CHAPTER 16—THE MUSLIM EMPIRES
Updated: Aug 17, 2022
1. What factors explain how and why the Osmanli Turks were able to replace the Seljuk Turks and conquer the Byzantine Empire between the mid-thirteenth and fifteenth centuries?
2. Explain what elements aided, and limited, the spread of Ottoman power into adjacent territories in Europe, Asia and Africa. Was the Ottoman system of rule a significant factor in determining the success of Ottoman imperialism? Why or why not?
3. What were the significant cultural contributions of Ottoman art?
4. Compare and contrast the origins of the Safavid Empire with those of the Ottoman Empire? What were the similarities and what were the differences?
5. What factors can explain the success of the Mughals in unifying much of the Indian subcontinent, something that had not been done since the Mauryas and the Guptas?
6. Were the personal qualities of Mughal leaders or were the particular circumstances of a period more influential in determining the success or failure of particular reigns before 1707?
7. Discuss the successes and failures of the Mughal dynasty in ruling India. Compare those successes and failures to Ottoman rule. Which dynasty was most successful, and why?
8. What make Akbar "great"? Compare and contrast Akbar to England's Elizabeth and China's Kangxi. Which of the three was most successful in the short term? In the long term?
9. Discuss the European impact on the Indian subcontinent during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. How did this impact alter conditions in ways that significantly changed the power balance there?
10. What were the major cultural contributions of Mughal India? Of Safavid Persia?
11. Compare and contrast the reasons underlying the nature, extent, and timing of the declines of the Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman Empires by the end of the eighteenth century. Why did they decline while European powers extended their "gunpowder" diplomacy and trade?
12. Discuss, with examples, the role of gunpowder in both the successes and failures of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires.
13. Evaluate the varied roles and positions of women in the Muslim empires discussed in this chapter. Do you think women in Muslim cultures had better or worse lives than those in Christian cultures during the same time? Use specific examples to illustrate your arguments.
14. The harems of Turkish sultans have been described as symbols of Islamic misogyny, as well as institutions akin to Christian nunneries. Which of these descriptions do you think is more fitting and why?
15. Explain, using specific examples, how technological inventions have altered the nature of warfare on the Eurasian supercontinent and allowed specific cultures to dominate others..
SHORT ANSWER
Instructions: Identify the following term(s).
16. Osman Turks
17. beg/beys
18. sultan
19. Bosporus and Dardanelles
20. yeni cheri/Janissaries
21. Golden Horn
22. Murad and the Battle of Kosovo
23. Serbs
24. Mehmet II, 1453, and Istanbul
25. pashas
26. Suleyman I the Magnificent
27. Battles of Mohács and Vienna
28. Topkapi and harem
29. devshirme
30. vezier/wazir
31. caliph
32. Shari'a
33. sipahis
34. Battle of Carlowitz
35. millet
36. Sublime Porte
37. Blue Mosque
38. Safi al-Din and Shah Ismail
39. Safavid
40. Shah Abbas I the Great
41. "red heads"
42. Azerbaijan
43. Shi'ite and Sunni
44. Royal Academy of Isfahan
45. Riza-i-Abbasi
46. Babur
47. Akbar
48. Din-i-Ilahi
49. Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
50. Nur Jahan
51. zamindars
52. the Dharmashastra
53. Aurangzeb
54. sati
55. the Red Fort
56. Peacock Throne
57. Fort William and Madras
58. Joseph Francis Dupleix and Sir Robert Clive
59. East India Company
60. Black Hole of Calcutta
61. the Taj Mahal
62. "Akhbar style"
63. Tulsidas' Ramcaritimanas
64. purdah
65. "gunpowder empires"
66. Siege weapons
MULTIPLE CHOICE
67. It is accurate to state that the
a.
Osmanli Turks first consolidated their control of the southeastern part of the Balkans, given to them by the Seljuks.
b.
Ottoman Turks gained control of much of the Balkans before they took Constantinople.
c.
Yeni Cheri were a renowned group of Sufi mystics.
d.
