Steppe Diplomacy and Islamic Imperial Society
By: Troy Briscoe
Overview
With many differences, there were also similarities in
the development of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal societies. They all relied
on bureaucracies that had inspirations from steppe traditions of Turkish and
Mongol people as well as from the heritage of Islam. They adopted similar
economic policies and wanted ways to maintain harmony in societies that
embraced many different religious and ethnic groups. Rulers of all the empires also sought to better the
legitimacy of their governments by providing for public welfare and associating
themselves with literary and artistic talent.
This map shows you where these Islamic empires are located.
The Dynastic State
-The Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires were all
military creations, regarded by their rulers as their personal possessions by
right of conquest.
-The rulers had personal control of the armies, appointed and dismissed officials at will, and adopted any policies they wished.
-In theory, the emperors owned all land and granted use of it to peasant families on a hereditary basis in return for the payment of fixed taxes.
-The emperors and their families got income from crown lands, and income from other lands supported military and administrative officials.
-The rulers had personal control of the armies, appointed and dismissed officials at will, and adopted any policies they wished.
-In theory, the emperors owned all land and granted use of it to peasant families on a hereditary basis in return for the payment of fixed taxes.
-The emperors and their families got income from crown lands, and income from other lands supported military and administrative officials.
The Emperors and Islam
-In the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires, the
authority of the dynasty came from the personal piety and the military skill of
the ruler and his ancestors.
-The Safavids were prominent leaders of a Sufi religious order, and the Ottomans and Mughals associated closely with famous Sufis.
-Devotion to Islam encouraged rulers to extend their faith to new lands.
-The ghazi ideal of spreading Islam by fighting infidels(they do not believe in religion) or heretics(believe in religion) continued with the traditions of Turkish Mongolian peoples: on the steppes fighting was routine, and successful warriors became great leaders.
-The Safavids were prominent leaders of a Sufi religious order, and the Ottomans and Mughals associated closely with famous Sufis.
-Devotion to Islam encouraged rulers to extend their faith to new lands.
-The ghazi ideal of spreading Islam by fighting infidels(they do not believe in religion) or heretics(believe in religion) continued with the traditions of Turkish Mongolian peoples: on the steppes fighting was routine, and successful warriors became great leaders.
Steppe Diplomacy
Diplomacy Definition: Skill of managing international
relations.
Steppe Diplomacy Definition: Skill of managing international relations in the Steppe. Steppe Traditions
-The absolute authority held by the rulers of the Islamic
empires also reflected steppe traditions.
-The early emperors did as they pleased, and ignored religious and social norms. The Ottoman sultans, for example, issued legal commands on their own. The greatest of these were the many kanun laws issued by Süleyman. -Safavid and Mughal rulers went even further than the Ottomans in asserting their spiritual authority. Shah Ismail did not hesitate to force his Shiite religion on his subjects. Akbar issued a decree in 1579 claiming broad authority in religious matters, and he promoted his own eclectic religion, which glorified the emperor as much as Islam. -Steppe practices also brought succession problems. In the steppe empires, the ruler's relatives often managed components of the states, and succession to the throne became a hot contest between competing members of the family. -The Mughal empire in particular became tied up in family controversies: conflicts among Mughal princes and rebellions of sons against fathers were recurrent features throughout the history of the empire. -The Safavids also engaged in murderous struggles for the throne. Shah Abbas himself lived in fear that member of he family would challenge him. He kept his sons confined to the palace and killed or blinded relatives he suspected, almost wiping out his family in the process. -The early Ottomans assigned provinces for the sultan's sons to administer, but kept the empire as a whole tightly unified. -After the fifteenth century, however, the sultans moved to protect their position by eliminating family rivals. -Mehmed the Conquerer ordered that a ruler could legally kill off his brothers after taking the throne. His successors observed this Turko-Mongol style by strangling victims with a silk bow string so that royal blood was not shed; until 1595, when the new sultan executed nineteen brothers, many of them infants, as well as many fifteen expectant mothers. After that episode, sultans confined their sons in special quarters and forbade them outside except to take the throne. This picture shows you the place where the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires got their influence from. They got their influence specifically from the Turkish and Mongol peoples.
Women and Politics
-Even though Muslim theorists agreed that women should
have no role in public affairs and did not allow the involvement of women in politics,
women played important roles in managing the Islamic empires.
-Many Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal emperors followed the example of Chinggis Khan, who respected his mother and his first wife. -In the Islamic empires, the ruler's mother and his chief wife enjoyed special privileges and authority. -Ottoman courtiers(a person who attends a royal court as a companion to the king or queen) often complained a lot about the "rule of women," thus offering testimony to the power that women had. -Süleyman the Magnificent, for example, fell in love with Huirrem Sultana (also known as Roxelana), a mistress of Ukrainian origin. Suleyman elevated her to the status of a legal wife, consulted her on state policies, and delayed to her judgment even to the point of executing his eldest son for treason when Hirrem wanted him eliminated to secure the succession of her own child. After Hiirrem's death Süleyman constructed a mausoleum(tomb building) for her next to his own in the courtyard of the great mosque in Istanbul. -Women also played prominent political roles in the Safavid and Mughal empires. -In Safavid Persia, Mahd-e olya, the wife of one shah(king), was the one who was exercising the power. Her efforts to limit the power of the qizilbash(military group) enraged them so much that they murdered her. -The aunt of an other shah(king) scolded the ruler for neglecting his duties and used her own money to raise an army to put down a revolt. -The Mughal emperor Jahangir was content to let his wife Nur Jahan run the government. -Even the diligent Muslim Aurangzeb listened to his daughter's political advice. -Shah Jahan's devotion to his wife Mumtaz Mahal has become world famous because of the Taj Mahal. A picture of the Taj Mahal is shown because it shows that women were more honored in the Ottoman, Safavid, and Muhal Empires compared to other Islamic societies.
Video |
|
APP: thinglink
Click button to go to my thinklink :)