Ottomans Build a Vast Empire PDF

The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire EMPIRE BUILDING The Many modern societies, from ghazi Mehmed II Ottomans established a Muslim Algeria to Turkey, had their Ottoman Suleyman the empire that combined many origins unde...

The Ottomans Build a Vast Empire EMPIRE BUILDING The Many modern societies, from ghazi Mehmed II Ottomans established a Muslim Algeria to Turkey, had their Ottoman Suleyman the empire that combined many origins under Ottoman rule. sultan Lawgiver cultures and lasted for more Timur the devshirme than 600 years. Lame janissary SETTING THE STAGE By 1300, the Byzantine Empire was declining, and the Mongols had destroyed the Turkish Seljuk kingdom of Rum. Anatolia was inhabited mostly by the descendants of nomadic Turks. These militaristic people had a long history of invading other countries. Loyal to their own groups, they were not united by a strong central power. A small Turkish state occupied land between the Byzantine Empire and that of the Muslims. From this place, a strong leader would emerge to unite the Turks into what eventually would become an immense empire stretching across three continents. Turks Move into Byzantium Many Anatolian Turks saw themselves as dHm (GAH zees), or warriors for Islam. They formed military societies under the leadership of an emir, a chief commander, and followed a strict Islamic code of conduct. They raided the ter- Use the graphic organizer ritories of people who lived on the frontiers of the Byzantine Empire. online to take notes on rule~ of the Ottoman Osman Establishes a State The most successful ghazi was Osman. People in Empire and their the West called him Othman and named his followers Ottomans. Osman built a successes. small Muslim state in Anatolia between 1300 and 1326. His successors expanded it by buying land, forming alliances with some emirs, and conquering others. The Ottomans' military success was largely based on the use of gunpowder. They replaced their archers on horseback with musket-carrying foot soldiers. They also were among the first people to use cannons as weapons of attack. Even heavily walled cities fell to an all-out attack by the Turks. The second Ottoman leader, Orkhan I, was Osman's son. He felt strong enough to declare himself sultan, meaning "overlord" or "one with power." And in 1361. the Ottomans captured Adrianople (ay dree uh NOH puhl), the second most important city in the Byzantine Empire. A new Turkish empire was on the rise. The Ottomans acted wisely toward the people they conquered. They ruled through local officials appointed by the sultan and often improved the lives of the peasants. Most Muslims had to serve in Turkish armies and make contributions required by their faith. Non-Muslims did not have to serve in the army but had to pay for their exemption with a small tax. The Muslim Jfo r/d Expands 13  Timur the Lame Halts Expansion The rise of the Ottoman Empire was briefly interrupted in the early 1400s by a rebellious warrior and conquer or from Samar- kand in Central Asia. Permanently injured by an arrow in the leg, he was called Timur-i- Lang, or Timur the Lame. Europeans called him Tamerla ne. Timur burned the powerful city of Baghdad in present-day Iraq to the ground. He crushed the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. This defeat halted the expan- sion of their empire. Powerful Sultans Spur Dramatic Expansion Soon Timur turned his attention to China. When he did, war broke out among the four sons of the Ottoman sultan. Mehmed I defeated his brothers and took the throne. His son, Murad 11, defeated the Venetians, invaded Hungary, and overcam e an army of Italian crusaders in the Balkans. He was the first of four powerful sul- tans who led the expansion of the Ottoman Empire through 1566. Mehme d II Conquers Constantinople Murad's son Mehme d 11, or Mehmed the Conquer or, achieved the most dramatic feat in Ottoman history. By the time Mehmed took power in 1451, the ancient city of Constan tinople had shrunk from a population of a million to a mere 50,000. Althoug h it controlle d no territory out- side its walls, it still dominat ed the Bosporu s Strait. Controll ing this waterwa y meant that it could choke off traffic between the Ottoman s' territorie s in Asia and in the Balkans. Mehmed II decided to face this situation head-on. "Give me Constantinople!" he thundered, shortly after taking power at age 21. Then, in 1453, he launched his attack. Ottoman Empire, 1451 AF RI CA A ·r WT tr I tTh : :s:.:.., Mll,t...l D ~ $ A R A AR A BI A GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: lnterpN tinc Maps 1. Location To which waterways did the Ottoman Empire have access? 