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Mughal emperors

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

‹ The template Infobox former monarchy  is beingconsidered for merging. ›

badshah of the MughalEmpire

FORMER MONARCHY

IMPERIAL

Imperial Standard

Akbar the reat

First monar!h Babur 

"ast monar!h Bahadur Shah II

St#le His ImperialMajesty

Offi!ialresiden!e

 Agra ort

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Monar!h#started

!" April "#!$

Monar!h#ended

!% &une "'#'

The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal(mpire in South Asia )mainly *orthern India+

,a-istan and Bangladesh that /as ruled by

members of the Barlas Mongol Timurid 0ynasty. It

uled from the early "$th century to the early "'th

century /hen the Mughal emperors1 po/er

d/indled. It ended /ith the establishment of

he British 2aj in "'#'.

The imperial family /as descended from 3enghis

4han+ founder of the /orld1s largest contiguous

empire and Tamerlane or Timur the 3reat. 0ue to

descent from 3enghis 4han+ the family /as

called Mughal + the ,ersiani5ed 6ersion of his ethnic

group+ /hich is referred to as the Mongolic peoples.

The (nglish /ord mogul )e.g. media mogul+

business mogul+ meaning influential or po/erful+ or

a tycoon+ /as deri6ed from the name of thisdynasty.7"8 rom their descent from Tamerlane+ also

called the Amir + the family used the title of Mirza+

shortened Amirzade+ literally meaning 1born of the

Amir1.7!8 The burial places of the emperors illustrate

heir e9panding empire+ as the first emperor Babur +

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born in :5be-istan is buried in Afghanistan+ his sons

and grandsons+ namely A-bar the

3reat and &ahangir  inIndia and ,a-istan respecti6el

y+ and later descendants+ Shah

ahan and Aurang5eb in India. The lastemperor+ Bahadur Shah ;afar  is buried in Burma.

They /ere also a prominent influence of literature

n :rdu+ Hindi+ and Bengali. They ha6e been

continuously portrayed in many films+ the most

amous of /hich+ Mughal-e-Azamis about(mperor &ahangir 1s lo6e story< considered an Indian

classic and epic film and also the Bolly/ood

lm Jodhaa Akbar  about (mperor A-bar 1s )(mperor

ahangir1s father lo6e story and also a hindi serial

oddha a-bar same as the hindi mo6ie joddha a-bar.

(mperor &ahangir1s son /as the

,rince 4hurram /ho later /ent on to become

(mperor Shah &ahan and built one of the se6en

=onders of the =orld+ the famous Taj Mahal to

memoriali5e his lo6e for his /ife.

Map

Contents

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  7hide8

" Mughal (mpire

o "." Babur 

o ".! Humayun

o ".> A-bar 

o ".? &ahangir 

o ".# Shah &ahan

o ".$ Aurang5eb

o ".@ ater Mughals

o ".' ist of Mughal (mperors

o ". ater (mperors

o "."% Mughal family

! Marathas

> *i5ams of Hyderabad

? Si-hs

# (uropeans

o #." British influence

$ Successors

@ 2eferences

' urther reading

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genius+ /hereas Aurang5eb /as a proselyti5er of

orthodo9 Islam across the heterodo9 Indian

andscape.

$abur 7edit source C edit beta8

Main article: Babur 

Babur /as the first Mughal emperor. He /as born

on "? eb "?'> in Andijan )present

day :5be-istan+ the eldest son of Amir :mar

Shay-h Mir5a+ the son of AbE Sa Fd Mir5aʿ  )and

grandson of Miran Shah+ /ho /as himself sonof Timur  and his /ife Gutlugh *igar 4hanum+

daughter of ounus 4han+ the ruler

of Moghulistan )and greatDgreat grandson of Abha6h

Timur+ the son of (sen Bua II+ /ho /as the greatD

greatDgreat grandson of Jhaghatai 4han+ thesecond born son of 3enghis 4han. Babur /as

-no/n for his lo6e of beauty in addition to his

military ability. Babur concentrated on gaining

control of north/estern India. He /as in6ited to India

by 0aulat 4han odi and 2ana Sanga /ho /anted

o end the odi dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim odi in

#!$ at the irst battle of ,anipat+ a to/n north

of 0elhi. In "#!@ he defeated 2ana Sanga+

he 2ajput rulers and their allies at 4han/a. Babur

hen turned to the tas-s of persuading his Jentral

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Asian follo/ers to stay on in India and of

o6ercoming other contenders for po/er+ mainly

he 2ajputs and the Afghans. He succeeded in both

as-s but died shortly thereafter on !# 0ecember

#>% in Agra. He /as later buried in 4abul.

Babur 0efeats Sultan IbrKhFm+ the last of the LdF Sultans of0elhi )page from the Baburnama

Further information: Baburnama

Babur -ept the record of his life in Jhagatay Tur-ish+

he spo-en language of the Timurids and the/hole TurcoDMongol /orld at the time.