Seljuk Turks conquered the Ottoman Turks.
e.
Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople from the Ottoman Turks.
ANS: B REF: p. 408
68. All of the following statements about Ottoman expansion are true except
a.
their geographical location gave them a definite advantage for expansion.
b.
after taking advantage of Byzantine weakness, they established a base at Gallipoli, and then allied with the Serbs and Bulgars to continue fighting the Byzantine Empire.
c.
after the Kurdish seizure of Constantinople in 1521, Ottoman support of the new Kurdish ruler gave them greater control over Asia Minor.
d.
as they established European settlements, Turkish beys replaced local landlords, and became the only recipients of taxes collected from the Slavic peasant population.
e.
they besieged Vienna, unsuccessfully, in 1529 and 1683.
ANS: C REF: p. 410-412
69. Before the Turkish capture of Constantinople,
a.
Murad I defeated the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo.
b.
the Balkan population refused to assist Ottoman efforts in any way.
c.
Morocco was the only Mediterranean area controlled by the Spanish conquistadors.
d.
the last Byzantine emperor became a Lutheran in a bid for European support.
e.
Pope Innocent XII personally led a crusade to save the city for Chritendom.
ANS: A REF: p. 408
70. At the 1389 Battle of Kosovo,
a.
the Serbs defeated the Ottoman armies at Osman.
b.
Orkhan was able to defeat the Serbs and gain control of the Balkans.
c.
Murad's Janissaries defeated the Serbs, ending Serbian domination of the Balkans.
d.
the Serbian defeat created Ottoman hegemony over Abu Dhabi.
e.
the Serbs defeated the Bosnians at the Battle of Constance.
ANS: C REF: p. 408
71. Constantinople was captured by the
a.
Seljuk Turks, led by Suleyman the Magnificent.
b.
Ottoman Turks, led by Tamerlane.
c.
Safavids, under Shah Ismail.
d.
Ottoman Turks, headed by Mehmet II.
e.
Mongols, led by Akbar.
ANS: D REF: p. 408-409
72. The technological invention that allowed the Mongols to devastate many civilizations on the Eurasian continent was
a.
siege weapons
b.
explosives
c.
firearms
d.
stirrups
e.
spears
ANS: D REF: p. 409
73. All of the following were true about the expansion of the Ottoman Empire except
a.
under Selim I, the Ottomans controlled the Middle East and North Africa.
b.
by the early sixteenth century, Ottoman power allowed Murad to conquer African Ethiopia.
c.
the Ottomans gained control over Mecca and Medina.
d.
by the early eighteenth century, Ottoman control in North Africa had become weaker.
e.
the Ottomans were twice repulsed on the outskirts of Vienna.
ANS: B REF: p. 410-411
74. Which of the following is not true about the reign of Suleyman I the Magnificent?
a.
The Ottomans first captured the Slavic regions of Poland.
b.
The Ottomans invaded Hungary.
c.
The Ottomans advance into Austria was finally stopped at Vienna.
d.
The Ottomans were increasing their control over the western Mediterranean area.
e.
The Ottomans were treated as a major power by the principal European states.
ANS: A REF: p. 410
75. Which of the following statements is not true about Ottoman power in Europe?
a.
It came to be accepted by the leadership of the non-Turkish European states.
b.
It was aggressively extended into central Europe.
c.
It destroyed a European coalition of Austrian, Polish, Bavarian, and Saxon forces at Vienna in 1683 and held the city for ten years.
d.
It was ultimately forced out of Hungary by an alliance of allied European armies.
e.
It threatened to take naval control of the Mediterranean until the Battle of Lepanto.
ANS: C REF: p. 410-411
76. Which of the following statements is not an accurate characterization of the nature of Ottoman governmental processes?
a.
Originally, Ottoman rule was dominated by tribal law and augmented by Muslim law.
b.
The Ottoman Empire was influenced by Byzantine and Persian rule.
c.
The sultan ruled from the Topkapi with the assistance of the Grand Vezirs, who were primarily the products of the devshirme process.
d.
