Transcript Chapter 20
Chapter 20 Early Modern Muslim Empires Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal What were the similarities and differences between the three empires? Similarities • They all possessed great military and political power, which is why they are all part of a group known as the gunpowder empires. • They also produced an artistic and cultural renaissance within Islam. • Each contributed to the spread of Islam to new regions. • They all originated from Turkic nomadic cultures. • Each was ruled by an absolute monarch • Each drew revenues from taxation of agrarian populations. Differences • Mughals – Ruled mostly non-Muslim peoples of India – Sunni Muslims • Safavids – Ruled mostly Muslims – Shi’ite Muslims • Ottomans – Ruled mixture of Muslims, Christians, Jews – Sunni Muslims What were the causes of Ottoman decline in the seventeenth century? • The empire was too extensive to be maintained from its available resource base and transport system. – When new lands could no longer be acquired • Bureaucracy became corrupt, regional officials used revenues for their own purposes. • Oppressed peasants and laborers fled the land or rebelled. • Sultans and their sons were confined to the palace – They became weak rulers managed by court factions. • Civil strife increased and military efficiency deteriorated. • The West changed but the Janissaries, who were powerful in the government did not. • Merchant activity was bypassed by Europeans • Inflation from silver from the new world. What were the similarities and differences in the decline of the Abbasid and Ottoman empires? • Both suffered from failing to establish a firm succession process. • Military domination by warrior aristocracies was a problem. • They both had problems with religious minorities though not as much in the Ottoman Empire. Differences • The Abbasids did not have economic competition from the West, especially with respect to the Asian trade network. • The West did not pose an intellectual challenge to the Abbasids. • The West did not militarily pose a threat to Muslim independence. Compare and contrast the social and economic organization of the Ottomans and Safavids. • Social Organization – Domination by warrior aristocracies who shared power with the monarch. – Women were subordinate to fathers and husbands and had few outlets, especially among the elite, for expression outside the household. Economic Organization • Encouraged handicraft production and trade. • Imperial workshops produced numerous products and public works employed many artisans. • Safavids were less market oriented. Discuss the reasons for the failure of the Mughal dynasty. • Shah Jahan and Jahangir were seventeenth century rulers who prefered the good life over military adventures. They also left the details of daily administration to subordinates, and evidently allowed their wives to win influence. • Aurangzeb was morally questionable and he inherited a declining empire. Aurangzeb • Killed his brother and imprisoned his father to gain control. • He made two choices that sealed the fate of the empire. – Tried to control all of India – Tried to rid Islam of Hindu influences • Effects – Internal disruption (Sikhs and Marattas) – State revenue and power passed to regional lords. What weaknesses were common to all of the Muslim empires? • Ignoring the rising European Threat. • Failure to incorporate European technological advances. • Their economic base was drained off by foreigners. • Importation of European bullion brought damaging inflation.