Mughal Empire


“It was all a dream, I use to read word up
magazine”
- Akbar
 Mughal Empire

 Called themselves mughals also called mongols
 Claimed to be descendants of Timur the Lame
 Invaded India
 Gupta Empire fell in 600 A.D.
 Muslim tribes formed small kingdoms in
Northwestern India
 Babur

 1494- At 11 years old inherited the throne.
 Region of kingdom – Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
 Babur It was all
a dream…


 Not the elephant Babar…
 Babur

 Swept down to India and began the Mughal empire.
 As a leader…

 Strong, Sensitive leader.
 Wrote poetry and loved art and gardens
 Brilliant general: defeated an army of 100,000 with an
army of 12,000
 Humayun

 After Babur’s death, his incompetent son, Humayun, lost most of the
territory Babur gained.

 Regains some territory but will later fall down a flight of steps and die.
 Akbar

 Akbar means “Great One”
 Babur’s 13 year old grandson.
 Ruled India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to
1605.
 A liberal ruler

 Muslim but strongly defended religious freedom.
 Got rid of the Jizya tax – tax on Hindus.
 Married two hindus, a christian, and a muslim.
 Genius of cultural blending.
 Akbar the Great


“A monarch should ever be intent on conquest, otherwise his

neighbors rise in arms against him”
 Akbar the Great

 A military Conqueror:
 Military was the root of
strength.
 His army was equipped
with:
 - Cannons
 - Elephants
 - Guns
 - Composite bows
 Akbar the Great

 Combination of military power and political
wisdom, Akbar was able to unify a land of almost
100 million people.
 Embraced influence

 Welcomed many cultures and ideas.
 Akbar spoke Persian but the common language was
Hindi.

 Soldiers language – Urdu was formed from the ranks of

Akbar’s army.
 Literally means “from the soldier’s camp”
 Architecture and
Literature

 Flourished under Akbar.
 Akbar period architecture developed under his
reign.
 Jahangir

 Jahangir succeeded his father Akbar in 1605.
 Opposite of his father
 Poor monarch and warrior but good at maintaining
the status quo.
 Jahangir

 Jahangir married Nur Jahan. She became the real
ruler of the empire until the death of her husband.
 Shah Jahan

 Shah Jahan succeeded his father in 1627.
- Better ruler than Jahangir.
- Restored the efficiency of government.
- Recovered territories.
- Maintained peace
- Foreign traders were allowed into India and trade
increased considerably.
- The empire was expanded.
 Taj Mahal

 Shah Jahan built it in honor of his wife who died
during childbirth.
 Took over a decade to build and it nearly
bankrupted the empire.

 Video: 7-9
 Aurangzeb

 Aurangzeb ascended the throne after disposing his father
and beating out his two brothers.
 Despot
- severely persecuted Hindus of Northern India.
 Empire declines under his reign
He removed the tax-free status for Hindus
 Restored Jizya tax
- Destroyed Hindu temples
- Crushed semi-autonomous Hindu states
 Primary Interest - Promote Islam vs. tolerance
 Bahadur Shah

 Very old when he took the throne
 The empire was already fragmented by this point.
 Easy target for invasion – Persians and British.
 The death of Aurangzeb and the short reign of his
son led to the end of the Mughal empire and the
beginning of British Rule.