Question #1
During the 16th and 17th century, the Middle East saw the rise of the “Gunpowder Dynasties”. This included the Ottoman Empire, the Safavids of Persia, and the Mughals. Simply put, these civilizations were the first in the Mediterranean to use gunpowder weapons including guns and cannons. However, it did not stop there, with the use of gunpowder came the rise of new technologies in metallurgy, mining, and weapon design. The use of gunpowder had arrived in the Middle East due to the Mongols who first witnessed its use in China. The only other empires which used gunpowder at the time were Britain and the Netherlands. The use of gunpowder allowed the three empires of the Muslim world to achieve things they previously could not and led to many advances and dominance in the region. At the same time however, it also fragmented the Mediterranean. As well, contrary to what some may assume, all of the gunpowder empires were not Arab, they consisted of newcomers to the Middle East. With all this in mind, an examination of the similarities and differences between the empires and the difference they made in the Muslim world for centuries to come is vital.
With the development of the Gunpowder Empires came the development of improvements in mining, metallurgy, and technology. As well, the use of guns and cannons allowed the empires to create and supply a strong standing army. These developments allowed for improvement and centralization of bureaucracy in all empires. However, this is the end of similarities between the empires. The most successful empire in utilizing gunpowder was the Ottomans; mainly due to two consecutive leaders, Selim the Inexorable (r. 1512-20) and Suleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520-66). The Ottomans differed...
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...uptcy which forced the establishment of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration in 1881. This administration would later become the framework of the International Monetary Fund still existing today.
The failure of defensive development in Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia had a large and long-lasting effect on the Muslim world. The original goal of the reforms was to end European intervention, revive the weakening empires, and to be on equal standing with Europe. Yet, all three empires over-utilized the wealth and knowledge of Europe, leading to their ultimate demise. The empires wished to impose reforms in the military, economics, education, and law which the region had not experienced previously. This resulted in backlash, violence, and division within the empires eventually leading to bankruptcy, ironically, to those which they wished to separate themselves.
The political structure of the Arabian and Byzantine empires greatly differed from each other. The Arabian empire was ruled over by a Caliphate. The Caliphate was the successor to the great prophet Muhammad. Politically, the Caliphate sometimes caused trouble for the stability of the empire. With multiple groups such as the Umayyad and the Abbasid believing the were in charge of the Caliphate led to conflicts and violence. An example of conflict would be towards the end of the Abbasid empire when the death of Harun al-Rashid brought several full scale revolutions. Another example would be at the beginning of Abbasid empire when they went as far as too kill off all of the remaining Umayyad leaders to sustain full control with little to no interference. Politically, the Arab/Muslim empire stretched from India and the Middle East into the Africa, the Mediterranean, and Iberia. They also had a large influence in Southeast Asia. When they conquered these areas, there was no forced conversion. On the other hand, they did enforce a higher tax for non-Muslims which prompted people to convert. Only later were there violently forced conversions. A testimony to this would be when the Muslims invaded India and did not touch the Buddhist or Hindus already there. They even respected the Hindu leadership and allowed them to continue. The Muslim empire was successful in other parts of the world due to tolerance, and continued to operate in the face of power struggles.
The Mongol and the Mali Empires differ in their rise with the use of certain methods towards conquering. Geographic locations play an enormous role in the rise of both these magnificent empires. In the Mali empire, Islam was prevalent unlike the Mongol Empire where everyone was allowed to practice their own religion. Another difference would be the methods by which they arose. Although warfare existed within the Mali empire, Mali arose by peaceful methods. However, the Mongol empire attacked states which were already established. If people ...
