Mughal Empire
India, 1526–1857. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. It is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a Timurid prince from the Fergana Valley in Central Asia, who defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, in the First Battle of Panipat. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India. Reduced subsequently to the region in and around Old Delhi by 1760, the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Seat of power: Lahore
Rulers
Babur
Mughal emperor, 1526–1531
He defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 and founded the Mughal Empire. At the Battle of Khanwa, Babur achieved a decisive victory due to his skillful troop positioning and use of gunpowder.
Portrait of Babur: c.1650, Public domain, file
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Humayun
Mughal emperor, 1531–1540
Humayun was an inexperienced ruler when he came to power at the age of 22. Early in his reign, he lost his entire empire to Sher Shah Suri but regained it 15 years later with Safavid aid. Following his return to power, he quickly expanded the empire.
Portrait of Humayun: Circa 1550-55 artist, Public domain, file
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Akbar
Mughal emperor, 1556–1605
He succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in the Indian subcontinent. He strengthened Mughal rule by bringing Rajput rulers into the Mughal court through appointments and marriage alliances. He implemented the agricultural taxes that were the basis of the empire's collective wealth.
Portrait of Akbar: Govardhan / Mir Ali Heravi, Public domain, file
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Jahangir I
Mughal emperor, 1605–1627
His rule is distinguished by his commitment to justice and his interest in the arts, particularly painting and architecture, which flourished during his reign. His wife Mehar-un-Nisa, later known as Empress Nur Jahan, wielded significant political influence behind the throne. His reign had challenges, including revolts led by his sons.
Portrait of Jahangir I: Abu al-Hasan, Public domain, file
Shah Jahan
Mughal emperor, 1628–1658
His reign marked the zenith of Mughal architectural and cultural achievements. He commissioned many monuments, including the Red Fort, Shah Jahan Mosque and the famous Taj Mahal, where his favorite consort Mumtaz Mahal is entombed. In foreign affairs, he presided over the aggressive campaigns against the Deccan sultanates, the conflicts with the Portuguese, and the wars with the Safavids.
Portrait of Shah Jahan: Bichitr, Public domain, file
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Aurangzeb
Mughal emperor, 1658–1707
Under his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, with territory spanning nearly the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. His critics, citing his actions against the non-Muslims and his conservative view of Islam, argue that he abandoned the legacy of pluralism and tolerance of the earlier Mughal emperors. Others reject these assertions, arguing that he opposed bigotry against Hindus, Sikhs and Shia Muslims and that he employed significantly more Hindus in his imperial bureaucracy than his predecessors.
Portrait of Aurangzeb: Darbarscene.jpg: Cordanrad derivative work: Rani nurmai (talk), Public domain, file
Bahadur Shah I
Mughal emperor, 1707–1712
During his reign the Rajput kingdoms of Jodhpur and Amber, which had declared independence a few years earlier, were re-annexed. His reign was disturbed by several rebellions, the Sikhs under the leadership of Banda Singh Bahadur, Rajputs under Durgadas Rathore and his half-brother Kam Bakhsh, but all of them were successfully quelled.
Farrukhsiyar
Mughal emperor, 1713–1719
He rose to the throne after deposing his uncle Jahandar Shah. He was an emperor only in name, with all effective power in the hands of the two courtiers, the Sayyid brothers.
Muhammad Shah
Mughal emperor, 1719–1748
After being chosen by the Sayyid Brothers of Barha, he ascended the throne at the young age of 18, under their strict supervision. He was a great patron of the arts and is often referred to as Muhammad Shah Rangila. His reign was marked by the rapid and irreversible decline of the Mughal Empire, made worse by Nader Shah's invasion of India and the sacking of Delhi in 1739.
Portrait of Muhammad Shah: Nidha Mal, Public domain, file
Ahmad Shah Bahadur
Mughal emperor, 1748–1754
He inherited a much weakened Mughal state and left all affairs of state to rivalling factions. He was deposed by the Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk and later blinded along with his mother.
Portrait of Ahmad Shah Bahadur: Gurkan1526, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Shah Alam II
Mughal emperor, 1760–1806
He fought against the East India Company at the Battle of Buxar in 1764 and was forced to grant the British the rights to collect taxes in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. His power was so depleted that a Persian saying described the empire of Shah Alam as stretching only from Delhi to Palam. In 1803 the British captured Delhi after their victory in the Second Anglo-Maratha War, with Shah Alam becoming their pensioner.
Portrait of Shah Alam II: Mughal Artist, Public domain, file
Akbar Shah II
Mughal emperor, 1806–1837
Akbar had little de facto power due to the increasing British influence in India through the East India Company. In 1835 the East India Company stopped calling itself a subject of the Mughal Emperor and issuing coins in his name.
Portrait of Akbar Shah II: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Bahadur Shah Zafar
Mughal emperor, 1837–1857
He was the twentieth and last Mughal emperor and an Urdu poet. He was a titular emperor with his authority limited to the Walled City of Delhi, but was declared the Emperor of India by the forces opposing East India Company forces during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was exiled to Rangoon in British-controlled Burma in December 1857 by the East India Company after the rebels were defeated.
Portrait of Bahadur Shah Zafar: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Culture
- Although the empire was created and sustained by military warfare, it did not vigorously suppress the cultures and peoples it came to rule.
- The basis of the empire's collective wealth was agricultural taxes, implemented by the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.
- There was conspicuous consumption among the Mughal elite, resulting in greater patronage of painting, literary forms, textiles, and architecture, especially during the reign of Shah Jahan.
- Among the Mughal UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South Asia are Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Lahore Fort, Shalamar Gardens, and the Taj Mahal.
Picture
The Taj Mahal is an ivory-white marble mausoleum in Agra that Shah Jahan commissioned in 1631 for his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Image: Yann; edited by Jim Carter, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
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Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.