For those that dont know I am in college &... I came up with a lame idea. Imma do my homework while online an post it in blogs... rotf.. silly right? Meh oh well.. gives me an excuse to fool around on here & who knows ... you might learn something :O Imagine that?
World Civilizations II
Terms; Ottoman, Safavid, & Mughals
1.Ottoman Turks -
The Ottoman empire arose out of the ashes of the Seljuk empire. Its roots were sown by Osman I (a Seljuk Bey). Osman I is from whom the term Ottoman is derived. At the pinnacle, the Ottoman empire was extraordinarily powerful. Its lands spanned three continents, controlling much of Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The empire stood as the center of interactions between the Eastern & Western empires for six centuries.
Important or notable victories the Ottomans achieved were; The Battle of Kosovo over the Serbs,
Capturing Constantinople from the Byzantines(securing the Balkans), the Battle of Chaldiran over the Safavids, The Battle of Mohács over the Hungarians, capturing Baghdad of the Persians & as well as many battles in North Africa absorbing those territories.
Their major defeats came when they, first, laid siege to Vienna in 1529 but failed to captured the city. Secondly, in Oct. 1571, at the naval Battle of Lepanto the main fleet of Ottoman war galleys were defeated by a coalition called the Holy league.
The Holy league included the Republic of Venice, the Papacy, Spain, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, the Republic of Genoa, the Duchy of Savoy, the Knights Hospitaller and others,
The engagement was a crushing defeat for the Ottomans, who had not lost a major naval battle since the fifteenth century. This was a victory which heralded the end of Turkish supremacy in the Mediterranean & weakened the empire considerably.
Lastly, in 1683 they tried once again to conquer Hungary in the Battle of Vienna but were defeated.
This defeat signaled the decline of Ottoman power.
2. Sultan - 'Holder of power' meaning; "strength", "authority", or "rulership"
Sultan' became the usual title of rulers of Seljuk, Ottoman Turks, Ayyubid, and Mamluk rulers in Egypt. It is still in use today in parts of Asia, sometimes for regional authorities. A Sultan is also used to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate.
The dynasty and lands ruled by the Sultan is called Sultanate.
A Sultan is secondary only to a Caliph in terms of power or authority.
Suleiman held both titles as Sultan & Caliph to the Muslim world.
As part of the Harem, mothers of young sultans exercised power on behalf of their sons. They welded considerable power from 1530-1660, that period is now referred to as the Sultanate of women.
3. Bosporus & Dardanelles -
The Bosporus connects the Sea of Marmara to the Black Sea.
The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea.
They also serve as a barrier between Europe an the mainland of Asia.
The Bosporus & Dardanelles waterways played a major role in the battles between empires.
The Ottomans used them to achieve victory over the Byzantines, by way of their fleet, sacking Constantinople in 1453.
4. Janissaries - (From the Turkish: yeni cheri Meaning "New Troops")
Janissaries were recruited as children from the Christian population in the Balkans.
Then, they were converted to Islam & trained as foot soldiers or administrators.
This elite core of troops, were loyal to the Sultan of the Ottoman empire.
They acted as the Sultans body guards, protected the palace & policed the provinces as well.
This helped the Ottomans solidify control in the Balkan region.
Janissaries were established as modern troops/infantry, equipped with muskets/hand cannons, revolutionizing strategy & tactics of war. This brought an end to the old ways of, for example, the traditional nomadic cavalry charge.
5. Serbs -
Serbs are South Slavic peoples living in the Balkans and Central Europe.
The Ottomans allied with fractious Serb forces to aid them in their battles against the Byzantines.
Later, however, Murad defeated the Serbs in 1389 at the Battle of Kosovo which ended
Serbian authority & control in the Balkans.
As Christians, the Serbs were regarded as a "protected people" under Ottoman law.
Some of them converted to Islam in order to be a client/governor in Ottoman Empire.
