1. Click here for hook video 
(India)
The mughal empire

2. HISTORY OF INDIA IN 1400S Very lush country with many cities & temples
Hindu lower classes labored for Muslim/Hindu masters
Gupta Empire collapsing
1st Ottomans (Timur the Lame) conquers New Delhi, then…
Huge clash between Hindus (India)
& Muslims (Ottomans)
 Hindus won
Delhi is destroyed and weak

3. BABUR 1494 – 11 yr. old boy, BABUR, inherits
kingdom northwest of India  But
elders drove him away
He moved south & later set groundwork for Mughal Empire
Strong & sensitive leader; “Renaissance Man”
Defeated massive RAJPUT army (“sons of kings” or Turkish warlords & moved into Delhi
Area weak, so nomadic people invade India, called Mughals or “Mongols” (Muslim)

4. AKBAR: THE GOLDEN AGE Grandson of Babur; aka “Great One”
1556 – 1605: comes to power, gains land & builds a unified Mughal Empire – Golden Age
He is a Muslim

5. AKBAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SLIDE 1
Rules with religious tolerance
Abolishes special taxes on non-Muslims
Bureaucracy of educated officials rules efficiently
Reorganized taxes to represent % of crops (more $)
War-like – armies are equipped with heavy artillery
Employs some potential enemies
Strongly utilized composite bow &
arrow weaponry

6. AKBAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SLIDE 2
Strongly utilized new weapons of war:
Composite bow & arrow horse archery
Damascus Swords
Rockets
War Elephants

7. MUGHAL COMPOSITE BOW AND ARROW HORSE ARCHERY Video

8. DAMASCUS SWORDS Video

9. ROCKETS!! Video

10. WAR ELEPHANTS Video

11. AKBAR’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS SLIDE 3
Cultural diffusion – many cultures/languages combined
Upper class spoke Persian
Common people spoke Hindi (Persian & local language)
Army people spoke Urdu (Arabic, Persian & Hindi)
book illustrations – miniatures were
detailed, colorful stories
library & schools
architecture – massive, graceful, decorated with stonework of Hindu themes

12. JAHANGIR Akbar dies in 1605; his son rules aka “Grasper of the World”
weak ruler & relied on his wife, NUR JAHEN
Raises taxes & neglects people
Persecutes Sikhs religion that blends Buddhism, Hinduism, & mysticism
Ended religious toleration

13. SHAH JAHAN Secured the throne through assassination of all rivals
Greatest accomplishment: built TAJ MAHAL as a tomb for his deceased wife, Mumtaz Mahal
BUT country suffered because spent so much time & money to build it  increased taxes

14. TAJ MAHAL VIDEO

15. Specs of the Taj Mahal Video

16. AURANGZEB Shah Jahan is sick so 3rd son, AURANGZEB, takes throne
(kills brother & puts S. Jahan in prison)
EXPANDS MUGHAL EMPIRE TO ITS GREATEST SIZE
BUT empire is weak because of oppression of his people (harsh laws & destroys temples)

17. EMPIRE’S DECLINE & DECAY
Long line of weak rulers  Mughal Emperor now only a wealthy figurehead
Empire no longer united because of corruption; now a bunch of independent states

18. EUROPEANS MOVE IN TO TRADE
Europeans (Portuguese, Dutch, French, & English) had trading outposts set up in Mughal Empire the whole time  Mughals were not threatened by them
Aurangzeb gave them port of Bombay  big mistake , BIG important city for trade in the future.
TRADE: British wanted Indian
textiles, mostly COTTON & SPICES

20. Crash Course Video
Summarizes the Mughal Empire’s leaders: Akbar and Aurangzeb gE