Mughal India
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Part 1
Before 1526, the north of India was divided up into several independent Hindu and Muslim kingdoms.
The name Mughal or Moghul comes from the Persian word for Mongol, the Central Asian tribe from
where the Mughals originated. The great Mughal rulers of India descended from the Mongol ruler of
the whole of Asia, Ghengis Khan. Babur was the first Mughal emperor. He was a Muslim; modest and
unassuming and a highly skilled military leader. He captured Delhi and Agra and ruled in India from
1526 to 1530. His son, Humayun, ruled from 1530 to 1556, but he was not particularly powerful and
then his son, Babur’s grandson, Akbar, ruled from 1556 to 1605, becoming known as Akbar the Great.
Point out to the class that Akbar’s reign almost coincides completely with the reign of Elizabeth I.
Like the English queen, Akbar was religiously tolerant and in order to understand Akbar’s approach,
they could use their prior knowledge about Tudor England and in particular Elizabeth I’s tolerance.
He greatly increased Mughal territory, capturing Bengal in the East and Gujarat and the Rajput kingdoms in the West, as well as a large part of what we know today as Afghanistan and other regions to
the South.
Part 2
Research Mughal territories and mark on the map:
a. Where the Mughal Empire reached in 1600
b. Where the Mughal Empire reached in 1700
Part 3
Using as many different sources as possible, investigate two of the first Mughal emperors; Babur and
Akbar and answer the following questions:
1. How did Babur establish the Mughal Empire? What part of India did he conquer first?
2. What were his reasons for invading India?
3. What sort of person was Babur? How do we know this?
4. What was Akbar’s approach to religion in his Empire?
5. What did he do about taxes?
6. What did he do about trade?
7. By the end of Akbar’s life, what areas did the Mughals also rule?
Finally:
8. Research and find a weak Mughal leader and explain why he was ineffectual.
http://education.hodge.continuumbooks.com © Susie Hodge (2010)
Resources for Teaching History 11–14. London: Continuum.