Islamic Empires
Chapter18: Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal
The Ottoman Empire
(Where)The Ottoman Empire conquered many lands; coastal North Africa, Europe, Mespepotamia, and the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. (When)The empire lasted from 1453 to 1571 and it was one of the longest reigning emires in history.
(Why)After Sullyman killed his son and successfully reigned for a longer time, the sultans after him carried on a tradition of the same thing; killing or imprisoning their sons to gain total power. This lead to a long line of weak sultans.
Suleiman The Lawgiver
Some of the quotes of the people he ruled over are/could have been: "suleiman is a great ruler, he would go by the name of sultan but we call him lawgiver, or highest one." "Suleiman has expanded our empire to a great size, he deserves the title 'great.'"
Suleiman established a set of laws called the kanius that helped to rule the emire centuries after his death. He also was sent to study science, history, literature, theology and architectural development. His first taste of rule was when he got appointed as the governor of Kaffa, this is when he was only 17.
The Safavid Empire
(Why)The man Abbas had made the same mistake as the great ruler Suleiman; he killed or blinded his most able sons (sons who passed the marks to become rulers) and left his spoiled grandson to succeed himself. This led to the complete downfall of the empire.
Cultural Blending
Example one:
The first example of cultural blending that occurred on the Safavid Empire was that in their golden age, they blended Ottoman, Persian, and Aarab aspects to make their own mix.
Example two:
Example Three:
Mughal Empire
(What) when Shah Jahan's most favored wife died at the age of 39 after giving birth to their 14th child, he fell into a sort of of deppretion. Locking himself in his room for eight days, he only emerged realizing his wife's dying wish-to build a building representing their love. This inspired him to build the Taj Mahal. He taxed the citizens to help pay for the monuments and gardens he was building in her memory, causing the empire to be thrown into economic downfall.
(Where/When)The Mughal empire was in India and was ruled from 1526 To 1858.
(Why)Shah'd son overthrew him and put him into a prison where the only window in his cell showed the tomb for his wife-the Taj Mahal. His son was named Jahangir, and he ruled harshly, leading the already withering empire to crumble.
Which of the Mughal rulers would have been the best to live under? The worst?
Choice of ruler: Akbar the Great.
He proved himself to be the most flexible when it came to things like culture, making his rule very efficient.
Akbar's military consisted of people who were strong in their areas of politics, making them a better army overall.
He also developed a smart way to tax his people, called a Graduated income tax. All these things make the time during his rule much more reliable and stress free.
Choice of avoidance: Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb ruled with force and fear, the complete opposite of his great grandfather (Akbar). He drained the empire of what little resorses it had left and by doing this, it was like slamming a dictionary over an already withering plant. It compleat ly made the pier crumble to the point of no return.
In short, he was basically a Sociopath-type of guy and power hungry.