2. Movemen t In which time period did the Ottoman Empire gain the most land? 74 Chapter 2 >Analyzing Primary ·., ·sources n,e conquest of Constantinople Kritovoulos, a Greek who served in the Ottoman dministration, recorded the following about the Ottoman ~keover of Constantinople. The second source, the French miniature at the right, shows a view of the siege of Constantinople. PRIMARY SOURCE After this the Sultan entered the City and looked about -......,.-,... to see its great size, its situation, its grandeur and ~ h.. - ~ ~~ beauty, its teeming population, its loveliness, and the costliness of its churches and public buildings and of <..:1~ the private houses and community houses and those of the officials.... When he saw what a large number had been killed =i r·~:;. -, 1:- and the ruin of the buildings, and the wholesale ruin and destruction of the City, he was filled with compassion and repented not a little at the destruction and plundering. Tears fell from his eyes as he groaned deeply and passionately: "What a city we have given over to plunder and destruction.ff KRITOVOULOS, History of Mehmed the Conqueror DOCUMENT-BASED QUESTIONS 1. Comparing and Contrasting In whot details do the two sources agree? disagree? 2. Making Inferences Why do you think the sultan L wept over the destruction? Mehmed's Turkish forces began firing on the city walls with mighty cannons. One of these was a 26-fool gun that fired 1,200-pound boulders. A chain across the Golden Horn between the Bosporus Strait and the Sea of Marmara kept the Turkish fl eet out of the city's harbor. Finally, one night Mehmed's anny tried a daring tac- ti c. They dragged 70 ships over a hill on greased runners from the Bosporus to the harbor. Now Mehmed's army was attacking Constantinople from two sides. The city held out for over seven weeks, but the Turks finally found a break in the wall and entered the city. Mehmed the Conqueror, as he was now called, proved to be an able ruler as well ST · lJI as a magnificent warrior. He opened Constantinople to new citizens of many reli- Analyzing Motives gions and backgrounds. Jews, Christians, and Muslims, Turks and non-Turks all ~ Why was taking flowed in. They helped rebuild the city, which was now called Istanbul. ~ Constantinople so important to Ottomans Take Islam's Holy Cities Mehmed's grandson, Selim the Grim, came Mehmed II? to power in 151 2. He was an effective sultan and a great general. In 151 4, he defeated the Safav ids (suh FAH vihdz) of Persia at the Battle of Chaldiran. Then he swept south through Syri a and Palestine and into North Afri ca. At the same time that Cortez was toppling the Aztec Empire in the Americas, Selim's empire took responsibility for Mecca and Medina. Finally he took Cairo, the intellectual center of the Muslim world. The once-great civilization ofEgypt had become just another province in the growing Ottoman Empire. 71ie Muslim World Expands 75  Suleyman the Lawgiver Hi sto ry Ma kers The Ottom an Empi re didn ·t reach its peak size and grand eur until the reign of Selim 's son, Suley man l (SOO lay mahn ). Suley man came to the thron e in 1520 and ruled for 46 years. His own peop le calle d him Suleyman the Layqiver. He was know n in the West, thoug h. as Suley man the Magn ificen t. This title was a tribu te to the splen dor of his court and to bis cultu ral achie veme nts. tbe Empire Reaches Its Limits Suley man was a super b milit ary leade r. He conq uered the impo rtant Euro pean city of Belgr ade in 1521. The next year, Turk ish force s captu red the islan d of Rhod es in the Medi terra nean and now domi - nated the whol e easte rn Medi terra nean. Suleyman the lawg iver Appl ying their imme nse naval powe r, the Ottom 1494 -156 6 ans cap- tured Tripoli on the coast of North Africa. They In the halls of the U.S. Congress are conti nued images of some of the greatest conq uerin g peop les along the Nort h Afric an coast line. lawgivers of all time. tndud ed in that Although the Ottom ans occup ied only the coast al cities of group are such perso ns as Thomas North Africa, they mana ged to contr ol trade route s to the inte- Jefferson, Moses, and Suleyman. rior of the continent. Suleyman's law code prescribed ln 1526, Suley man advan ced into Hung ary and penalties for various criminal acts Austr ia, throw ing centr al Euro pe into a panic. Suley man' and for bureaucratic and financial s armie s corruption. He also sough t to reduce then push ed to the outsk irts of Vien na, Austr ia. y bribes, did not allow imprisonment without a trial, and rejected promo- tions that were not based on merit. from Istan bul, Suley man bad wage d war with Euro peans , North Afric ans, and Cent ral Asian beco me the most powe rful mona rch on earth. Only Reig ning centr al s. He had He also introduced th.e idea of a Char les V, head of the Haps burg Empi re in Euro pe, came balanced budge t for governments. close to rivali ng his power. '7i' hmhs ocial studi es.co m Highly Structured Social Organization Bind