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.