Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Reading Focus
• How did the Ottomans build a powerful empire, and what were
their cultural achievements?
• How was the Safavid Empire founded and enlarged, and what
cultural elements did it combine?
New Asian Empire Section 1
Sultans
Expanding Empire Military Might
• Osman’s son, Orhan I, became • Military key to Ottoman success
second Ottoman ruler; declared • Ottomans enslaved Christian
himself sultan, Arabic for “ruler” boys from conquered areas
• Under Orhan, later sultans, • Boys converted to Islam, trained
Ottoman forces swept into as elite soldiers, Janissaries;
Balkans, attacked Byzantine loyal only to sultan
Empire
• Practice called blood tax by many
• 1361, took Adrianople, second Christians
most important Byzantine city;
• Ottomans also adopted
renamed Edirne, made it capital
gunpowder weapons
• By early 1400s, Ottomans
• Now possible to take cities
controlled much of Balkan
defended by heavy walls
Peninsula
New Asian Empire Section 1
Fall of Constantinople
Expansion period
• Following period of decline, spectacular phase of expansion began
• Mid-1400s, reign of Mehmed II, strong military leader
• Mehmed II determined to take Constantinople, Byzantine capital
Bosporus Strait
• Ottomans had captured lands around Constantinople, but not city itself
• Constantinople controlled Bosporus Strait, trade route between Asia, Europe
• Control of waterway provided great wealth, divided Ottoman Empire
Classes
• Privileged ruling class one of two classes—second class, everyone else
• Included people of many cultures, languages, religions
• Ottomans governed diverse subjects with tolerance
Religious Freedom
• Non-Muslims had to pay heavy taxes, endure restrictions; did not have to
serve in military—Muslims had to join military, but did not pay taxes
• Religious freedom allowed; some groups required to form millets, or religious
communities; each millet followed own laws, chose own leaders
New Asian Empire Section 1
Rich Culture
Great Buildings Mosque of Suleyman
• Mixing of peoples created rich • Sinan, master designer of
Ottoman culture, reached peak Mosque of Suleyman, Istanbul
under Suleyman • Graceful solution of problem of
• Magnificent mosques, palaces, combining round dome,
many with Byzantine influence rectangular building
Analyze