The Second Gunpowder Empire

The Ottomans were already using gunpowder as a weapon by the 1400s. cannons played a key role in the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The Safavid dynasty was founded by Shah Ismail and followed the Shi'i 12ersect. They owe their existence, at least indirectly, to the Mongols. By the early 1300s, the Mughal Empire had fragmented into four different canets.