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Gunpowder Empires: The
Muslim World Expands
1300-1700
SSWH12a says you should be able
to…
Describe the geographical extent of the
Ottoman Empire during the rule of Suleyman
the Magnificent, the Safavid Empire during the
reign of Shah Abbas I, and the Mughal Empire
during the reigns of Babur and Akbar.
What does it mean to be a
Muslim?
• Muslims are followers of Islam
• Islam is one of the world’s 3 main
monotheistic religions (along with Christianity
and Judaism)
– Monotheistic: belief in one god
• Dominant religion in the Middle East, North
Africa and parts of Asia
• Over 1.5 billion worldwide
• Two major divisions: Sunni and Shi’a
Important Facts About Islam
• God: Allah, means
“god” in Arabic
• Holy Book: Qur’an
(sometimes spelled
Koran)
• Place of Worship:
Mosque
• Holy Cities: Mecca,
Medina, Jerusalem
• Important People:
Prophet Muhammad
– Also: Abraham, Moses
and Jesus
5 Pillars of Islam
• Shahadah: Belief in one
god, Allah, and his
prophet, Muhammad
• Salat: Daily prayers, 5
times each day
• Zakat: Giving to those in
need based on personal
wealth
• Sawm: Purification
through fasting during
the month of Ramadan
• Hajj: A pilgrimage to the
city of Mecca
Empire Builders in the Middle East and
South Asia
• The Ottomans
• The Safavids
• The Mughals
Used new weapons like cannons and
small arms to create, expand, and
maintain empires
The Ottoman Empire:
Turks Move into Byzantium
• Anatolian Turks: ghazis, warriors for Islam
• Formed military societies and invaded the
territories of infidels, people who did not
believe in Islam
• Osman: successful ghazi, his followers were
called Ottomans
• Success and expansion until stopped by Timur
the Lame
The Ottoman Empire:
Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion
• 4 powerful sultans led Ottoman Empire until
1566
• 1453: took Constantinople (renamed it
Istanbul) under Mehmed the Conqueror
• 1514: defeated the Safavid under Selim the
Grim
– Continued on to take Mecca, Medina and Cairo
The Ottoman Empire: Suleyman
• Suleyman the Lawgiver
and Suleyman the
Magnificent
• Continued to expand
the empire into Central
Europe, North Africa
and Central Asia
• Structured social
organization: law code,
simplified taxes and
government
• Tolerance of religious
and cultural differences
The Ottoman Empire:
The Empire Declines Slowly
• Pattern of gaining power and holding power
• The practices of the sultans led to weak
leaders and the decline of the empire
– Suleyman killed his most capable son and sent
another into exile
– Selim II inherited the throne
Mosque of Suleyman
Istanbul, Turkey
Building the Safavid Empire
• Major influences: Persians, Ottomans, Arabs
• Located between the Ottoman Empire and
the Mughal Empire
• Strong military force
• Leader Isma’il became a religious tyrant and
controlled Persia, (now Iran) and took the
ancient Persian title of shah (meaning king)
• Defeated by Ottomans in 1514, set present
day border between Iraq and Iran
The Safavid Empire Golden Age
• Shah Abbas, also called Abbas the Great,
helped create a Safavid culture that drew from
the best of the Ottoman, Persian and Arab
worlds
• Reforms and respect for military and civilian
life
• Tolerance for other religions and cultures
– Encouraged industry, trade and art exchanges with
European nations
• Built a beautiful new capital at Esfahan with
influences from all over Europe and Asia
Esfahan, Iran
The Safavid Empire: The Dynasty
Declines Quickly
• Story is similar to that of the Ottomans…
• Shah Abbas killed or blinded his ablest sons
• The pampered young prince Safi led the
empire into decline
• In 1736 Nadir Shah Asfar once again created
an expanded empire but was assassinated in
1747 and the empire fell apart
The Mughal Empire: Early History
• Rulers came from
Central Asia,
descendants of
Mongols
• History of being divided
• Delhi destroyed by
Timur the Lame in 1398
• 1494: Babur moved
south and laid the
foundation for the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire:
Akbar’s Golden age
• Akbar, means “Greatest One”
• Ruled with wisdom and tolerance from 15561605
• “A monarch should ever be intent on
conquest, otherwise his neighbors rise in
arms against him.”
• With one neighbor, discuss what you think this
means
The Mughal Empire:
Akbar’s Golden Age
• Combination of military
power and political
wisdom
• Unified a land of at least
100 million people
• Ruled with tolerance,
allowed religious
freedom and allowed all
to rise in political power
• Cultural blending affected
language, art, education,
architecture and politics
The Mughal Empire:
Akbar’s Successors
• Jahangir: the son of
Akbar left the political
power in the hands of
his wife, the Persian
princess Nur Jahan
• Shah Jahan: killed all
possible rivals, built the
Taj Mahal after the
death of his wife,
Mumtaz Mahal
– Taxes supported
beautiful buildings but
people suffered
•Aurangzeb ruled
oppressively and lost power
The Mughal Empire:
Decline and Decay
•
•
•
•
•
Aurangzeb drained the empire’s resources
People had little loyalty to him
Over 2 million died in famine
Gave Bombay to the British in 1661
Empire became less and less united after his
death
• Next conquerors… Europeans