The Imperial Crisis was a crisis that was fought for a long time between the colonists and the parliament. This crisis happened between the years 1763 and 1775. Before the Imperial Crisis the Seven Years War was fought between the main powers in Europe. This war caused a great deal of debt to England which then was put on the colonist’s backs. This led the parliament to create many acts that would tax the colonists on many items, unfairly. Another reason why the colonists were taxed so heavily and why these acts were created was because of mercantilism. Mercantilism was a belief that the colonies were there for financial support to the mother country, which in this case was Europe. The colonists, “The Americans” eventually got sick of how unfairly they were treated by England and fought back. This crisis had many events/consequences that became more aggressive as the years passed and as the acts got more unfair. 1
1. The three main factors that resulted in the Ottoman expansion of the 14th century were rooted in geopolitics, military technology a nd strategy, and political strategy. The Ottoman capital and center of economics (post-1453) was located at Istanbul, which was not only the geographical “gateway” to Europe, but also connected Asia and Europe, which made Istanbul an extremely important area for commerce and merchants travelling from one continent to the other. Even after the Ottoman takeover of the Byzantines, they were able to expand even more partly due to the capitol and funds gained through commerce in Istanbul. The Ottomans also created an army that was aided by new technologies such as firearms as well as horses, which helped them expand exponentially through the Middle East. The balance within their military, with the Calvary coupled with armed Janissaries, furthered their military might. Lastly, the political strategy of Osman and his heirs helped to further Ottoman goals including expansion.
Throughout history there has been a lot of bloodshed from wars, civil wars, revolutions, and revolts. Each of these events changing people's lives, some for the better, and worse for others. When talking about these events the question to whether the event was justified or not comes up. This is where people disagree on many aspects. After the onset of the French revolution the Reign of Terror began, and just by reading the name one can already assume that the Reign of Terror was not an enjoyable time. The Reign of Terror was not justified due to the amount of innocent people who were executed, the weakening of the country, and the violation of human rights.
In 1789, the French people began to stand up to their current monarchical government in order to obtain rights and laws that they felt they deserved. The Reign of Terror followed after the Revolution and seemed to stand for the complete opposite of what the people had previously stood up for. The Reign of Terror began in 1793 and ended in 1794 due to the decapitation of Maximilien Robespierre. The Reign of Terror can be explained as a time period in France when many counter revolutionaries were killed because of their traditional beliefs. Counter revolutionaries believed in preserving the ways of the monarchy, but since the majority of people thought otherwise, these opposing beliefs led to death. The French government did not have good reason to conduct such drastic measures against those who challenged the Revolution.
There is a point of time in certain a country’s history where they become dominant and more powerful than ever before. During this elongated process a country becomes an empire. The British and the Ottomans were states that succeeded in this process, but becoming an empire such as theirs required vast amounts of political and social maneuvering to expand their boundaries, called imperialism. Imperialism is, “a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force”. By becoming a modern nation enjoying economic prosperity and political stability, the British and the Ottomans created an imperialistic impact over the globe with distinctive motivations and approaches especially during the transition period of gaining ample amount power and influence globally.
In 1221, when the Mongols invaded India, they brought with them the knowledge of gunpowder from China. When the Mongols had conquered India, they helped to facilitate more open trading between China and India. This trade is what brought even more ideas and innovations of gunpowder into India. From India, the gunpowder spread to the Middle East between 1240 and 1280. Early Ottoman sultans such as Murat I (1362 – 1389) and his successors were quick to grasp the significance of gunpowder, perhaps because they already excelled in the use of ranged weapons, such as the composite bow, and it was a natural step
Liberty, equality, and freedom are all essential parts to avoiding anarchy and maintaining tranquility even through the most treacherous of times. The Reign of Terror is well known as the eighteen month long French Revolution (1793-1794). In this period of time, a chief executive Maximilien Robespierre and a new French government executed gigantic numbers of people they thought to be enemies of the revolution; inside and outside of the country. The question is; were these acts of the new French government justified? Not only are the acts that occurred in the Reign of Terror not justified, they were barbaric and inhumane.