TheBaburnama is one of the longest e9amples of

sustained narrati6e prose in Jhagatai

Tur-ish. A-bar 1s regent+ Bairam 4han+

a Turcoman ofeastern Anatolian and A5erbaijani origin /hose

ather and grandfather had joined Babur1s ser6ice+

/rote poetry in Jhaghatai and ,ersian. His son+

AbdulD2ahim 4han-hanan+ /as fluent in

Jhaghatai+ Hindustani+ and ,ersian and composed

n all three languages. :sing Babur1s o/n te9t he

ranslated theBaburnama into ,ersian. The

Jhaghatai original /as last seen in the imperial

brary sometime bet/een "$!' and "$>'

during &ahangir 1s reign.

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Huma#un7edit source C edit beta8

light of Sultan Bahadur 0uring Humayun1s Jampaign in3ujarat "#>#

Baburs fa6orite son Humayun too- the reins of theempire after his father succumbed to disease at the

young age of fortyDse6en. Humayun lost control of

his -ingdom early on in his reign+ but later

/ith ,ersian aid+ he /ould e6entually regain an

e6en larger one.

Further information: her hah uri 

n "#>+ see-ing to e9pand his realm+

he ,ashtun general Sher 4han met Humayun at the

battle of Jhausa< a to/n situated

bet/een Naranasi and ,atna. Humayun /asdefeated and barely escaped /ith his o/n life and in

he follo/ing year+ "#?%+ his army of ?%+%%% /as

defeated by Sher 4han1s Afghan army of "#+%%%. A

popular ,ashtun general+ 4hulas 4han Mar/at+ /as

eading Sher 4han1s Army. This /as the first military

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6enture of 4hulas 4han Mar/at and soon he /ould

pro6e nightmarish for the Mughals.

Further information: uri Empire

Sher 4han1s Army+ under the command of 4hulas

4han Mar/at+ then established a monarchy in 0elhi/ith Sher 4han ruling under the title Sher Shah Suri<

he ruled from "#?% to "#?#. Sher Shah

Suri consolidated his

ealm from ,unjab to Bengal )he /as the first

conueror to enter Bengal since AlaDudDdin 4hilji<more than t/o centuries earlier. He is credited /ith

ha6ing organi5ed and administered the go6ernment

and military in such a manner that future Mughal

-ings used it as their o/n models. He also added to

he fort in 0elhi )supposed site of Indraprastha+ first

started by Humayun+ and no/ -no/n as the ,urana

Gila )Old ort. The Masjid GilaDiD4uhna inside the

ort is a masterpiece of the period+ though only parts

of it ha6e sur6i6ed.

Sher Shah Suri died from a gunpo/der e9plosion

during the siege of 4alinjar fort on !! May "#?#

ghting against the Jhandel 2ajputs.7>87?8 His charred

emains /ere interred in atomb at Sasaram )in

present day Bihar + mid/ay bet/een Naranasi

and Bodh 3aya. Although rarely 6isited+ future great

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Mughal builders such as A-bar+ &ahangir and Shah

ahan /ould emulate the architecture of this tomb.

The massi6e palaceDli-e mausoleum stands at >@

metres and three stories high.7#8 Sher Shahs

son Islam Shah held on to po/er until "##> butollo/ing his death the Sur dynasty lost most of its

nfluence due to strife and famine.

Humayun /as a -een astronomer. He died after

alling do/n the stairs of his o/n library in "##$.

Thus Humayun ruled in India for barely ten yearsand died at the age of fortyDeight+ lea6ing behind the

hen only thirteenDyearDold A-bar as his heir. As a

ribute to his father+ A-bar later built a tomb in

Humayun1s honour  in 0elhi )completed in "#@"+

rom red sandstone. Humayun1s Tomb /ould

become the precursor of future Mughal architecture.

A-bars mother and Humayuns /ife Hamida Banu

Begum personally super6ised the building of the

omb in his birthplace.

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Humayun1s Tomb

Akbar 7edit source C edit beta8

A-bar  succeeded his father+ Humayun /hose rule

/as interrupted by the Afghan Sur 0ynasty+ /hich

ebelled against him. It /as only just before his

death that Humayun /as able to regain the empire

and lea6e it to his son. In restoring and e9panding

Mughal rule+ A-bar based his authority on the ability

and loyalty of his follo/ers+ irrespecti6e of their

eligion. In "#$? the ji5ya ta9 on nonDMuslims /asabolished+ and bans on temple building and Hindu

pilgrimages /ere lifted.

A-bar1s methods of administration reinforced his

po/er against t/o possible sources of challengeP

he AfghanDTur-ish aristocracy and the traditionalnterpreters of Islamic la/+ theulama. He created a

an-ed imperial ser6ice based on ability rather than

birth+ /hose members /ere obliged to ser6e

/here6er reuired. They /ere remunerated /ith

cash rather than land and /ere -ept a/ay from their nherited estates+ thus centrali5ing the imperial

po/er base and assuring its supremacy. The military

and political functions of the imperial ser6ice /ere

separate from those of re6enue collection+ /hich

/as super6ised by the imperial treasury. This

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system of administration+ -no/n as the mansabdari+

/as based on loyal ser6ice and cash payments and

/as the bac-bone of the Mughal (mpire< its

effecti6eness depended on personal loyalty to the

emperor and his ability and /illingness to choose+emunerate+ and super6ise.

