Ottomans

The Ottoman Empire occupied lands in Anatolia, the Balkans, the Black Sea, and parts of Northern Africa, and their capital was established at Constantinople. They were most known for their warrior dominace of cavalry and army of Janissaries, a youth army. The vizier, or imperial head, ruled through a written law code. The Ottomans were heavily involved in trade, especially trade with Europeans in exchange for silver. The government controlled and encourage this kind of trade and even monitored the price of trade goods. Their main religion was Islam, although they were religious tolerant to everything but Shi'ism. The Ottomans were Sunnis, while the later gunpowder empire of Safavids were Shi'as, which caused conflicts and resulted in war, the Battle of Chaldiran in which the Ottomans won. The Ottomans accepted dhimmis, who were usally the wealthy merchants. The laws on women were very strict and even required women to be veiled. The Ottomans also relied heavily on slavery. They were also known for their architecture, which the government patronized. The Safavids and later the Mughal empire shared some of these characteristics which led to the three becoming the Gunpowder Empires.

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Created by Hannah Hollon 12/07/08