1. The Mogul Empire
1200: start of muslim rule in India (captial Delhi) ** Did not force hindus to convert RULED NORTH INDIA
** hindu had to pay special tax & couldn’t hold high government office

2. Babur
He founded the empire in 1526 when he defeated a Delhi sultan
His army of 12,000 defeated the sultan’s 100,000 men
Moguls were descendants of the Mongols, Turks, Iranians and Afghans
Claimed to be a descendant of Genghis Kahn “The Tiger” *** captured Agra & Delhi & named himself Sultan***
Defeat was easy because he was a military genius and use of CANNONS & other artillery (muskets)
** *** his forces rode horses not elephants

3. Babur Educated warrior Fond of poetry
Created Persian gardens wherever he conquered, missed cool climate of his homeland (see painting)
He wasn’t happy in “hindustan” he said it lacked any charm
Military genius
Poet, author - wrote his memoirs

4. Babur He had to fight to keep order in his society
Victory at Kanwaha on March 10, 1527
Became absolute ruler of North India
Spent the rest of his life trying to organize his empire & build his capital- Agra
Died 12/126/1530
Empire passed to his son Hymayan

5. Humayan Walks the fine line between tragedy & embarassment
Lost empire to rival, had to flee to Safavid empire (Persia / Iran) for help
Son Akbar born during exile, left behind with mother and guardian
Lost empire to rival (afghan) Sher Shah
Safavids allow him to stay for 10 years - send him back with an army to defeat Afghans
re-establishes power- one year later dies…

6. With help of Safavids, Humayan regained the empire, 1555
Humayan’s Tomb
With help of Safavids, Humayan regained the empire, 1555
Shortly after, fell down stairs of his observatory, and died (1556)
Major loser in history
In the words of one chronicler, he “stumbled out of this life much as he had stumbled through it”.
** probably under the influence of opium of alcohol ******Greatest thing Humanyan did was a have a son

7. Akbar 1556-1605 He was Babur’s grandson and took the throne at 13
He spent most of his reign making and changing administrative policies
Added many new territories to the empire and built the largest army in Mogul history
Very modern for time period (time of reign) *** cultural & economic progress
* Lets them celebrate Diwaly - festival of lights for Hindu’s

8. Akbar (Ruled )
Akbar Restrains Hawa'i, an Enraged Elephant by Basawan with Chitra c. 1590

9. Akbar
He was one of the first Mogul rulers to effectively rule the diverse ethnic make-up of the empire
Akbar, a Muslim, appointed Hindus to high ranking positions
He encouraged intermarriage
He accepted all religions and sects
Himself married a hindu woman **respected eachother *** He also supported intellectual & cultural life
* Accepting all religions he hoped to create loyalty & harmony amongst all religions

11. Jahangir
Often drunken and cruel, his later years found him often incapacitated by opium and alcohol abuse
Married a 34 year-old Persian widow he renamed Nur Jahan
Nur Jahan “Light of the World” She would become one of the strongest personalities of the Mogul period
**Created political instability -- government became corrupt
Painting commissioned by Akbar celebrating the birth of Jahangir

12. Jahangir
Nur Jahan was the de facto ruler of the Mogul empire for the last half of Jahangir’s reign, due to his laziness and inebriation.
She schemed to get her relatives in positions of power
Replaced by his son Prince Khurram, who he renamed Shah Jahan (“Emperor of the World”)

13. Shah Jahan
Prince Khurram took the throne at 35 and changed his name to Shah Jahan
He spent most of his time trying to expand south
Shah Jahan (king of the world) given name because of his military victories ** 5th son of Jahangir– not eldest but favorite (all brothers died of mysterious circumstances)

14. Shah Jhan He was a competent commander with a strict sense of justice
During his rule he built palaces, mosques and gardens
The best known structure is the Taj Mahal
When he became sick his sons fought for control of the empire

