IV. Mughal Empire

1. The Mughals built a powerful army with guns & cannons A. The Mughals were Muslims who descended from Turks, Afghans, & Mongols living in central Asia 1. The Mughals built a powerful army with guns & cannons

B. 1494, Babur became king of the Mughals, expanded the army, & began invasions into India to create his empire C. In 1556, Babur’s grandson Akbar became king of the Mughal Empire & expanded the empire into almost all of India

1. Akbar was the greatest of all the Mughal Shahs a. Akbar’s greatest achievement was cultural blending & religious toleration i. He held religious discussions with Hindu & Muslim scholars ii. He ended the tax which non-Muslims were required to pay & created a fair & affordable tax system iii. Because he was Muslim ruling in a largely Hindu region, Akbar allowed non-Muslims to worship freely He married many wives, among them were Muslim, Hindu, & Christian women

b. The best example of Akbar’s tolerance was his creation of a new religion called the Divine Faith i. The Divine Faith blended ideas from Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, & Zoroastrianism ii. Akbar hoped the Divine Faith would end conflicts between Muslims & Hindus IMAGE: Mughal Emperor Akbar (r. 1556-1605) holds a religious assembly in the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in Fatehpur Sikri; the two men dressed in black are the Jesuit missionaries Rodolfo Acquaviva and Francisco Henriques illustration to the Akbarnama, miniature painting by Nar Singh, ca. 1605 Din–i–Ilahi or "divine faith," describes the religious teachings developed by the third emperor of the Mughal Empire, Akbar the Great, in the late–16th century. Akbar's teachings had their foundations in regular discussions at the Ibadat Khana, "The House of Worship," in Fatehpur Sikri, where he hosted religious leaders and theologians of various faiths, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Jains. Seeking a common ground among religions, his teachings synthesize ideas from multiple faiths, do not have a sacred scripture and include a form of sun–worship that reflects Hindu and Zoroastrian influences. Virtues of celibacy, kindness and piety are encouraged, and vices of lust and pride are condemned. Despite transcendent aims, Din–i–Ilahi centered primarily on Akbar as a divine personage and did not attract many followers outside the realm of Akbar's court.

c. During Akbar’s reign, art flourished i. Mughal artists were known for their colorful paintings called miniatures

d. Mughal architecture was known for blending of Hindu & Islamic designs i. The greatest example of Mughal architecture is the Taj Mahal (built in 1631 by Shah Jahan)

D. The Decline of the Mughal Empire 1. The Mughal Empire grew weak by 1700 as kings spent too much money on palaces & war 2. The large population of Hindus in India began to revolt against their Muslim rulers 3. Great Britain took advantage of this weakness, conquered India, & removed the last Mughal emperor from power in 1858 The Empire’s Decline and Decay By the end of Aurangzeb’s reign, he had drained the empire of its resources. Over 2 million people died in a famine while Aurangzeb was away waging war. Most of his subjects felt little or no loyalty to him. As the power of the central state weakened, the power of local lords grew. After Aurangzeb’s death, his sons fought a war of succession. In fact, three emperors reigned in the first 12 years after Aurangzeb died. By the end of this period, the Mughal emperor was nothing but a wealthy figurehead. He ruled not a united empire but a patchwork of independent states. In 1806 Shah Alam’s son Akbar Shah II acceded to the much diminished empire of the Mughals and ruled until 1837. 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.

B. These empires provided new contributions in law, art, & religion V. Conclusions A. The Ottomans, Safavids, & Mughals built large Islamic empires using gunpowder militaries B. These empires provided new contributions in law, art, & religion C. But, their decline by the 1800s allowed newly industrialized European nations to dominate Asia

Ottomans Safavids Mughals Location of the Empire Leaders Law & Gov’t   Ottomans Safavids Mughals Location of the Empire Leaders Law & Gov’t Religion Art

Video Clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbuM0aJjVgE

Closure Activity Complete the chart on the bottom of the notes that compares the 3 gunpowder empires; Be prepared to answer some discussion questions when finished Create an acrostic for each empire by using at least 3 words that describe the empire Ottomans Safavids Mughals O S M Acrostic ideas: Ottomans: Open to religion, Opportunities to trade, Organized law by Suleyman, etc. Safavids: Shah Abbas blended cultures, Strict Shi’a Muslims, Sells Persian carpets, etc. Mughals: Merged religions in Divine Faith, Married non-Muslims (Akbar), Made Taj Mahal, Muslims leaders like Babar and Akbar, etc.