A-bar declared himself the final arbiter in all

disputes of la/ deri6ed from the Gur1an and the

sharia. He bac-ed his religious authority primarily

/ith his authority in the state. In "#'% he alsonitiated a syncretic court religion called the 0inDiD

ahi )0i6ine aith. In theory+ the ne/ faith /as

compatible /ith any other+ pro6ided that the de6otee

/as loyal to the emperor. In practice+ ho/e6er+ its

itual and content profoundly offended orthodo9

Muslims. The ulema found their influence

undermined.

Se6eral /ell -no/n heritage sites /ere built during

he reign of A-bar. The fort city of atehpur Si-ri /as

used as the political capital of the (mpire from "#@"

o "#@'. The numerous palaces and the grand

entrances /ith intricate art /or- ha6e been

ecogni5ed as a /orld heritage site by :*(SJO.

A-bar also began construction of his o/n

omb at Si-andra near  Agra in "$%% J(.

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%ahangir 7edit source C edit beta8

Mughal (mperor &ahangir  recei6ing his t/o sons+ in "$%#D%$

,rince Salim )b. "#$ son of a Hindu 2ajput

princess from Amber + /ho /ould later be -no/n as

(mperor &ahangir  sho/ed signs of restlessness

o/ards the end of the long reign of his father A-bar.

0uring the absence of his father from Agra he

pronounced himself -ing and turned rebellious.

A-bar+ ho/e6er+ /as able to /restle the throne

bac-.

0ue to the early deaths of his t/o brothers+ Murad

and 0aniyal from alcoholism+ Salim had no reason

o concern himself about his siblings1 aspirations to

he throne.

ahangir finally began his era as Mughal emperor

after the death of A-bar in the year "$%#. He

considered his third son ,rince 4hurram)the future

Shah &ahan+ born "#! to Hindu 2ajput princess

Manmati+ his fa6ourite. In "$"#+ a standoff bet/een

,rince 4hurram and The 2ana of Me/ar  resulted ina treaty acceptable to both parties. 4hurram /as

also -ept busy /ith se6eral campaigns in Bengal

and 4ashmir. &ahangir claimed 4hurram1s 6ictories

of this period as his o/n.

Shah %ahan7edit source C edit beta8

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The Taj Mahal+ named for Arjumand Banu+ /ho /as

called Mumta5 Mahal+ became one of the Se6en

=onders of the =orld.

The great &ama Masjid built by Shah &ahan /as the

argest in India at the time. He renamed 0elhi afterhimself as Shahjahanabad. The 2ed ort made of

ed sandstone built during his reign near &ama

Masjid around the same time came to be regarded

as the seat of po/er of India itself. The ,rime

Minister of India addresses the nation from theamparts of this fort on Independence day e6en to

his age.Shah &ahan also built or reno6ated forts in

0elhi and in Agra. =hite marble chambers that

ser6ed as li6ing uarters and other halls for public

audiences are e9amples of classic Mughal

architecture. Here in Agra fort+ Shah &ahan /ould

spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his

son+ Aurang5eb shuffling bet/een the hall/ays of

he palace+ suinting at the distant silhouette of his

amous Taj Mahal on the ban-s of 2i6er &amuna.

Aurang&eb7edit source C edit beta8

Aurang5eb+ /ho /as gi6en the title Q Alamgir Q or

/orldDsei5er+Q by his father+ is -no/n for e9panding

he empire1s frontiers and for his acceptance of

slam la/. 0uring his reign+ the Mughal empire

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eached its greatest e9tent

the Bijapur  and 3olconda Sultanates /hich had

been reduced to 6assalage by Shah &ahan /ere

ormally anne9ed.

n "$@+ Aurang5eb enforced the !izyah ta9 on *onDMuslims li-e "ak#t  ta9 /as enforced on Muslims.

This action by the emperor+ incited rebellion among

Hindus and others in many parts of the empire

notably the &ats+ Si-hs+ and 2ajputs forces in the

north and Maratha forces in the 0eccan. Theemperor managed to crush the rebellions in the

north. Aurang5eb /as compelled to mo6e his

headuarters to Aurangabad in the 0eccan to

mount a costly campaign against Maratha guerrilla

ghters led by Shi6aji and his successors+ /hich

asted t/entyDsi9 years until he died in "@%@ at the

age of eightyDnine.

Aurang5eb+ as is his father before him+ is

emembered as a builderDemperor. The Badshahi

Masjid )Imperial Mosue in ahore /as constructed

n "$@> on his orders. It /as not only the largest

mosue e6er built by a Mughal emperor but /as at

hat point the largest mosue in the /orld. He also

constructed the Alamgiri 3ate of the ahore ort+

/hich is today a :*(SJO =orld Heritage Site. Moti

Masjid inside 0elhi1s 2ed ort /as also finali5ed by

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him. He is also -no/n for his fanatic 6ie/ of Islam+

due to /hich he ra5ed many Hindu Temples.

