The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia (mainly Northern India, North Eastern

Pakistan and Bangladesh) that was ruled by members of the Timurid Dynasty. It ran from the early 15th century to the early 18th century when the Mughal emperors' power dwindled. It ended in several generations of conflicts between rival warlords. The imperial family descended from two of the world's greatest[tone] conquerors:[1] Genghis Khan, founder of the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world; and the Amir, Taimurlong or Tamerlane the Great. Due to descent from Genghis Khan, the family was called Mughal, or mogul, the Persianized version of the former's clan name Mongol. The English word mogul (e.g. media mogul, business mogul), meaning influential or powerful, or a tycoon, was derived from the name of this dynasty.[2] From their descent from Tamerlane, also called the Amir, the family used the title of Mirza, shortened Amirzade, literally meaning 'born of the Amir'.[3] The burial places of the emperors illustrate their expanding empire, as the first emperor Babur, born in Uzbekistan is buried in Afghanistan, his sons and grandsons, namely Akbar the Great and Jahangir in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively, and later descendants, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb in Hindustan. The last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar is buried in Burma. They were also a prominent influence of literature in Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali. They have been continuously portrayed in many films, the most famous of which, multi-million dollar Mughal-e-Azam about Emperor Jahangir's love story; considered an Indian classic and epic film and also the Bollywood film Jodhaa Akbar about Emperor Akbar's (Emperor Jahangir's father) love story. Emperor Jahangir's son was the Prince Khurram who later went on to become Emperor Shah Jahan and built one of the seven Wonders of the World, the famous Taj Mahal to memorialize his love for his wife.

Map Contents

1 Mughal Empire o 1.1 Babur o 1.2 Humayun o 1.3 Akbar o 1.4 Jahangir o 1.5 Shah Jahan o 1.6 Aurangzeb o 1.7 Later Mughals o 1.8 List of Mughal Emperors o 1.9 Later Emperors o 1.10 Mughal family 2 Arrival of the Europeans 3 Marathas 4 Nizams of Hyderabad 5 Sikhs 6 Establishment of the Europeans o 6.1 Economic competition o 6.2 British influence 7 Successors

8 References 9 Further reading 10 External links

Mughal Empire

The Taj Mahal - the most famous structure in India built during Mughal Era Main article: Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire lasted for more than three centuries, and was one of the largest centralized states in pre-modern history, as well as the precursor to the British Raj. The titles of the first of the six Mughal Emperors receive varying degrees of prominence in present-day Pakistan and India. Some favour Babur the pioneer and others his great-grandson, Shah Jahan (r. 162858), builder of the Taj Mahal and other magnificent buildings. The other two prominent rulers were Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707). Both rulers expanded the empire greatly and were able administrators. However, Akbar was known for his religious tolerance and administrative genius, whereas Aurangzeb was a just ruler but a proselytizer of orthodox Islam across the heterodox Indian landscape. Babur Main article: Babur

Babur was the first Mughal emperor. He was born on 14 Feb 1483 in present day Uzbekistan, the eldest son of Amir Umar Shaykh Mirza, the son of Ab Sad Mirza (and grandson of Miran Shah, who was himself son of Timur) and his wife Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, daughter of Younus Khan, the ruler of Moghulistan (and great-great grandson of Abhavh Timur, the son of Esen Buqa II, who was the great-great-great grandson of Chaghatai Khan, the second born son of Genghis Khan). Babur was known for his love of beauty in addition to his military ability. Babur concentrated on gaining control of northwestern India. He was invited to India by Daulat Khan Lodi and Rana Sanga who wanted to end the Lodi dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 at the First battle of Panipat, a town north of Delhi. In 1527 he defeated Rana Sanga, the Rajput rulers and their allies at Khanwa. Babur then turned to the tasks of persuading his Central Asian followers to stay on in India and of overcoming other contenders for power, mainly the Rajputs and the Afghans. He succeeded in both tasks but died shortly thereafter on 25 December 1530 in Agra. He was later buried in Kabul. Babur Defeats Sultan Ibrhm, the last of the Ld Sultans of Delhi (page from the Baburnama) Further information: Baburnama Babur kept the record of his life in Chagatay Turkish, the spoken language of the Timurids and the whole Turco-Mongol world at the time. The Baburnama is one of the longest examples of sustained narrative prose in Chagatai Turkish. Akbar's regent, Bairam Khan, a Turcoman of eastern Anatolian and Azerbaijani origin whose father and grandfather had joined Babur's service, wrote poetry in Chaghatai and Persian. His son, Abdul-Rahim Khankhanan, was fluent in Chaghatai, Hindustani, and Persian and composed in all three languages. Using Babur's own text he translated the Baburnama into Persian. The Chaghatai original was last seen in the imperial library sometime between 1628 and 1638 during Jahangir's reign.

