Topic: Empires and Islam

Weekly Schedule
Due Date	Activity
Dec 4	Read & examine this week's module Textbook: Chapter 17 Real all documents Watch all videos
Dec 4	Discussion: Tolerance in the Islamic Empires
Dec 4	Quiz # 10

Image: Taj Mahal

Summary:

This week we will examine new state and empire building in Afro-Eurasia in the aftermath of the Mongol invasions and the Black Death. In response to these crises, new states and empires emerged by keeping, discarding, adapting, and reshaping old and new institutions and ideas. As heirs to the Islamic imperial tradition, the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal societies carried their common political heritage into disparate environments and developed unique solutions to their problems. The height of their power and achievement can arguably be attributed to periods of embracing tolerance and inclusiveness, just as their gradual decline is marked by a rejection of external influence and cultural stasis.

In 1600, nearly all of southern Asia, from Anatolia to Indonesia, was dominated by Islam. But when the Europeans moved into the Indian Ocean with new commercial methods, they connected Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean commercial networks into a global trading system. Thereafter, wealth flowed out of the Indian Ocean region through European trading companies and to the West.

Unlike India, Southeast Asia proved to be a place were Islam could continue to expand. Located at the crossroads of international trade, it was of interest to both Muslims and Europeans. The Portuguese, Dutch, and English competed for commercial supremacy in the region. Initially, European commercial empires controlled trade and attempted to exclude rival powers, but they had minimal impact on local culture and customs. The situation changed in the nineteenth century when European commercial exploitation was augmented with colonial exploitation.

The Safavid Empire entered a period of decline under the successors to Shah Abbas I. The empire was weakened by internal rebellions and attacks on the empire by Afghans, Turks, and Russians. By the end of the eighteenth century, Safavid rule of Persia was at an end. Persia’s subsequent development was shaped by Shi’ite opposition to centralized government and the insistence that government be organized according to genuine Islamic principles. To many Persians, Shi’ism seemed the best defense against Russian and British intrusion.

By 1700, the once-powerful Ottomans had lost the initiative. As the tide turned against them, they belatedly responded to the European challenge by adapting to European ways. In Arabia, however, Wahhabism, an austere Muslim movement, blamed Islam’s decline on lax devotion, condemned the Ottomans for imitating unbelievers, and warned that Muslims could only triumph by rigidly adhering to the Prophet’s original message.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this week's module, students will be able to:

Examine the rise of the three major Empires in south and west Asia, from 1071-1707

The Ottomans
The Safavids
The Mughals