ing the RESEARCH WEB LINKS Go online for Ottom an Empi re toget her in a work able socia l struc ture was more on Suleyman the Lawgiver. Suley man's crow ning achie veme nt. The mass ive empi re requi red an effici ent gove rnme nt struc ture and socia l organ - ization. Suley man creat ed a law code to hand le both crimi- nal and civil actio ns. He also simp lified and limit ed taxes , and syste matiz ed and reduc ed gove rnme nt burea ucracy. Thes e chan ges impro ved the lives of most citize ns and helpe d earn Suley man the title of Lawgiver. The sulta n's 20,00 0 perso nal slaves staffe d the palac e burea ucrac y. The slave s were acqui red as part of a polic y calle d devsh irme (dehv SHE ER m eh). Unde r the devshirme syste m, the sulta n's army draft ed boys from the peop les of conq uered Chris tian territ ories. The army educa ted them , conv erted them to Islam , and traine d them as soldi ers. An elite force of 30,00 0 soldi ers know n as janissaries was traine d to be loyal to the sultan only. Their super b disci pline made them the heart of the Ottom an war mach ine. In fact, Chris tian famil ies some times bribe d offic ials r ; Is ¢ to take their child ren into the sultan 's servi ce, becau Making se the brigh test ones could rise 1nmences to high gove rnme nt posts or milit ary posit ions. t> ~ What were the As a Musl im, Suleyman was required to follow Islam advantages 01 th1 ic law. In accordance with Islamic law, the Ottom ans granted freedom of worsh devshirme systein ip to other religious communities, particularly to Christians and Jews. They treated to the sultan7 these communities as millets, or nations. They allowed each millet to follow its own religious laws and practices. The head of the millets reported to the sultan and his staff. This system kept conflict amon g peopl e of the various religions to a minimum. 76 Chapter 2  Cultural Flowering Suleyman had broad interests, which contributed to the cultural achievements of the empire. He found time to study poetry, history, geography, astronomy, mathe- matics, and architecture. He employed one of the world's finest architects, Sinan, who was probably from Albania. Sinan 's masterpiece, the Mosque of Suleyman, is an immense complex topped with domes and half domes. It includes four schools, a library, a bath, and a hospital. c...-. Art and literature also flourished 0 Vl/hich cultu@I under Suleyman 's rule. This creative ac:htevements of period was similar to the European Suleyman's reign Sinan's were similar to Renaissance. Painters and poets looked to Persia and Arabia for models. The works Mosque of the European that they produced used these foreign influences to express original Ottoman ideas Suleyman in RenaisSance? in the Turkish style. They are excellent examples of cultural blending. Q Istanbul is the largest mosque in the Ottoman The Empire Declines Slowly Empire. Despite Suleyman's magnificent social and cultural achievements, the Ottoman Empire was losing ground. Suleyman killed his ablest son and drove another into exile. His third son, the incompetent Selim II, inherited the throne. Suleyman set the pattern for later sultans to gain and hold power. It became cus- tomary for each new sultan to have his brothers strangled. The sultan would then keep his sons prisoner in the harem, cutting them off from education or contact with the world. This practice produced a long line of weak sultans who eventually brought ruin on the empire. However, the Ottoman Empire continued to influence the world into the early 20th century. TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term Of name, write a sentence explaining its significance. ghazi , Ottoman sultan Timur the Lame Mehmed 11 Suleyman the Lawgiver devshirme , janissary - --- ----· USINC YOUR NOTES I MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING Ii WRmNCi 2. Which do you consider more , 3. By what means did the early 6. EVAWATING D£QSIONS Do you think that the Ottomans significant to the Ottoman Ottomans expand their empire? were wise in staffing their military and government with Empire, the accomplishments ' 4 Why was Suleyman called the slaves? Explain. 01 Mehmed II or those of 7. EVALUATING COURSES OF.ACTION How did Suleyman's Lawgiver? Selim the Grim? Explain. selection of a successor eventually spell disaster for the s. How powerful was the Ottoman Empire? R11/vs s - Ottoman Empire compared to. 7 other empires of the time. 8. ANALYIING MOTIVES Do you think that Suleyman's religious tolerance helped or hurt the Ottoman Empire? 9. WRITING ACTMTY IEMPIRE BlRlDING i Using the description of Mehmed ll's fOfces taking Constantinople, write a newspaper utide describing the action. ' - ' --·:· -- - --.......... - ·~..... - --:---·- _---::::,·_-::--- - --- --. -- - -- - - - - -- -..