The Islamic Gunpowder Empires 1500-1800

1. The Islamic Gunpowder Empires1500-1800 Global Interdependence and Exchange

2. Trio of Empires • Ottoman Empire (1289-1918) • Safavid Empire (1501-1722) • Mughal Empire (1523-1739)

3. Islam • Central to nation-state expansion • Religion, culture & civilization • Quran – Holy book. Revelations given to Mohammed. • Sharia – Totality of political, religious, social and private life.

4. 5 Pillars of Islam • Declaration of Islam • Prayer • Fasting – Ramadan • Almsgiving – Zakat • Pilgrimage - Hajj

5. Islam is not monolithic • Sunni – Approximately 90% of Muslims. • Shi’a – Re-established with the emergence of the Safavid dynasty. • Sufi – Mystic tradition.

6. Ottoman Empire 1298-1918 • First of the three • Reached its peak in 1600 • Survived through WWI • Present day Turkey

7. Ottoman – Beginnings • Grew from remnants of Turkic peoples after fall of Mongol Rule • Ghazi Warriors • Osman Bey

8. Empire Building 1300-1400 • Janissaries (yeni cheri) • Greece, Albania, Bulgaria and former Yugoslavia • Official recognition of Orthodox Christian Church • Invasion of Timur destroyed most of empire

9. Mehmed the Conqueror 1451-81 • Taking of Constantinople • “Sovereign of the Two Lands and the Two Seas” – Established Ottoman Empire in Europe and Asia • Artillery & naval power

10. Military Campaigns 1480-1520 • Shift focus from Christian Europe to Islamic Empires in Egypt and Persia • Fierce campaign against the Safavids • Mecca and Medina

11. Suleyman I 1520-66 • Suleyman the Magnificent • Height of the Ottoman Empire • Further move into Europe • Renewed hostilities with Safavids

12. Franco-Ottoman Alliance 1536 • Roman Empire vs France • Ottomans sided with France • Cornerstone of European diplomacy • Countered other European alliances • Suleyman able to focus on conquest of other Islamic Empires

13. Relations with Safavids • Renewed hostilities • Took Baghdad and Tabriz, the capital • By 1538 controlled Persian Gulf and Red Sea • Treaty of 1555 returned Tabriz to Safavids

14. Death and Decline • Loss to Europeans at Malta - 1565 • Suleyman died in 1566 • By 1600 lost much of its power • Survived until the end of WWI

15. Safavid Empire 1501-1722 • Origins as a religious sect • Officially a Shi’ite empire • Short lived • Present day Iran

16. Shah Ismail 1501-26 • Twelver Shi’ism official religion • Violent conversion • Qizilbash • Claimed Ottoman land

17. Instability 1524-87 • Death of Ismail – 1524 • Power struggle among Qizilbash • Move to more secular administration • Attempt to return to Sunni origins • Number of rulers unable to stabilize empire

18. Abbas the Great 1587-1629 • Rejuvenated empire • Quelled internal revolts • Faced Ottomans • Enhanced trade with Europeans

19. Domestic Affairs • Permanent paid army to counter Qizilbash infighting • Centralization of power • Relocation of capital to Isfahan

20. Conflict with the Ottomans • Peace Treaty of 1590 • Retook Tabriz in 1605 • Recaptured Baghdad 1623 • By death in 1629 Safavid Empire restored to borders established by Ismail I

21. Europeans • Concluded new trade agreements to offset losses to Portuguese • Traded Persian silks with English • Became middleman for Indian goods • Allied with British against Ottomans

22. Decline • Abbas I feared ascension to throne • Ceased giving provincial governorships to Safavid princes • No shah was prepared to hold empire together • Fell to Afghan invaders

23. Mughal Empire 1523-1739 • Struggle to consolidate • Succession of strong rulers • Eventually absorbed by British Empire in India – mid 19th century

24. Founding of the empire • Previous examples of positive Muslim-Hindu relations • Babur established capital at Kabul (present capital of Afghanistan) • Consolidated territory of Hindustan (India) with use of artillery

25. Humayun 1530-56 • Unstable administration • Brothers challenged for the throne • Race for territory with Sher Shah • Held onto Mughal Empire

26. Akbar 1556-1605 • Consolidated and expanded empire • Put down challenges to the throne • Continued tradition of tolerance of Hindu traditions

27. Conquest and Expansion • Rajasthan • Province of Bengal • Hindustan Plain • Province of Kashmir

28. Religion & Administration • Tolerated Hindu religion • Invited missionaries to teach tenets of Christianity • Moved away from orthodox Islam

29. Transition • Campaign for the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent • Strained relations between Hindus and Muslims • Social unrest

30. Imperial Islamic Society • Military Nation-State • Economics • Islam & Art

31. Military Nation-State • Empires legitimized rule with military conquest • Armies were important part of leadership • Use of gunpowder artillery turned tables of warfare

32. Economics • Trade – extensive routes • Agriculture and commerce • Point of exchange

33. Islam & Art • Architecture • Poetry • Painting

34. Decline of Islamic Empires • Limits of military state • Economic stagnation • Cultural islands

35. Limits of Military State • Inconsistent leadership • Costly wars of conquest • Internal dissention and competition

36. Economic Stagnation • Weak middle-class • Trade routes began to move onto the sea routes • Loss of revenue with loss of territory

37. Cultural Isolation • European interest was not reciprocated • Resistance to outside cultural influences • Faith and tradition vs. technology

38. Conclusion • Empires represented growing interdependence • Exchange of people, ideas and technology • Use of artillery changed warfare • Legacy of art, religion and nation