Humayun

Flight of Sultan Bahadur During Humayun's Campaign in Gujarat 1535 Main article: Humayun Baburs favorite son Humayun took the reins of the empire after his father succumbed to disease at the young age of forty-seven. Humayun lost control of his kingdom early on in his reign, but later with Persian aid, he would eventually regain an even larger one. Further information: Sher Shah Suri In 1539, seeking to expand his realm, the Pashtun general Sher Khan met Humayun at the battle of Chausa; a town situated between Varanasi and Patna. Humayun was defeated and barely escaped with his own life and in the following year, 1540, his army of 40,000 was defeated by Sher Khan's Afghan army of 15,000. A popular Pashtun general, Khulas Khan Marwat, was leading Sher Khan's Army. This was the first military venture of Khulas Khan Marwat and soon he would prove nightmarish for the Mughals. Further information: Suri Empire

Sher Shah Suri Sher Khan's Army, under the command of Khulas Khan Marwat, then established a monarchy in Delhi with Sher Khan ruling under the title Sher Shah Suri; he ruled from 1540 to 1545. Sher Shah Suri consolidated his realm from Punjab to Bengal (he was the first conqueror to enter Bengal since Ala-ud-din Khilji; more than two centuries earlier). He is credited with having organized and administered the government and military in such a manner that future Mughal kings used it as their own models. He also added to the fort in Delhi (supposed site of Indraprastha), first started by Humayun, and now known as the Purana Qila (Old Fort). The Masjid Qila-i-Kuhna inside the fort is a masterpiece of the period, though only parts of it have survived. Sher Shah Suri died from a gunpowder explosion during the siege of Kalinjar fort on 22 May 1545 fighting against the Chandel Rajputs.[4][5] His charred remains were interred in a tomb at Sasaram (in present day Bihar), midway between Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. Although rarely visited, future great Mughal builders such as Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan would emulate the architecture of this tomb. The massive palacelike mausoleum stands at 37 metres and three stories high.[6] Sher Shahs son Islam Shah held on to power until 1553 but following his death the Sur dynasty lost most of its influence due to strife and famine.

Humayun was a keen astronomer. He died after falling down the stairs of his own library in 1556. Thus Humayun ruled in India for barely ten years and died at the age of forty-eight, leaving behind the then only thirteen-year-old Akbar as his heir. As a tribute to his father, Akbar later built a tomb in Humayun's honour in Delhi (completed in 1571), from red sandstone. Humayun's Tomb would become the precursor of future Mughal architecture. Akbars mother and Humayuns wife Hamida Banu Begum personally supervised the building of the tomb in his birthplace.

Humayun's Tomb Akbar Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun whose rule was interrupted by the Afghan Sur Dynasty, which rebelled against him. It was only just before his death that Humayun was able to regain the empire and leave it to his son. In restoring and expanding Mughal rule, Akbar based his authority on the ability and loyalty of his followers, irrespective of their religion. In 1564 the jizya tax on non-Muslims was abolished, and bans on temple building and Hindu pilgrimages were lifted. Akbar's methods of administration reinforced his power against two possible sources of challengethe Afghan-Turkish aristocracy and the traditional interpreters of Islamic law, the ulama. He created a ranked imperial service based on ability rather than birth, whose members were

