The Mughals Indian empire that ruled for more than 300 years (1526 to 1858), except for a brief period under the Sur sultans (1540-1555).
Description Founded in 1526. Dominated India between 17th and 18th centuries. Empire ended in mid-1900s. Descended from Mongolian ancestors around Pakistan. Population at height: between 110 and 130 million people. Sophisticated, mixed Indo-Persian culture.
Brief History Empire founded in 1526 by Emperor Babur. Prospered under first 6 emperors, referred to as the Great Mughals. 2nd emperor, Humayan, lost several battles to Sher Shah Suri, losing control of Hindustan. 3rd emperor Akbar (circa 1700) regained control of Hindustan. Greatest Mughal ruler. 5th ruler Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in 1653. Empire declined under 6th emperor, Aurangzeb. Wars of succession, local revolts. By 1765, the Mughal emperor had become a pensioner of the British East India Company. Empire had several more mediocre rulers, finally ending in 1857 with expulsion to Burma (by British) of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Influence on India Centralized government system. Persian art/culture merged with native Indian art/culture. New trade routes with Arabs and Turks. Mughlai cuisine. New architectural style. Landscape gardening. Urdu language developed from the fusion of Indian and Islamic culture. Urdu = Persian + Arabic + Turkish
Art Known for manuscripts and Persian miniature paintings. Very symbolic. Involved a lot of nature (birds, flowers, animals, etc.) Very colorful and detailed. In 1680 Emporer Shah Jahan banned music and painting from his court, but he allowed architectural art, such as the Pearl Mosque and the Taj Mahal.
Architecture Nearly 400 monuments have survived a time-span of 132 years. White marble and red sandstone was favored. Semi-precious gemstones were popular (jade, crystal, etc.) Used arches sparingly. Symmetry and balance stressed. Used octagons a lot.
Interesting Facts Hyderabad, Jammu, and Kashmir were the only princely states that did not accede to either India or Pakistan. Currency is called the Rupee. Language is a combination of Persian, Chagatai, and Urdu.
The Mughal emperors (first six rulers). THE MUGHAL EMPIRE (1526-1707) The Mughal emperors (first six rulers). BABUR (1526-30) HUMAYUN (1530-56) AKBAR (1556-1605) JAHANGIR (1605-28) SHAHJAHAN (1628-58) AURANGZEB (1658-1707)
THE LARGEST ARMY The Mughals maintained the largest standing army of that time. Just one estimate: In 1628 there 200,000 salaried cavalrymen, 8000 mansabdars, 7000 ahadis and mounted musketeers were stationed at the imperial capital, besides the armies of the nobles, mansabdars and the princes. In many instances they had the fastest moving army as well. Akbar was able to cover a distance of 500
THE LARGEST ARMY… miles (normally it took twenty-one days), in nine days to crush a rebellion (this feat was never repeated). Mughal dynamism depended on its military conquest, so much that some historians call it “a war state (J F Richards). Mughal emperors made little apology for attacking the neighbouring rulers and they regarded the
HUMAYUN’S TOMB, DELHI
THE TAJ MAHAL
ANOTHER VIEW OF TAJ MAHAL
DIWAN-I-KHAS, DELHI
LAL QILA, DELHI
FATEHPUR SIKRI
SHALIMAR BAGH, KASHMIR