The 4ashi Nish/anath Temple of

4ashiRNaranasi+ 4esa6a 0eo Templeof  Mathura

/ere some of the most famous temples he ra5e. He/as of the 6ie/ that royal treasury does not belong

o -ing but common man. He did not use any of the

oyal treasury for him and his family. In fact+ he used

o /rite holy ur1an and earn money and his /ife

used to /ea6e caps and copies of the holy uran to

support his earnings.

"ater Mughals7edit source C edit beta8

=hen Aurang5eb died close to the age of eighty+

here /ere se6enteen legitimate claimants to the

hrone that included not only his sons but also his

grandsons and great grandsons. After the death of

he emperor t/o brothers fought near Agra in the

same battle site that Aurang5eb had fought his

brother 0ara Shi-oh. ,rince Mua55am pre6ailed and

-illed his brother ,rince A5am Shah and assumed

he title Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam I.

After the death of Bahadur Shah I+ a ci6il /ar bro-e

out. &ahandar Shah+a son of Bahadur Shah I+

emerged 6ictorious in it /ith the support of ;ulfiar

4han /ho /as the most po/erful noble of the time.

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n 0eccan Saiyid Husain Ali 4han colluded /ith the

Marathas and attac-ed 0elhi and using tric-ery and

ntrigue sei5ed arru-hsiyar in the 2ed ort7citation

eeded 8. The emperor /as blinded and caged and later 

poisoned as /ell as stabbed to death7citation needed 8

.Ho/e6er+ prior to his death+ arru-hsiyar  had the

dubious distinction of aiding the British to ha6e a

rm foothold in India+ by signing the muchDco6eted

arman an imperial directi6e that /ould seal the

uture of British ta-eo6er of India.

Marathas /ere no/ constantly attac-ing 0elhi. Of

more conseuence and humiliation /as the plunder

of 0elhi by *adir Shah. A Timur descendent+ *adir

Shah usurped the throne in ,ersia and

sei5ed 4andahar  and 4abul. He marched through

,anjab and /as in6ited by Muhammad Shah as a

guest to 0elhi )only because he had neither the /ill

nor the resources to fight him. =ithin fortyDeight

hours+ using a lame e9cuse+ *adir Shah ordered a

general massacre of 0elhi citi5ens and looted e6ery

bit of /ealth they could e9tort out of the royalty as/ell as 0elhis citi5enry. *adir Shah remained in

0elhi for forty eight days and departed /ith millions

/orth of gold+ je/elry and coins. (6en the emperors

beje/eled peacoc- throne made during Shah

ahan1s reign /as pac-ed on elephants and carried

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a/ay to ,ersia. Another pri5e+ the 4ohDID

nur  diamond )Humayuns diamond no/ passed into

,ersian hands. ater an Afghani+ Ahmad Shah

Abdali started his incursions into 0elhi just for the

purpose of looting the capital. In a series of attac-sstarting in "@?' until "@$"+ Abdali /ould not only

pillage and loot 0elhi+ he also cleaned out

Mathura+ 4ashmir  and cities in ,anjab. rom the

east the British defeated the *a/ab of Bengal and

occupied the state of Bengal.

T/o Mughal (mperors and Shah Alam 2acinet+ c. "'@$

The raids by *adir Shah and repeated incursions of

Abdali resulted in uic- disposal of the ne9t t/o

emperors Ahmad Shah and Alamgir II until in

@# Shah Alam II ascended the throne. His reign

/ould last se6eral decades. Ho/e6er+ he /ould

preside o6er more loss of territory to the British.

=hen the *a/ab of Bengal lost to 2obert Jli6e+

Shah Alam II /as forced to recogni5e Jli6e as a

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di/an )chancellor and Bengal slipped to the British

hands permanently.

n "'%$ Shah Alams son A-bar Shah II acceded to

he much diminished empire of the Mughals and

uled until "'>@.He ga6e the title QrajaQ to 2ammohan roy. His son Bahadur Shah ;afar  /ould be

he last emperor of Mughals before the British

deposed him in "'#' and the Mughal dynasty /ould

officially come to an end. 0uring the Indian

2ebellion of "'#@+ Bahadur Shah II /as forced toa-e the side of the mutineers though he had no

po/er to affect the outcome of the e6ents. The

mutineers had out/itted his British sponsors and

no/ the emperor neither had the troops nor the

competence. He had no choice but to join the

/inning side. Ho/e6er+ the success of the mutineers

/as soon re6ersed and the octogenarian )he /as

eightyDt/o years old /as relie6ed of his empire and

deposed in "'#'. The emperor /as then e9iled to

2angoon in Burma /here he died in obscurity in

'$!.

"ist of Mughal Emperors7edit source C edit beta8

'ortrait (itular Name $irth Name

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B#bur 

U ;ahirDudDdin Muhammad

VWXY Z[V\] ^ _ !>

"?

