The Mughal Empire - Jahangir, Nur Jahan, and Aurangzeb - PDF

Jahangir Akbar’s son called himself Jahangir (juh hahn GEER) —“Grasper of the World.” For most of his reign, he left the affairs of state to his wife. intro after He certainly did hold India in a powerful grasp but not w...

Jahangir Akbar’s son called himself Jahangir (juh hahn GEER) —“Grasper of the World.” For most of his reign, he left the affairs of state to his wife. intro after He certainly did hold India in a powerful grasp but not with his hand but of his wife G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 1 of 14  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 intro after As the real ruler of India, she installed her father as prime minister in the Mughal court. But when Khusrau rebelled against his father, Nur Jahan removed him. She then shifted her favor to another son G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 2 of 14  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. intro This rejection of Khusrau affected more than the political future of the empire. It was also the basis of a long and bitter religious conflict after Sikhs - This was a nonviolent religious group whose doctrines blended Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism (Islamic mysticism) G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 3 of 14  Religious Conflict Their leader, Guru Arjun, sheltered Khusrau and defended him. In response, the Mughal rulers had Arjun arrested and tortured to death. intro after The Sikhs became the target of the Mughals’ particular hatred. G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 4 of 14  Shah Jahan Jahangir’s son and successor is Shah Jahan. He had a great passion for two things: beautiful buildings and his wife Mumtaz Mahal (moom TAHZ mah HAHL). intro after Their marriage was for political reasons. Shah Jahan, however, fell genuinely in love with his Persian princess G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 5 of 14  Taj Mahal To enshrine his wife’s memory, he ordered that a tomb be built “as beautiful as she was beautiful.” This memorial, the Taj Mahal, has been called one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. intro In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal died at age 39 while giving birth to her 14th child. after Fine white marble and fabulous jewels were gathered from many parts of Asia G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 6 of 14  The People Suffer There was famine in the land. Furthermore, farmers needed tools, roads, and ways of irrigating their crops and dealing with India’s harsh environment. intro But while Shah Jahan was building lovely things, his country was suffering after What they got instead were taxes and more taxes to support the building of monuments, their rulers’ extravagant living, and war. G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 7 of 14  The People Suffer When Shah Jahan became ill in 1657, his four sons scrambled for the throne. The third son, Aurangzeb (AWR uhng zehb), moved first and most decisively intro All was not well in the royal court either after In a bitter civil war, he executed his older brother, who was his most serious rival. Then he arrested his father and put him in prison, where he died several years later G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 8 of 14  Aurangzeb’s Reign A master at military strategy and an aggressive empire builder, Aurangzeb ruled from 1658 to 1707. He expanded the Mughal holdings to their greatest size. intro after However, the power of the empire weakened during his reign G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 9 of 14  Oppression of People He rigidly enforced Islamic laws, outlawing drinking, gambling, and other activities viewed as vices. He appointed censors to police his subjects’ morals and make sure they prayed at the appointed times intro This loss of power was due largely to Aurangzeb’s oppression of the people. after s. He also 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 the Hindus. G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 10 of 14  Rebellion The Hindu rajputs, whom Akbar had converted from potential enemies to allies, rebelled. In the southwest, militant Hindus called Marathas founded their own state. Meanwhile, the Sikhs transformed themselves into a militant brotherhood. intro after Hindu rajputs - Aurangzeb defeated them repeatedly, but never completely Marathas - Aurangzeb captured their leader but could never conquer them G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 11 of 14  Desperate Situation Aurangzeb levied oppressive taxes to pay for the wars against the increasing numbers of enemies. he doubled the taxes on Hindu merchants as they are not part of Islamic laws. intro Aurangzeb levied oppressive taxes to pay for the wars against the increasing numbers of enemies. after More oppression leads to many more rebelling against rule which also means he needed more money for his army. The more territory he conquered, the more desperate his situation became G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 12 of 14  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 intro By the end of Aurangzeb’s reign, he had drained the empire of its resources. after 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 G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 13 of 14  Western foothold The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach India. Next came the Dutch, who in turn gave way to the French and the English intro As the Mughal Empire rose and fell, Western traders slowly built their own power in the region. after However, the great Mughal emperors did not feel threatened by the European traders. They build trading post for them and Aurangzeb even handed them the port of Bombay. This has given India’s next conquerors their first foothold in a future empire. G9 U4 L3 S3 The Mughal Empire Page 14 of 14