Gunpowder Empires Documents

Document 1
Source: Father Paul Simon, missionary to the Safavid court of Shah Abbas the Great in the city
of Isfahan, his report to Pope Clement VIII, 1605
About the Safavid for the pope (Catholics) from a priest (make more Catholics)
Primary source (during the period and someone who was there)

“He [Shah Abbas] is very valiant1 (brave) and has a great liking for warfare and
weapons of war, which he has constantly in his hands: we have been eye-witnesses
of this because, whenever we were with him, he was adjusting his [swords], testing
his [muskets], etc….This is the great experience, which he has obtained of warfare
over so many years, that he makes it in person and from the first has made him a
fine soldier and very skilled, and his men so dexterous2 (skilled) that they are little
behind our men in Europe. He has introduced into his militia the use of and
esteem3 (respect) for [muskets], in which they are very practiced. Therefore it is
that his realm (kingdom) has been so much extended on all sides. . . . All the above
mentioned soldiers, who will total some 100,000, receive pay for the whole year.”

Soldiers skilled at using muskets (guns) and respected. Shah is brave and has
fought many battles and gotten more land. Gets money from battles and taxes to
pay the soldiers.
1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.

Economic because the soldiers are paid for their work.

Political because the shah uses the military.

2. How did Shah Abbas use this method to govern his empire?
Pays the soldiers to fight for him, so he can conquer more land (more land=more power)

Document 2
1
valiant: brave
2
dexterous: skillful
3
esteem: respect; value
Source: Abd ul-Qadir Bada’uni, Orthodox (Sunni) Muslim cleric and opponent of the religious
policies of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, his writings, 1605

“The emperor came to Fathpur. There he used to spend much time in the Hall of
Worship in the company of learned men and sheiks [religious scholars] . . . And
samanas [Hindus or Buddhist ascetics4] and Brahmans [Hindus] . . . gained the
advantage over every one [in getting] interviews with His Majesty… Some time
before this a Brahman instructed His Majesty in the secrets and legends of
Hinduism…Learned monks also from Europe, who are called Priests…brought the
Gospels…and ordered Prince Murad (the heir) to take a few lessons in
Christianity…and charged Abu’l Fazl to translate the Gospel. Fire worshipers also
came and proclaimed the religion of [Zoroaster]”
1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
Cultural because the emperor wanted people from different religions in his empire to learn from
them.
2. How did Akbar use this method to govern his empire?

Document 3
Source: Diwan-i-Aam, located at Fatehpur Sikri, Mughal Emperor Akbar’s palace, 1571.
The Diwan-i-Aam, or Hall of Private Audience, is where government officials and guests spoke with
Emperor Akbar. Akbar was known for having more non-Muslims at his palace and in the
government. It is here that Emperor Akbar had representatives of different faiths (Muslims, Hindus,
Sikhs, Jesuit Christians) discuss their faiths while Akbar sat in the center.
4
ascetic: someone who removes him/herself from society and focuses only on religion
 1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Akbar use this method to govern his empire?
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Document 4
Source: Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Hapsburg Ambassador to Suleiman the Magnificent,
Constantinople, from letters sent to the Austrian Emperor, 1554 to 1562

“The sultan’s hall was crowded with people, . . . but there was not in all that great
assembly a single man who owed his position to anything save valor5 and merit.
5
valor: bravery
No distinction is attached to birth among the Turks. . . . In making his
appointments, the Sultan pays no regard to…wealth or rank, nor does he take into
consideration recommendations or popularity. He considers each case on its own
merits, and examines carefully into the character, ability, and disposition6 of the
man whose promotion is in question. . . . Those who receive the highest offices
from the Sultan . . . do not believe that high qualities are either natural or
hereditary, nor do they think that they can be handed down from father to son, but
that they are partly the gift of God, and partly the result of good training [in state
schools], great industry, and unwearied zeal7. . . Among the Turks, therefore,
honors, high posts, and judgeships are the rewards of great ability and good
service. If a man be dishonest, or lazy, or careless, he remains at the bottom of the
ladder. This is the reason that they are successful in their undertakings . . . and are
daily extending the bounds of their empire.”

1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Suleiman use this method to govern his empire?
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Document 5

Source: AP Worldipedia, organized by Mr. Henderson of Forsyth Central High School, “Key
Concept 4.3 State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion,” last modified 18 December 2017

The Safavid's use of Shiism. 

6
disposition: personality
7
unwearied zeal: persistent dedication
Ismail—a leader from a prominent8 Sufi family—conquered most of these areas in the late 15th
century and began the Safavid Empire. However, despite unifying Iran (Persia), much of the
population did not accept their authority. After converting to Shia Islam, Safavid leaders “sought
to install Shiism as the state religion9 so as to command the loyalty of the population.” The result
was a syncretic blend of Shiism and traditional Persian beliefs. Ismail “adopted many of the
forms of Persian, pre-Islamic government, including the title of Shah.” He claimed to have
descended not only from the Seventh Imam10, but also to be the reincarnation of pre-Islamic
kings and prophets. 