- ttn:1m, Create a...,,,i ttl ~~NG A TIME LINE showing events in the decline of the Ottoman Empire time line. ao d the creation of the modem nation of Turkey. The Muslim World fapands 11  Cultural Blending ( CASE Sruov: The Safavid Empire ) l.f,: Z~ CULTURAL INTERACTION The.J e: ·}wwtn¥TTEU c..;.~i i l l il l lil l ilililili..............J OWMJ.. Modern Iran, which plays a Safavid Shah Abbas Safavid Empire produ ced a rich key role in global politics, and complex blend ed culture in lsma'il Esfahan desce nded from the culturally shah Persia. diverse Safavid Empire. SETTING THE STAGE Throughout the course of world history, cultures have interacted with each other. Often such interaction has result ed in the mixing of different cultures in new and exciting ways. This process is referred to as cultural blending. The Safavid Empire, a Shi'it e Muslim dynas ty that ruled in Persia betwe en the 16th and 18th centuries, provides a striking exam ple of how interac- tion among peoples can produce a blending of cultures. This culturally diverse empire drew from the traditions of Persians, Ottomans, and Arabs. Patterns of Cultural Blending UV!~t~W@ t~tr·1t::, Each time a culture interacts with another, it is exposed foods, and ways of life not exactly like its own. Conti to ideas, technologies, nental crossroads, trade Use the graphic organizer routes, ports, and the borders of countries are places where online to take notes on cultural blending com- cultural blending in the monly begins. Societies that are able to benefit from cultur al blending are those Safavid Empire. that are open to new ways and are willing to adapt and chang e. The blended ideas spread throughout the culture and produce a new patter n of behavior. Cultural blending has several basic causes. causes of Cultural Blending Cultural change is most often prompted by one or more of the following four activities: migration pursuit of religious freedom or conversion trade conquest The blending that contributed to the culture of the Ottom ans, which you just read about in Section I, depended on some of these activi ties. Surrounded by the peoples of Byzantium, the Turks were motivated to win territo ry for their empire. The Ottoman Empire's location on a major trading route created many oppor- tunities for contact with different cultures. Suleyman 's interest in learning and culture prompted him to bring the best foreign artists and scholars to his court. They brought new ideas about art, literature, and learning to the empire. Results of Cultural Blending Cultural blending may lead to changes in lan- guage , religion, styles of government, the use of technology , and military tactics. 78 Chapter 2  Location Interacting Cultures Reason for Some Results Interaction of Interaction lndia-1000 B.C. Aryan and Dravidian Indian Migration Vedic culture, forerunner Arab, African, Indian of Hinduism East Africa-A.o. 700 Islamic. Christian Trade, religious conversion New trade language, Swahili Russia-A.D. 1000 Christian and Slavic Religious conversion Eastern Christianity, Russian identity Mexico-A.D. 1500 Spanish and Aztec Conquest Mestizo culture, Mexican Catholicism United States-A.D. 1900 European, Asian, Caribbean Migration, religious freedom Cultural diversity SKJLLBUILDER: Interpreting Charts 1. Determining Main Ideas What are the reasons for interaction in the Americas? 2. Hypothesizing What are some aspects of cultural diversity? These changes often reflect unique aspects of several cultures. For example: Language Sometimes the written characters of one language are used in another, as in the case of written Chinese characters used in the Japanese language. In the Safavid Empire, the language spoken was Persian. But after the area converted to Islam, a significant number of Arabic words appeared in the Persian language. Religion and ethical systems Buddhism spread throughout Asia. Yet the Buddhism practiced by Tibetans is different from Japanese Zen Buddhism. Styles of government The concept of a democratic government spread to many areas of the globe. Although the basic principles are similar, it is not practiced exactly the same way in each country. Racial or ethnic blending One example is the mestizo, people of mixed tl!JW1 European and Indian ancestry who live in Mexico. Recopizing Effects Arts and architecture Cultural styles may be incorporated or adapted into "' Which of the art or architecture. For example, Chinese artistic elements are found in effects of cultural Safavid Empire tiles and carpets as well as in European paintings. blending do you The chart above shows other examples of cultural blending that have occurred over Grandson of 'f' think1s the most lsma'il, Shah significant? Explain. time in various areas of the world. I) Abbas led the Safavid Empire CASE STUDY: The Safavid Empire during its Golden Age. The Safavids Build an Empire Conquest and ongoing cultural interaction fueled the development of the Safavid Empire. Originally, the Safavids were members of an Islamic religious brotherhood named after their founder, Safi al-Din. In the 15th century, the Safavids aligned themselves with the Shi 'a branch of Islam. The Safavids were also squeezed geographically between the Ottomans and Uzbek tribespeople and the Mughal Empire. (See the map on page 80.) To protect themselves from these potential enemies, the Safavids concentrated on building a powerful army. lsma'il Conquers Persia The Safavid military became a force to reckon with. In 1499, a 12-year-old named mnul (ihs MAH eel) began to seize most of what is now Iran. Two years later he completed the task.  