The Ottoman and Safavid Empires

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The Ottoman and Safavid Empires
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• While the Mughals ruled India,
• two other dynasties,
• the Ottomans and the Safavids,
• dominated the Middle
• East and parts of
• Eastern Europe.

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The Age of Gunpowder Empires

• Success of these new empires happened because of
  new weapons.
• Cannons and muskets replaced mounted warriors
• Because of these weapons used in 1450-1650 this
  is sometimes called the age of gunpowder
  empires.

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The Ottomans

• Ottomans- Turkish-speaking nomadic group.
• Migrated from Central Asia into Asia Minor.
• The Ottoman expansion threatened the crumbling
  Byzantine empire.

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Constantinople falls to the Ottomans

• After many failed attempts, Mehmet II finally
  succeeds to take Constantinople in 1453.
• 2 month siege
• Constantinople will become the new capital, but
  was renamed Istanbul.

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Suleiman the Magnificent

• The Ottoman empire enjoys a Golden Age under
  Suleiman- ruler from 1520-1566.
• Brilliant general, expanded the empire east and
  west.
• Felt he was the leader of all Muslims
• Protector of the Sacred Places (Mecca and
  Medina)

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Ottoman Culture

• Suleiman strengthened the government.
• Improved its system of justice
• Suleiman had absolute power but ruled with the
  advice of a council.
• Ottoman law was based on the Sharia
• Government officials worked with religious
  scholars
• Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day
  life, including politics, economics, banking,
  business law, contract law, and social issues.

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Society organized into classes

1. Soldiers who defended the state and scientists,
   lawyers and poets. (men of the sword and pen)
2. Merchants and tax collectors and artisans (men
   of negotiation)
3. Farmers and herders (men of husbandry)

Almost entirely Muslim
Included Non-Muslims
Included Non-Muslims
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Organization

• People organized into millets, or religious
  communities.
• Each millet had its own leaders who were
  responsible for education and some legal matters.
  

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Army and Government Jobs

• Ottomans recruited officers for army and
  government from among the huge populations of
  conquered people.
• Levied a tax on Christian families in the
  Balkans, requiring them to turn over their young
  sons for government service.
• Boys were converted to Muslim and put into
  training.

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After the training

• Best soldiers won a prized place in the
  janizaries- elite force of the Ottoman army.
• The best of these received special education to
  become government officials.

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What about the girls?

• Non-Muslim girls served as slaves in wealthy
  Muslim households.
• Some were accepted into the household
• Some were freed after the death of their masters.
  

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Decline of the Ottomans

• Began after the death of Suleiman.
• Suleiman had killed two of his sons because he
  suspected them of treason.
• Another son, Selim II, took over but left the
  government work to ministers. It soon became
  corrupt.

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The Safavid Empire

• 1500 the Safavid- a dynasty that united an empire
  in Persia (present day Iran).
• Sandwiched between the Ottoman empire and the
  Mughal empire they often engaged in warfare.
• Safavids were Shiite Muslims and the Ottomans
  were Sunni Muslims. Many tensions

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Abbas the Great

• Safavid king was called the Shah.
• Shah Abbas- revived the glory of Persia.
• Centralized the government and made a powerful
  military.
• Looked for alliances with European powers who
  feared the Ottomans.

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Abbas and the economy

• Reduced taxes
• Encouraged the growth of industry
• Tolerated non-Muslims and valued their economic
  contributions.
• Built new capital at Isfahan- which became a
  center of the international silk trade.

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The Safavid empire declines

• Empire declines after the death of Shah Abbas
• Shiite Muslims challenge the authority of the
  Shah. They want persecution of religious
  minorities, pushing Sunni Afghans to rebel
• The rebels will win and capture Isfahan.
• 1700s- Qajars- won control of Iran. Made Tehran
  its capital. They ruled until 1925.