Section 1

Working together using this wiki

 

Identifications - Muslim Empires

 

Osman and the Ottoman Empire - Cameron Tripp

 

·        Osman the first was an early Ottoman leader

 

·        The Ottomans are named after him

 

·        The empire started in Anatolia (modern day Turkey)

 

·        By 1350 they had advanced into Europe, and by 1500 they had captured Constantinople.

 

·        Many European boys were willingly turned over to the Ottomans because of the opportunities that arose from service to the sultan.

 

·        These boys were legally slaves, but were treated fairly and given extensive schooling

 

·        Most of these boys because Janissaries (infantry troops) but some went on to serve in the palace.

 

·        Janissaries were a vital part of the Ottoman war machine and contributed to the decreased use of cavalry in warfare.

 

Hooker, Richard. "The Ottomans Origins." World Civilizations. 27 Jan 2009 <http://wsu.edu/~dee/OTTOMAN/ORIGIN.HTM>.

 

"Osman I." World Civilizations. 27 Jan 2009 http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/people_n2/ppersons5_n2/osman.html.

Osman was the first sultan of the Ottoman Empre

The Sultan and His Viziers--Sara Toomey

·         Mainly during the Ottoman Empire

·         Vizier originally the chief minister of the Abbasid caliphs

·         Later became a high administrator of Muslim countries

·         Military commanders until 1380

·         Sultans similar to Emperors

·         Sultan Enver Pasha joined forces with Germany for WWI

·         After this, the Empire was eradicated.

Enver Pasha, the last Ottoman Sultan

 

Istanbul –R Stewart

·         Greeks established the city of Byzantium in the 7^th century BC

·         In the 306 AD, Roman emperor Constantine moved the Roman capital city to Byzantium and named the city Constantinople

·         In the 6^th century AD the city was destroyed by riots but was rebuilt to include Hagia Sophia

·         The city was victim to a series of Muslim military campaigns aiming to acquire the city as part of Muslim Holy Law

·         Sultan Mehmed led the attacks on Constantinople

·         In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered the city and renamed it Istanbul

·         Istanbul thrived under Muslim rule—making great architectural and artistic strides

·         The city remained under Ottoman control until after WWI when it became occupied by allied nations

<-- Map of Istanbul:  note the city’s ideal location for trade

Sansal, Burak. "History of Istanbul." All about Turkey. 23 Jan 2009 <http://www.allaboutturkey.com/istanbul.htm>.

 

 

Mehmet II and his conquest of Constantinople – Andrew Steiner

 

 

-        The Ottomans had moved into Europe in the mid-14^th century, but had largely bypassed the still heavily-fortified Byzantine capital at Constantinople

-        The Ottoman army, led by Sultan Mehmed II “The Conqueror,” was strong enough by 1453 to siege the triple ring of land walls surrounding the city

-        The Byzantines repulsed the Ottomans, who numbered well over 100,000, for seven weeks until Mehmed ordered gunners to batter the walls

-        The Ottoman troops stormed the weakened barriers and cemented their presence on the Eurasian continent

-        The Ottoman reliance on artillery, especially during this siege, would later lead to the rise in military and political influence of the Janissaries

 

 

Sultan Mehmed II leads the Ottoman army into Constantinople.

 

 

Stearns, Adas, Schwartz, and Gilbert.  World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 4th. Pearson Education, Inc.  2004.

 

 

 

Suleiman the Magnificent- Lise Ross

-Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

-tenth and longest reigning

-ruled from 1520 to 1566

-died in 1566

-completely reconstructed the Ottoman ruling system

-conquered Christian strongholds Belgrade, Rhodes, and Hungary

-at the Siege of Vienna he stoped in 1529

Suleiman the Magnificent had the longest rule of the Ottoman Empire ever.

Janissaries-Abby Pardue

Janissaries are infantry units that formed the bodyguard and household troops of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Murad I created this guard from Christian slaves in the 14^th Century. The Janissaries wore uniforms and they marched to music and were paid in cash like any other soldiers. Almost all Janissaries converted to Islam under the rule of the sultan.  The Janissaries began as a weak group of prisoners but their power and strength grew and they were able to affect the government and protect their own interests.

 

This is a painting of a Janissary Commander done by Le Hay

Kjeilen, Tore. "Janissaries." Looklex Encyclopaedia. 1996. Looklex Encyclopaedia. 27 Jan 2009 http://lexicorient.com/e.o/janissaries.htm

The Harem-Rebecca Overcash

 

• Refers to the quarters of the women in  a Muslim household.
• Most images of the Harem are based on that of the Ottoman Empire.
• These quarters are forbidden by men.
• It was created by the Abbasid court.
• Traveled to the Western World from the East through the Ottoman Empire.
• Ottoman tradition relied on slave concubines along with legal marriage for reproduction.
• Before it traveled to the West, the Europeans depicted the harem as a brothel with women lying around in pools, which was not the case.
• It wasn’t just wives and concubines of the men but also mothers, sisters, and daughters.