$umayun

`[UW ہ

*asirDudDdin Muhammad

Humayun

`[UW VWXY Z[V\] ^ ہ

"@

her hah uri ` U ^ 

arid 4hanU V[ 

I%lam hah uri 

` U k]&alal 4han

U k 

$umayun

`[UW ہ

*asirDudDdin Muhammad

Humayun

`[UW VWXY Z[V\] ^ ہ

"@

 Akbar-e-Azam

] q]&alalDudDdin Muhammad

q] VWXY Z[V\] k "?

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Jahangir 

^U  

*urDudDdin Muhammad

Salim

^ VWXY Z[V\] ` 

!%

hah-Jahan-e-

 Azam

] U U 

ShahabDudDdin Muhammad

4hurram

VWXY Z[V\] U  # &

 Alamgir 

^W\UMuhyDudDdin Muhammad

 Aurang5eb

v[wx]VWXY Z[V\] XY ? *o

• il&er 'o(% %ignify the brief interregnum during

(hich the uri )yna%ty  ruled *orthern India+

"ater Emperors7edit source C edit beta8

'ortrait(itular 

Name$irth Name $irth Reig

Bahadur 

hah

Gutb udD0in

Muhammad

Mu1a55am

"?

October 

"$?>

" &une  z !@ eb

"@"!

)? yearsdays

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Jahandar 

hah

Ma1a5DudD0in

&ahandar Shah

Bahadur 

May

"$$"

!@ ebr

"@"! z

ebru

"@">

)% yearsdays

Farrukh%iyar  arru-hsiyar !% August

"$'#

"" &anu

"@"> z

ebru

"@")$ years

days

2afiDul

0arjat2afiDul 0arjat

>%

*o6ember 

"$

!' ebru

$ &une "

)% yearsdays

Shah &ahan

II2afi udD0aulah &une "$$

$ &une "

 z "

Septem

"@"

)% yearsdays

*e-u Siyar *i-usiyar 

Mohammed"$@ "@"

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Shah Alam II  Ali 3auhar !# &une

"@!'

!? 0ece

"@# z

*o6em

"'%$ )

years+ days

 A-bar Shah

II

Mir5a

 A-bar  or Akbar 

Shah Saani

!! April

"@$%

" *o6e

"'%$D

Septem

"'>@

Bahadur 

Shah II

 Abu ;afar Sirajuddin

Muhammad Bahadur 

Shah

;afar  or $ahadur Shah )afar 

!?

October 

"@@#

!'

Septem

"'>@ z

Septem

"'#@ )years+

days

Mughal famil#7edit source C edit beta8

3enealogy of the Mughal 0ynasty

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The Mughal (mperors practiced polygamy.$8 Besides their /i6es+ they also had a number of

concubines in their harem+ /ho produced children.

This ma-es it difficult to identify all the offspring of

each emperor. The principal offspring of eachemperor are pro6ided in the chart belo/.

Marathas7edit source C edit beta8

Maratha chieftains /ere originally in the ser6ice of

Bijapur sultans in the /estern 0eccan+ /hich /as

under siege by the Mughals.

hi&a!i  Bhonsle )"$>%z'% Shi6aji /as a fighter

egarded as the Qfather of the Maratha nation+Q /ho

oo- ad6antage of this conflict and car6ed out his

o/n principality near ,une+ /hich later became the

Maratha capital. Adopting guerrilla tactics+ he/aylaid cara6ans in order to sustain and e9pand his

army+ /hich soon had money+ arms+ and horses.

Shi6aji led a series of successful assaults in the

$$%s against Mughal strongholds+ including the

major port of Surat. Shi6aji1s battle cries/ere %(ara!  )translated 6ariously as freedom+ selfD

ule+ independence+ %(adharma )religious

reedom+ and gorak%ha )co/ protection.

Aurang5eb relentlessly pursued Shi6aji1s successors

bet/een "$'" and "@%# but e6entually retreated to

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he north as his treasury became depleted and as

housands of li6es had been lost either on the

battlefield or to natural calamities. In "@"@ a Mughal

emissary signed a treaty /ith

he Marathas confirming their claims to rule in the0eccan in return for ac-no/ledge the fictional

Mughal su5erainty and remission of annual ta9es.

The Marathas+ despite their military pro/ess and

eadership+ /ere not euipped to administer the

state or to underta-e socio economic reform tilldeath of Shi6aji+ but ShahujiBhosle understood the

mitations { brought ,esh/a raaj+ li-e ,M1s of

current day { e9panded his empire in !R>rd of

current India. They /ere primarily suited for stirring

he regional { Hindu dharma pride rather than for

attracting loyalty to an allDIndia confederacy. They

/ere left 6irtually alone and /ithout supplies before

he in6ading Afghan forces+ headed by Ahmad Shah

Abdali )later called Ahmad Shah 0urrani+ Maratha1s

/on ! battles of ,anipat+ but lost third Battle of

,anipatC,anipat in "@$"+ due to no coDoperationby 2ajput { Si-hempires+ to /hom Maratha1s ne6er

attac-ed { respected till. The shoc- of defeat

hastened the brea-Dup of their loosely -nit

confederacy into fi6e independent states and

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e9tinguished the hope of Maratha dominance in

ndia.

