The Rise and Decline of the Key Islamic Empires

Progression of the Histories

Period: Jan 1, 1200 to Nov 1, 1922

Events in time will shift between the Mughal Empire of India, the Safavid Empire of Persia, and the Ottoman Empire of the Near East. The respective empires shall be indicated in the descriptions of events or the titles thereof.

Osman Bey founds the Ottoman Empire

Jan 1, 1289

Soon after, the Ottomans capture Bursa, Adrianople, Gallipoli, Greece, the Balkans, and much of Anatolia

The Siege and Capture of Constantinople, Part 1

Mar 3, 1453

A bloody siege of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople, takes place. The opening moves come from the Ottomans, who bring in a Hungarian bombard to blow away the double walls of the city. It takes an hour to reload, and proves ineffective after it breaks in little time. All throughout the battle the Byzantines repair damage to the walls, though pressure increases as the Ottomans drag their ships by land to avoid the Byzantine navy. Afterwards, the Ottomans reconstruct the landlocked ships.

The Siege and Capture of Constantinople, Part 2

Apr 15, 1453

After reconstruction of the Ottoman ships is complete, the fleet is set afloat to surround the city. The fleet is now properly positioned to destroy the Byzantine navy, which would assuredly have destroyed the Ottomans if attacked head on. With the city impervious to being resupplied, the Ottomans launch an assault which successfully captures the last vestiges of the Roman Empire. The siege only took a matter of weeks, and Mehmed II is given the title "the Conqueror."

Shah Ismail (Reigned 1501-1524) Displaces the Ruler of Tabriz and Founds the Safavid Empire

Mar 12, 1501

Using propaganda and military power, the 14-year-old created a Shiite Muslim country comprised of the majority of ancient Persian lands (aside from any Indian and Ottoman territories). He creates a religious sect called Twelver Shiism. His lack of drive for military reform later injures the Safavids during his reign.

Hormuz Falls to Portugal

Oct 27, 1507

Afonso de Albuquerque, disobeying orders, attacks the Straights of Hormuz. The Kingdom of Ormus allied with the newly born Safavid Empire to repel the Portuguese, but failed in the end. Afonso began building the "Fort of Our Lady of Victory" in 1507, but could not garrison it due to local resistance. After being driven out he came back in 1515, reconquering the island and renaming the defensive structure "Fort of Our Lady of the Conception."

Selim the Grim (Reigned 1512-1520) Persecutes Shiites and Expands the Realm of the Ottomans

Jul 20, 1512

Selim occupies Syria and Egypt, later territories to be consolidated by Suleyman, who succeeds Selim. Selim feared the Shiite propaganda of the upstart Safavids in the Sunni lands of the Ottomans, so he begins weeding Shiites out of society. This brings him into conflicts with the Safavids directly at the battle of Chaldiran 2 years after he begins his rule (1514).

Battle of Chaldiran (Ottoman Perspective)

Sep 18, 1514

Selim the Grim advances to crush the Safavids before their religious propaganda ruins the Ottoman Empire. On the plain of Chaldiran, Ottomans used heavy artillery and thousands of gun-equipped Janissaries. The foot soldiers deploy behind carts, most likely to ward off melee attacks and cavalry charges to an extent. The Ottomans have a short-coming by means of melee weaponry, but are readily able to repel the Safavid charge. Ismail escapes, and Tabriz (the Safavid capital) is temporarily taken.

Battle of Chaldiran (Safavid Perspective)

Sep 18, 1514

Shah Ismail leads a force of qizilbash cavalry (known as red caps for their distinctive head garments) into battle to resist the Ottoman advance into Persia. Shunning gunpowder as unmanly, the Shah and his forces charge the Ottoman defences, much to their chagrin. The Shah is forced to retreat after his soldiers suffer heavy casualties, and the capital of Tabriz is taken for some time. Intermittent conflicts with the Ottomans occur through the years. Later Safavid rulers recover from Chaldiran.

Suleyman the Magnificent (Reigned 1520-1566) Rules the Ottomans

Jun 23, 1520

The Ottoman Empire strikes its golden age as Suleyman captures tracts of land from Crimea in Russia to Egypt, taking protectorates and building a powerful navy while doing so.

Shah Tahmasp (Reigned 1524-1576) Takes Hold of Safavid Persia

Feb 29, 1524

Son of Shah Ismail, Tahmasp began his reign at 10 years old. Repeated invasions from the Ottomans and Uzbeks left the Safavid Empire in hard times, and the defeat at Chaldiran left rifts within the country. Once Tahmasp began his reign, a 10 year civil war ensued. Afterwards, the shah strengthened the military and saved the empire. He pushed out the Ottomans, leading a force into their territory. The Ottomans and Safavids agreed to the Peace of Amasya in 1555.

