Safavid Empire and Abbas the Great

Study Notes

Abbas, the Safavid shah, controlled the army and religion. He was a key figure in Iranian history.
Abbas imported powerful weapons from Europe and relied on Europeans to train his forces.
He used European technology to modernize his army.

The Safavids were a Shi’a Muslim dynasty that ruled Persia in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Safavids faced conflict with the Ottoman Empire, which was primarily Sunni.
Shah Ismail established Shi’a Islam as the official religion of the empire.
The Safavid-Ottoman rivalry was primarily over control of trade routes and religious differences.
Tabriz was a key border city between Sunni and Shi’a societies.

Babur founded the Mughal Empire in the 1520s. He was a Tamerlane descendant.
The Mughal Empire was one of the wealthiest in the world under Akbar’s rule.
Under Babur, Mughal India was a powerful state similar to the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman.
Mughal rule was a time of peace and trade expansion.
Arabic traders were prominent in Mughal overseas trade.
The Mughal Empire traded textiles, spices, and precious stones.

The Mughal period was influenced by the Indian caste system.
The caste system is a strict social hierarchy based on birth.
The Mughal Empire under Akbar included Hindu and Islamic populations, a challenge for rule.

Mughal rule declined under Aurangzeb, Babur’s great-grandson.
Aurangzeb’s rule was characterized by corruption, peasant uprisings, and increased religious tensions
Aurangzeb tried to expand the empire, but he failed to modernize the empire.
Aurangzeb’s strict Islamic policies angered minority religions, including Hindus and Sikhs.
The Mughal Empire faced increasing political instability.
British and French economic influence grew as the Mughal Empire weakened.

The Ottoman Empire grew in power during the rule of Suleiman I.
Suleiman was a powerful and capable leader.
The Ottoman Empire was a major trade power.
The Ottoman Empire’s decline was partially due to weak rulers after Suleiman’s death.
The Empire’s decline was further accelerated by internal rebellions and European military advances.
The Battle of Lepanto resulted in European dominance over the Ottomans, ending the Ottomans’ naval supremacy.
The Ottomans faced a series of defeats, culminating in the failed Siege of Vienna, which ended the empire's expansion.

The Safavid Empire’s decline began after Shah Abbas’ death.
Safavid leaders followed lavish lifestyles that weakened the economy.
The Safavids were unable to quell a rebellion by the Pashtuns, a major religious community in present-day Afghanistan.
The rebellion led to the sacking of Isfahan, the Safavid capital.
The Ottoman and Russian Empires took advantage of the Safavid’s decline and expanded their territories.
The Safavids were replaced by the Zand Dynasty in 1760.

The state of monarchy allowed rulers to centralize power and solidify control over empires.
Monarchs relied on different strategies to retain power.
English monarchs consolidated power by controlling the army, taxes, and religious policies.
French monarchs were absolute, meaning they had immense power and total control over their subjects.
Mughal India flourished under Babur and his successors.
Mughal rulers solidified power by constructing significant architectural structures and expanding their empires.
The Indian caste system, a complex religious and social hierarchy, shaped Mughal Society.

The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires lost their power as Western Europe strengthened its military, trade networks, and technology.
Russia modernized its military, but the Islamic empires did not, resulting in their decline.
The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires fell due to several factors, including political instability, internal rebellions, and economic decline.
The Mughal Empire was eventually subsumed by the British Empire.