1500-1700 (India)
THE MUGHAL EMPIRE
HISTORY OF INDIA IN 1400S
 Lush country  many cities & temples
 Hindu lower classes labored for Muslim/Hindu




masters
Gupta Empire collapsing
1st Ottomans (Timur the Lame) conquers
New Delhi, then…
Huge clash between Hindus (India)
& Muslims (Ottomans)
 Hindus won
New Delhi is destroyed and weak
BABUR
 1494 – 11 yr. old boy, BABUR, inherits
kingdom in N. India  But elders drove
him away
 He moved south & later set groundwork for
MUGHAL EMPIRE
 Strong & sensitive leader; “Renaissance Man”
 Defeated massive RAJPUT army (“sons of kings”
or Turkish warlords & moved into New Delhi
 Area weak, so nomadic people invade India, called
Mughals or “Mongols” (Muslim)
AKBAR: THE GOLDEN AGE
 Grandson of Babur; aka “Great One”
 1556 – 1605: comes to power, gains
land & builds a unified Mughal
Empire – Golden Age
 He is a Muslim
AKBAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
 Rules with religious tolerance
 Abolishes special taxes on non-Muslims
 Bureaucracy of educated officials rules efficiently
 Reorganized taxes to represent % of crops (more $)
 War-like – armies are equipped with heavy
artillery
 Employs some potential enemies
AKBAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
CONTINUED
 Cultural diffusion – many cultures/languages





combined
Upper class spoke Persian
Common people spoke Hindi (Persian & local
language) ; Army people spoke Urdu (Arabic,
Persian & Hindi)
book illustrations – miniatures were
detailed, colorful stories
library & schools
architecture – massive, graceful, decorated
with stonework of Hindu themes
JAHANGIR
 Akbar dies in 1605; Akbar’s son Jahangir rules
 aka “Grasper of the World”
 weak ruler & relied on his wife, NUR JAHEN
 Raises taxes & neglects people
 Persecutes Sikhs religion that blends
Buddhism, Hinduism, & mysticism
 Ended religious toleration
SHAH JAHAN
 Secured throne through
assassination of all rivals
 Greatest accomplishment: built TAJ
MAHAL, tomb for his deceased wife,
Mumtaz Mahal
 BUT country suffered because spent so
much time & money to build it  increased
taxes
TAJ MAHAL
AURANGZEB
 Shah Jahan sick, so 3rd son,
AURANGZEB, takes throne
(kills brother & puts Shah. Jahan in prison)
 EXPANDS MUGHAL EMPIRE TO ITS
GREATEST SIZE
 BUT empire is weak because of oppression of
his people (harsh laws & destroys temples)
EMPIRE’S DECLINE & DECAY
 Long line of weak rulers  Mughal
Emperor now only wealthy
figurehead
 Empire no longer united because of
corruption; now bunch of
independent states
EUROPEANS MOVE IN TO
TRADE
 Europeans (Portuguese, Dutch, French, &
English) had trading outposts in Mughal Empire
the whole time  Mughals not threatened by
them
 Aurangzeb gave Europeans the port of
Bombay  big mistake , BIG important city for
trade in the future. (England ends up ruling
most of India as a result of this
 TRADE: British wanted Indian
textiles, mostly COTTON & SPICES