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13 - The Islamic empires of the early modern world

from Part Three - Large-scale political formations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

Jerry H. Bentley
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Sanjay Subrahmanyam
Affiliation:
University of California, Los Angeles
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
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Summary

One of most compelling arguments in favor of Islamic empires as a category is that the early modern centuries as a whole are very much defined by the process of imperial expansion. The early modern period should be considered an Age of Empires in a truly global sense, as political life across both the Old and New Worlds was redefined by the emergence of a dynamic and interactive system of competing trans-regional states. The specter of "Oriental Despotism" lurked behind virtually in political, social and economic histories of early modern Islamic empires. Iran expanded its relations with foreign powers in a relentless search for more reliable and affordable sources of weapons and expertise. Gunpowder provides a clear illustration of ways in which Islamic empires are engaged with, and were in turn influenced by in turn influenced by global economy of the early modern period.

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