The Mughal Empire Notes 7th Social Science

The Mughal Empire Notes 7th Social Science

7th Social Science Lesson 10 Notes in English

10. The Mughal Empire

1. How the Mughal Originate?

A new empire began in India with the arrival of the Mughal king Babur. Except for the brief reign of Sher Shah of Sur dynasty, the Mughal rule lasted from A.D. (CE) 1526 to 1707. After six Great Mughal Emperors, the empire began to disintegrate.

2. Babur:

• Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur(1526–1530), popularly known as Babur, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
• Babur was the great grandson of Timur (on his father’s side).
• On his mother’s side, his grandfather was Yunus Khan of Tashkent, who was known as the Great Khan of the Mongols and the thirteenth in the direct line of descent of Chengiz Khan.

3. Early age of Babur:

Babur was born on 14 February 1483. He was named Zahir-ud-din (Defender of Faith) Muhammad. He inherited Farghana, a small kingdom in Central Asia, when he was 12 years old. But he was soon driven out from there by Uzbeks. After 10 years of adversity, Babur established himself as the ruler of Kabul.

4. Foundation of the Mughal Empire:

• In Kabul, Babur set his sights eastward, reminded by the memory of Timur’s Indian invasion.
• In 1505, the very year after he took Kabul, Babur led his first expedition towards India. He did not have any ambition beyond Punjab till 1524.
• Dilawar Khan, who was Daulat Khan Lodi’s son, and Alam Khan, who was the uncle of Sultan of Delhi, arrived in Kabul to seek Babur’s help in removing Ibrahim Lodi from power.
• Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the famous Battle of Panipat in 1526 and occupied Delhi and Agra. Mughal dynasty came to be established in India with Agra as its capital.

5. What were the Babur’s Military Conquests?

• Babur defeated Rana Sanga and his allies at Khanwa in 1527.
• He won the war against the chief of Chanderi in 1528 and prevailed over the Afghan chiefs of Bengal and Bihar in 1529. Babur died in 1530 before he could consolidate his victories.

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6. Importance of Babur:

Babur was a scholar in Turkish and Persian languages. He recorded his impressions about Hindustan, its animals, plants and trees, flowers and fruits in his autobiography Tuzuki-Baburi.

7. Humayun (1530–1540 and 1555–1556):

• Humayun, on his accession to the throne, divided his inheritance as per his father’s will and accordingly his brothers, Kamran, Hindal and Askari, got a province each. Yet each of the brothers aspired for the throne of Delhi.
• Humayun also had other rivals and notable among them was the Afghan Sher Shah Sur, the ruler of Bihar and Bengal.

8. What were the Battles fought by Humayun?

• Sher Shah defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and again at Kanauj (1540).
• Humayun, defeated and overthrown, had to flee to Iran. With the help of the Persian ruler Shah Tahmasp of the Safavid dynasty, Humayun succeeded in recapturing Delhi in 1555.
• But he died in 1556 when he fell down the stairs of his library in Delhi.

9. Who was Sher Shah?

Sher Shah(1540–1545) was the son of the Afghan noble Hasan Suri, ruler of Sasaram in Bihar. After overthrowing Humayun, Sher Shah started the rule of Sur dynasty at Agra. During his brief reign, he built an empire stretching from Bengal to the Indus, excluding Kashmir. He also introduced an efficient land revenue system. He built many roads, and standardised coins, weights and measures.

10. Who was Akbar?

After the death of Humayun in 1556, his 14-year-old son Akbar was crowned the King. Humayun’s trusted general Bairam Khan became the regent and ruled on behalf of Akbar, as the latter was a minor.

11. How did Akbar make the kingdom under his control?

Hemu, a general of Sur dynasty, soon captured Agra and Delhi in 1556. In the same year, Bairam Khan defeated and killed Hemu in the battle at Panipat (Second Battle of Panipat, 1556). As Bairam Khan was murdered in Gujarat, allegedly at the instance of Akbar who could not tolerate his dominance in day-to-day governance of the kingdom, Akbar assumed full control of the government. Akbar brought most of India under his control through conquests and alliances.