 

 

This is a painting of a dancer in one of the Harems.

 

 

Stearns, Peter, Michael Adas, Stuart Schwartz, and Marc Jason Gilbert.World Civilizations. 4th.

                Pearson Longman, 2006.

 

"Fissario." Orientalist-Art. March 2008. 25 Jan 2009 <http://www.orientalist-art.org.uk/fiss.html>.

"The Ottoman harem." AllAboutTurkey. 25 Jan 2009 <http://www.allaboutturkey.com/harem.htm>.

 

 

Siege of Vienna

Safavid Empire-Taylor McAlister

• arose during the 13th and 14th Centuries before the Mongol and Timiurid invasions of Turkish areas
• rose to prominence as frontier warrior champions like the Islam before them
• unlike the Sunni beliefs of Ottomans, Shi'a beliefs were used for Safavid
• long rivalry with the Ottomans is one of the most pivotal conflicts in the history of Sunni vs. Shi'a
• originated from a family of Sufi mystics and religious preachers
• followers neamed Red Heads because of their red distinctive headgear 
• ruled by a leader known as a padishah
• brought along the idea of reeducating captured youth and converting them to Islam
• believed women were subordinates to the husband and men of the family
• Safavid Empire declined after paranoia from the rulers led to poor decisions, thus invasion was easy to accomplish

 

This is the flag of the Safavid Empire.

Stearns, Peter, Michael Adas, Stuart Schwartz, and Marc Gilbert.World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 4th ed. New York: Pearson Education Inc., 2005.

 

Abbas the Great and Isfahan - Kim Martinez

 

• Abbas I of Persia was born in 1571, and died in 1629. 
• He was the third son of Shah Mohammad, and became the most eminent ruler of the Safavid Dynasty.
• Obtained throne of Persia by overthrowing his father (whom he put in prison).
• He expanded the Persian territory by fighting both the Turks as well as the Uzbeks.  His territory eventually reached both the Tigris and Indus Rivers.
• He raised Iran to the status of a great power, through his military successes and excellent administrative system.
• He attacked the Ottoman Empire on two different occasions – in 1623, he captured Baghdad and much of Iraq.  However, in 1638, the Ottomans retook Baghdad.
• One of his greatest achievements was the conquest of the city of Isfahan, which Abbas made into the new capital of the Safavid dynasty, and started the “Golden Age” of Isfahan.  Magnificent parks, libraries, and mosques were built,, and the city because an area where many cultures could get together and mingle.

 

"Abbas I pf Persia." Wikipedia. 27 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbas_I_of_Persia>.

 

 

The Delhi Sultanate-Jordan Hubbard

The Delhi Sultanate refers to various Muslim dynasties that ruled in northern India and modern day Pakistan from 1210 to 1526. In 1192 AD, the Muslim general Muhammad of Ghor, who defeated Raj, captured Delhi. In 1206, the Slave Dynasty was founded by Qutb ud- Din, who was originally a military slave. Next was the Khalji Dynasty and it was the most powerful of the dynasties. Then in the Tughlug Dynasty the power of the sultans began to weaken because of revolts and loss of territory. By 1351, southern India had regained its independence as a Hindu state and the Deccan, central India, had also become independent Islamic state. Tamerlane or Timur invaded Delhi in 1398 and ended the power of the Sultanate. The Muslim Sultanate led many Hindus and Buddhist in northern India to convert to Islam.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Delhi Sultanate in India." Kidipede. Jan 15, 2009. 25 Jan 2009 http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/india/history/delhi.htm.

 

In 1398, Timur ended the power of the Sultanate by invading Delhi.

Babur the Tiger

 

Mughal Empire

Duncan Holter

 

     The Mughal Empire was an Islamic kingdom that ruled most of the Indian subcontinent from 1576 to 1707. 

          The empire was ruled by a series of monarchs that kept power through military might.

- 1526–1530	Babur
- 1530–1539, 1555–1556	Humayun
- 1556–1605	Akbar
- 1605–1627	Jahangir
- 1628–1658	Shah Jahan
- 1659–1707	Aurangzeb

 

• The empire began with a series of conquests by Babur the Tiger, forming the initial empire.
• After Babur's death, his son Humayun lost large amounts of territory to internal rebellion, going into hiding until his son, Jalaluddin, took the throne and stablized the nation. 
• Jalaluddin, also known as Akbar the Great, expanded the empire into the Himalayas, gaining access to two coastlines and the Indus River valley. 
• By 1700, the king Aurangzeb Alamgir had expanded Mughal territory to include most of the southern part of the Indian subcontinent.

