Rise of the Mughal Empire in India

• Mughals means "Mongols"

Early History

• Led by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, Turkish warlords devastated Indian cities and temples
• Delhi became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate
• During the 8th century, there were continuous clashes between Hindus and Muslims
• Three hundred years later, well-trained Turkish armies swept into India, and treated Hindus as conquered people

Delhi Sultanate

• In 1398, Timur the Lame destroyed Delhi
• Delhi was rebuilt
• In the 16th century, a leader unified the empire
• Between the 13th and 16th centuries, 33 Sultans ruled the divided territory from Delhi

Babur Founds an Empire

• In 1494, eleven-year-old Babur inherited a kingdom in modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
• It was small, his elders removed him, and drove him south
• Babur built up an army and swept into India
• This laid the foundation for the vast Mughal Empire
• Babur was a brilliant general
• In 1526, he led 12,000 troops to victory against a Delhi Sultan's army of 100,000
• Shortly after, he defeated a Rajput army
• After Babur's death, his incompetent son, Humayun, lost most of Babur's territory
• After Humayan's death, Babur's 13-year-old grandson took over the throne

Akbar's Golden Age

• Babur's grandson was called Akbar, which means "Greatest One"
• Akbar ruled India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to 1605

A Military Conqueror

• Akbar recognized military power as his strength
• Like the Safavids and the Ottomans, Akbar equipped his armies with heavy artillery
• He appointed some Rajputs as officers
• Akbar turned potential enemies into allies
• Military prowess and political wisdom enabled Akbar to unify at least 100 million people

A Liberal Ruler

• Akbar was a Muslim who defended religious freedom
• He permitted other religions to practice their faiths
• He proved tolerance by marrying two Hindus, a Christian, and a Muslim
• He allowed his wives to practice their rituals in the palace
• Akbar abolished taxes on Hindu pilgrims and non-Muslims
• Natives, foreigners, Hindus, and Muslims could rise to high office
• This improved his government

A Flowering of Culture

• Cultural blending affected art, education, politics, and language
• Persian became the language of Akbar's court and of high culture
• Hindi is a mix of Persian and local languages spoken by common people
• Urdu was created due to a blend of different cultures in the army
• Urdu is a blend of Arabic, Persian, and Hindi which became the official language of Pakistan

The Arts and Literature

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

Architecture

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

Jahangir

• Akbar's son was called Jahangir, meaning "Grasper of the World"
• For most of his reign, he left affairs of state to his wife
• Despite this, he held India in a powerful grasp

Persian Princess Nur Jahan

• Jahangir's wife was the Persian princess Nur Jahan
• She was a brilliant politician who perfectly understood the use of power
• She saw Jahangir's son Khusrau as her ticket to future power
• As the real ruler of India, she installed her father as prime minister in the Mughal court
• When Khusrau rebelled against Jahangir, Nur Jahan removed him and shifted her favor to another son

Rejection of Khusrau

• Jahangir tried to promote Islam in the Mughal state but was tolerant of other religions
• When Khusrau rebelled, he turned to the Sikhs
• Khusrau's rejection affected the empire's political future, and was the basis of a long and bitter religious conflict
• The Sikhs were a nonviolent religious group blending Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism

Religious Conflict

• The Sikhs' leader, Guru Arjun, sheltered Khusrau and defended him
• Mughal rulers had Arjun arrested and tortured to death in response
• The Sikhs became the target of the Mughals' particular hatred

Shah Jahan

• Jahangir's son and successor was Shah Jahan
• Shah Jahan was passionate about beautiful buildings and his wife Mumtaz Mahal
• Their marriage was for political reasons, but Shah Jahan fell in love with his Persian princess

Taj Mahal

• Shah Jahan ordered the Taj Mahal built to enshrine his wife's memory
• Mumtaz Mahal died at age 39 in 1631, giving birth to her 14th child
• Fine white marble and fabulous jewels were gathered from many parts of Asia to build it
• The Taj Mahal has been called one of the most beautiful buildings in the world

The People Suffer

• There was famine
• Farmers needed tools, roads, and ways to irrigate their crops
• The country was suffering while Shah Jahan was building lovely things
• Instead of help, the people got taxes and more taxes to support monuments, extravagant living, and war
• When Shah Jahan became ill in 1657, his four sons scrambled for the throne
• The third son, Aurangzeb, moved first and most decisively
• All was not well in the royal court
• In a bitter civil war, Aurangzeb executed his older brother, his most serious rival
• Then he arrested his father and imprisoned him, where he died later

Aurangzeb's Reign

• A master of military strategy and an empire builder, Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707
• He expanded the Mughal holdings to their greatest size
• The power of the empire weakened during his reign

Oppression of People

• Aurangzeb rigorously enforced Islamic laws
• He outlawed drinking, gambling, and other proscribed activities
• He appointed censors to police his subjects' morals and ensure they prayed at the appointed times
• The loss of power during his reign was largely due to his oppression
• He tried to erase all the gains Hindus had made under Akbar, like bringing back the tax and removing Hindus from high government positions
• These actions outraged Hindus

Rebellion

• The Hindu Rajputs, whom Akbar had converted from potential enemies to allies, rebelled
• Aurangzeb defeated Rajputs repeatedly, but never completely
• The militant Hindus called Marathas founded their own state in the southwest
• Aurangzeb captured their leader but could not conquer them
• The Sikhs transformed themselves into a militant brotherhood

Desperate Situation

• Aurangzeb levied oppressive taxes to pay for the wars against the increasing numbers of enemies
• He doubled the taxes on Hindu merchants since they are not part of Islamic laws
• More oppression led to more rebellion, which meant Aurangzeb needed more money for his army
• The more territory he conquered, the more desperate his situation became

Consequences

• Over 2 million people died in a famine while Aurangzeb was away waging war
• Most of his subjects felt little or no loyalty to him
• By the end of Aurangzeb's reign, he had drained the empire of its resources
• As the power of the central state weakened, the power of local lords grew
• After Aurangzeb's death, his sons fought a war of succession

Western Foothold

• The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach India, followed by the Dutch, and the French and English
• Western traders slowly built their own power in the region as the Mughal Empire rose and fell
• Mughal emperors did not feel threatened by them
• They built trading posts for them, and Aurangzeb even handed them the port of Bombay
• India's next conquerors now had a foothold in a future empire