12. Conquests of Women Rulers with Akbar:

• Akbar conquered Malwa and parts of Central India. His defeat of Rani Durgavati, a ruler in the Central Province, is not appreciated, since the brave Rani did him no harm.
• Similarly, another woman ruler Akbar had to confront in South India was the famous Rani Chand Bibi, regent of Ahmednagar.
• The fight this woman put up impressed the Mughal army so much that they gave her favourable terms of peace.

13. Explain the Battle of Haldighati:

Akbar defeated Rana Uday Singh of Mewar and captured the fort of Chittoor in 1568 and then Ranthambore in 1569. In 1576, he won over Uday Singh’s son Rana Pratap at the Battle of Haldighati.

14. Commercial Access to Arabia, Southeast Asia and China:

Akbar’s conquest of Gujarat helped him to establish control over Gujarat’s overseas trade with the Arabs and the Europeans. Akbar’s military campaigns in East Bihar and Odisha and victory over Bengal facilitated access to Southeast Asia and China.

15. Military Campaigns in the North-West (1585–1605):

• Among other conquests of Akbar, the important were the campaigns he launched in the North–West of India. Akbar added Kandahar, Kashmir and Kabul to the Mughal Empire.
• His battles in the Deccan led to the annexation of Berar, Khandesh and parts of Ahmednagar.
• Under Akbar, the Mughal Empire extended from Kashmir in the north to Godavari in the south, and from Kandahar in the west to Bengal in the east. Akbar died in 1605 and his mortal remains were buried at Sikandra near Agra.

16. Akbar’s Religious Policy:

Akbar realised that the gains of affection would be more enduring than the gains of the sword, made all out efforts to win the goodwill of the Hindu nobles and the Hindu masses. He abolished the jizya (poll tax) on non-Muslims and the tax on Hindu pilgrims.

17. His Relations with rajputs:

He married a girl of a noble Rajput family. Later, he married off his son to a Rajput girl as well. He appointed Rajput nobles to important and top positions in his Empire. Raja Man Singh of Jaipur was sent as governor of Kabul once.

18. What was the Akbar’s Religious tolerance?

• Akbar treated all the religious groups fairly with generosity of spirit.
• The Sufi saint Salim Chishti and the Sikh Guru Ramdas received Akbar’s utmost respect and regard.
• Guru Ramdas was gifted a plot of land in Amritsar, where the Sikh shrine Harmandir Sahib was later built.
• In Ibadat Khana, a hall in the new Fatehpur Sikri city, constructed by Akbar, scholars of all religions met for a discourse.

19. Contributions to culture:

• Akbar was a great patron of learning. His personal library had more than four thousand manuscripts.
• He patronised scholars of all beliefs and all shades of opinions.
• He extended his benevolence to authors such as Abul Fazl, Abul Faizi and Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the great storyteller Birbal, competent officials like Raja Todar Mal, Raja Bhagwan Das and Raja Man Singh.
• The great composer and musician Tansen and artist Daswant adorned Akbar’s court as well.

20. Who was Jahangir?

Akbar was succeeded by Prince Salim, his son through a Rajput wife, who was also named Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir (Conqueror of the World).

21. Who was the real ruler of Empire?

Jahangir was more interested in art and painting and gardens and flowers, than in running the government. So Jahangir’s wife, Mehr-un-nisa, known as Nur Jahan, was the real power behind the throne. Jahangir carried on to some extent his father’s traditions.

22. What made the relations of Mughals and Sikhs worse?

The toleration of religions of Akbar’s time continued in Jahangir’s time. But Jahangir ordered the execution of Sikh leader Guru Arjun (or Arjan) for helping his rebellious son Khusrau, who contested for the throne. This resulted in a prolonged fight between the Sikhs and the Mughals.

23. Who granted trading rights to foreigners?

Jahangir granted trading rights to the Portuguese and later to the English. Thomas Roe, a representative of King James I of England, visited Jahangir’s court and this agreement paved the way for the British establishing their first factory in Surat.

24. Who was Shah Jahan?

Prince Khurram, after a struggle for power, succeeded Jahangir as Shah Jahan (King of the World). Shah Jahan ruled for thirty years.

