The plan… New today, and continuing with India: The Muslim Conquest

Muslim conquest of india… The Muslim Conquest: Some key points (might be review for some of you…) Islam founded in 622 C.E. a spread throughout Europe and Asia; became the dominant faith from Spain to the Indian Ocean – those who followed/encouraged Islam = Muslims Muslim armies attacked the Northwestern regions of India in the tenth century Muslim conquest of India had begun… What type of India did the Muslims encounter? The Gupta empire was gone, thrust out by the invasion of the Huns of Central Asia India was highly unstable, rival Hindu princes were at war with each other in an effort to establish land holdings The land was not ruled by one united government = prime for a take over!

Key figures during the muslim conquest Some of the most effective invasions were led by Mahmud of Ghanzi Known as the “Sword of Islam”, he conquered the Punjab (northern region of India) by 1025 Fighting continued for the next 200 years to keep the Muslim invaders out of the rest of India 1206, Muslims established the city of Delhi in northern India What followed was the Delhi Sultanate, this empire would last for 300 years under the leadership of individuals known as “sultans” See map, page 359 in text for map of conquered lands…

Delhi Sultanate & Southern Kingdoms In order to maintain their power of their respected lands, the Delhi Sultanate & Southern Kingdoms used a combination of diplomacy (negotiations etc.) and warfare. Hindu rulers (southern India) would often pay monies to the sultan in order to be left alone. Sultans would often use murder and other schemes to fend off potential rivals For example, one sultan – Balban – poisoned 39 rivals, including some former friends, in an effort to maintain power when he came to rule The Delhi Sultanate could never defeat the Tamil kingdoms to the south The Chola Dynasty ruled this region of India for centuries, staving off both land and naval invasions from the northern powers The clashes between the northern Muslims and all attacked Hindu states to the south were basically clashes in belief systems These clashes continued until 1947, ending with the formation of Muslim Pakistan

The Mughals… The Delhi Sultanate ended in 1526 with the invasion of another Muslim group known as the Mughals Lead by Babar – a Mongol prince from Afghanistan – the Mughals were a group of fierce warriors, and were able to capitalize on the weaknesses of the Delhi Sultanate The Mughals contributed immensely to India, developing a rich culture, along with such monuments as the Taj Mahal Further to these developments, the Mughals were almost able to conquer the whole of India Your task will be to explore more on Babar and his grandson Akbar on your assigned work…

The Mughal Zenith… Following the reign of Akbar, three Mughal rulers came to extend the empire to its largest size. Jahangir (Akbar’s son) Shah Jahan (son of Jahangir) Aurangzeb (great-grandson of Akbar) These monarchs carried with them characteristics that could make them the most gracious of leaders, but at the same time the most ruthless of conquerors These leaders are remembered for their contributions to society – be it through art or listening to the concerns of their subjects – but at the same time for their greed and corruption Shah Jahan was more focussed on building the state gardens and architecture versus looking out for the welfare of his suffering population (sound like Nero much?)