 

 

 

 

The Taj Mahal - Evan Hoke

• The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum in Agra, India.
• It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
• The style of the Taj Mahal combines elements from Persian, Ottoman, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles.
• Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653.
• The building of the Taj Mahal employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen.
• Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is usually considered to have been the principal designer of the Taj Mahal.
• Its elegance is in sharp contrast with the Hindu architecture of pre-Islamic India and to the Indo-Islamic styles. .
• The Taj Mahal attracts between 2 and 4 million visitors annually.

A photo of the Taj Mahal.

 

"Taj Mahal." (2008) 27 Jan 2009 <http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Taj_Mahal.html>. 

27 Jan 2009 <http://www.online-reisefuehrer.com/bilder-reisen/indien/taj-mahal.jpg>.  

 

Akbar the Great

Aurangzeb-Meghan Edwards

 

-Sixth ruler of the Mughal Empire

-Born October 24th, 1618

-His name literally means "Befitting the Throne"

-Began military training at age 16

-at age 17 he was appointed Viceroy of Deccan

-Appointed governor of Multa and Sindh and began military struggle in an effort to capture the city of Kandahar; this attempt failed and Aurangzeb fell into his father's disfavor

-Reappointed governor of Deccan in an effort to extend the boundaries of the Mughal empire in 1652

-Ruled over the largest area of any ruler in the history of India

-abolished all Islamic practices in his kingdom

-abolished Ilahi Calendar

-Enforced laws against gambling and drinking

-abolished taxes and inland transportation systems

-he looked upon power as a way to reform a corrupt society

-his reign was an era of happiness and peace; it is said that he "never once committed an injstice" during his reign

-did not draw salary from state treasury, but rather made his living by copying and selling the Quran by hand, and by selling caps he sewed by hand

 

This is an image of Aurangzeb amidst his era of rule.

http://www.tourism-in-india.com/india-travel-guide/gifs/aurangzeb-history.jpg 

 

"Albalagh." Aurangzeb. 1/27/09. Albalagh. 27 Jan 2009 <http://www.albalagh.net/kids/history/aurangzeb.shtml>. 

"Aurangzeb." Wikipedia. 2009. Wikipedia. 27 Jan 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangzeb>. 

 

 

The Sikhs

            By the end of Aurangzeb’s reign, the Mughal Empire was far larger than it had been under any of the earlier emperors, but it was also more unstable. Internal rebellions, particularly those mounted by the Marattas in western India, put an end to effective Mughal control over large areas.

Ø      The Sikhs originated in the north-western part of India.

Ø      The Sikhs tried to bridge between the differences Hindu and Muslim.

Ø      But Mughal persecution of the sect, which was seen as religiously heretical and political threat to the dynasty, eventually ally transformed Sikhism in to a staunchly anti-Muslim force within the subcontinent.

Ø      In addition, Muslim kingdoms in the east and central India continued to resist the Moghal hegemony.

 Dillon Edwards

Akbar The Great

• Took the throne at thirteen after the death of his father Humayun
• declared the equality of rights for all men, because he wanted to make every able man in India, whatever his race or religion, available for public works
• During his reign the Munghal empire tripled in size
• created a powerful army and instituted effective political and social reforms
• first Muslim ruler to win the trust and loyalty of his Hindu subjects, by abolishing the sectarian tax on Hindus and appointing them to high civil and military posts
• had Hindu literature translated, participated in Hindu festivals, and realizing that a stable empire depended on strong alliances with the Rajputs, fierce Hindu warriors, he married a Rajput princess
• was an enlightened ruler that had interest in all doctrines and creeds
•  Muslims, Hindus, Persians, Central Asians and indigenous Indians followed him
• was strong-willed, fearless and often cruel, but he was also just and compassionate and had an inquiring mind
• invited holy men, poets, architects and artisans to his court
• created an astounding library of over 24,000 volumes written in Hindi, Persian, Greek, Latin, Arabic and Kashmiri, staffed by scholars, translators, artists, calligraphers, scribes, bookbinders and readers
• filled the landscape with walled cities of royal pleasure and comfort, designed to dazzle the native rajas and advertise the glory of his reign
• built his remarkable Red Fort beside the Jamuna River art fortress part palace
• During his long reign he controlled most of north and central India
• Justin Ford