Chapter 2 Section 3
 UEQ: How was absolutism expressed in different areas
around the world?
 LEQ: How did Akbar use cultural blending in the
Mughal Empire?
 Mughal
 Akbar
 Babur
 Taj Mahal
 Shah Jahan
 Mumtaz Mahal
 Sikh
 Sultan
 Aurangzeb
 Using the same map that you have filled in when we
talked about the Ottoman and Safavid Empires, turn
to page 71 in your textbook.
 Use the map that you filled for the Ottoman and
Safavid Empires and fill in the Mughal Empire using
a different colored pencil.
 Be sure to label that new empire in the map legend.
 Mughals began as a group of Muslims that took over
parts of the country of India.
 These controlling Muslims were given the nickname
of Mughal, which means “Mongol.”
Are they the
same???
 For 300 years, Hindus and Muslims fought over the
land of the country of India.
 1494
 11 year old boy by the name of Babur, inherits land in
an area to the north of India.
 Other rulers kick him out of the small empire and force
him to move south.
 Babur builds an army and takes over much of the
country of India.
 Babur was a brilliant military leader.
 Defeated an army of 100,000 soldiers using his own
army of 12,000.
 After Babur’s death, his 13 year old grandson Akbar
becomes ruler of the Mughal Empire in India.
 As ruler Akbar realized that he could increase his
power by creating a large army.
 Akbar was able to gain control of land in India that his
grandfather, Babur could not.
 Akbar helped unite 100 million people within the
Mughal Empire.
 Under Akbar, a golden age “age of wealth” begins in
the Mughal Empire.
 Cultural Blending
 Like the Safavid ruler Suleiman , Akbar allowed religious
freedom in India.
 He married Hindu princesses without forcing them to
change their religion.
 He got rid of the tax on non-Muslims and the tax that
travelers paid to come into the country.
 Allowed Hindus and Muslims to work together in
government jobs.
 Cultural Blending allowed Akbar to change different
areas in the Mughal Empire.
 Art
 Book Illustrations “miniature scenes” became very
popular in the Mughal Empire and other countries.
 Architecture
 Mughal buildings used Hindu building designs
 Literature
 Mughal stories became very popular and books on the
events were demanded by other ethnic groups.
 1605
 Akbar dies and the Mughal government changes to
allow itself to handle new situations better and faster.
 2 New Rulers
 Jahangir
 Allowed his wife Nur Jahan to rule instead of him, her rule
causes religious problems and fights between Mughals and
the Sikhs, which were a non-violent religious group.
 Shah Jahan
 Son of Jahangir
 Did not tolerate competition to be ruler, so he had all
of his rivals assassinated.
 Two Passions
 Beautiful Buildings
 His wife Mumtaz Mahal
 1631
 Mumtaz Mahal dies at the age of 39 while giving birth
to her 14th child.
 To “remember” his wife, Shah Jahan has the Taj
Mahal built with the order that it be built, “as beautiful
as she was beautiful.”
Taj Mahal Today
 While Shah Jahan had gardens, monuments, and forts
built for the country, he used very little money to help the
Mughal people.
 Problems
 Shah Jahan increased taxes regularly to pay for his
expensive projects.
 1657
 Shah Jahan becomes ill and his four sons fight for control
and power.
 Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan’s third son takes over, has his
oldest brother killed and his dying father imprisoned.
 Aurangzeb rules from 1658 to 1707
 Expanded land controlled by the Mughal Empire
 Problems
 Outlawed most activities (drinking, gambling, etc.)
 Forced people to pray at certain times during the day
by having police watch people.
 Brought back taxes on non-Muslims and visitors to the
country.
 Kicked Hindus out of government jobs.
 Had many Hindu buildings and monuments destroyed.
 Because of the high taxes, Aurangzeb forced
Mughals’ into poverty, which caused Aurangzeb to
not be able to pay to rebuild the Mughal army.
 2 million Mughals’ died because of famine and
disease spreading in India.
 Aurangzeb gave cities and land to different
European ethnic groups, such as the Dutch, French,
and English.
 Allows European countries to control India years later.
 When Aurangzeb dies, his three sons fight for control
of the Empire, which is just small pieces of land.
 Complete the handout on the most important women




in the history of India.
Using page 85 in your textbook, read the chart at the
top of the page to help you answer the same three
questions for each of the four women.
Write your answers in the chart on the back.
Use the charts information to help you answer the four
questions at the bottom of the page.
Be sure to answer the questions in full detail.
 Below are the names of the rulers that were the most
important to the Mughal Empire, for each one give a
brief explanation how each had a positive (good) or
negative (bad) effect on the Mughal Empire.
 Shah Jahan
 Aurangzeb
 Babur
 Akbar
 Jahangir