Gunpowder Empires

In the Gunpowder Empires from 1450 to 1700 B.C.E. women were generally treated quite fairly, although many women also held positions of great power that demanded great respect.  In the Mughal Court in the 1600’s, women held great political and economical clout and arguably held more power than men.  Around 817 C.E. women held a central role in propagating and preserving the Safavid imperial vision.  In the Ottoman Empire during the 16th to 17th centuries, women were given many legal rights especially when it came to marriage and childbirth.

            In the early 1600’s in the Mughal Court anyone with a request to make at court could obtain an audience with the King.  However, he cannot give a definite answer; he refers him to Asaf Khan, the brother of the Queen.  He will not answer without communicating with the Queen.  Women of the Royal Harem were paid up to 50x more than the servants.  They also had their own bureaucratic staff of nazirs (eunuchs) to administer their properties and income.  If a woman of the Royal Harem gave birth,    In India, from 1556-1605 C.E., the female hand spinners were involved in all stages of cotton production.  If all the women in India decided to quit, India’s economy would have simply fallen apart. 

            Safavid authority relied heavily on the women of the Shah’s household.  Shah Ismail’s wife, Tajlu Khanum, was a very rich woman who ordered the rebuilding of the dome over the tomb of Fatimeh Ma’sumeh, a sister of the eighth Shi’a Imam.  She was considered to be a visionary patron of architecture because she was credited with building the tomb of her husband at the shrine of Shaykh Safi in Ardabil.  She had enough wealth to pay six huffaz (scholars) to recite the Qur’an in the name of his sister. 

In the Ottoman Empire women were well protected       by the law.  When an estate was settled, the relative’s shares were determined by the degree of closeness of the relationship; the closer the relationship, the larger the share.  Female relatives received one-half the share of a male with the same degree of relationship. In 17th century Turkey, an adult woman was not required to have her father’s consent to marry a man of her choice.  If a man was proven to beat or abuse his wife, the marriage was annulled and she could return to her father or brothers.  Also, if the husband does not have enough money to “Maintain her well…” then the judge can annul the marriage.  In the Ottoman Royal Harem, all the women were slaves of were the daughters of slaves.  If a concubine gave birth to a son, she was removed form the sultan’s life and her status was entirely dependent on being the mother of a prince.  If the son did not inherit the throne, she was freed and retired to a town in the province where she was taken care of for the rest of her life.

In the Gunpowder Empires, women were generally loved and respected.  They were treated exceptionally fairly compared to most other civilizations at the time and had many rights and privileges.