Battle of Panipat Establishes the Mughal Empire pt. 1

Apr 21, 1526

Ibrahim Lodi, the last Lodi Dynasty ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, fights a Chagatai Turk named Zahir al-Din Muhammad, "The Tiger" at the battle of Panipat. Babur placed his cannons behind the "araba" or carts, which was a battle tactic he introduced to his troops. It modeled the Ottomans from Chaldiran in its design. The cannons both frightened and heavily damaged the Hindi elephants, but this was only one component of the battle.

Battle of Panipat Establishes the Mughal Empire pt. 2

Apr 21, 1526

Babur also used a tactic called tulughma, which roughly means "dividing the army into different units." The numerical superiority of Delhi forces (which was roughly a 2.5:1 ratio, including the 100+ war elephants) called for this strategy. The Delhi generals abandoned Ibrahim Lodi during the battle, what with most of his troops and captains being mercenaries. If Lodi had survived to inspire his troops for one hour more, it is speculated that Babur's tired forces would have been driven back.

Battle of Panipat Recreations

Apr 21, 1526

Battle of Panipat with Cool Indian Narration
Short Battle of PanipatLink 1 has the curtailed version of the recreation, while link 2 has the full clip from utvmotionpictures.

Georgians, Armenians, and Circassians Force Migrate Into Persia

Jun 13, 1540

Shah Tahmasp waged war in the caucasus mountains from 1540-1554 to keep the military inspired and battle-ready. In the process he brought ethnic groups from the mountains into Persia, and used them to replace the Qizilbashi governors. Women from the mountains became important members of harems. In this short time a new class of migrants gained heavy influence in the empire, with one Georgian becoming chief military commander in 1598. These foreigners also made up soldiers called Ghulams.

Akbar Becomes Mughal Emperor (1556-1605)

Dec 17, 1556

Akbar takes over the empire as Babur's grandson after beating Adham Khan, the commander of the army, to death. He consolidates a centralized government and takes over Gujarat, Bengal, and Vijayanagar. He developed the short-lived "divine faith" centering around the emperor as the divine authority. It united the people only until Aurangzeb ruled over India.

Battle of Lepanto Marks the First Major Ottoman Naval Defeat Since the 15th Century

Oct 7, 1571

The Ottomans had besieged and captured the Venetian city of Famagusta in its quest to take Cyprus. The Holy League, a navy consisting of forces from Spain, Venice, Genoa, the Papal States, Malta, Savoy, the Order of Saint Lazarus, and Tuscany, met the Ottoman navy at the Gulf of Patras off of Greece. The European forces, by outgunning the undersupplied Ottomans, inflicted a devastating defeat on the empire. It rebuilt from its losses and took Cyprus, but lost experienced soldiers and sailors.

Shah Abbas the Great (Reigned 1588-1629) Takes the Safavid Throne

Apr 1, 1588

Shah Abbas the Great took over much of northwestern Iran, the Caucasus, and Mesopotamia after reforming the military institutions of the empire. He relocated the capital to Isfahan (Ctesiphon, the capital of the earlier Sassanid dynasty) to centralize and better defend the empire, and reorganized the administration of said empire. He increased gunpowder usage, European assistance, and the use of military slaves. Shah Abbas harassed the Ottomans from 1603-1629 via fighting and took over Hormuz.

Capture of Ormuz's Consequences

Apr 22, 1622

The capture of Hormuz allowed the English to begin a limited trade with the Persians, and broke a large Portuguese trading base. As a result the English East India Company became the most powerful trading empire in the Indian Ocean Basin. As this power became more dominant in the Indian Ocean, the Mughal and Safavid Empires would eventually suffer trade dominance by Europeans.

Capture of Ormuz

Apr 22, 1622

The English East India Company (acting independently from England) and the Persians combine forces under Shah Abbas to repel the Portuguese from Hormuz, captured in 1507 by Afonso de Albuquerque. The English went 15 miles away from Hormuz Island to besiege Qeshm Island, another Portuguese castle which quickly surrendered. They English and Persians then sailed to Hormuz Island, bombarded the castle, destroyed the Portuguese fleet, and took the town.

