The Mughal Empire spanned most of the Indian subcontinent from the
16th-19th centuries and contributed greatly to the Indian fine arts.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Provide an overview of the rise and fall, as well as the contributions, of the Mughal Empire.
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The Mughal dynasty was founded by Babur ( who ruled 1526-1530), a Mongol-Turkic prince from
Central Asia.
The emperor Akbar (ruled 1556-1605) extended the boundaries of the Mughal emperor through
military conquests and diplomacy, set up efficient structures of government, and pursued policies
of religious conciliation and harmony towards his Hindu subjects.
Mughal architecture reached its zenith under Shah Jahan (ruled 1628-1658). The Taj Mahal was
constructed during this period.
The Mughal emperors were enthusiastic patrons of the arts. Their biggest contribution to the
Indian arts were Mughal architecture and painting, both of which were amalgams of Persian and
Turkic styles with local Indian styles.
The Mughal Empire declined in political, economic, and cultural strength after the death of the
emperor Aurangzeb in 1707 and finally collapsed at the hands of the British Raj in 1857.
TERMS [ edit ]
dissension
Strong disagreement; a contention or quarrel; discord.
amalgam
A combination of different things
Give us feedback on this content: FULL TEXT [edit ]
The MughalEmpire was an imperial power
that ruled most of the Indian subcontinent
from the 16thto the mid-18th century and
continued to exist as a considerably
weaker entity until 1857. The Mughals
were a Muslim dynasty of Turkic-Mongol
origin, descended from Genghis Khan and
Timur. At the height of their power in the
late 17th and early 18th centuries, they
controlled most of the subcontinent, and
their lands stretched over a territory of 1.2
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million square miles.
The History of the Great Mughals
The Mughal dynasty was founded by Babur (r. 1526-1530 CE), a Mongol-Turkic prince from
Ferghana (modern Uzbekistan). Ousted from his lands in Central Asia, he turned his
attention to the fertile lands of the Delhi Sultanate in northern India. From his base in Kabul,
which he conquered in 1504, he gradually captured more territory farther east. Babur finally
defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the head of the Delhi Sultanate, in the First Battle of Panipat in 1526
(despite having a much smaller army), and took his kingdom, thus establishing the
beginnings of the Mughal Empure.
Babur's son, Humayun (r. 1530-40 and 1555-56), succeeded him in 1530 but lost most of his
fledgling empire to Afghan enemies and was forced to go into exile. However, his son Akbar
(r. 1556-1605), defeated the Hindu king Hemu Vikramaditya, who had seized power in Delhi
during Humayun's exile in the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556, thus reestablishing Mughal
rule in northern India.
Arguably the greatest of all Mughal emperors, Akbar was simultaneously an adept military
leader who conquered vast swaths of northern and central India and a shrewd statesman who
extended his empire by forging martial and marital alliances with his Hindu Rajput
neighbors. He also was an exceptionally capable ruler, setting up efficient and durable
administrative institutions of government, and a tolerant man who pursued policies of
religious accommodation and harmony towards his Hindu subjects. The Mughal
Empire under Akbar's reign experienced an unprecedented period of religious peace and
economic and cultural progress.
Akbar's son Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) built on his father's foundations of excellent
administration, and his reign was similarly characterized by political and economic stability
and cultural achievements. He also opened relations with the British East India Company.
Jahangir was succeeded by his son, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658), who was a
keen patron of culture. Mughal art and architecture reached its zenith under his rule. He
erected many spectacular monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal in Agra .
Western side of Taj Mahal at sunset
The Taj Mahal is one of the finest examples of Indian architecture under the Mughal Empire. In 1983, it
was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A succession struggle for the Mughal throne ensued even while Shah Jahan was still alive. His
third son, Aurangzeb, prevailed against his brothers and declared the ailing king incompetent
to rule, putting him under house arrest. Following Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb became
emperor, ruling from 1658-1707. He was a notable expansionist, and the Mughal Empire
reached its greatest territorial extent under Aurangzeb and included almost all of present-day
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and most of Afghanistan. A religious conservative, Aurangzeb
chose not to tread the path of religious liberalism and tolerance that his predecessors had
chosen. His religious intolerance, combined with his military and political expansionism,
roused dissensionamong the Rajputs and the Hindu Maratha states in the Deccan Peninsula;
he spent the last 26 years of his life and vast amounts of wealth trying to put down rebellions
in the far reaches of his vast empire.
Decline of the Mughal Empire
Aurangzeb died in 1707. His son, Bahadur Shah I, who lacked the military might and the
strong leadership qualities of his father, proved unequal to governing an empire that had
grown too big. Thereafter, a string of weak emperors, endless wars of succession, fiscal
collapse, and persistent onslaughts from the Marathas in the south heralded the decline of
the Mughal Empire. In 1739, a weakened Mughal Empire was defeated in battle by the
conqueror Nader Shah, ruler of Iran, and continued to exist with only the most nominal
power until 1857, when the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was overthrown by the
British Raj.
Cultural Contributions
The creation of a road system and a uniform currency, along with the unification of
previously disparate territories, allowed for a strong economy under Mughal rule. The
Mughal emperors were enthusiastic patrons of the arts, and their vast royaltreasuries funded
many cultural achievements. Most notable among their contributions to the culture of the
Indian subcontinent were Mughal architecture and Mughal painting , both of which were
an amalgam of Persian and Turkic styleswith local styles. The Urdu language is another
contribution, which continues to be the national language of Pakistan and a co-official
language in India.
Mughal painting
A Mughal miniature painting, created between 1598 and 1602, is a watercolor on paper.