1. The Safavid and Mughal Empires

2. The Safavids build a Shi’a Empire
Originally the Safavids were members of an Islamic religious brotherhood, named after their founder Safi al-Din (died 1334)
Claimed to be descendents of Muhammad
15th century aligned themselves with the Shi’a branch of Islam
Squeezed geographically and persecuted by Ottoman Sunni Muslims- they built a powerful army

4. Ismail Seized area where Iran is now
Took ancient title of Shah, or king
Established Shi’a Islam as the state religion
Became a religious tyrant
Battled with Ottomans (Selim the Grim)- Battle of Chaldiran in 1514

5. Shah Abbas (Abbas the Great)
1587 takes throne
Golden Age of Safavids- culture drew from Ottoman, Persian, and Arab worlds
Reformed military and civilian life
Punished corruption
Limited the power of the military redheads
Created two new armies that would be loyal to him

6. Established relations with Europe
Brought Chinese artisans - gorgeous artwork
Isfahan- capital city
Demand from the west for Persian carpets

7. The Dynasty Declines
Abbas kills and blinds ablest sons so he was succeeded by his incompetent grandson, Safi
By 1722 tribal armies from Afghanistan were taking over
1736- Nadir Shah Afshar took command and gained back some land but he was ruthless and one of his own troops killed him in 1747

8. Legacies of the Safavids
Art from Persia mixed with Shi’a Islam
Government modeled on the Ottoman example
Slave army like the Janissaries
Welcomed foreigners= cultural blending
Established the cultural foundation for modern Iran

9. Early History of the Mughal Empire
Mughals = Mongols invade India
Backdrop of crumbled Gupta Empire by 600 CE and subsequent invaders
Ongoing Conflicts
8th century began with long clash between Hindus and Muslims
Hindus held off Muslims until 1000 CE, when Turkish armies led by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni devastated India
Delhi became the capital of a loose empire of Turkish warlords called the Delhi Sultanate
Between 13th and 16th centuries, 33 sultans ruled this divided country
1398 Timur the Lame destroyed Delhi completely

10. Babur Founds an Empire
1494 an 11-year old boy named Babur inherited a tiny kingdom in Central Asia
Built up an army and swept down into India laying the groundwork for the empire
Brilliant general, sensitive, loved poetry

11. The Golden Age of Akbar
Ruled India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to 1605
Muslim, who defended religious freedom
Genius at cultural blending
Governed through a bureaucracy of officials
Fair tax policy
Good military conqueror
Smart tactician- turned enemies into allies by appointing rajputs as officers in the army
Unified a land of at least 100 million people
Culture flowered
Language blended (example Urdu)
Literature and architecture flourished
Died in 1605 and son becomes ruler

12. Jahangir and Nur Jahan
Jahangir (Akbar’s son) is a weak ruler and his wife, Nur Jahan, was in charge of the state and she ruled from
She and her husband tried to promote only Islam in the empire
Family conflict
She didn’t care for Jahangir’s son Khusrau and ousted him and shifted her favor on another son
Khusrau rebelled against his father and sought protection from the Sikhs- this led to the Sikhs being a target of the Mughal empire

13. Shah Jahan
Good man but could not stand competition so he killed his rivals
He loved his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, but when she died in 1631 (from childbirth), he was devastated and spent 22 years building her tomb, which is the famous Taj Mahal
He built other beautiful things but couldn’t manage the empire
1657 he became ill and sons scramble for throne (Aurangzeb wins, executes his older brother and puts his father in prison)

14. Aurangzeb
Ruled from
Master at military strategy – aggressive empire builder
Despite his territorial gain, the power of the empire weakened because he oppressed his people
Rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawed drinking, gambling
Brought back tax on non-Muslims
Raised taxes to pay for military conquests

15. Decline and Decay Aurangzeb drained the empire of resources
Power of local lords grew while central power weakened
3 emperors reigned in 12 years after his death
Patchwork of independent states
Western traders building power in the meantime (Portuguese, Dutch, English, etc.) and gained foothold’s in the empire since the emperors did not perceive them as a serious threat