The Mughals

Question 1

Mughals

Answer 1

• Babur and his descendants were able to maintain strict rules over the empire for many years, like through the Mongolian custom of harsh rule and the wealth of India’s gold and silver mines
• Mughals greatest goal was winning back their ancestral territories in Asia and rebuilt the great empire of Great Khan’s
• Controlled their Indian empire for almost 200 years

Question 2

Babur

Answer 2

• Discovered the Mughal empire
• Follower of Islam (believed strongly in his religion)
• Known for being physically fit, strong, and powerful of intellect ;Babur could carry two men in his shoulders and run and climb on slopes
• Like his Genghis Khan, Babur took over the thrown at the age of 12, but his uncles and nobles attempted to take his thrown
• Successfully defended and maintained his thrown
• Struggled to maintain his conquered lands
• His troops lost many battles when invading India
• Won a great battle of Khanwa that made him ruler of Northern India
• Later his great grandson took over

Question 3

Akbar (the Great)

Answer 3

• Greatly Expanded the empire while also securing the throne during Mughal dynasty’s growth
• India was difficult to rule for many reasons like majority of citizens practiced Hinduism, as well as groups of Buddhists and christians
• Akbar established many government improvements to make it fairer for all religions
• Invested money in arts and literature
• Established trade and political relations with the west
• Akbar’s ability to maintain the empire’s control was due to his cunning military strategy and able to earn loyalty from his conquered people
• Akbar rewarded talent over family nobility a person is born into
• Despite being illiterate, he valued intellect over religious practice and beliefs
• Formed many alliances from marrying Hindu princesses in which their fathers became members in Akbar’s court
• Removed stigma of humiliation from his wives and their families
• Created loyalty from people he conquered and made them feel respected
• Encouraged wealthy and nobles to invest in education
• Didn’t force India’s majority to convert to Islam
• Akbar died in 1605

Question 4

Jahangir

Answer 4

• In 1599 he tried to rebel against his father, but failed
• Some historians believed that Jahangir poisoned his father
• Jahangir became the next Mughal emperor
• Jahangir was an amazing administrator
• Jahangir ruled an era of relative stability and economic growth
• Jahangir was considered to be the Mughal emperor who had the biggest impact on European and Persian arts
• Jahangir was most known for creating the “Golden Chain of Justice”
• The Golden chain was a literal chain and bell system that let the citizens who seemed justice talk to the emperor when they rang the bell
• Jahangir was also known for his imperfections from drinking, opium drug user, and infamous for acts of brutality inflicted on Sikhs
• Jahangir died in 1627

Question 5

Shah Jahan

Answer 5

• Shah Jahan was best known for building the Taj Mahal
• The Taj Mahal was built in the 1600’s as a mausoleum for Shah Jahan’s wife
• Shah Jahan loved his wife very much so he gave his wife the nickname “Mumtaz Mahal” which meant “ornament of the palace”
• The Taj Mahal included the Indian, Persian, and Islamic architectural styles

Question 6

Mausoleum

Answer 6

• A large or fancy tomb
  Ex: Taj Mahal

Question 7

Aurangzeb

Answer 7

• Aurangzeb was the last ruler of the Mughal empire
• Aurangzeb was a very passionate follower for Islam and did not allow and other religions in the empire
• The tension between the citizens led to the rise of “civil disobedience”
• Gradual demise of the Mughal empire occured after Aurangzeb’s death
• Aurangzeb was born in November 3, 1618
• Aurangzeb was able to defeat his brothers for the throne after his father’s death
• Usually when a child defeats his brothers he would kill them, their families, and the generals that sided with them to keep them from creating a coup
• Under Aurangzeb’s rule India became the most wealthy empire in the world, surpassing every European and Asian
  government
• He was constantly putting down rebellions which hurt the economy even more and forced Aurangzeb to increase taxes
• Aurangzeb reestablished the tax in the non- Muslims
• Aurangzeb forced the majority of the Hindu population to convert to Islam
• After the death of Aurangzeb his successors were never able to put back the lands lost, or reestablishing the trust among the population
• Mughal empire’s rule officially ended in the 1800’s when the British took over
• The British allowed the Mughal empire to go on until 1857
• Bahadur Shah was the last ruler of the Mughal’s
• Bahadur Shah was expelled from India after he attempted to lead a rebellion against the British control