Chapter 19: Southwest Asia and the Indian Ocean, 1500-1750 Flashcards
Who were Janissaries?
Infantry of Christian POW slave origin armed with firearms, elite of the Ottoman army. They gave the military flexibility because they were more willing to battle since they were brought up as Christians. They weren’t from a culture of horse nomads, so they accepted fighting on foot and using guns.
What did Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire do?
Seiged and conquered Constantinople in 1453 using cannons, warships, and infantry. This brought the Byzantine Empire to an end
What did Selim of the Ottoman Empire do?
Conquered the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria. The Red Sea became the frontier.
Who was Suleiman the Magnificent and what did he do?
He was the son of Selim I.
He expanded the empire and laid seige to Vienna. He wanted to defeat Christianity
Who did the Ottomans fight in order to control the Mediterranean?
Venice, a rich maritime empire. They fought a series of wars from 1396-1718. The Venitians’ military power decreased and had to give annual tribute payment to the Ottomans.
How did the selection for Janissary training change in the early 15th century?
New system:
Devshirme: boys in Christian villages were taken by the Ottoman state to serve.
What was the court language Osmanli? Who was it spoken by?
It shared Turkish grammar vocabulary and Arabic and Persian elements. It was spoken by those in the military and bureaucracy, or the askeri/military class.
What was the askeri?
Military class- exempt from taxes and dependent on the sultan.
What was the reaya?
The lower class/commonfolk, “flock of sheep”
A mass of population flooded into the Ottoman after expulsion from Spain to create the reaya.
How were people in the Ottoman Empire paid?
Military: mounted archers (Turks) given grants of land
Jannasairies, Serbs: paid from central treasury
The Safavids were slower to adopt what?
firearms and advance into SE Europe
What caused the Ottoman crisis of the late 16th century?
- decrease of landholding calvarymen to pay Jannasairies
- inflation due to flood of silver from New World (European traders with access to it could buy more goods than Ottoman subject w/ same amount
- peasants were overburdened by emergency taxes
- salaried soldiers were hired for the duration of a campaign and were out of work once it ended
How did the Jannasairies take advantage of their growing influence during the crisis?
- became involved in commerce
- married and enrolled sons in corps
- military became hereditary class, not elite fighting force
What changes occurred after the Ottoman crisis?
- sultan no longer led armies
- devshirme= discontinued- corps= hereditary
- land grants for military service disappeared, tax farming took place
- shift to cotton and other cash crops
- relied more on provincal governments and wealthy men
- Europeans dominated trade- Tulip Period, ended in revolt
How was the Safavid Empire similar to the Ottoman?
- initially used land grants to support calvary
- population spoke several languages
- focused on land over sea power
Who had naval superiority during this time?
the Ottomans
What religion did the Safavids practice and how was it implemented?
Shi’ite Islam. Ismail called on subjects to abandon Sunni beliefs. They resisted, and there were wars and persecutions, Shi’ite scholars were imported
Who was the “Hidden Imam?”
12th descendant of Ali: Shi’ites believe leadership of Muslim community should be w/ divinely appointed Imams from Ali’s family. The 12th descendent disappeared in 9th century; community lacks religious leader until return
Who declared Isfahan Iran’s capital?
Shah Abbas I- 5th and most renowned ruler of the Safavid dynasty
What were the similarities between Istanbul and Isfahan?
- favored walking
- women seldom in public
What was the mainstay of Safavid foreign trade?
CARPETS
What caused the decline of the Safavid Empire?
inflation caused by cheap silver
- faced problem of finding money to pay the army and bureaucracy
- demands from the government caused nomads to withdraw to pastures
- Afghans took over
What was the demographic of the Mughal Empire like?
A land of Hindus ruled by Muslim minority
Who was Babur and what did he do?
“Bābur , orig. Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad, (born Feb. 15, 1483, principality of Fergana—died Dec. 26, 1530, Agra, India), Emperor (1526–30) and founder of the Mughal dynasty of India. A descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur, he came from a tribe of Mongol origin but was Turkish in language and upbringing. In his youth he tried for 10 years (1494–1504) to gain control of Samarkand, Timur’s old capital. Those efforts ended in his losing his own principality in Fergana (modern Uzbekistan), but he consoled himself by seizing and holding Kabul (1504). After four failed attempts, he successfully occupied Delhi (1525). Surrounded by enemy states, Bābur (the name means “Tiger”) persuaded his homesick troops to stand their ground, and over the next four years he defeated his foes. His grandson Akbar consolidated the new empire. Bābur was also a gifted poet and a lover of nature who constructed gardens wherever he went. The Bābur-nāmeh, his prose memoirs, has become a world classic of autobiography.” (https://www.britannica.com/summary/Babur)