*i5ams of Hyderabad7edit source C edit beta8

Maratha raids

nto Berar + 4andesh+ 3ujarat and Mal/a resumed

after the death of Aurang5eb+ and loosened Mughal

control in the 0eccan. In "@!? Asaf &ah+ the

Mughal *izam ul Mulk + or 6iceroy+ of the 0eccan+

defeated se6eral contenders for control of the

Mughal southern pro6inces+ and established himself of ruler of an independent state /ith its capital

atHyderabad. He and his successors ruled as

hereditary *izam%+ and their state+ -no/n

as Hyderabad after the capital+ outlasted the Mughal

empire+ persisting until it /as incorporated intone/ly independent India in "?'. *i5amDulDMul-

Asaf &ahi /as a strong ruler and established an

orderly system of administration. He also attempted

o reform the re6enue system. The dynasty founded

by him came to be -no/n as the Asaf &ahi dynasty

and lasted until the accession of Hyderabad

o Independent India

Si-hs7edit source C edit beta8

This section does not !ite an# referen

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or sour!es. ,lease help impro6e this

section by adding citations to reliable

sources. :nsourced material may be

challenged and remo6ed. ,July ./01

The Afghan defeat of the Maratha armiesaccelerated the brea-a/ay of ,unjab from 0elhi and

helped the founding of Si-h o6erlordship in the

north/est. 2ooted in the bha-ti mo6ements that

de6eloped in the !nd century BJ. but s/ept across

*orth India during the "#th and "$th centuries+ theeachings of the Si-h gurus appealed to the hardD

/or-ing peasants. acing e9tended persecution

rom the Mughals+ the Si-hs+ under 3uru 3obind

Singh formed the 4halsa )Army of ,ure. The -halsa

ose up against the economic and political

epressions in ,unjab to/ard the end of

Aurang5eb1s rule. 3uerrilla fighters too- ad6antage

of the political instability created by the ,ersian and

Afghan onslaught against 0elhi+ enriching

hemsel6es and e9panding territorial control. By the

@@%s+ Si-h hegemony e9tended from the Indus inhe /est to the amuna in the east+ from Multan in

he south to &ammu in the north. &assa Singh

Ahlu/ahlia entered 0elhi /ith a large Si-h army in

@@$+ established hegemony+ but then decided

unilaterally to return to ,unjab.

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The Si-hs+ ho/e6er+ /ere a loose and disunited

conglomerate of t/el6e -inDgroups. :ltimately+ 2anjit

Singh /as able to unite these groups by force+ and

start Si-h rule that /ould e9tend from Afghanistan to

he 2i6er Sutlej+ and from 4ashmir and ada-h tohe borders of Sindh. 2anjit Singh employed rench

and British officers and introduced strict military

discipline into his army. It is said that his guns /ere

cast /ith the utmost of e9cellence and uality+ in

hat they /ere superior to any that the British had at

he time. urther fired by the prayers of the Si-h

0harma+ the Si-hs became a potent po/er in *orthD

/est India+ plugging the 4hyber pass from /hich

numerous in6asions had been launched into India+

ncluding by Ale9ander the 3reat+ Jhengi5 4han the

Mongol nomad+ *ader Shah the ,ersian -ing+ andMahmud 3ha5ni and Ahmad Shah Abdali the

Afghans.

2anjit Singh /rested 4ashmir from Afghan rule after 

he Afghans bac-trac-ed on fulfilling their part of the

promise for the conuest of 4ashmir for /hich 2anjitSingh committed troops from the outside in the form

of assistance+ for /hich he /as to be paid a certain

sum from the 4ashmir treasury. But+ the ruler of

Afghan instructed his brother+ 0ost Muhamed+ the

ne/ 3o6ernor of 4ashmir+ to /ithhold payment to

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2anjit Singh. At that insult+ 2anjit Singh uietly

/ithdre/ his troops+ and ambushed near 4hyber

pass the /hole Afghan army returning from 4ashmir.

Only si9 people managed to escape that ambushP

he ruler of Afghanistan+ his brother+ and four othersP/ho ran from battle+ lea6ing their army to be

slaughtered by the Si-hs.

(uropeans7edit source C edit beta8

This section does not !ite an# referen

or sour!es. ,lease help impro6e this

section by adding citations to reliable

sources. :nsourced material may be

challenged and remo6ed. ,June ./01

Nasco da 3ama led the first documented (uropean

e9pedition to India+ sailing into Jalicut on the

south/est coast in "?'. In "#"%

he ,ortuguese captured 3oa+ /hich became the

seat of their acti6ity. :nder Admiral Afonso de

Albuuerue+ ,ortugal successfully challenged Arab

po/er in the Indian Ocean and dominated the seaoutes for a century.&esuits came to con6ert+ to

con6erse+ and to record obser6ations of India.

