AMSCO: questions with correct answers

How did certain land-based empires develop and expand in the period from ? CORRECT ANSWER Ottoman: - Mehmed II established the capital after besieging Constantinople using cannons - Changed Constantinople to Istanbul - Istanbul was a good place for trade because it controlled the Bosporus Strait, the only waterway linking the Aegean Sea with the Black Sea, and this helped the Ottomans expand - Expanded by conquering lands around the Black Sea and Southeast Europe - Istanbul became a center of Islam - Suleiman I armies overran Hungary - Despite failing to conquer Vienna, their ability to send troops so far made Christian Europe fearful - Navy captured Rhodes, which was a stronghold of Christian knights and took control of North Africa - Had to reform because of internal and external pressures Safavid: - Ismail, a 14/15 shah (king) conquered most of Persia, pushed into Iraq, and conquered all of Iran and was proclaimed shah (king) - No real navy - Lacked natural defenses - Rose to power because of land-based military and strong leadership - Shah Abbas I troops included soldiers from all over (often Christian) - Imported weaponry from Europe - Relied on Europeans to advise troops about military technology - Ottomans vs. Safavids = Shi'a vs. Sunni - Shi'a Islam unified people