The Mauryan Empire

• The Mauryan Empire

Rise of Chandragupta Maurya

• Shortly after Alexander's conquest in 326 BCE, the Greeks left the Indian Subcontinent
• An Indian military leader named Chandragupta Maurya took control.
• Maurya was born in the kingdom of Magadha on the Ganges.
• As a young man, Chandragupta raised an army, killed the King, and claimed the throne for himself in 321 BCE.

Maurya vs. Seleucus

• Maurya battled Seleucus I, one of Alexander the Great's former Generals.
• Seleucus controlled the former Persian Empire after Alexander's death and wanted to reclaim the Indus Valley.
• After several years, Chandragupta was victorious.
• By 303 BCE, the Mauryan Empire stretched more than 2,000 miles from DC to Vegas.

Governance and Military

• The Mauryan army had approximately 600,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 soldiers on horseback, and 9,000 elephants.
• The forces were paid for by extremely high taxes, which could be as much as 50%.
• Maurya's top political advisor was Kautilya, a member of the priest caste.
• Kautilya wrote the Arthasastra, a handbook for rulers.
• The Arthasastra consisted of extremely harsh policies.
• The Arthasastra advocated for spying on private citizens and the use of political assassination against rivals and enemies.
• Maurya used bureaucracy to govern by splitting the empire into four provinces governed by a prince.
• Each province was further split into districts with their own tax policies and laws.
• Chandragupta's palace had gold covered pillars, ornate fountains, and imposing thrones.
• His cities had beautiful parks and bustling marketplaces.

Transition of Power

• In 301 BCE, Chandragupta passed the throne to his son, Bindusara, who ruled for 32 years.
• In 269 BCE, Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka became ruler and led the empire to its golden age.

Ashoka's Reign and Transformation

• The early years of Ashoka were marked by war.
• During a war against the neighboring state of Kalinga, over 100,000 soldiers and even more civilians died.
• Ashoka became upset by the bloodshed and decided to begin studying Buddhism and rule according to Buddhist teachings.
• He built giant pillars all over his empire inscribed with his new legal policies, which were called edicts.
• Ashoka promised to treat his people humanely and fairly.
• He preached non-violence and even religious tolerance.
• Ashoka built a network of roads to connect his empire along the lines of empires and emperors.
• He had wells dug along the road and built rest houses.
• Improving the conditions of the road improved the safety for citizens traveling and connected a large empire.
• Ashoka embraced the role of tolerant, caring ruler until his death of natural causes in 232 BCE.