Unformatted text preview: Mughal and Ottoman
I have chosen the Mughal and Ottoman empires to compare for my essay. The Mughal empire
was a self-designated Indian empire. The Ottoman empire was a Turkish empire. I plan on
focusing on the comparison of these two empires economy, military, religions, and their rulers
similarities and differences. Also the relationship the two empires have with one another and the
connections I made between the empires while researching them further.
The economy policies among the two empires were different and the same in multiple ways.
Most of Mughal Empire’s economy came from agriculture, trade and other industries in their
region. Out of those agriculture had the biggest play in the Mughal economy. The main sources
of agricultural during the Mughal’s time included millets, oilseeds, cereals, hemp, chilli,
sugarcane, cotton, indigo, betel and other cash crops. Urbanisation and fixed markets also
helped expand the economy in Mughal Empire. At first just the weekly market was popular.
Eventually several trade centers were created in prospering cities with the growth of the
economy. The Ottoman Empire’s economy was similar to the Mughal’s economy because of the
great need for agriculture.Although the Ottoman’s focused mainly on trade as their economic
support. The city of Istanbul was the crossroads of trade between the East and West. Some of
the goods traded were; silk, tea, spices and porcelain. The Black Sea and southern Russia
provided furs, grain, and amber. Europe provided mirrors and drugs. The Ottomans used the
Seljuk caravan stops which were about 25 miles apart on the main trade routes. The two
empires used agriculture and trade just one more than the other. Both empires focused on trade
networks in Middle Asia, East Asia, and China.
The military structures between the two also have differences and similarities. The Mughal
military was controlled by the emperor of the Mughal Empire. There were five branches of
military; infantry, cavalry, fire-arms, elephants, and war boats. The infantry was considered the
largest of the five branches. The fire-arms consisted of gunners, musketeers, and cannon
shooters. The cannons was one of the most important weapons. Sadly their navy was quite
weak, but they had the cavalry which gave the the speed needed to receive victory. The
Ottoman Empire’s military was ran by the Turkish soldiers, this was because post of the
Ottoman Empire was Turkish. The Ottoman’s had influence from many other countries that
surrounded them. The difference between the two empires military was mostly their choice of
weapons. The Ottoman’s had access to German small arms such as rifles, carbines and
handguns.
The two empires were found in different parts of the world causing them to have many religious
differences but also some similarities. The Mughal empire started off as a mostly Islam group
but branched into Muslim as well. The Mughal emperors were Muslims, they conquered
northern India and began proclaiming freedom of religion, and for the most part they let Hindus,
Parsees, and Buddhists worship whatever gods they wanted. About this time there were not
many Buddhists in India just a few in the Himalaya Mountains in the north. In the south the
Deccan and the Chola kingdoms their people continued to practise Hinduism. The Ottoman Empire were Sunni Islam. The Christian and Jewish communities in the empire maintained their
own courts for handling affairs, but only the Muslims would judge the Muslim affairs. The Mughal
leader Akbar accepted Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhist. The Ottomans were mainly
Muslims, Greek Christians, and Jews.
Both empires had their infamous rulers and leader groups who set the empires apart in different
ways. The Mughal empire was ruled by Babur a central Asian ruler. Although his grandson was
a main reason of his empire succeeding he was the face of the empire. Bābur was a military
adventurer and an gave the empire good fortune, with a great personality. He was also a Turki
poet, he also enjoyed constructing gardens wherever he went. Osman I Khan was the well
known ruler of the Ottoman empire for many years. Osman began a campaign of conquering
the neighboring towns. He created an independent state when he stopped the payment of
tribute to the Mongol emperor. The leaders of the two empires both focused on pleasing their
empire but made sure their militaries were in good shape and always getting better. Also both
the leaders worked to strengthen their empires religious ties.
The two empires had very few connections but not much of a relationship with each other, their
distance did not allow much interaction. One connection was, The Timurid Empire, the Mughal
Empire origin, had conflict with the Ottomans. Timur captured the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I
which caused civil war for the Empire. Another connection was the Ottoman’s trade was
prominent in the Indian Ocean, although they constantly clashed with European trade, but the
Mughals had little to do with that other than possible trade malfunctions. Although those aren’t
great examples of a relationship they do share many concepts. One is the Turkic origin, Osman
I, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, is believed to be the son of a Turkic chief who fled the
Mongol. Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire was a descendant of Timur, a Turco-Mongol
conqueror and founder of the Timurid Empire. The use of gunpowder is another example, The
Ottoman and the Mughal Empires are among the three “Gunpowder Empires.” Most of the
military successes of these empires is due to the investment of small firearms. Both empires
share the Islamic religion as well, both the Ottomans and the Mughals were Muslims. Science
and Technology was also important between the two, advances in science and technology were
made in Ottoman and Mughal societies, but the Ottomans seemed to have better luck with their
findings in; astronomy, alchemy, medicine and military technology. In the end both empires had
impact on culture. The effect that the Ottomans and the Mughals have on world culture is
undeniable such as art, architecture or food, it is still prominent in many cultures around the
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(Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 30-Jul-2014
“Mughal Religion.” Religion in the Mughal Empire - India - Quatr.us,
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