25. Rule of shah Jahan:

• He led a campaign against Ahmednagar and annexed it in 1632. Bijapur and Golconda were also conquered later.
• Some Maratha warriors, notably Shahji Bhonsle (Shivaji’s father), entered the services of the Deccan kingdoms and trained bands of Maratha soldiers to fight against the Mughals.
• So there was a sustained resistance in the Deccan to the Mughals from the Marathas too.
• Shah Jahan was intolerant towards other religions than Islam. In his reign came the climax of Mughal splendour, which is detailed in the next part of this lesson.

26. Last Days of Shah Jahan:

Shah Jahan fell ill in 1657 and a war of succession broke out among his four sons. Aurangzeb emerged successful after killing his three brothers, Dara, Shuja and Murad. Shah Jahan passed the last eight years of his life as a prisoner in the Shah Burj of the Agra Fort.

27. Who was Aurangzeb?

Aurangzeb (1658–1707), the last of the Great Mughals, started off his reign by imprisoning his old father. He assumed the title Alamgir (the Conqueror of the World). He reigned for 48 years.

28. Harsh Rule of Aurangzeb:

He was no lover of art like his grandfather Jahangir and architecture like his father Shah Jahan. He tolerated no religion excepting Islam. He re-imposed the jizya tax on Hindus and excluded them from office as far as possible. Between 1658 and 1681, Aurangzeb remained in the North and suppressed the revolt of Bundelas, Jats, Satnamis and Sikhs. Aurangzeb’s expansion in the North-East resulted in a war with the Ahoms of Kamarupa (Assam). The kingdom came under repeated attacks of the Mughals, but it could not be subdued totally.

28. Relationship with Rajputs and Marathas:

Aurangzeb’s hostility towards Rajputs led to prolonged wars with them. To make matters worse, his rebellious son, Prince Akbar, joined the forces of Rajputs and created troubles to him. Prince Akbar entered into a pact with Shivaji’s son Shambuji in the Deccan. So Aurangzeb had to march to the Deccan in 1689. In the Deccan, Aurangzeb brought Bijapur and Golconda into submission.

29. Stiff Resistance with Aurangzeb by Shivaji:

Shivaji had carved out a kingdom, proclaiming himself the Emperor of Maratha State (1674). Aurangzeb could not stop the rise of Shivaji in the southwest. But he vanquished Shivaji’s son and successor Shambuji, who was captured and executed by him.

30. How Aurangzeb lost control?

Aurangzeb remained in the Deccan until his death in 1707, at the age of nearly 90. By the end of Aurangzeb’s rule, the British had firmly established their trade centres at Madras (Chennai), Calcutta (Kolkata) and Bombay (Mumbai). The French had their main trade centre in Pondicherry (Puducherry).

31. The Mughal Administration and the various roles:

• The Mughals provided a stable administration in larger parts of India. The Emperor was the supreme head of the Mughal administrative system.
• He was the law maker, the chief executive, the commander-in-chief of the army and the final dispenser of justice.
• He was assisted by a council of ministers. The most important officials were the Wakil (Prime Minister) and Wazir or diwan (in charge of the revenue and expenditure).
• Mir Bhakshi was incharge of the army. The Mir Saman looked after the royal household.
• The Qazi was the Chief Judge. Sadr-us-Sudr was minister for enforcing Islamic law (Sharia).

32. Provincial Administration:

• The empire was divided into several Subhas (provinces).
• Each Subha was under the control of an officer called Subedar. The Subhas were further divided into districts called Sarkars.
• The Sarkars were subdivided into Parganas. A group of villages (Gramas) formed a Pargana.

33. Local Administration:

The towns and cities were administered by Kotwals. Kotwals maintained law and order. The administration of villages was left in the hands of local village panchayats (informal institution of justice in villages). The Panchayatdars (jury) dispensed justice.

34. Army of Mughals:

The Mughal army comprised infantry, cavalry, war elephants and artillery. The Emperor maintained a large number of trained and well-armed bodyguards and palace guards.