To celebrate his achievement, he took the ancient Persian title of ~. or king. He also established Shi ·a Islam as the state religion. lsma' il became a religious tyrant. Any citizen who did not convert to Shi'ism was put to death. lsma' il destroyed the Sunni population of Baghdad in his confrontation with the Ottomans. Their leader, Selim the Grim, later ordered the execution of all Shi' a in the Ottoman Empire. As many as 40,000 died. Their final face-off took place at the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514. Using artillery, the Ottomans pounded the Safavids into defeat. Another outcome of the battle was to set the border between the two empires. It remains the bor- der today between Iran and Iraq. Isma' il's son Tahmasp learned N from the Safavi ds defeat at A r w l a): ~ , ,.~ Chaldiran. He adopted the use of artillery with his military forces. He expanded the Safavid Empir e up to the Caucasus Mountains, northeast Drawing Condusiols GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps of Turkey, and brough t Christ ians t> How d1d 1. Movement What watetways might have enabled the Safavid under Safavid rule. Tahmasp laid Tahmasp's wtul'~ s lo interact tMth other cultures? borrowing lead tc the groundwork for the golden age 2. Location Why might the Safavids not have expanded the expansion of further? of the Safavids. the Safavid Emp:re' A Safavid Golden Age Shah Abbas, or Abbas the Great, took the throne in 1587. He helped create a Safavid culture and golden age that drew from the best of the Ottoman, Persian, and Arab worlds. Reforms Shah Abbas reformed aspects of both military and civilia n life. He lim- ited the power of the military and created two new armies that would be loyal to him alone. One of these was an army of Persians. The other was a force that Abbas recruited from the Christian north and modeled after the Ottom an janissa ries. He equipped both of these armies with modern artillery. Abbas also reformed his government. He punished corruption severely and pro- moted only officials who proved their competence and loyalty. He hired foreigners from neighboring countries to fill positions in the govern ment. To convince European merchants that his empire was tolerant of other religions. Abbas brought members of Christian religious orders into the empire. As a result, Europeans moved into the land. Then industry, trade, and art exchanges grew between the empire and European nations. A New Capital The Shah built a new capital at Esfahan. With a design that covered four and a half miles, the city was considered one of the most beautif ul in the world It was a showplace for the many artisans, both foreign and Safavi d, who worked on the buildings and the objects in them. For example, 300 Chines e potters produced 80 Chapter 2  glazed building tiles for the buildings in the city, and Armenians wove carpets. Art Works Shah Abbas brought hundreds of Chinese artisans to Esfahan. Working with Safavid artists, they produced intricate metalwork, miniature paintings, calligraphy, glasswork, tile work, and pottery. This collaboration gave rise to artwork that blended Chinese and Persian ideas. These decorations beauti- fied the many mosques, palaces, and marketplaces. carpets The most important result of Western influence on the Safavids, however, may have been the demand for Persian carpets. This demand helped ,~ change carpet weaving from a local craft to a IICPS national industry. In the beginning, the carpets comparinl reflected traditional Persian themes. As the empire The Masjid-e- " In what ways became more culturally blended, the designs incorporated new themes. In the 16th lmam mosque in I 11~e ShahAbbas l and Suleyman the century, Shah Abbas sent artists to Italy to study under the Renaissance artist Esfahan is a I lawgiver similar7 Raphael. Rugs then began to reflect European designs. ~ beautiful example r of the flowering of the arts in the f The Dynasty Declines Quickly ln finding a successor, Shah Abbas made the same mistake the Ottoman monarch Safavid Empire. ~l: I, Suleyman made. He killed or blinded his ablest sons. His incompetent grandson, Safi, succeeded Abbas. This pampered