16. Shah Jahan
Eventually his son Aurangzeb captured the throne and imprisoned his father at Fort Agra because he supported Dara Shukoh (an older son)
Although it sounds harsh, most Mogul rulers killed their fathers upon succession
Empire went into decline

17. TAJ MAHAL
Shah Jahan built the mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal in Agra
It is constructed of materials from India and all over Asia
Name= Jewel of the Palace ***married 19 years & she died giving birth to 14th child***
**** Her last wish was for him to create a symbol of their love***** **** took 20,000 laborers, 22 years*** ***used 1,000s of elephants to move construction material*** SYMBOLIZE: stability, power & confidence

18. The Taj from a window at Fort Agra
Also a symbol of love between two people
The Taj from a window at Fort Agra

20. 28 varieties of semi-precious stones were used – inlay work
28 varieties of semi-precious stones were used – inlay work **** always appears to be a different color– depending on the moon or sunlight
White marble

21. Many precious stones and Lapis Lazuli (a semi-precious stone) were ripped off from its walls by the Britishers during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

26. What did Mumtaz Mahal* look like?
According to art historian Milo Beach, "There are paintings that are labeled 'Mumtaz Mahal,' but they are simply generalized depictions of a Mughal beauty. There's virtually no contemporary account of her, because none of the historians would have had contact with her. . . Under Mohammed's law of "purdah," the law of the veil, women were obliged to hide their faces from public view. The only women depicted in paintings were court dancers and entertainers; it was taboo to paint royal women. . . Royal women were kept in seclusion, but that has nothing to do with the power they held. They clearly were extremely powerful. Shah Jahan's father, Jahangir, married a woman named Nur Jahan who was really the person who ran the empire for the second half of Jahangir's reign, when he became addicted to opium and alcohol. He barely functioned as an emperor, and she ran the country."
*birth name: Arjumand Banu Begum

27. Mughal Expansion Under Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb also known as Alamgir (“World Conqueror”)
Aurangzeb launched military campaigns that eventually added most of the Deccan and South India to the empire
The cost of these expeditions would later weaken the empire

28. Cost of Aurangzeb’s Deccan Campaigns
Casualities: approximately 100,000 lives per year for the last several decades of his attacks, often the result of capturing a Maratha fort one week, losing it the next, then recapturing it.
A moving capital city of tents 30 miles in circumference, over 250 bazaars, 500,000 camp followers, 50,000 camels, and 30,000 elephants, all of whom had to be fed
The Deccan was stripped of its wealth. Famine and bubonic plague took even more lives among civilians
The anger of Hindus was raised against this Moslem king as a result of his cruelty to non-believers. Ex. the Maratha ruler Sambhaji was captured, tortured, and butchered to death
Nearing 90, Aurangzeb finally withdrew in 1705, reading and copying the Qur’an in preparation for his death. He confessed to his son, “I came alone, and I go as a stranger. I do not know who I am, nor what I have been doing. I have sinned terribly, and I do not know what punishment awaits me.”

29. Aurangzeb (Ruled )
In 1657, Shah Jahan fell seriously ill, triggering the succession battle among his sons.
The more tolerant and scholarly son Dara Shikoh was defeated by Aurangzeb, a more pious Moslem.
Shah Jahan recovered, but it was too late for Aurangzeb to back down. He had Shah Jahan imprisoned and the head of Dara Shikoh sent to him in jail. Shah Jahan lived out his life looking at the Taj Mahal from his prison window.
Aurangzeb killed all his brothers and any other collateral male relatives deemed a threat.

30. End of Mughal Empire
While at the beginning of the eighteenth century the Mughal empire looked strong, it was beginning to decline and decay
Weak rulers, regional rivalries, and foreign invasion all eventually brought the empire to an end
The Europeans, especially the British and the French, were setting the stage for the next period of Indian history (division and British conquest)
Last emperor sent into exile by British following Great Mutiny of 1857