Subsequent11 Safavid leaders continued to fuse Shiism with their political power. They built
mosques and appointed prayer leaders in each village to secure Shia beliefs. The Safavids made
their empire a safe haven for Shi’a scholars and invited many of them to migrate to their empire.
These religious sages12 depended on the state for support and in turn recognized the legitimacy of
Safavid rule.

1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Ismail and Safivid rulers use this method to govern the empire?
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Document 6

Source: AP Worldipedia, organized by Mr. Henderson of Forsyth Central High School, “Key
Concept 4.3 State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion,” last modified 18 December 2017

Ottomans and their non-Muslim subjects 

After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 the Ottoman empire absorbed the former
Byzantine lands and the number of Christians under Ottoman rule greatly
8
prominent: major; famous
9
state religion: religion sponsored by the government; religion the government supports
10
Seventh Imam: last caliph descended from Muhammad
11
subsequent: later
12
sage: wise person; scholar
increased. By the middle of the 1500s the non-Muslim population of the empire
reached about 40%. To deal with the increasing diversity of the Empire, Mehmet II
introduced what would later be called the millet system. Each millet, from the
Arabic word for nation, was an autonomous zone13 made up of a particular
religious group. Each millet was permitted to choose its own leader, practice its
own religion, and live by its own religious orders or rules; Sharia law14 did not
have effect within a non-Muslim millet. For example, Orthodox Christians and
Jews each had their own respective millets and lived according to their own
customs. An influence on the development of non-Muslim millets was that
members were not allowed to hold military or political posts. Consequently,
Christian and Jewish millets turned to the development of craft skills, finance…
[becoming] important in trade negotiations with merchants outside the empire
benefitting the Ottoman economy.

1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Ottoman rulers use this method to govern the empire?
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Document 7

Source: AP Worldipedia, organized by Mr. Henderson of Forsyth Central High School, “Key
Concept 4.3 State Consolidation and Imperial Expansion,” last modified 18 December 2017

Mughal Empire

[Mughal leaders] expanded into the south and unified much of the India
subcontinent where they ruled an empire [made up] mainly of Hindus. Thus the
rulers and the ruled were divided along religious lines. The most famous Mughal
13
autonomous zone: self-governing area; able to make decisions for the area
14
Sharia law: Islamic religious-based rules; based on the Qur’an and religious scholars’ decisions
leader, Akbar, attempted to bridge this divide through a policy of toleration. He
married Hindu princesses but did not require them to convert. Hindus were given
positions in the government. He invited Christian, Hindu and Muslim scholars to
peaceful open debates about the merits of their religions. He removed the religious
tax on non-Muslims. Akbar created his own syncretic religion called “the divine
faith” which drew on Islamic, Hindu and Zoroastrian beliefs. This religion pointed
to the emperor as the leader of all faiths in the empire. All this drew the anger of
conservative Muslim teachers. [Later] Mughal leaders fell under the sway15 of
these conservatives and Akbar’s policy of toleration was later abandoned. Hindu
temples were destroyed. Religious tension reemerged as a central problem of the
Empire.

1. Does this document talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Mughal rulers use this method to govern the empire?
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Document 8
Source: Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Austrian Ambassador to Sultan Suleyman, letters sent to the
Austrian Emperor, 1554 to 1562.

At Buda I made my first acquaintance with the Janissaries; this is the name by
which the Turks call the infantry of the royal guard. The Turkish state has 12,000
of these troops when the corps16 is at its full strength. They scattered through every
part of the empire, either to garrison the forts17 against the enemy, or to protect the
Christians and Jews from the violence of the mob. There is no district with any
15
sway: influence; belief
16
corps: military force
17
garrison the forts: strengthen forts; house a lot of soldiers
considerable amount of population, no borough18 or city, which had not a
detachment of Janissaries to protect the Christians, Jews, or other helpless people
from outrage or wrong.
Source: Unknown author, a song in Greek Christian communities sung in memory of young boys
taken by the Ottoman military as part of a “tax of blood”

Be damned, O Emperor, thrice be damned.

For the evil you have done and the evil you do.
You catch and shackle the old and the arch priests,
In order to take the children as janissaries.
Their parents weep, their sisters and brothers, too,
And I cry until it pains me;
As long as I live I shall cry,
For last year it was my son and this year my brother.
1. Do these documents talk about political, economic, social, or cultural methods of
governing? Justify your answer with at least ONE piece of evidence.
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2. How did Ottoman rulers use this method to govern the empire?
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18
borough: area; town