Aurangzeb (Reigned 1658-1707) Takes Hold of Mughal India

Jan 25, 1658

Aurangzeb narrowly avoids being killed in a stampede during an elephant fight he participated in. Shah Jahan, his father, recognizes his valor while Aurangzeb's brother flees the fight and loses the chance to become emperor. During his reign, the new emperor fiercely pushed for territorial dominance, conquering all of India short of the Kingdom of Mysore. He harshly persecuted non-muslims, taxing and executing them with ruthless abandon.

The Maratha Empire (1674-1818) Emerges

Jun 24, 1674

Shivaji creates an empire which takes over the Deccan plateau by 1680. In 1681, Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire attacked the Marathas with a contingent of 500,000 troops roughly, while the Marathas had roughly 150,000 soldiers. It opposed the Mughals in a 27--year war known as the Maratha War of Independence. The Maratha Empire effectively eradicated the Mughal Empire after the death of Aurangzeb by restricting it to areas around Delhi. Afterwards, the British captured India and the Mughals.

The War of 27 Years (The Marathan War of Independence)

Nov 30, 1681

The Taj Mahal signifies the needless losses Aurangzeb pushed upon the empire during the War of 27 Years. His strict policies of Sharia law prompted multiple factions to break from Mughal rule. After a disastrous seven year siege of Fort Ramsaj, he continued to bleed and bankrupt the Mughal Empire through constant failures in battle. Notably, the Indians were greatly inspired by the heroic deaths of their leaders, but by 1707 Aurangzeb had died only after decimating Mughal resources.

Bahadur Shah I (Reigned 1707-1712) Narrowly Saves the Mughal Empire

Aug 11, 1707

Bahadur (meaning "Hero") Shah I takes the title of emperor at 64 after Aurangzeb's death. A sufi and not much of a fighter, he immediately seeks settlement with the Marathas and uses diplomacy with various other kingdoms. The empire, being devastated, was held together by his will alone, as it disintegrated immediately after his death. In this he mirrored King Harsha. Though not the most able administrator, he was the last truly successful Mughal emperor.

Safavid Decline and Collapse (17th and 18th Centuries)

Mar 8, 1722

The Battle of GulnabadIncreased pressure from the Muscovites, Ottomans, Mughals, and a plethora of minor nations slowly disintegrates the territory of Safavid Persia. The English control of Hormuz (which the Safavids vollied for in the past) acted as a choke hold on overseas trade, weakening the Safavaids further. Other Europeans, and the lavish lives of the shahs, drained Safavid coffers. The Hotaki Dynasty, an Afghan tribe, displaced the Safavids after the Battle of Gulnabad, March 8th, 1722.

Added Significance of the Creation of the Independent Egypt Eyalet

Mar 17, 1805

Egypt was taken from both the Byzantines and Ottomans by arabs who later attacked them, but it also served as a sufficient crop provider for both empires. It also served an enormous economic purpose for eastern mediterranean trade. Losing this territory marked the state of Ottoman decline during the early 19th century. It was unable to stop one of its most important provinces from slipping from its grip.

Kavalali Mehmed Ali Pasha (Muhammad Ali, Reigned 1805-1848) Established an Autonomous Egyptian State

May 17, 1805

Napoleon Bonaparte of France attacked Egypt and Syria in 1798. After being driven out in 1801, a power struggle ensued between various forces (including the Ottomans), with Muhammad Ali Pasha being recognized as the ruler of the fully independent Ottoman client state of Egypt in 1805. This state proceeded to battle for Syria in two later wars. This marks a key event, mirroring the Byzantines the Ottomans overthrew. Arabs claimed Egypt from both empires and attacked their previous owners.

The Indian War of Independence Ends in Failure, Destroying the Mughal Empire

May 11, 1857

Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor whose reign was restricted to Delhi's Red Fort, agrees to fight against the British on May 12, 1857. The fighting ultimately revealed the British as the stronger force, and the Mughal Empire ended as Bahadur was exiled to Rangoon, Burma. Zafar's symbolic importance was so great he was viewed as a hero, and a school was established to teach about the importance of resisting the British in 1959. He was a sufi, and was regarded as a saint.

World War I Destroys the Ottoman Empire (30 Oct. 1918-1 Nov. 1922)

Nov 1, 1922

After the Allies defeat Germany and the Ottomans, British and French troops occupy the country, forcing the Treaty of Sèvres into effect. The Ottomans agreed to allow complete British, French, and Italian control of Ottoman finances, as well as military restrictions, a fair deal of territorial distributions among the three nations, and the creation of multiple free states out of former Ottoman territories outside of Anatolia. The Republic of Turkey ended the agreement by taking over the empire.