Beginning from period of Mehmed II, most of the grand viziers were chosen from Serbs.
6. Suleiman the Magnificent - Reigned from 1520 -1566
Although he holds the title of Sultan he also assumed position as the Caliph, ruler of the Islamic world. Suleiman was known as 'the lawgiver' to Muslims, & as 'the Magnificent' in the west.
He was known as the lawgiver because he completely reconstructed the Ottoman legal system.
He mostly known today as a conquerer, and with good reason.
He defeated Serbs, Bulgarians and Byzantines, securing the Balkans.
Then he turned his attention to Hungary, defeating Louis II in the Battle of Mohacs(8-26-1526).
Which, for a time, made the Ottomans the preeminent power in Eastern Europe.
However, Three years later he suffered his first defeat by the Austrians at the siege of Vienna.(Ottoman-Hapsburg rivalry)
In his campaigns of Asia he secured Baghdad, lower Mesopotamia, the mouths of the river Euphrates and Tigris, as well as part of the Persian Gulf.
Suleiman also managed to annex The Barbary city states of Tripolitania, Tunisia, and Algeria in North Africa.
Under his reign, and his appointment of exceptional naval commander Khair ad Din, (aka Barbarossa) the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. In 1538, the Spanish fleet was defeated at the Battle of Preveza by Barbarossa, securing the eastern Mediterranean for the Turks for 33 years until the defeat at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
But Suleiman was not only a great general/conquerer, he ushered the Ottoman empire into its 'golden age' of education, art, & architecture. He built many schools offering education in grammar,
syntax, logic, metaphysics, philosophy, tropics, stylistics, geometry, astronomy, & astrology.
He encouraged artistic pursuits of all types, funding some 40 societies containing over 600 members of artisans an craftsmen.
Suleiman himself was an accomplished poet, writing in Persian and Turkish under the pen name (nom de plume) "Muhibbi"(or the Gracious One).
After the death of Suleiman, the Ottoman empire began to slowly declined.
7. Caliph - The Caliph is the head of state or the 'supreme leader' in the Islamic world.
The Sunni & Shi'a Muslims disagree on how the Caliph is to be selected, however.
(see Sunni Shi'a term below)
Caliph is derived from the Muslim word Khalīfah which means literally 'successor', referring to the successor of Muhammad.(Or the Prophet of God) In effect it deems the Caliph the 'spokesman' to god of & for the Muslim people.
8. Safavid - The Safavid empire, of which is modern day Persia - Iran, was founded by Shah Ismail
(1487-1524), the descendant of an Islamic mystic Safi al-Din(1252-1334) The founder of the Sufi religious order.
The dynasty began in 1501 when Ismails' forces conquered Iraq and Iran, he then declared himself
Shah(king) of a new Persian state. He, then, moved on to take Baghdad in 1508 and defeated the Uzbeks at their capital soon after. The Safavids an Ottomans were at odds throughout the 1500's ,an much of the 1600's, until the power of the Ottomans forced Shah Abbas I to sign a treaty in 1638 in which much of the Safavid territory was lost. The collapse came with the civil unrest of militant Shi'ite, oppression of Iranian women, & suppression of religious beliefs. That,in turn, lead to revolts in which afghan warriors took full advantage, seizing the capital Isfahan, forcing the Safavid ruling family to flee to their Homeland in Azerbaijan.
9. Shi'ite & Sunni - The Sunni & Shi'a(Shi'ite) are the two 'denominations' of Islam. The majority of Islam is Sunni, making up over 80% of the Muslim population.
The Sunnis, hold that Abu Bakr was implicitly chosen by Muhammad, that all caliphs should be chosen by community consensus. The Shi'a believe that Muhammad divinely ordained his cousin and son-in-law, Ali and his descendants Muhammad's true successors. That is the fundamental difference between the two opposing denominations.