The government was located in Istanbul, the former Constantinople.
e.
The government refused to allow any religion to be practiced in the empire except for Islam.
ANS: E REF: p. 413
77. Ottoman expansion
a.
was achieved without any change in military organization or technology between 1400-1700.
b.
relied heavily on the development of the Janissaries and new artillery weapons and tactics in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
c.
absorbed Persia and Samarkand during the 1570s.
d.
seized Ukraine during the late 1600s, but it was lost again in the early 1700s.
e.
saw the use of slaves as conscript soldiers.
ANS: B REF: p. 408
78. All of the following are correct about the Janissaries except
a.
they were recruited from the Christian population of the Balkans.
b.
they fought as on horseback as cavalry warriors.
c.
they were converted to Islam.
d.
they were infantry troops.
e.
they used muskets.
ANS: B REF: p. 408
79. The power structure of the Ottoman Empire
a.
was highly structured, with the ruler's oldest son always succeeding to power.
b.
was not hereditary, and the sultan was succeeded by his highest-ranking military subordinate.
c.
was physically centered in the Topkapi.
d.
divided power between the vezir, "the sultanate of women," and devshirme scholars.
e.
lacked an imperial bureaucracy, a serious weakness in an empire of that size.
ANS: C REF: p. 412
80. Turkish sultans tended
a.
not to marry.
b.
to choose several concubines as favorites.
c.
to proclaim their mothers as queen
d.
A and B.
e.
All of the above.
ANS: E REF: p. 412
81. Which of the following is not correct regarding members of the harems of Turkish sultans?
a.
They were invariably daughters of the Muslim upper class.
b.
They were of slave origins only.
c.
They were always non-Muslims.
d.
They were sometimes permitted to leave the harem to marry state officials.
e.
They were trained and educated.
ANS: A REF: p. 412
82. Which of the following is not correct regarding Ottoman rulers?
a.
They chose only slaves as mothers for royal heirs.
b.
They used few women in their harems for sexual purposes
c.
They included in their harems their sisters, daughters, and widowed mothers.
d.
They furnished women in their harems with their own slaves and entourage.
e.
They carefully selected the mothers for their children according to their aristocratic and Islamic bloodlines.
ANS: E REF: p. 412
83. Women in Ottoman society
a.
had considerable political influence if they were queen mothers.
b.
were given much more freedom in the economic sphere than those of Vietnam.
c.
had no political influence, as was shown by the fate Suleyman the Magnificent's mother.
d.
who lived in the harem were abused sexually by the sultan and his male friends and, at times, even by enlisted army personnel.
e.
served as royal bodyguards and, if slaves, were used to produce royal heirs.
ANS: A REF: p. 412-413
84. Where did coffee originate?
a.
Turkey
b.
China
c.
Arabia
d.
Central Africa
e.
Austria
ANS: C REF: p. 414
85. Ottoman decline was caused by all except
a.
a decline of competence within the ruling family.
b.
internal decay of the ruling elite.
c.
the Europeanization of the Turkish upper classes.
d.
a decrease in the involvement of the rulers in the activities of the government, thus enabling the Sublime Porte to become more powerful.
e.
conquest of Constantinople by Great Britain and France in the Crimean War.
ANS: E REF: p. 414-415
86. Ottoman architecture
a.
was the least impressive of Ottoman artistic activities.
b.
was the result of the work of architects and workers imported from outside the empire.
c.
used the open floor technique originally used in the Byzantine church of Santa Sophia in designing mosques such as the one at Edirne.
d.
was based entirely upon Mughal models.
e.
was based upon the pyramid structure of ancient Egypt.
ANS: C REF: p. 415-416
87. The Ottoman governmental structure
a.
was a blend of old tribal traditions and a more recent, sedentary environment.
b.
required that all slaves in the empire come from the Muslim population.
c.
made conspicuous use of the Sublime Porte, a docking area for elite pleasure craft.
d.
moved from Constantinople to Ankara.
e.
included non-Muslims at the top levels.