young prince led the Safavids down the same road to decline that the Ottomans had taken, only more quickly. ln 1736, however, Nadir Shah Afshar conquered land all the way to India and cre- ated an expanded empire. But Nadir Shah was so cruel that one of his own troops assassinated him. With Nadir Shah's death in 1747, the Safavid Empire fell apart. At the same time that the Safavids flourished, cultural blending and conquest led to the growth of a new empire in India, as you will learn in Section 3. LSkTioN a---'!"M: ea ; e : ;;;.,/:; :; I TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance. Safavid lsma'il shah Shah Abbas Esfahan - -. - ---- - ----- USING YOUR NOTES. MAIN IDEAS CRITICAL THINKING & WRITING 2. What are some examples of 3. What are the four causes of 6. FORMING OPINIONS Which of the results of cultural cultural blending in the cultural blending? blending do you think has the most lasting effect on a Salavid Empire? _ What reforms took place in the country? Explain. 4 Safavid Empire under Shah 7. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS How did the location of the Abbas? Safavid Empire contribute to the cultural blending in the empire? , 5_Why did the Safavid Empire · decline so quickly? 8. ANALYZING MOTIVES Why might lsma'il have become so 1: I 1 intolerant of the Sunni Muslims? 1, i -~ 1 i Il,j 9. WRITING AOIVITY I..---- CULTURAL INTERACTIO~ Write a letter 1 I',1 from Shah Abbas to a Chinese artist persuading him to \1 :1 ·1 come teach and work in the Safavid Empire. ! I i --.. i tI i!ihiNGl;i,iMt1 WRmNG A DOCUMENTARY 1 sc~ PT that Persian rugs are largely INTERNET KEYWORD \: ', Use the Internet to research the charge W it television documentary child labor rug making made by children under the age of 14. r ea script detailing your research results. CASE STUDY 81  I - f t The Mughal Empire India C WffY IT IWTEIS NOW I G POWER AND AUTHORITY The The legacy of great art and Mughal Sikh Mughal Empire broug ht Turks, deep social division left by the Babur Shah Jahan Persians, and Indians togeth er Mughal Empire still influences Akbar Taj Mahal in a vast empir e. south ern Asia. Aurangzeb SETTING THE STAGE The Gupta Empi re crumbled in the late 400s. First, Huns from Central Asia invaded. Then, beginning in the 700's, warlike Muslim tribes from Central Asia carved northwestern India into many small kingd oms. The people who invaded descended from Musl im Turks and Afghans. Their leader was a descendant of Timur the Lame and of the Mong ol conqu eror Genghis Khan. They called themselves Mua:hals, which means "Mon gols." The land they invaded had been through a long period of turmo il. Early History of the Mughals i@ffl'T;"'d®ii!ii I~ _TAKING NOTES - The 8th century began with a long clash between Hindus of many kingdoms. For almost 300 years, the Muslims were and Musl ims in this land Use the graphic organizer able to advance only as far as the lndus River valley. Starting around the year online to take notes on l 000, however, well- Mughal emperor.. and trained Turkish armies swept into lndia. Led by Sultan Mahm ud (muh MOO D) of their successes. Ghazni, they devastated lndian cities and temples in 17 brutal campaigns. These attacks left the region weakened and vulnerable to other conquerors. Delhi even- tually became the capital of a loose empire of Turkish warlo rds called the Delhi Sultanate. These sultans treated the Hindus as conquered people. Delhi Sultanate Between the 13th and 16th centuries, 33 different sultans ruled this divided territory from their seat in Delhi. In 1398, Timu r the Lame destroyed Delhi. The city was so completely devastated that according to one witness, "for mont hs, not a bird moved in the city." Delhi eventually was rebuilt. But it was not until the 16th century that a leader arose who would unify the empire. Babu r Founds an Empire In 1494, an 11-year-old boy named 8ih!H inherited a kingdom in the area that is now Uzbekistan and Tajiki stan. It was only a tiny kingdom, and his elders soon took it away and drove him south. But Babu r built up an army. In the years that followed, he swept down into India and laid the foundation for the vast Mughal Empire. Babu r was a brilliant general. In 1526, for example, he led 12,00 0 troops to victory against an army of 100,000 commanded by a sultan of Delhi. A year later, Babu r also defeated a massive rajput army. After Babur's death , his incompetent son, Hurnayun, lost most of the territory Babu r had gaine d. Babur's 13-year-old grandson took over the throne after Humayun's death. 82 Chapter 2  Akbar's Golden Age Babur's. Akb , grandson was called ~ which means "Great." Akbar cer- tain!y lived up to his name, ruling India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to 1605. A Military Conqueror Akbar recog- nized military power as the root of his strength. In his opinion, a J