decline of the Mughals Wars and extravagant
buildings made empire economically weak.
European traders from Portugal, England, the Netherlands, and France were slowly building their own power in the region.
• Question: What were the major factors that led to the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire?
Essential Question
• What factors allowed Muslim empires to grow
and flourish between 1300 to 1700?
The growth of the Muslim empires was due
to their centralized location for trade
between the Europe and Asia.
Some empires created religious and cultural
tolerance among diverse groups.