Mughal Empire History

• Mughals means “Mongols.”

Early History

• Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni led forces that devastated Indian cities and temples.
• Delhi became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate, a loose empire of Turkish warlords.
• Continuous bloody clashes occurred between Hindus and Muslims during the 8th century.
• Well-trained Turkish armies swept into India 300 years later.
• The sultans treated the Hindus as conquered people.

Delhi Sultanate

• In 1398, Timur the Lame destroyed Delhi, which was later rebuilt.
• It wasn't until the 16th century that a leader emerged to unify the empire.
• Between the 13th and 16th centuries, 33 sultans ruled the divided territory from Delhi.

Babur Founds an Empire

• In 1494, 11-year-old Babur inherited a small kingdom in present-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, but his elders soon took it away.
• Babur built up an army and swept into India, laying the foundation for the vast Mughal Empire.
• Babur was a brilliant general who, in 1526, led 12,000 troops to victory against a 100,000-strong army commanded by a sultan of Delhi, and also defeated a massive Rajput army a year later.
• After Babur's death, his son Humayun lost most of the territory Babur had gained.
• Babur's 13-year-old grandson then took over the throne after Humayun's death.

Akbar's Golden Age

• Babur's grandson, Akbar, whose name means "Greatest One," ruled India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to 1605.

Military Conquest

• Akbar, like the Safavids and the Ottomans, equipped his armies with heavy artillery and appointed some Rajputs as officers.
• Akbar recognized military power as the root of his strength, turning potential enemies into allies.
• Military power and political wisdom combined enabled Akbar to unify a land of at least 100 million people.

Liberal Rule

• Akbar was a Muslim who defended religious freedom and permitted people of other religions to practice their faiths.
• He proved his tolerance by marrying two Hindus, a Christian, and a Muslim, among others and allowed his wives to practice their religious rituals in the palace.
• Akbar abolished the tax on Hindu pilgrims and on non-Muslims.
• Natives and foreigners, Hindus and Muslims, could all rise to high office.
• This approach contributed to the quality of his government.
• Akbar governed through a bureaucracy of officials and gave generous land grants to his bureaucrats that were redistributed after their death.

Flowering of Culture

• Cultural blending during Akbar's rule affected art, education, politics, and language.
• The languages during this time were Persian, Hindi, and Urdu.
• Persian was the language of Akbar's court and of high culture.
• Hindi was a mixture of Persian and a local language spoken by common people.
• Urdu, a blend of Arabic, Persian, and Hindi, was created due to the blending of different cultures in the army and became the official language of Pakistan today.
• As Akbar extended the Mughal Empire, he welcomed influences from the many cultures in the empire.

Arts and Literature

• The arts flourished at the Mughal court, especially in the form of book illustrations.
• Small, highly detailed, colorful paintings were called miniatures.
• Some of the most famous Mughal miniatures adorned the Akbarnamah ("Book of Akbar"), which tells the story of the emperor's campaigns and deeds.
• Indian art drew from Western traditions, and Hindu literature enjoyed a revival in Akbar's time.

Architecture

• Massive but graceful structures are decorated with intricate stonework that portrays Hindu themes.
• The capital city of Fatehpur Sikri is one of the most important examples of this type of architecture.
• Akbar also devoted himself to architecture
• The style developed under his reign is still known as Akbar period architecture.
• Akbar had this red-sandstone city built to thank a holy man who had predicted the birth of his first son.

Explore the Mughal Empire's history, key figures like Babur and Akbar, and its cultural contributions. This includes language, art, architecture and the empire's foundation and expansion in India. Also covers the Turkish armies that devastated Indian cities.