AT THE ONSET OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY , INDIA PRESENTED A POLITICAL DISUNITY AND FRAGEMENTATION. AFTER THE DECLINE OF DELHI SULTANATE , TWO NEW KINGDOMS VIJAYNAGARA AND BAHMANI WERE FORMED WHICH ALSO DISINTREGRATED WITHIN A SHORT TIME . THE ABSENCE OF ANY CENTRAL AUTHORITY AND THE CONSTANT WAR AMONG THE SMALL KINGDOMS OFFERED A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR ZAHIRUDDIN MUHAMMAD BABUR TO INVADE AND CONSOLIDATE INDIA . HE THUS BEGAN THE JOURNEY TO LAY DOWN THE FOUNDATION OF MUGHAL EMPIRE IN INDIA .
FOUNDATION OF MUGHAL DYNASTY THE MUGHALS ESTABLISHED A MIGHTY EMPIRE IN THE SUBCONTINENT THAT LASTED FOR OVER THREE HUNDRED YEARS . THE MUGHALS WERE PEOPLE OF GREAT MARTIAL LINEAGE . THE WERE DESCENDANTS OF MONGOLS OF CENTRAL ASIA AND TIMUR , OF THE TIMURID CLAN . MUGHAL IS THE PERSIAN WORD FOR MONGOL . BABUR ESTABLISHED THE MUGHAL RULE IN INDIA, WHIGH REIGNED FOR MORE THAN THREE CENTURIES . THE MOST NOTABLE RULERS OF MUGHAL DYNASTY ARE :
BABUR ( 1526 – 1530 ce )
IN THE STARTING , BABUR BECAME THE RULER OF A SMALL PRINCIPALTY , FARGHANA IN CENTRAL ASIA AT THE YOUNG AGE OF 11 . HE LATER OCCUPIED SAMARKAND . HOWEVER IN THREE YEARS , BABUR LOST BOTH FARGHANA AND SAMARKAND. IN 1504 CE HE BECAME THE RULER OF KABUL IN AFGANISTAN . BABUR FOUGHT FOUR WARS TO CAPTURE THE THRONE OF INDIA AND EXPAND HIS EMPIRE .
WHEN BABUR DIED IN 1530 CE , HE WAS THE RULER OF PUNJAB , DELHI AND THE ENTIRE GANGETIC VALLEY AS FAR AS BIHAR . BABUR WAS SUCCEEDED BY HUMAYUN. HUMAYUN (1530-1540 and 1555-1556 )
AFTER THE DEATH OF BABUR , HIS ELDEST SON , NASIRUDDIN MUHAMMAD HUMAYUN ASCENDED THE THRONE . HE INHERITED A KINGDOM THAT WAS WEAK , UNSTABLE AND WITH A CONFUSED STATE OF ADMINISTRATION. HE FACED CONSTANT THREATS FROM THE AFGHANS AND RAJPUTS . THE WEAK AFGANS HAD AMBITION OF SETTING THEIR INDEPENDENT PRINCIPALITIES. THE MOST THREATING AMONG THEM WAS SHER SHAH SURI , A POWERFUL AFGAN .ANOTHER LURKING THREATS WERE HUMAYUN’S HALF-BROTHERS . DESPITE RECEIVING EQUAL DIVISIONS OF EMPIRE IN ACCORDANCE WITH BABUR’S WILL , THEY WERE HOSTILE TOWARDS HIM AND CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM . THEN THERE WAS BAHADUR SHAH , THE RULER OF GUJARAT WHO CONTROLLED MALWA REGION AND WANTED EXTEND HIS DOMINANCE OVER RAJASTHAN.
IN 1539 CE , SHER KHAN SURI DEFEATED HUMAYUN IN BATTLE OF CHAUSA AND LATER AGAIN IN 1540 CE IN BATTLE OF KANNAUJ . THE VAST MUGHAL EMPIRE CRUMPLED TO THE AFGHANS DUE TO WEAK LEADERSHIP . SHER KHAN ASSUMED THE TITLE OF SHER SHAH AND HUMAYUN WAS FORCED TO LIVE IN EXILE.
THE DEATH OF SHER SHAH SURI GREATLY WEAKENED THE AFGHAN EMPIRE AND HUMAYUN SAW A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO REGAIN HIS LOST KINGDOM . HE RECAPTURE THE THRONE OF DELHI .
BEFORE HE COULD CONSOLIDATE HIS POSITION , HE DIED AFTER FALLING FROM THE STAIRS OF HIS LIBRARY IN 1556 CE . HUMAYUN WAS SUCCEEDED BY AKBAR IN 1556 CE.
