The Ottoman And Safavid Empires

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottomans were one of the first empires to use Gunpowder

The people in the Ottoman empire were of Muslim religion and considered themselves ghazis, or "warriors of the Islam faith," due to their strong militaristic knowledge. The Ottomans were one of the first empires to utilize gunpowder, and this gave them an extreme advantage. They were a divers culture, however anyone who was not a Muslim in the Ottoman empire had restrictions and heavy taxes. Muslims were not taxed at all but were forced to join the military. Their military grew because of this, and because whenever a city was conquered they would take they boys from the city and raise them into their own military.

One of these ghazi leaders, named Osman I had built a strong state in Anatolia, and his descendants were referred to as Ottomans. Orhan I, who was Osman's son, was the first sultan of the Ottomans. He conquered several important Byzantine cities and much of the Balkan Peninsula. During the mid 1400s Mehmed II took control, and due to his strong militaristic knowledge, much expansion took place. In 1453 the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, the Byzantine capitol. They changed Constantinople's name to Istanbul and it become the new capitol of the Ottomans. From 1520 to 1566, Suleyman II became sultan, and under his rule the Ottoman empire reached its peak. Expansion continued, and he reformed the tax, court, and government systems.

Modern Day Istanbul

After Suleymans reign the empire gradually declined due to a lack of proper heirs. Brothers were killing eachother in order to have the throne and were locked in prisons because of this. Due to their time in prison they did not have any knowledge of leading an empire and therefore were weak sultans. This empire is no longer around and they disappeared during the early 1900's.


The Safavid Empire

Around one fourth of modern day Muslims are Shia

People in the Safavid Empire were a mix of the Shia religion and Persian tradition, and because of this they had a unique culture. Their culture reached its peak under shah Abbas's rule. The making of traditional products was encouraged and because of this they prospered in trade.

The Safavids empire was founded by Esma'il, a 14 year old Persian Muslim. Conflict quickly formed between the Safavids and the Ottomans due to religious disagreements. Esma'il became shah of the Safavid empire after a series of victories across Iran and Iraq. Later 'Abbas became shah and made the Safavid empire prosper. He brought a cultural golden age, strengthened the government, and acquired modern gunpowder, making them equal to the Ottomans. The empire lasted until around 1722. Even though the empire is no longer around their relgion, Shia, still remains in use to this day.