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Worksheet from the scheme of work by RJ Tarr at www.activehistory.co.uk /

The Mughals: Heroes or Villains?
2. How did the Mughal Empire compare to others of the time?

Introduction
 The Mughal Empire was the wealthiest and most powerful Muslim empire of the early modern
period. Its Emperor ruled over 100 million people at a time when ____________________ of
____________________ ruled just 3 million.
 Few other dynasties have left behind such a rich legacy in art, science and religion. Even
today, the Prime Minister of India addresses his people from the home of the Mughal
Emperors – the Red Fort in ____________________.
 A study of the Mughal Empire is critical to understand the diversity, tensions and
achievements of modern India. In particular, the ways in which the Muslim Mughals ruled a
largely Hindu population in the ____________________ of India provides important lessons
about how ____________________ societies should and should not be governed.
 The Mughals were forced out of power by the British Empire in the 18 th Century, but when
Britain withdrew from the region after ____________________, the legacy of the Mughals
was clear: religious tensions between Muslims and Hindus meant that the territory was
divided between India and ____________________, who immediately went to war with each
other over the (still) disputed territory of ____________________.
 For ____________________ in Pakistan, the Mughals are generally regarded in very positive
terms. For the ____________________ of India, the Mughals are seen much more
negatively. The tension between the two countries is often expressed in the debates that they
have about whether the Mughals were heroes or villains.

Muslims England Elizabeth I Subcontinent World War Two

Pakistan Delhi Kashmir Multicultural Hindus

Were the Mughals heroes or villains? It’s up to you to decide!

Overleaf you will examine different maps as an introduction to the Mughal Emperors
and start to form an opinion about each one of them.
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Worksheet from the scheme of work by RJ Tarr at www.activehistory.co.uk /

Task: Mapwork

1. What two things do you KNOW from this map?

     
     

2. What two things could you DEDUCE (=work out) from this map?
     
     

3. What two things could you GUESS from this map?

     
     

4. What are the two QUESTIONS you would like to have answers to?
1.      
2.      

Extension task
Find out the answers to the two questions you identified for task [4] above.