AKBAR ( 1556-1605 CE )
AKBAR WAS BORN AS ABU’L-FATH JALAL UD-DIN MUHAMMAD ON OCTOBER 15 , 1542 CE AT THE RAJPUT FORTESS OF UMERKOT IN SINDH . HE RULED THE MUGHAL EMPIRE FOR ALMOST 50 YRS . HE IS CONSIDEREDAS THE GREATEST MUGHAL EMPEROR . AKBAR FOLLOWED THE POLICIES OF TOLERANCE , UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD ,POLITICAL UNITY AND LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF A SECULAR STATE . UNDER THE RULE OF AKBAR , THE MUGHAL RULE IN INDIA STARTED FLORISHING AND EVENTUALLY REACHED GREAT HEIGHTS OF GLORY AND EXCELLENCE . AFTER THE DEATH OF HUMAYUN , AKBAR WAS PROCLAIMED THE MUGHAL EMPEROR AT THE AGE OF THIRTEEN . BAIRAM KHAN , WHO WAS HUMAYUN’S FAITHFUL AND EXPERIENCED GENERAL , BECAME AKBAR’S REGENT AND MANAGED THE AFFAIRS OF THE GOVERNMENT ON THE BEHALF OF AKBAR . KABUL WAS OCCUPIED BY AKBAR’S HALF-BROTHER MIRZA HAKIM . IN 1560 CE , AT THE AGE OF 18 YRS , AKBAR TOOK CHARGE OF THE STATE AFFAIRS . HIS REIGN WAS MARKED BY A LONG PERIOD OF EMPIRE BUILDING AND POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION . THROUGHOUT HIS REIGN , AKBAR EXPANDED THE MUGHAL EMPIRE USING A COMBINATION OF DIPLOMACY , MARRIAGE ALLIANCES AND MILITARY CONQUESTS . AKBAR CONQUERED MALWA IN 1561 CE AND GANDWANA IN 1564 CE . GUJARAT WAS ANNEXED IN 1572 CE . AKBAR ALSO OCCUPIED THE PHOSPEROUS REIGN OF BENGAL IN 1576 CE . BETWEEN 1585 AND 1595 CE , AKBAR CONQUERED IMPORTANT REGIONS IN THE NORTH – WEST . HE SEIZED KABUL AND ANNEXED KASHMIR AND SINDH . AKBAR USED DIPLOMATIC STRATEGIES TO MAKE THE RULERS OF DECCAN ACCEPT MUGHAL SOVEREIGNTY AND CONQUERED AREAS LIKE BERAR ,AHMADNAGAR , BURHAPUR , KHANDESH ETC., IN THE EARLY PERIOD OF HIS RULE , AKBAR FOCUSSED ON THE EXPANSION OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE . HE REALISED THAT THE CONQUEST OF RAJPUTANA WAS IMPORTANT FOR SECURITY OF HIS IMPERIAL RULE . SO HE INITIATED EFFORTS TO SECURE THE FREINDSHIP AND SUPPORT OF RAJPUTS . IN THE BATTLE OF HALDIGHATI , THE RAJPUTS WERE DEFEATED BY THE MUGHAL FORCES . AKBAR EXPRESSED A GREAT DESIRE TO UNITE DIVERSE RACES UNDER HIS EMPIRE . HE ADOPTED A LIBERAL OUTLOOK WHILE OUTLOOK WHILE DRAFTING POLICIES TO ENSURE THE TRANSITION OF THE ISLAMIC MUGHAL STATE INTO A SECURE ONE . AKBAR ESTABLISHED A STABLE AND PEOPLE – FRIENDLY EMPIRE . HE MADE SEVERAL CHANGES IN THE EXISTING POLICIES TO FORM AN EFFICIENT AND PRODUCTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM . AFTER AN IMPRESSIVE REIGN OF FORTY-NINE YEARS , EMPEROR AKBAR DIED IN 1605 CE . DURING HIS FINAL YEAR , HIS SON SALIM (JAHANGIR) REBELLED AGAINST HIS FATHER AND WAS CAPTURED . HOWEVER , AKBAR FORGAVE HIM AND DECLARED HIM THE RIGHTFUL HEIR TO HIS THRONE . JAHANGIR THEN CARRIED FORWARD THE LEGACY OF THE MUGHALS . AFTER THE DEATH OF AKBAR , JAHANGIR , SHAH JAHAN AND AURENZEB WERE THE LAST MOST NOTABLE RULERS OF THE MUGHAL EMPIRE …………. Made by . Kavyansha Pradhan