Download Shah Jahan

THE SAFAVID AND
MUGHAL EMPIRES
THE SAFAVIDS BUILD A
SHI’A EMPIRE
• Originally the Safavids were members of an
Islamic religious brotherhood, named after
their founder Safi al-Din (died 1334)
• Claimed to be descendents of Muhammad
• 15th century aligned themselves with the
Shi’a branch of Islam
• Squeezed geographically and persecuted by
Ottoman Sunni Muslims- they built a
powerful army
Ismail
• Seized area where Iran is
•
•
•
•
now
Took ancient title of
Shah, or king
Established Shi’a Islam as
the state religion
Became a religious tyrant
Battled with Ottomans
(Selim the Grim)- Battle
of Chaldiran in 1514
Shah Abbas (Abbas the Great)
• 1587 takes throne
• Golden Age of Safavids-
culture drew from
Ottoman, Persian, and
Arab worlds
• Reformed military and
civilian life
o Punished corruption
o Limited the power of the
military redheads
o Created two new armies
that would be loyal to
him
• Established relations
with Europe
• Brought Chinese
artisans - gorgeous
artwork
• Isfahan- capital city
• Demand from the west
for Persian carpets
THE DYNASTY DECLINES
• Abbas kills and blinds ablest sons so he was
succeeded by his incompetent grandson,
Safi
• By 1722 tribal armies from Afghanistan were
taking over
• 1736- Nadir Shah Afshar took command and
gained back some land but he was ruthless
and one of his own troops killed him in 1747
Legacies of the Safavids
 Art from Persia mixed with Shi’a Islam
 Government modeled on the Ottoman
example
 Slave army like the Janissaries
 Welcomed foreigners= cultural blending
 Established the cultural foundation for
modern Iran
EARLY HISTORY OF THE
MUGHAL EMPIRE
• Mughals = Mongols invade India
• Backdrop of crumbled Gupta Empire by 600 CE and
subsequent invaders
• Ongoing Conflicts
o
o
o
o
o
8th century began with long clash between Hindus and
Muslims
Hindus held off Muslims until 1000 CE, when Turkish armies
led by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni devastated India
Delhi became the capital of a loose empire of Turkish
warlords called the Delhi Sultanate
Between 13th and 16th centuries, 33 sultans ruled this
divided country
1398 Timur the Lame destroyed Delhi completely
Babur Founds an Empire
1494 an 11-year old
boy named Babur
inherited a tiny
kingdom in Central Asia
o Built up an army and
swept down into India
laying the groundwork
for the empire
o Brilliant general,
sensitive, loved poetry
o
The Golden Age of Akbar
 Ruled India with wisdom and
tolerance from 1556 to 1605
 Muslim, who defended religious
freedom
 Genius at cultural blending
 Governed through a bureaucracy of
officials
 Fair tax policy
 Good military conqueror
 Smart tactician- turned enemies into
allies by appointing rajputs as officers
in the army
 Unified a land of at least 100 million
people
 Culture flowered
 Language blended (example Urdu)
 Literature and architecture flourished
Jahangir and Nur Jahan
 Jahangir (Akbar’s son) is a weak ruler and his wife, Nur
Jahan, was in charge of the state and she ruled from 16111622
 She and her husband tried to promote only Islam in the
empire
 Family conflict
 She didn’t care for Jahangir’s son Khusrau and ousted him
and shifted her favor on another son
 Khusrau rebelled against his father and sought protection
from the Sikhs- this led to the Sikhs being a target of the
Mughal empire
Shah Jahan
 Good man but could not
stand competition so he
killed his rivals
 He loved his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal, but
when she died in 1631
(from childbirth), he was
devastated and spent 22
years building her tomb,
which is the famous Taj
Mahal
 He built other beautiful
things but couldn’t
manage the empire
 1657 he became ill and
sons scramble for
throne (Aurangzeb wins,
executes his older
brother and puts his
father in prison)
AURANGZEB
• Ruled from 1658-1707
• Master at military strategy – aggressive
empire builder
• Despite his territorial gain, the power of the
empire weakened because he oppressed his
people
Rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawed drinking,
gambling
o Brought back tax on non-Muslims
o Raised taxes to pay for military conquests
o
DECLINE AND DECAY
• Aurangzeb drained the empire of resources
• Power of local lords grew while central power
weakened
• 3 emperors reigned in 12 years after his death
• Patchwork of independent states
• Western traders building power in the meantime
(Portuguese, Dutch, English, etc.) and gained
foothold’s in the empire since the emperors did not
perceive them as a serious threat