10. Mughals - (Mughal ~ The Persian word for Mongol)
The empire from the area of modern day India & Pakistan. A Dynasty founded by Babur, (1483-1530) the descendant of Tamerlane(Asian Conquerer) on his father side & Genghis Kahn(Mongolian Conquerer) on his mothers'. The empire was well organized, held together by its self governing principalities, provincial elites, & was topped off with his majesty... the Mughal Emperor. The many monuments built by the Mughals (like the Taj Mahal)are their most visible legacy & date to the peak of the the Mughal Empire.(1556-1700).
Their many building projects, endless military campaigns & neglect of their people lead to revolts & the eventual collapse of the empire around 1707.
11. Shah Jahan -
Shah Jahan succeeded the throne in 1628, upon which one of his first decrees
was to order the assassination of all of his rivals. He inherited an empty treasury but did little to
remedy it, continuing frequent military campaigns an expensive building projects. He is probably
best known for the building of the Taj Mahal in Agra. The Taj was built as a tomb an in remembrance of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It took twenty thousand
masons over twenty years to complete. Reckless pursuits such as this lead to the government
increasing agricultural taxes even more on his already impoverished people. I think he should be
remembered most for his lack of compassion for his people, favoring building projects and conquest
over providing for them. As a Dutch merchant , Gujarat, recorded the sight of the malnourished
peasants and , as he wrote, "Wherever you went, you saw nothing but corpses."
12. Sir Robert Clive -
Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive of Plassey, also known as Clive of India.
He established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company in Southern India and Bengal. Together with Warren Hastings he was one of the key figures in the creation of British India. Clive's fame and notoriety came from his military conquest of the province of Bengal.
Early in 1756, an Indian Nawab (ruler)Siraj Ud Daulah attacked Fort William in Culcutta & imprisoned the British stationed there. They were placed in the Black Hole of Calcutta where most died due to suffocation or heat stroke. After attempting diplomatic means an not receiving a response from the Nawab, Clive, aided by Admiral Charles Watson, retook Calcutta an another fort(Baj-Baj). Clive attacked by land while Watson bombarded by sea.
He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Plassey. (see "Battle of Plassey" term below)
13. East India Company - The East India Company began essentially as a trading venture by the English with India. Britain desired fine Indian cloth to trade for spices with the people of the East Indies. They arrived in Surat, a thriving port on the western shores of India, in 1608. For eight years their request for trade were denied, until finally they were granted permission to install a ambassador in 1616. Three years later established a trading post in Surat. As the Mughal goverment waned, the English presence slowly increased as they built two other trading centers at Madras and Fort William(Calcutta by 1640). The tide changed from trade to conquest when an Indian ruler attacked Fort William & imprisoned the British inhabitants in the Black Hole of Calcutta. Tensions increased between the two, culminating with the British winning decisive victories at the Battle of Plessey and capturing the emperor at Buxar. This began the annexation of India into the East India Company's control & later, in 1858, to the British crown.
14. Black Hole of Calcutta -
The Black Hole of Calcutta was an underground prison, in which a local Bengal ruler had imprisoned the local British population of Fort William.
Those British who were captured were placed in the "punishment cell" and it is alleged that 123 of the 146 prisoners died due to suffocation or heat stroke in the stifling summer heat.
15. Battle of Plessey -
The Battle of Plassey, June 23, 1757, was commanded by Sir Robert Clive. It took place in West Bengal, 150km north of Calcutta. In that battle he subdued the Nawabs forces, of over 30,000 supported by more than 40 pieces of heavy French artillery, using only 1,100 Europeans, 2,100 Sepoy troops, & nine field-pieces. Clive lost hardly any European troops; in all 22 Sepoy were killed and 50 wounded. This battle established British military supremacy in Bengal. The British began taxing the lands in and around Calcutta to fund the war cost & expansion in India. |
♆MFKN❤ JAC ❤ { STALK...-- "BOYS WITH TATS..MAKE ME WANNA BITE MY LIP N DO DIRTY THINGS"