The ,rotestant countries of the *etherlands and

(ngland+ upset by the ,ortuguese monopoly+

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ormed pri6ate trading companies at the turn of the

@th century to challenge the ,ortuguese.

Mughal officials permitted the ne/ carriers of India1s

considerable e9port trade to establish trading posts

factories in India. The 0utch (ast IndiaJompany concentrated mainly on the spice trade

rom presentDday Indonesia. Britain1s (ast India

Jompany carried on trade /ith India. The rench

(ast India Jompany also set up factories.

An engra6ing titled QSepoy Indian troops di6iding the spoils

fter their mutiny against British ruleQ gi6es a contemporaryie/ of e6ents from the British perspecti6e.

0uring the /ars of the "'th century+ the factories

ser6ed not only as collection and transshipment

points for trade but also increasingly as fortified

centres of refuge for both foreigners and Indians.British factories gradually began to apply British

a/ to disputes arising /ithin their jurisdiction. The

posts also began to gro/ in area and population.

Armed company ser6ants /ere effecti6e protectors

of trade. As ri6al contenders for po/er called for

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armed assistance and as indi6idual (uropean

ad6enturers found permanent homes in India+ British

and rench companies found themsel6es more and

more in6ol6ed in local politics in the south and

n Bengal. ,lots and counterplots clima9ed/hen British (ast India Jompany forces+ led

by 2obert Jli6e+ defeated the forces of *a/ab+7citation

eeded 8 SirajDudD0a/lah at ,lassey ),ilasi in Bengal in

@#@+ through treachery of his real maternal uncle.

An Indian depiction of a "@thDcentury0utch ship offhe Joromandel Joast

$ritish influen!e7edit source C edit beta8

This section does not !ite an# referen!es

or sour!es. ,lease help impro6e this

section byadding citations to reliablesources. :nsourced material may be

challenged and remo6ed. ,June ./01

(nglish company agents became familiar /ith

ndian customs and languages+

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ncluding :rdu and ,ersian+ the unifying official

anguage under the Mughals. In many /ays+ the

(nglish agents of that period li6ed li-e Indians+

ntermarried /illingly+ and a large number of them

ne6er returned to their home country. The-no/ledge of India thus acuired and the mutual

es forged /ith Indian trading groups ga6e the

(nglish a competiti6e edge o6er other (uropeans.

The rench commercial interestPJompagnie des

ndes Orientales )(ast India Jompany+ founded in

$$?DDcame late+ but the rench also established

hemsel6es in India+ emulating the precedents set

by their competitors as they founded their encla6e

at ,ondich|ry on the Joromandel Joast.

n "@"@ the Mughal emperor+ arru-hsiyar  )r. "@">D

+ ga6e the BritishP/ho by then had already

established themsel6es in the south and the eastPa

grant of thirtyDeight 6illages near Jalcutta+

ac-no/ledging their importance to the continuity of

nternational trade in the Bengal economy. As did

he 0utch and the rench+ the Britishbrought sil6er  bullion and copper  to pay for

ransactions+ helping the smooth functioning of the

Mughal re6enue system and increasing the benefits

o local artisans and traders.

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The fortified /arehouses of the British brought

e9traterritorial status+ /hich enabled them to

administer their o/n ci6il and criminal la/s and

offered numerous employment opportunities as /ell

as asylum to foreigners and Indians. The Britishactories successfully competed /ith their ri6als as

heir si5e and population gre/. The original clusters

of fishing 6illages )Madras and Jalcutta or series of 

slands )Bombay became headuarters of the

British administrati6e 5ones+ or presidencies as they

generally came to be -no/n. The factories and their

mmediate en6irons+ -no/n as the =hiteDto/n+

epresented the actual and symbolic preeminence of 

he BritishPin terms of their political po/erPas /ell

as their cultural 6alues and social practices<

mean/hile+ their Indian collaborators li6ed in theBlac-Dto/n+ separated from the factories by se6eral

-ilometres.

The British company employed sepoysP(uropeanD

rained and (uropeanDled Indian soldiersPto protect

ts trade+ but local rulers sought their ser6ices tosettle scores in regional po/er struggles. South

ndia /itnessed the first open confrontation bet/een

he British and the rench+ /hose forces /ere led

by 2obert Jli6e and ran}ois 0uplei9+ respecti6ely.

