The Mughal Empire class 7 notes
(Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur)
•Who were the Mughals?
The Mughals were the descendants of the Mongols of Mongolia in Central Asia. They were tall, handsome, strong and brave. They usually kept thick beards.
The Mughals had heard a lot about India’s huge wealth. They wanted to plunder it. They made frequent attacks on India, and continuously harassed the Delhi Sultans. Finally, in 1526 A.D, they succeeded when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodhi at Panipat and laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India.
•Reasons for Babur Victory
About his victory at Panipat, Babur has written in his autobiography i.e., Tuzk-i-Baburi that the mighty army of Delhi was laid to dust in the course of half a day. One of the main reasons for his success was the use of artillery in the battle. As soon as Babur’s artillery opened fire, the war elephants of Ibrahim Lodhi got frightened. They trampled down their own soldiers. Moreover, Babur had highly trained horsemen. He arranged his horses in such a way that these could be easily moved from one spot to the other in the battlefield.
•Humayun
After Babur’s death, his son, Humayun, succeeded to the throne in 1530 AD Babur had left a vast empire extending from Badakhsan in Central Asia to Bihar in India.
But he had no time to consolidate his empire. Humayun had a difficult task in front of him.
HUMAYUN’S WARS
Humayun succeeded in conquering the provinces of Gujarat and Malwa. But the real trouble to Humayun’s kingdom was given by Farid.
Humayun succeeded in conquering the provinces of Gujarat and Malwa. But the real trouble to Humayun’s kingdom was given by Farid.
He attacked the Mughal army at Chausa in 1539 AD and defeated them. Farid became the ruler of Bengal and Bihar and assumed the title of Sher Shah. He also defeated Humayun in the battle of Kannauj. The Mughals were completely defeated and Sher Shah became the master of Delhi and Agra. The kingdom which Babur had acquired was now lost. The unhappy Humayun wandered from place to place. He finally had to leave Sind and go to Persia.
The Persian Shah welcomed him and helped him to defeat his brothers but, in the meantime, Sher Shah Suri had died in 1545 AD. There prevailed confusion and civil war for succession to the throne of Delhi. Humayun took advantage of this opportunity. In November 1554 AD, he marched towards India and conquered Lahore, Delhi and Agra. Thus, after 15 years, Humayun succeeded in regaining his kingdom.
•Sher Shah Suri (1540- 45) AD
Sher Shah was the son of a noble (a Jagirdar) of Jaunpur in Bihar. His real name was Farid.
Farid was an ambitious General. He aimed at driving the Mughals out of India to reestablish Afghan power. He defeated Humayun two times, once at Chausa in 1539 AD, and another time at Kannauj in 1540 AD. He then occupied the throne of Delhi and took the title of Sher Shah Suri. He ordered the Kutbas to be read and coins to be made in his name. A brave warrior and a successful General, Sher Shah died of an accidental explosion of gunpowder during the seize of Kalinjar in 1545 AD. He was buried at Sasaram in Bihar in a beautiful tomb.
SHER SHAH’S ADMINISTRATION
Sher Shah was a brilliant administrator.
Sher Shah was a brilliant administrator.
• He paid to his army (both soldiers and the officers) salaries in cash regularly.
• For the general welfare of the people, Sher Shah built many roads. The Grand Trunk (G.T.) Road from Calcutta (Kolkata) to Peshawar was built by him. These roads were lined with shady trees, wells and rest houses.
• For the general welfare of the people, Sher Shah built many roads. The Grand Trunk (G.T.) Road from Calcutta (Kolkata) to Peshawar was built by him. These roads were lined with shady trees, wells and rest houses.
• He also introduced gold, silver and copper coins known as Tanka or Rupia.
• He started the new postal system by using horses. The rest houses or the sarais on the G.T. Road were also used as Dak Chauki. At every Dak Chauki there were two horses ready to receive the Dak from the previous chauki and deliver it to the next chauki.
• He started the new postal system by using horses. The rest houses or the sarais on the G.T. Road were also used as Dak Chauki. At every Dak Chauki there were two horses ready to receive the Dak from the previous chauki and deliver it to the next chauki.
After Sher Shah’s death in 1545 AD, his son Sultan Islam Shah (Salim Shah) succeeded to the throne. But, he too died young in November, 1554 disorder soon followed.
This type of disturbed situation enabled Humayun once again to get back his lost Kingdom. Thus, the fate of India once again passed into the hands of the Mughals.
•Akbar Accession , 1556 AD
Humayun died suddenly due to an accidental fall from the stairs of his library in 1556 AD. At that time, Akbar was at Kalanaur, in District Gurdaspur of Punjab. He was crowned there in a simple ceremony at the tender age of 13 years and 4 months. Bairam Khan, the tutor and guardian of the Prince, became Akbar’s Regent.
EXPANSION OF THE EMPIRE BY AKBAR
• In 1556 Akbar’s guardian Bairam Khan defeated Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat. Agra, Gwalior and Delhi fell into the hands of Mughals.
• In 1564 Akbar attacked Gondwana and conqured it.
• Akbar also expanded his empire by keeping good relations with the Rajputs.
• In 1572 he conquered Gujarat.
• Akbar next extended his empire towards the North-West of India. In a series of campaigns, he conquered Kabul, Kashmir, Kandhar, Lower Sindh and the Eastern Baluchistan.
• In 1556 Akbar’s guardian Bairam Khan defeated Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat. Agra, Gwalior and Delhi fell into the hands of Mughals.