obliged to serve wherever required. They were remunerated with cash rather than land and were kept away from their inherited estates, thus centralizing the imperial power base and assuring its supremacy. The military and political functions of the imperial service were separate from those of revenue collection, which was supervised by the imperial treasury. This system of administration, known as the mansabdari, was based on loyal service and cash payments and was the backbone of the Mughal Empire; its effectiveness depended on personal loyalty to the emperor and his ability and willingness to choose, remunerate, and supervise. Akbar declared himself the final arbiter in all disputes of law derived from the Qur'an and the sharia. He backed his religious authority primarily with his authority in the state. In 1580 he also initiated a syncretic court religion called the Din-i-Ilahi (Divine Faith). In theory, the new faith was compatible with any other, provided that the devotee was loyal to the emperor. In practice, however, its ritual and content profoundly offended orthodox Muslims. The ulema found their influence undermined. Several well known heritage sites were built during the reign of Akbar. The fort city of Fatehpur Sikri was used as the political capital of the Empire from 1571 to 1578. The numerous palaces and the grand entrances with intricate art work have been recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Akbar also began construction of his own tomb at Sikandra near Agra in 1600 CE. Jahangir Mughal Emperor Jahangir receiving his two sons, in 1605-06 Prince Salim (b. 1569 son of a Hindu Rajput princess from Amber), who would later be known as Emperor Jahangir showed signs of restlessness towards the end of the long reign of his father Akbar. During the absence of his father from Agra he pronounced himself king and turned rebellious. Akbar, however, was able to wrestle the throne back.

Due to the early deaths of his two brothers, Murad and Daniyal from alcoholism, Salim had no reason to concern himself about his siblings' aspirations to the throne. Jahangir finally began his era as Mughal emperor after the death of Akbar in the year 1605. He considered his third son Prince Khurram (the future Shah Jahan, born 1592 to Hindu Rajput princess Manmati), his favourite. In 1615, a standoff between Prince Khurram and The Rana of Mewar resulted in a treaty acceptable to both parties. Khurram was also kept busy with several campaigns in Bengal and Kashmir. Jahangir claimed Khurram's victories of this period as his own. Shah Jahan The Taj Mahal, named for Arjumand Banu, who was called Mumtaz Mahal, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The great Jama Masjid built by him was the largest in India at the time. He renamed Delhi after himself as Shahjahanabad. The Red Fort made of red sandstone built during his reign near Jama Masjid around the same time came to be regarded as the seat of power of India itself. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the ramparts of this fort on Independence day even to this age.Shah Jahan also built or renovated forts in Delhi and in Agra. White marble chambers that served as living quarters and other halls for public audiences are examples of classic Mughal architecture. Here in Agra fort, Shah Jahan would spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his son, Aurangzeb shuffling between the hallways of the palace, squinting at the distant silhouette of his famous Taj Mahal on the banks of River Jamuna..

Aurangzeb Aurangzeb, who was given the title "Alamgir" or "world-seizer," by his father, is known for expanding the empire's frontiers and for his acceptance of Islam law. During his reign, the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent (the Bijapur and Golconda Sultanates which had been reduced to vassalage by Shah Jahan were formally annexed). In 1679, Aurangzeb enforced the jizyah tax on Non-Muslims like Zakt tax was enforced on Muslims. This action by the emperor, incited rebellion among Hindus and others in many parts of the empire notably the Jats, Sikhs, and Rajputs forces in the north and Maratha forces in the Deccan. The emperor managed to crush the rebellions in the north. Aurangzeb was compelled to move his headquarters to Aurangabad in the Deccan to mount a costly campaign against Maratha guerrilla fighters led by Shivaji and his successors, which lasted twenty-six years until he died in 1707 at the age of eighty-nine. Aurangzeb, as is his father before him, is remembered as a builderemperor. The Badshahi Masjid (Imperial Mosque) in Lahore was constructed in 1673 on his orders. It was not only the largest mosque ever built by a Mughal emperor but was at that point the largest mosque in the world. He also constructed the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moti Masjid inside Delhi's Red Fort was also finalized by him. He is also known for his fanatic view of Islam, due to which he razed many Hindu Temples. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Kashi/Varanasi, Kesava Deo Templeof Mathura were some of the most famous temples he raze. He was of the view that royal treasury does not belong to king but common man. He did not use any of the royal treasury for him and his family. In fact, he used to write holy qur'an and earn money and his wife used to weave caps and copies of the holy quran to support his earnings.

