Glencoe World History © 2010

Chapter 15: The Muslim Empires

Chapter Overviews

The Ottomans built a large empire in western Asia, North Africa, and parts of Europe. The Safavids came to power in Persia and Central Asia, while the Moguls unified India.

Section 1 The Ottoman Empire
In the early fourteenth century, the Ottoman Turks embarked on a rapid expansion across what is today Turkey and the Balkans. Over a span of 300 years, the Ottomans conquered large areas of western Asia, North Africa, and Europe. The sultan was the head of the Ottoman Empire. He divided the empire into provinces and districts. Ottoman officials, assisted by trained bureaucrats, handled the administration of conquered lands. Senior officials received land grants and were responsible for collecting taxes and supplying armies from those lands. Starting in the sixteenth century, sultans claimed the title of caliph, while religious advisers, the ulema, oversaw the application of Islamic law and education. The Ottomans were generally tolerant of non-Muslims, some of whom converted to Islam. The Ottomans' greatest artistic contribution was the building of magnificent mosques. The subjects of the Ottoman Empire were divided by occupation. Woman were allowed to own and inherit property and could not be forced into marriage. After the death of Süleyman the Magnificent, corruption and palace intrigue spread, and wars depleted the Ottoman treasury. Western cultural influences also increased.

Section 2 The Rule of the Safavids
In the early sixteenth century, a new dynasty, the Safavids, came to power in Persia and Central Asia. The Safavids used their Shia Muslim faith to unify Turkish peoples and Persians. Like the Ottoman sultan, the Safavid shah claimed to be the spiritual leader of Islam. The two empires clashed repeatedly over territory. The Safavids created a professional bureaucracy based on merit, and controlled the power of the aristocracy. They also interacted with the people in their empire. The empire reached its high point under Shah Abbas. Afghan invasions in the early eighteenth century marked the end of Safavid rule, and Persia sank into a long period of anarchy.

Section 3 The Grandeur of the Moguls
The Moguls under Babur came from north of the Indus River valley and conquered India when it was still divided into a number of Hindu and Muslim kingdoms. The sixteenth-century Mogul leader Akbar largely completed the task of unifying India and oversaw a period of stability and prosperity. Born a Muslim, Akbar was a humane ruler who established a policy of religious tolerance in Hindu India. The Moguls brought together Persian and Indian influences in a new architectural style, best symbolized by the Taj Mahal. Under his successors, the empire expanded, but its treasury was depleted. Aurangzeb's ending of religious tolerance led to widespread Hindu unrest. In 1739, Persians invaded and sacked Delhi. The arrival of the British hastened the decline of the Moguls. The growing military and economic power of the East India Company sapped Mogul power and prosperity while enriching British officials and merchants.