ANS: A REF: p. 413
88. The founder of the Safavid Dynasty could trace his ancestry back to all except
a.
a Shi'ite sheikh.
b.
a descendant of Ali, the fourth Iman of Islam.
c.
a man called Safi al-Din, who led a group of Turkish tribesmen, who lived in Azerbaijan.
d.
Saladin.
e.
none of the above
ANS: D REF: p. 416
89. Safavid power was spread through Persia by
a.
resurgent Sunni military leaders.
b.
Ismail's militant use of Shi'ite Islam to unify the region.
c.
Safi's enforcement of sufi mysticism throughout the region.
d.
Shah Abbas' successful military campaigns against the Byzantines.
e.
Sunni pashas.
ANS: B REF: p. 416
90. The "red heads" were
a.
the light-haired warriors who destroyed Bokhara in 1380.
b.
followers of the Shi'ite doctrines of Safi al Din.
c.
Ottoman Yeni Chari fighters and their "scholar bodyguards."
d.
Muslim fugitives from Ireland.
e.
Sufi mystics.
ANS: B REF: p. 416
91. Safavid Iran
a.
was a purely Persian society.
b.
was strongly influenced by Turkish elements within the society.
c.
adopted Sunni Islam as its state religion.
d.
was a thoroughly egalitarian society.
e.
had an unusually tolerant attitude toward Christian and Buddhist minorities.
ANS: B REF: p. 417-418
92. All of the following were true of Safavid Iran except
a.
its wealth was much greater than its neighbors, the Mughal and Ottoman empires.
b.
it had to trade with Europe through southern Russia, since the Europeans controlled the seas to the south and the Ottomans controlled the lands to the west.
c.
it produced many items that were in high demand in many other parts of the world.
d.
it maintained a respectable level of thought and learning in philosophy, science, medicine, and mathematics.
e.
it contained large minority populations, though most of the population was of Iranian background.
ANS: A REF: p. 417-418
93. It can be said of Safavid cultural achievements that
a.
its pottery ignored eastern influences and duplicated ancient Persian designs.
b.
it was minimally involved with textile production.
c.
its seventeenth-century carpets epitomized the height of its artistic achievement.
d.
its painting was intensely affected by Western methods and subjects.
e.
its architecture was almost wholly imitative.
ANS: C REF: p. 419
94. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty in India,
a.
traced his roots to Muhammad on his mother's side.
b.
took Isfahan early in the sixteenth century, before leading his forces into India.
c.
was born in Egypt.
d.
established his northern Indian domain after his conquest of Delhi, and died at age of 47.
e.
was the first Chinese-born ruler of India.
ANS: D REF: p. 419
95. The Mughal rule of Akbar in India
a.
extended over about ten percent of the subcontinent.
b.
has been attributed, by some scholars, exclusively to the use of heavily armored cavalry to overwhelm his adversaries.
c.
was the result of a combination of the use of technology, sieges, and diplomacy.
d.
collapsed immediately after Akbar's death, when the British East India Co. took over.
e.
extended to Indonesia.
ANS: C REF: p. 420
96. Which of the following statements is not an accurate observation of the Mughal rule of Akbar in India?
a.
He appointed many Hindus to lower administrative posts.
b.
His "Divine Faith" was just one example of the great religious toleration of his regime.
c.
He permitted zamindars to yield significant independent authority in their local regions.
d.
He and his people did not care for sea travel, therefore the Arabs took care of Mughal international trade.
e.
He became a militant Buddhist during the latter half of his reign.
ANS: E REF: p. 421
97. All of the following are correct about India's zamindars except
a.
they were local officials.
b.
they were paid by international trade revenues collected by the Mughal emperor.
c.
their salaries were from land taxes paid by peasants.
d.
some were Hindus but most were Moslems.
e.
they had both civilian and military retainers, thus had considerable local power.
ANS: B REF: p. 421
98. Akbar was succeeded by his son and grandson, respectively
a.
Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.