...ne of the Caliphate was the general economic downturn. This had two main causes, firstly, the series of civil wars which engulfed the Caliphate, and secondly, the devastation done to the agricultural heartland of Mesopotamia on which the Abbasid’s depended on, as did much of the Islamic world. The demise of Iraqi agriculture was due both to the ravishes of war and the chronic lack of state investment over the later decades. My final reason is the diversification of Islam. The Umayyad Caliphate remained strong for 200 years because Islam was confined to the elite. As Islam spread through the entirety of the Caliphate’s population there was increasing disenchantment within the old elites, and ever increasing numbers of religious groups, sects and factions who quarrelled amongst themselves extensively. Such disunity meant a single Islamic nation could no longer exist.
Gunpowder’s effect on the world can be exemplified through the grand changes in weapons. This can be shown through the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 by the English navy. In this sea battle, the Spanish Armada outnumbered the English navy immensely turning the odds against the English. However, the Spanish Armada still used old boarding tactics while the English used advanced weaponry. In the end, “the English used their superior firepower to whittle away the Spanish forces” (Schlager). The English navy's victory over the Spanish Armada illustrates the effects of the invention of gunpowder. With the successful usage of advanced gunpowder based weapons, the English navy crushed the opposition even when the Spanish Armada clearly had the upper hand. The defeat of the Spanish Armada shows that weapons based on gunpowder allowed countries with smaller armies to have a higher chance in winning their fights. The gunpowder weapons proved to be a tactical advant...
“The trebuchet reached the Mediterranean by the sixth century C.E. It displaced other forms of artillery and held its own until well after the coming of gunpowder. The trebuchet was instrumental in the rapid expansion of both the Islamic and the Mongol empires. It also played a part in the transmission of the Black Death, the epidemic of plague that swept Eurasia and the North Africa during the 14th century. Along the way it seems to have influenced both the development of clockwork and the theoretical analyzes of motion”2.
Gunpowder was first used by the Chinese to light fireworks. Gunpowder changed the way people will fight in wars forever. It was used in artillery and hand-held guns. Instead of using arrows, people could easily shoot a gun. Early guns were lit by a match and therefore it took a long time to light the match. Gunpowder was also used in bombs. The mixture consisted of charcoal and iron pieces. The bombs would then be catapulted forward to the enemy and then explode. BY the late 1300s, gunpowder had reached the European nations and was used in the French and English military.
At the height of its power (16th-17th century), the Ottoman Empire spanned three continents long. The Ottoman Empire controlled Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa. It contained twenty-nine provinces and man vassal states, some of which were later immersed into the empire, while others were allowed other types of sovereignty during the course of several centuries. The empire was at the center of interaction between the Eastern and Western worlds for six centuries. With Constantinople as its capital city, and large control of lands around the eastern Mediterranean during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman overruled the Ottoman Empire from 1520 to 1566. It is remarkable that though in Turkey he is distinguished only as the law-giver (Kanuni), in European history he is known by titles such as the Magnificent. Suleiman had no noteworthy rivals and was one of the most fortunate of the sultans. From his father he inherited a well-organized army, a disciplined army, and a sufficient treasury. Being raised in such a political environment, Suleiman would grow up to be the embodiment of all the excellent qualities of his Father’s talented generals, admirals, and viziers. Suleiman was a generous man even as a child. As a young boy, he befriended Pargali Ibrahim, a slave who later became one of his most trusted advisers. Suleiman believed greatly is his cause of spreading his law based on the Islamic system of law (Sharia). Su...
The Ottoman Empire had humble roots. Beginning as an Ottoman state, it progressively rose to power to become an empire. As a state, the Ottoman state started as a small state in current-day western Turkey. Based on Muslim beliefs and rule, the Ottoman State began to dissolve surrounding Muslim states, which were absorbed into the future empire. This move thereby ended all the other Turkish dynasties. The Ottoman Empire was marked as one of the largest, longest lasting empires. The Ottoman Empire lasted from the late 13th century to 1923. Throughout it’s time, the Ottoman Empire was remarked as highly successful and progressive. But like all empires, the Ottoman Empire had to make its end. The Ottoman Empire, like all dynasties, went through its rise, peak, and falling periods. This essay assesses each period in the Ottoman Empire's history.