Muslim EmpiresThe importance of Islam to Europe between 1500 and 1800 lies in the contributions it made to European society such as architecture, military, medicine and technology. Even though Europe had an ethnocentric attitude and thought other civilizations were "inferior", they used their knowledge for themselves. Much like their army, everything in the Muslim social order revolved around war, which was how empires prospered and conquered land. They were ready for war. But they weren't just power hungry, they knew how to run their empire and keep it running smoothly. An example is their agriculture, they limited planting and harvesting to science and used overproduction to feed millions of people. Muslim empires also developed in the arts, sciences and mathematics, so the teaching of Islam forms the foundation of what we learn today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay One of the Muslim empires that expanded into what is now Iraq and Egypt was that of the Ottoman Turks. These people were mostly war-oriented, which is how they outperformed their rivals and quickly expanded their empires. The Turks also grew rapidly due to strong leadership and retained a warrior aristocracy. This social class of soldiers was granted control of the land and peasants. As they grew, they wanted direct control over the Ottoman bureaucracy. Captured prisoners who were strong enough to fight were placed in an infantry division called the Janissaries. Even though they were legally slaves, they educated them and then converted them. Janissaries were essential in defending against enemy attacks from Christian and Muslim adversaries. As the Ottoman Empire continued to prosper, future sultans began to weaken due to their wealth and good fortune. Sultans focused on remembering by building elaborate mosques rather than strengthening communication and security around the empire. Because the sultans were relaxed and believed that no one could conquer their empire, this led to their downfall. Another important empire was the Mughals, who were Muslim. Shah Akbar brought huge reforms to society during his reign, such as giving women the opportunity to pursue education and encouraging widows to remarry. Along with these reforms, Akbar tolerated different religious practices during his reign, including Hindu and Muslim. He also provided education for the lower classes so that they could advance in life. It also empowered women to hold political office. It was the first time in history that women realized they could hold a position of influence. What many people don't realize is that European knowledge comes from Islamic teaching of mathematics and design integrated into buildings. Also in Central Asia they brought spices, different clothes and the Islamic religion. Islamic societies set the bar high for magnificent places of worship, expensive courtyards and gardens. It is not known that Europe took them as an example and tried to build palaces and courtyards in their image. We haven't really realized how mixed our society is and where the foreigner and the native begin. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a now..