Later Mughals

Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar When Aurangzeb died close to the age of eighty, there were seventeen legitimate claimants to the throne that included not only his sons but also his grandsons and great grandsons. After the death of the emperor two brothers fought near Agra in the same battle site that Aurangzeb had fought his brother Dara Shikoh. Prince Muazzam prevailed and killed his brother Prince Azam Shah and assumed the title Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam I. After the death of Bahadur Shah I, a civil war broke out. Jahandar Shah,a son of Bahadur Shah I, emerged victorious in it with the support of Zulfiqar Khan who was the most powerful noble of the time. In Deccan Saiyid Husain Ali Khan colluded with the Marathas and attacked Delhi and using trickery and intrigue seized Farrukhsiyar in the Red Fort[citation needed]. The emperor was blinded and caged and later poisoned as well as stabbed to death[citation needed]. However, prior to his death, Farrukhsiyar had the dubious distinction of aiding the British to have a firm foothold in India, by signing the much-coveted farman an imperial directive that would seal the future of British takeover of India.

Marathas were now constantly attacking Delhi. Of more consequence and humiliation was the plunder of Delhi by Nadir Shah. A Timur descendent, Nadir Shah usurped the throne in Persia and seized Kandahar and Kabul. He marched through Panjab and was invited by Muhammad Shah as a guest to Delhi (only because he had neither the will nor the resources to fight him). Within forty-eight hours, using a lame excuse, Nadir Shah ordered a general massacre of Delhi citizens and looted every bit of wealth they could extort out of the royalty as well as Delhis citizenry. Nadir Shah remained in Delhi for forty eight days and departed with millions worth of gold, jewelry and coins. Even the emperors bejeweled peacock throne made during Shah Jahan's reign was packed on elephants and carried away to Persia. Another prize, the Koh-I-nur diamond (Humayuns diamond) now passed into Persian hands. Later an Afghani, Ahmad Shah Abdali started his incursions into Delhi just for the purpose of looting the capital. In a series of attacks starting in 1748 until 1761, Abdali would not only pillage and loot Delhi, he also cleaned out Mathura, Kashmir and cities in Panjab. From the east the British defeated the Nawab of Bengal and occupied the state of Bengal.

Two Mughal Emperors and Shah Alam Racinet, c. 1876 The raids by Nadir Shah and repeated incursions of Abdali resulted in quick disposal of the next two emperors Ahmad Shah and Alamgir II until in 1759 Shah Alam II ascended the throne. His reign would last several decades. However, he would preside over more loss of territory to the British. When the Nawab of Bengal lost to Robert Clive, Shah

Alam II was forced to recognize Clive as a diwan (chancellor) and Bengal slipped to the British hands permanently. In 1806 Shah Alams son Akbar Shah II acceded to the much diminished empire of the Mughals and ruled until 1837.He gave the title "raja" to Ram mohan roy. His son Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last emperor of Mughals before the British deposed him in 1858 and the Mughal dynasty would officially come to an end. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Bahadur Shah II was forced to take the side of the mutineers though he had no power to affect the outcome of the events. The mutineers had outwitted his British sponsors and now the emperor neither had the troops nor the competence. He had no choice but to join the winning side. However, the success of the mutineers was soon reversed and the octogenarian (he was eighty-two years old) was relieved of his empire and deposed in 1858. The emperor was then exiled to Rangoon in Burma where he died in obscurity in 1862. List of Mughal Emperors Portrait Titular Name Birth Name Birth Reign Death

Bbur

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Humayun

5 January 23 30 April [O.S. 26 February 1526 26 December [O.S. 14 December 1530] February] 1530 1531 (age 1483 47) 26 27 17 March December January 1508 1530 17 1556 (age May 1540 47)

Humayun

Sher Shah Suri Islam Shah Suri Humayun

Farid Khan

1486

1540 1545

22 May 1545

Jalal Khan Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Humayun

1545 1554

22 November 1554

Akbar-eAzam

Jahangir

22 27 February 17 March January 1555 27 1508 1556 (age January 47) 1556 ) 27 Jalal-ud-din 27 14 January Muhammad October October 1556 27 Akbar 1605 1542 October (aged 63) 1605 15 Nur-ud-din 8 20 October Muhammad November September 1605 8 Salim 1627 1569 November (aged 58) 1627