• In 1564 Akbar attacked Gondwana and conqured it.
• Akbar also expanded his empire by keeping good relations with the Rajputs.
• In 1572 he conquered Gujarat.
• Akbar next extended his empire towards the North-West of India. In a series of campaigns, he conquered Kabul, Kashmir, Kandhar, Lower Sindh and the Eastern Baluchistan.
THE DECCAN CAMPAIGN (1591-1601 AD)
Akbar’s first move was against Ahmadnagar. The kingdom was bravely defended by Chand Bibi and only some part of it was annexed by the Mughals. In 1601, Akbar invaded Khandesh and captured the famous forts of Burhanpur and Asirgarh.
Akbar’s first move was against Ahmadnagar. The kingdom was bravely defended by Chand Bibi and only some part of it was annexed by the Mughals. In 1601, Akbar invaded Khandesh and captured the famous forts of Burhanpur and Asirgarh.
AKBAR’S ADMINISTRATION
Akbar was not only a great empire-builder, but also a great administrator. His administration saw the mixture of the Indian system and some ideas which the Mughals borrowed from Central Asia and Persia. Akbar had an excellent administration.
Akbar was not only a great empire-builder, but also a great administrator. His administration saw the mixture of the Indian system and some ideas which the Mughals borrowed from Central Asia and Persia. Akbar had an excellent administration.
Mansabdari System : Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system. The literal meaning of the word Mansab is ‘office’ or ‘rank of dignity’. In this system every officer or a noble was called a Mansabdar. He was given a Mansab or a rank.
The Mughal Mansabdars were the highest paid officers. They were given handsome Jagirs for their personal expenditure and to maintain the required number of horses, elephants, camels, carts, etc.
Army : Apart from this, Akbar maintained a regular standing army of his own which was directly under his control. It was a highly trusted army directly recruited by him. The Emperor also had a well-trained artillery and a stable of war elephants. The cavalry was the main constituent of the Mughal army. The troops were mostly provided by the Mansabdars. However, the naval force under Akbar remained in its infancy.
The Officials : The emperor ruled with the help of officials, headed by the emperor himself. The Wazir and the Mir Bakshi were the two most important officials. The Wazir was the head of the revenue system. The Mir Bakshi was the paymaster of the army. He looked after the army organisation. The emperor used to hold meetings with his senior officers in the Diwan-i-Khas.
•Architecture
Akbar built a new capital city at Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra. He selected this site as Sufi saint Salim Chishti lived there and Akbar had high respect for him. The city is surrounded by a wall on three sides and by an artificial lake on the fourth side. Main architectural features of Fatehpur Sikri are :
• In the construction of the city, he deliberately blended Muslim and Hindu elements. In many buildings Islamic types of arches appear alongside Hindu pillars.
• The material used is red sand stone with insertion of white marble.
• Most of the buildings have mixture of two styles of architecture, i.e., the Indian and the Persian.
• The material used is red sand stone with insertion of white marble.
• Most of the buildings have mixture of two styles of architecture, i.e., the Indian and the Persian.
The architecture of Akbar’s reign was influenced by Indian, Persian and Central Asian styles. His buildings at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are made from red sandstone.
Fatehpur Sikri was the new capital of Akbar.
Fatehpur Sikri was the new capital of Akbar.
The following are worth mentioning buildings at Fatehpur Sikri :
• The Diwan-i-Khas and the Diwan-i-Aam
• The Panch Mahal
• Jodhabai’s Palace
• The Jama Masjid
• Buland Darwaza
• The Tomb of Sheikh Salim
• The Diwan-i-Khas and the Diwan-i-Aam
• The Panch Mahal
• Jodhabai’s Palace
• The Jama Masjid
• Buland Darwaza
• The Tomb of Sheikh Salim
The Buland Darwaza was added to commemorate Akbar’s victory over Gujarat. It is the highest gateway of India and one of the biggest in the world.
The mausoleum over the tomb of Salim Chisti is made of marble and has beautiful pearl and ebony inlay work on it. People from all over the world visit the tomb, which has a lot of marble lattice.
Akbar was an enlightened emperor. He held liberal views on religion. He believed in the basic unity of all the religions, and respected all the religions. He married Rajput princesses and allowed them to practise their own religion and customs at his palace.
In 1575 AD, Akbar built Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri, his new capital. This was the place where the emperor invited religious scholars and teachers for discussion on religious subjects. Hindu, Jain, Parsi and even Christian scholars were invited. Akbar felt that all religions pointed towards one God. He wondered why it was not possible for people following different religions to live in peace with each other. After all the discussion, Akbar found the way out. He suggested a new religious path. It was based on the common truths and rules taken from all the religions.
Akbar’s religious path was named in 1582 AD as Din-i-Ilahi, i.e., the religion of one God. It was not a new religion. It was like a Sufi order. Akbar did not force the people to join or accept Din-i-Ilahi. Even his own Minister, Raja Man Singh, refused to join it, and he disapproved of it openly. Raja Birbal, however, sincerely followed it.
Under Din-i-Ilahi, Akbar became the spiritual guide of his people. He discouraged the killing of the animals and advised that people should stop eating meat at least for a few days in a year, especially during the month of their birth. He himself gave up eating meat. Akbar disapproved of cruel punishments, such as mutilation of limbs of the criminals. He also disapproved of Hindu women performing Sati. Akbar introduced the worship of the Sun, the Fire and the Light in his rituals.
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