35. Importance of Mansabdari System:

• Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system. According to this system, the nobles, civil and military officials were combined to form one single service.
• Everyone in the service was given a mansab, meaning a position or rank. Mansabdar rank was dependent on Zat and Sawar.
• His salary was fixed on the basis of the number of soldiers each Mansabdar received ranging from 10 to 10,000.
• The rank of Mansabdar was not hereditary during Akbar’s time. After him, it became hereditary.

36. Land Revenue Administration:

Land revenue administration was toned up during the reign of Akbar. Raja Todar Mal, Revenue Minister of Akbar, adopted and refined the system introduced by Sher Shah. Todar Mal’s zabt system was put in place in the north and north-western provinces.

37. What is Mansabdari system?

According to this system, after a survey, lands were classified according to the nature and fertility of the soil. The share of the state was fixed at one-third of the average produce for 10 years. During the reign of Shah Jahan, the zabt or zabti system was extended to the Deccan provinces.

38. What is Iqta system?

The Mughal emperors enforced the old iqta system, renaming it jagir. It is a land tenure system developed during the period of Delhi Sultanate. Under the system, the collection of the revenue of an area and the power of governing it were bestowed upon a military or civil official now named Jagirdar.

39. Various position in Land administration:

• Every Mansabdar was a Jagirdar if he was not paid in cash. The Jagirdar collected the revenue through his own officials.
• The Amal Guzar or the revenue collector of the district was assisted by subordinate officers like the Potdar, the Qanungo, the Patwari and the Muqaddams.
• Those appointed to collect the revenue from the landholders were called zamindars.
• Zamindars collected taxes and maintained law and order with the help of Mughal officials and soldiers. The local chieftains and little kings were also called zamindars.

40. Religious Policy of Mughals:

• The Mughal emperors were the followers of Islam. Akbar tried to include the good principles in all religions and formulated them into one single faith called Din-I-Ilahi (divine faith).
• Jahangir and Shah Jahan also followed the policy of Akbar. Aurangzeb rejected the liberal views of his predecessors. As we pointed out earlier, he re-imposed the jizya and pilgrim tax on the Hindus. Art and Architecture of Mughals:

41. Babur introduced the Persian style of architecture to India by building many structures at Agra, Biana, Dholpur, Gwalior and Kiul (Aligarh), but only a few of them exist today. Humayun’s palace in Delhi, Din-i-Panah, was probably destroyed by Sher Shah Sur who built the Purana Qila in its place.

42. Art and Architecture during Shaer Shah:

The most prominent monument of Sher Shah’s reign was his mausoleum built at Sasaram in Bihar.The Diwan-i-Khas, Diwan-i-Am, Panch Mahal (pyramidal structure in five stories), Rang Mahal, Salim Chishti’s Tomb and Buland Darwaza were built during Akbar’s time.

43. Art and Architecture during Akbar:

Jahangir completed Akbar’s tomb at Sikandara and the beautiful building containing the tomb of Itmad-ud-daula, father of Nur Jahan, at Agra.

44. Art and Architecture during Shah Jahan:

Shah Jahan’s time witnessed the climax of Mughal splendour. The famous peacock throne, covered with expensive jewels, was made for the Emperor to sit on. Then rose the world famous Taj Mahal, by the side of the Jumna river at Agra. Besides Taj, he built the Moti Masjid, the pearl mosque at Agra, the great Jama Masjid of Delhi and the Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Am in his palace in Delhi.

45. Art and Architecture during Aurangzeb:

During Aurangzeb’s reign, architecture did not receive much patronage. The Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, a mausoleum built by his son Prince Azam Shah as a loving tribute to his mother in the late seventeenth century, is, however, worth mentioning.

46. The Great Mughals:

47. Extent of Mughals under Akbhar:

48. Extent of Mughals under Aurangzeb:

49. Red Fort:

Red Fort, also called Lal Qila, in Delhi was the residence of the Mughal emperors. Constructed in 1639 by Emperor Shah Jahan as the palace of his fortified capital Shajahanabad. The Red Fort is named for its massive enclosing walls of red sandstone.