Both companies desired to place their o/n

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candidate as the na/ab+ or ruler+ of Arcot+ the area

around Madras. At the end of a protracted struggle

bet/een "@?? and "@$>+ /hen the ,eace of ,aris

/as signed+ the British gained an upper hand o6er

he rench and installed their man in po/er+supporting him further /ith arms and lending large

sums as /ell. The rench and the British also

bac-ed different factions in the succession struggle

or Mughal 6iceroyalty in Bengal+ but Jli6e

nter6ened successfully and defeated *a/ab SirajD

udDdaula in the Battle of ,lassey ),alashi+ about "#%

-ilometres north of Jalcutta in "@#@. Jli6e found

help from a combination of 6ested interests that

opposed the e9isting na/ab~ disgruntled soldiers+

andholders+ and influential merchants /hose

commercial profits /ere closely lin-ed to Britishortunes.

ater+ Jli6e defeated the Mughal forces

at Bu9ar  )Ba-sar+ /est of ,atna in Bihar in "@$#+

and the Mughal emperor )Shah Alam+ r. "@#D"'%$

conferred on the company rights to collect re6enuerom Bengal+ Bihar + and Odisha+ a region of roughly

!# million people /ith an annual re6enue of ?%

million rupees )for current 6alue of the rupee. The

mperial grant 6irtually established the company as a

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!. * Q,light of Mir5a SulaymanQ. Jollections.6am.ac.u-. !# August !%%. 2etrie6ed !%"!D%?D!.

>. * Shershah Suri1s Tomb+ Sasaram D Tic-eted

Monument  Archaeological ur&ey of India

?. * 4issling+ H. &.< *. Barbour< Bertold Spuler< &.

S. Trimingham< . 2. J. Bagley< H. Braun< H. Hartel)"@. 2he 3a%t 4reat Mu%lim Empire%. B2I. p. >%!. ISB* %D

%?D%!"%?D>. 2etrie6ed !%""D%@D!%.

#. * QShershah Suri1s Tomb+ Sasaram D Tic-eted Monument D

 Archaeological Sur6ey of IndiaQ. Asi.nic.in. 2etrie6ed !%"!D%?D!.

$. * 0alrymple+ =illiam )!%%$. 2he 3a%t Mughal .ondon~ Bloomsbury ,ublishing ,lc. p. ??. ISB* @'D"D

?%''D%%!D'.

•  This article incorporates public domain

material from /ebsites or documents of

the ibrary of Jongress Jountry Studies.D India ,a-istan

urther reading7edit source C edit beta8

• Majumdar+ 2. J. )ed.+ The History and Julture

of the Indian ,eople+ Nolume NI+ The 0elhi

Sultanate+ Bombay+ "$%< Nolume NII+ TheMughal (mpire+ Bombay+ "@>.

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The Mughal Empire

Vinay Lal

The great grandson of Tamerlane, Babar, who on his mother's side was descended

rom the famous enghi! "han, came to #ndia in $%& at the re(uest of an #ndian

o)ernor who sought Babar's help in his fight against #brahim Lodi, the last head of 

he *elhi +ultanate Babar defeated Lodi at -anipat, not far from *elhi, and soame to establish the Mughal .mpire in #ndia Babar ruled until $%/0, and was

ucceeded by his son 1umayun, who ga)e the empire its first distincti)e features

ut it is 1umayun's son, 2kbar the reat, who is con)entionally described as the

lory of the empire 2kbar reigned from $%% to $0%, and e3tended his empire as

ar to the west as 2fghanistan, and as far south as the oda)ari ri)er 2kbar, though

Muslim, is remembered as a tolerant ruler, and he e)en started a new faith, *in4i4

ahi, which was an attempt to blend #slam with 1induism, 5hristianity, 6ainism,

nd other faiths 1e won o)er the 1indus by naming them to important military and

i)il positions, by conferring honors upon them, and by marrying a 1indu princess

2kbar was succeeded by his son +alim, who took the

title of 6ahangir  #n his reign 7$0%4$&89, 6ahangir

consolidated the gains made by his father The courtly

culture of the Mughals flourished under his rule: like

his great grand4father, Babar, he had an interest in

gardens, and Mughal painting probably reached its

!enith in 6ahangir's time 6ahangir married ;ur 6ahan,

<Light of the World<, in $$$ +hortly after his death in

=ctober $&8, his son, +hah 6ahan, succeeded to the

throne 1e inherited a )ast and rich empire: and at mid4

century this was perhaps the greatest empire in the

world, e3hibiting a degree of centrali!ed control rarely

matched before +hah 6ahan left behind an

e3traordinarily rich architectural legacy, which includes

the Ta> Mahal and the old city of *elhi, +hah>ahanabad

2s he apparently lay dying in $%?, a war of succession

 broke out between his four sons The two principal

claimants to the throne were *ara +hikoh, who was

championed by the those nobles and officers who werecommitted to the eclectic policies of pre)ious rulers,

and 2urang!eb, who was fa)ored by powerful men

more inclined to turn the Mughal .mpire into an

#slamic state sub>ect to the laws of the +haria #t is

2urang!eb who triumphed, and though the Mughal .mpire saw yet further

3pansion in the early years of his long reign 7$%?4$8089, by the later part of the

e)enteenth century the empire was beginning to disintegrate

2urang!eb remains a highly contro)ersial figure, and no monarch has been more

ub>ected to the communalist reading of #ndian history 1e is admired by Muslim

@e>oicing at birth of -rince

+alim 76ahangir9 Mughal, c$%A0

5lick for a large image )iew9

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