The Gunpowder Empire

The Gunpowder Empire

Surat al-Fajr, 89:15-20​

"As for man, whenever his Lord tests him and grants him honour and blesses him, he says: ‘My Lord has honoured me.’ But when He tests him and tightens for him his provision, he says: ‘My Lord has humiliated me.’ No indeed! Rather you do not honour the orphan, and do not urge the feeding of the needy, and you eat the inheritance greedily, and you love wealth with much fondness."

​In the name of Allah the Beneficient, the Merciful

Muhammad ibn Battuta (1304– 1368) is widely recognized as one of the greatest travelers of all time. He started on his travels when he was 20 years old in 1325 for the purposes of going for hajj, but his traveling went on for about 29 years and he covered approximately 75,000 miles visiting the equivalent of 44 modern countries which were then mostly in the known Islamic world,as well as many non-Muslim lands

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Open Ended

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah encourages us to travel. What advantages do you think a person can gain from traveling to different countries and meeting different peoples?

Open Ended

If you get a chance to travel, where would you like to go?

Or if you have been somewhere special already, is there somewhere you would like to return to?

In the previous lesson we looked at three Muslim empires that arose as the Abbasid empire weakened. In this lesson, we will have a look at another three empires which are sometimes collectively referred to in history as the gunpowder empires.This is because these three empires achieved considerable military success using newly developed firearms, especially cannon and small arms, during the course of their rule.

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These empires are:

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The Ottoman sultanate (1299 –1923 CE)

The Safavids (1501 – 1736 CE)

The Mughals (1526 – 1858 CE)

By the end of the nineteenth century, all these three empires had declined significantly. The last to stand was the Ottoman empire which was officially abolished in July 1923 and reduced to what is now the Republic of Turkey. With the end of Ottoman rule, the last Muslim empire collapsed. Foreign powers took over the Middle East and broke it up into small countries.

Founded in 1299 by Turks under sultan Osman I (Angliced version of Uthman is Ottoman) from the area today known as Turkey with gradual domination over neighbouring lands.

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Constantinople was the heart of the Byzantine empire. It became the capital of the Ottoman empire when it was conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II and was renamed Istanbul meaning ‘city of Islam’. One unexpected effect of the conquest was that many scholars fled from Istanbul to Italy, where they were influential in sparking off the Renaissance.

​The Ottoman empire (1299 – 1923 CE)

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Replace this text with your body text.chievements:At its height, the Ottoman empirewas a dominant part of theEuropean political sphere.The Sulemaniye Mosque was builtunder the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent. Completed in 1558 itis the largest mosque and one of the best known sights in Istanbul.Suleiman also restored the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and theJerusalem city walls, and renovated the Kaaba in Mecca

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​Achievements:

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At its height, the Ottoman empire

was a dominant part of the

European political sphere.

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The Sulemaniye Mosque was built under

the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Completed in 1558 it is the largest mosque and one of the best known sights in Istanbul. Suleiman also restored the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem city walls, and renovated the Kaaba in Mecca.

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​Reasons for Decline:

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Wars with Europe, rapid population rise, increasing financial debt, poor and corrupt leadership, and technological stagnation all led to a long decline. By the mid-nineteenth century, the Ottoman empire was being referred to as the‘sick man of Europe’ and was officially abolished in July 1923 and reduced to what is now the Republic of Turkey with Mustafa Kemal Ataturk at its head.

Multiple Choice

The earliest to begin and the latest to disband was the

• The Safavids

• The Mughals

• Ottoman Empire

• The Fatimids

Multiple Choice

At the height of its power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries,the Ottoman empire extended into three continents and ruled over South Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Western Asia. The Ottoman dynasty had endured for over 600 years, a feat not matched by any other.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The word Ottoman is an anglicized word of the name of the founding ruler, Osman I. Osman’s name itself comes from the Arabic name ______

• Uthman

• Mohammed

• Omar

Multiple Choice

Constantinople, the center of the Byzantine Empire AND the Ottoman Empire was renamed:

• Medina

• Istanbul

• Jerusalem

​The Safavids (1501 – 1736 CE)

​The Safavid kings came from Persian Turkish origin and claimed to be sadat. In 1501, the Safavid shahs declared independence from the Ottomans when the Ottomans outlawed Shi‘a Islam in their territory.

Covered all of Iran, and parts of

Turkey, Afghanistan, and Georgia​.

​Ruling style:

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Though inspired by strong religious faith, the Safavids built the foundations of a strong central secular government and administration. They benefited from their geographical position at the centre of the trade routes of the ancient world. They became rich on the growing trade between Europe and the Islamic civilisations of central Asia and India.

Established the Shi‘a Ithna Ashari school of thought as the official religion of the empire.The empire also became a great cultural centre.During this period, painting, textiles, and carpets reached new heights of perfection. Iran today is largely Shi‘a thanks to the Safavids.​

​Reasons for decline: In addition to economic and military decline, the rulers became complacent and corrupt, leaving the empire vulnerable. In 1726, an Afghan group conquered the empire and eventually a division of power was agreed between the new Afghan shahs and the Shi‘a ulama.

Multiple Choice

In _____, the Safavid shahs declared independence from the Ottomans when the Ottomans outlawed Shi‘a Islam in their territory.

• 1221

• 1501

• 1972

Multiple Choice

________ is renowned for authoring many valuable books including Biharal-Anwar, which is a collection of ahadith in 110 volumes. He is also known for reviving the mourning ceremonies for the a’immah(a), and ziyarah to their shrines.

• Allamah Majlisi

• Allamah Anvari

• Allamah Ataturk

Multiple Choice

Established the ________ school of thought as the official religion of the empire.The empire also became a great cultural centre.

• Ismaili

• Shi‘a Ithna Ashari

• Sunni

​The Mughals (1526 – 1858 CE)

​The Mughal empire grew out of descendants of the Mongol empire who were living in Turkestan in the fifteenth century.They had become Muslims and assimilated the culture of the Middle East, while keeping elements of their Far East roots.

​Large parts of the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan.

​A form of delegated government in which the provincial governors were personally responsible to the emperor for the quality of government in their territory. There was tolerance for other faiths especially the Hindus, Persians, and Sufis, who were permitted to reach senior government or military positions.

​The Mughals are sometimes confused with the Mongols. These were two different empires, however there is a link between the two. Babur,the first Mughal emperor, was a descendent of the Mongol emperors Genghis Khan and Tamerlane.

​Achievements:

​Arts and architecture thrived under the Mughals who built magnificent monuments and gardens.

​Reasons for Decline:

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The Mughal empire collapsed largely because of internal problems. Lavish lifestyles and massive spending by the emperors and internal corruption left the government unable to pay government officials and military officers. The empire was subject to numerous attacks by Hindu forces after religious tolerance was suspended by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Hindus were often supported by the French and the British, who used them to tighten their grip on the subcontinent. The final blow came in the mid-nineteenth century when the British over threw the last emperor.

Multiple Choice

The policy of religious toleration saw the adoption of _____ as the official language of the empire. It uses a combination of Arabic script, Persian vocabulary, and Hindi grammatical structure.

• Urdu

• Farsi

• Yiddish

Multiple Choice

The Mughal empire grew out of descendants of the _____ empire who were living in Turkestan in the fifteenth century.They had become Muslims and assimilated the culture of the Middle East, while keeping elements of their Far East roots.

• Turkish

• Afhani

• Mongol

Multiple Choice

The empire was subject to numerous attacks by Hindu forces after religious tolerance was suspended by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Hindus were often supported by _____________, who used them to tighten their grip on the subcontinent.

• the Germans and Italians

• the French and the British

• the American and Canadians