The+Islamic+Empires+-+The+Formation+(753-762)

=The Islamic Empires - The Formation (753-762)= Shah Jahan (emperor of Mughal India) ordered majestic Peacock Throne that took 7 years to make - completed in 1635. Also built Taj Mahal, tomb for wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. It took 18 years to make and represented the day where Allah would cause the dead to rise and judge everyone. Mughal Empire obviously extremely wealthy; however in those early modern times Ottoman and Safavid were two other well-organized Islamic Empires. All three had Turkish ruling dynasties, originating from nomadic peoples of Central Asia. They maintained traditions of nomadic ancestors while adapting to the city-based agricultural societies they conquered. The Ottomans especially used gunpowder in ways never seen, transforming warfare.

During 16th and early 17th centuries, these three dynasties prospered. However, mid 17th century they began to weaken and by the mid 18th century, the Safavid empire had collapsed, while the Ottomans and Mughals were falling under European infuence.

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A. The Formation of Islamic Empires: 1. The Ottoman Empire (1289-1923): -Osman Bey was the founder of the Ottoman empire. He was a chief of a band of seminomadic Turks and he and his followers sought to become 'ghazi' which are Muslim religious warriors. -the empire was on the Byzantine border which gave the Ottomans opportunity to wage holy war. -In 1326, the Ottomans captured Bursa. This was their first great success and Bursa became the capital. -In 1352, they established a foothold in Europe when they seized the fortress of Gallipoli. Many ghazi flocked to join Ottomans. -Edirne became a second capital and was the base for expansion in the Balkans. Bursa developed into a major commercial and intellectual center with inns, shops, schools, libraries, and mosques. -They had a formidable military machine that drove expansion. -Devshirme--Ottomans required Christian population to contribute little boys to be slaves to the Sultan. These boys received special training, learned Turkish, and converted to Islam. They either entered the Ottoman civilian administration or the military. -Soldiers became known as Janissaries and had a reputation of esprit de corps, loyalty to the sultan, and readiness to use new military technologies. -Ottomans used gunpowder weapons effectively in battle and sieges. -Mehmed II reigned from 1451-1481. He captured Constantinople in 1453 which opened a new chapter in expansion. Constantinople became the new capital and was a commercial center. -Mehmed presented himself as a true emperor, he laid the foundation of a tightly centralized, absolute monarchy. He made many conquests and eventually hoped to go on to Rome and capture the pope himself. -Mehmed's successors abandoned his plans for Western Europe expansion. -Ottoman imperialism climaxed during Suleyman's reign from 1520-1566. Suleyman vigorously promoted expansion in southwest Asia and Europe. -In 1534, he conquered Baghdad, captured Belgrade in 1521, killed the king of Hungary in 1526, consolidated power of the Danube, and in 1529, he subjected Vienna to a terrifying siege. -The Ottomans became a major naval power under Suleyman's rule. They inherited the navy of the Mamluk rulers of Egypt. -Khayr al-Din Barbarossa Pasha placed his pirate fleet under the Ottomans and became Suleyman's leading admiral. This enabled Suleyman to challenge Christian vessels throughout the Mediterranean and also Portuguese fleets in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. -Ottomans seized the island of Rhodes from the Knights of St. John, besieged Malta, secured Yemen and Aden, and dispatched a squadron to attack Portuguese fleet at Diu in India. (KC) (Additions HD) (

The Safavid Empire In 1501, young Ismail (r. 1501-1524) claims Persian title shah, as the head of army Proclaimed official religion Twelver Shiism, imposed by force Controlled Iranian plateau, Caucausus region, Anatolia, Mesopotamia Shah Ismail, and successors (Safavids) changed accounts of rise to powers as propaganda Traced ancestry to Safi al-Din, leader of religious order of ancient Persia Religious policy changed to accomodate, and attain popular support

Twelver Shiism-there have been 12 imams (religious leaders) since Muhammad, the 12th had gone into hiding and would one day return Safavids wore red hats to symbolize the imams, known as the qizilbash, traditional Turks accepted this readily At the battle of Chaldiran, Ottomans use gunpowder weapons to inflict massive casualties on Safavid cavalry, battle between empires continued on for 200 years After battle, shahs rely more on bureaucracy, assign land grants to ensure qizilbash support Abbas the Great (r. 1588-1629), moved capital to central location, encouraged trade, reformed military and administrative institutions, used gunpowder weapons, and used European support against Ottomans Abbas expanded territory under his rule, revitalized empire [DN] (Additions HD)

The Mughal Empire -Zahir al-Din Muhammad, known as Babur(the tiger), appeared in northern in india in 1523 -His greatest ambition was to create a glorious central asian empire -He was never able to extend his authority beyond Kabul and Qandahar so he turned his sights on India -With gunpowder weapons Babur took Delhi in 1526 -His troops wanted to leave but he stayed hoping to build a vast central asian empire -By the time he died he had built an empire stretching from kabul through the punjab to bengal. (T.W.)