Islam

Its central location gave Muslim traders access to both land and sea routes between Europe and Asia.

Both emperors improved the Byzantine legal system by organizing laws more clearly.

APEX: Each helped expand the influence of Christianity

The people who worked the land were tied to it, and had few rights. (APEX)

There are several ways that the Caliph, and the Sunni Religious Order he led in the Ottoman Empire, as well as the Islamic Law helped the Ottoman Sultans and the other secular authorities maintain power.

Geographic Organization: One of the key ways that the mosques served the Ottoman Empire was by keeping parish records of the Ottoman subjects. This allowed the sultan to know how many births and deaths there were in every village in the empire as well as know how many able-bodied men could be summoned as footsoldiers should the need arise. Since the mosques were managed by the government's religious ministry, these records were directly accessible to the sultan. Additionally, since most Imams could read, even though the population in general could not, the mosque could become a place where imperial proclamations could be read out to the population after the khobta or sermon. This allowed for easy dissemination of information from the government to the general population.

Military Assistance: In many parts of the Ottoman military, there were Sufi Mystics who served as patriotic military chaplains. They would provide zeal and patriotism to rally the Ottoman soldiers to the defense of the Empire for religious motives and take care of the soldiers' spiritual concerns. In this way, they helped to motivate the armies.

Dispute Resolution: Al-Qanun (the Religious Law) and the Qadis (Religious Legal Scholars / Judges) served to provide legal and equitable remedies to the people. Al-Qanun was enforceable from religious courts to all secular domains, so the disputes resolved in the religious courts and overseen by the Caliph had actual effect and restored domestic tranquility. Additionally, by allowing the Qadis to oversee the allocation of justice, the sultan was freer to allocate funds to imperial construction products or military endeavors, allowing the Ottomans to more effectively police their territory and expand it.

Cultural Unity: The dominance of Sunni Islam in all parts of the Ottoman Empire helped solidify a unified culture, especially in places like the Arab World, where most of the population resented Turkish control over Non-Turks. The loyalty to the Caliph in all parts of the Sunni Islamic World gave implicit legitimacy to the Ottoman Empire even from those Sunni Muslims who otherwise would consider rebelling and restoring local Non-Turkish power.

Sultan's Impunity: With the Caliph established as the supreme moral authority, the sultan was not required to be as moral as he would otherwise be required. This allowed the sultan to be crueler to his prisoners and enemies and to violate standards of decency (such as drinking alcohol or having a harem of over four women) without being impeached for it. In many cases, the sultan used direct force to compel obedience and not needing to save face afterwards permitted this to continue. Conversely, the Caliph would have to live a life of piety.

. An adherent makes a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Before the Mongol invasion, Chinese officials were selected through civil service exams. After the invasion, this system was eliminated.

Korea was subject to and part of China

Most of the slaves faced horrible conditions on the ships.

APEX: The Islamic Empire directly governed the people it controlled, but the Roman Catholic Church relied only on its influence with rulers.

Christianity was split between the roman catholic church and the eastern orthodox church

The Olmec civilization created a culture that greatly influenced the Aztecs.

The development of Sikhism, which was influenced by both Hinduism and Islam

Both empires were controlled by powerful monarchs.

Songhai had converted to Islam, whereas Benin continued to practice it’s native religion - apex

The mongols established a central code of laws and policies-apex

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Their Imams.

A store owner gives away some of his most valuable goods to the poor.