Shah8 Shahab-ud-din 22 Jahan-eNovember Muhammad 5 January January Azam 1627 2 Khurram 1592 1666 August (aged 74) 1658

Alamgir

Muhy-ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb

31 July 4 3 March 1658 3 November 1707 March 1618 (aged 88) 1707

Silver Rows signify the brief interregnum during which the Suri Dynasty ruled Northern India.

Later Emperors Portrait Titular Name Birth Name Birth Reign Death Notes

He made settlements with the 19 June Marathas, 1707 Qutb ud27 tranquilize 27 Din 14 d the February February Bahadur Muhamma October 1712 1712 Rajputs, Shah d 1643 (aged and (4 years, 68) Mu'azzam became 253 friendly days) with the Sikhs in the Punjab. 27 Highly February Ma'az-ud12 influenced 1712 Din February by his 11 Jahandar 9 May Jahandar 1713 Grand Shah 1661 February Shah (aged Vizier 1713 Bahadur 51) Zulfikar (0 years, Khan. 350

days) Granted a firman to the English East India Company in 1717 29 April granting 1719 them duty(aged free trading 33) rights for Bengal, confirming their position in India.

11 January 1713 20 28 Farrukhsiy Farrukhsiy August February ar ar 1685 1719 (6 years, 48 days)

28 Rise of February 9 June Syed 30 6 June Rafi-ul Rafi-ul 1719 Brothers Novemb 1719 Darjat Darjat (aged power as er 1699 king (0 years, 19) makers. 98 days) 6 June 1719 19 19 Septemb Shah Jahan Rafi udJune Septemb er 1719 ---II Daulah 1696 er 1719 (aged (0 years, 23) 105 days) Nikusiyar 12 April Neku Siyar 1679 1719 ---Mohamme 1723

9 Mohamme Mohamme August d Ibrahim d Ibrahim 1703

1720

(aged 43) 31 January 1746 (aged 42)

----

Muhamma d Shah

Roshan Akhtar Bahadur

Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Fought a long war with the Maratha Empire, losing 27 Deccan Septemb and Malwa er 1719 in the 26 26 April 17 process. April 1748 August 1748 Suffered (aged 1702 the 45) (28 invasion of years, Nadir Shah 212 of Persia in days) 1739. He was the last Mighal Emperor to possess effective control over the empire.

Mughal forces 26 April 1 massacred 1748- 2 Ahmad Ahmad 23 by the June January Shah Shah Decemb 1754 1775 Maratha Bahadur Bahadur er 1725 (aged during the (6 years, 49) Battle of 37 days) Sikandarab ad 2 June 1754 29 29 Dominatio Novemb Novemb Aziz-ud- 6 June n of Vizier Alamgir II er 1759 er 1759 din 1699 Imad-ul(aged Mulk (5 years, 60) 180 days) consolidati on of the Nizam of Bengal, 10 Bihar, and Decemb Odisha, Shah Jahan Muhi-uler 1759 during the 1772 III millat 10 Battle of October Buxar. 1760 Hyder Ali becomes Nawab of Mysore in 1761;

24 Decemb er 1759 19 Shah Alam Ali 25 June Novemb II Gauhar 1728 er 1806 (46 years, 330 days) 19 Mirza Novemb Akbar or Akbar 22 April er 1806Akbar Shah II 1760 28 Shah Septemb Saani er 1837

19 The fall of Novemb Tipu er 1806 Sultan of (aged Mysore in 78) 1799

Titular 28 figurehead Septemb under er 1837 British (age 77) protection.

Last 28 Mughal Abu Zafar Septemb Emperor. Sirajuddin er 1837 Deposed Muhamma 14 by the d Bahadur 24 7 Bahadur Septemb British and Shah October Novemb Shah II er 1857 exiled to Zafar or 1775 er 1862 (19 Burma Bahadur years, after the Shah 351 Indian Zafar days) Rebellion of 1857