Aurangzeb and the Mughals
Mr. Jared Peet
WARM UP
1. READ and ANNOTATE the document on your
desk.
2. ANSWER the questions underneath the
document.
3. EXTENSION: READ and ANNOTATE the
documents on the back side of your Warm
Up
Objectives
• Identify 3 specific steps that Aurangzeb took
that created religious discord within the
Mughal Empire
• Compare and contrast Aurangzeb and Akbar
The Mughal Empire
The Mughals were Muslims who
descended from Turks, Afghans,
& Mongols living in central Asia
Like the Ottomans &
Safavids, the Mughals
built a powerful army
with guns & cannons
In 1494, Babur became
king of the Mughals,
expanded the army, &
began invasions into
India to create his empire
In 1556, Babur’s grandson
Akbar became king of the
Mughal Empire & expanded the
empire into almost all of India
Akbar was the greatest of all the Mughal rulers
Akbar’s greatest achievement
was cultural blending &
religious toleration
He held religious discussions
with Hindu & Muslim scholars
He ended the tax that
non-Muslims were required
to pay & created a fair &
affordable tax system
Because he was Muslim
He married many
ruling in a largely Hindu
wives, among them
region, Akbar allowed non- were Muslim, Hindu,
Muslims to worship freely
& Christian women
The best example of Akbar’s tolerance was his
creation of a new religion called the Divine Faith
The Divine Faith was an
example of syncretism
because it blended ideas
from Islam, Hinduism,
Christianity, & Zoroastrianism
Akbar hoped the Divine Faith
would end conflicts between
Muslims & Hindus
But, the Divine Faith never
attracted many Muslim or
Hindu converts…When Akbar
died, so did the Divine Faith
During Akbar’s reign, art flourished
Mughal artists were known
for their colorful paintings
called miniatures
Mughal architecture was known for
blending of Hindu & Islamic designs
The greatest example of Mughal architecture is the
Taj Mahal which was built in 1631 by Shah Jahan
The Decline of the Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire grew weak
by 1700 as kings spent too
much money on palaces & war
In addition, the large
population of Hindus
in India began to
revolt against their
Muslim rulers
Great Britain took
advantage of this weakness,
conquered India, &
removed the last Mughal
emperor from power in 1858
Conclusions
The Ottomans, Safavids,
& Mughals built large
Islamic empires using
gunpowder militaries
These empires provided
new contributions in
law, art, & religion
But, their decline by the
1800s allowed newly
industrialized European
nations to dominate Asia
Envelope Question Share Out
• 2 minutes – discuss the answer to your
envelope question with your partner.
• Share out in order of question numbers
Hinge Point Quiz
1. A
2. C
3. Acceptable answers include:
– The building of new Hindu temples was
prohibited
– Hindu poll tax was restored
– Forced conversions to Islam were resumed
– non-Muslims were driven from the court
T-Chart Time!
Similarities between Akbar and
Aurangzeb
Differences between Akbar and
Aurangzeb
Synthesis Activity
• On the one hand, Akbar and Aurangzeb were
similar because they both . . . (compare)
• Clap!
• On the other hand, they were different because
while Akbar did . . . Aurangzeb did . . . (contrast)
• Try to make sure points are topical.
• Be specific!
• Wait at least one sentence before clapping.
Exit Ticket
• Write a paragraph that
compares and contrasts
Akbar and Aurangzeb
– Use complete sentences
– No bullet points
Your paragraph must include
the phrases:
-On the one hand
-On the other hand
You must use TWO of the
following terms:
-religious tolerance
-Divine Faith
-Hindus
BEGIN TO STUDY FOR TEST
• Start by reviewing your HW assignment
– Know key terms/events/people
– Be ready to use key terms in written work
• Review skills
– Sourcing
– Thesis writing