Mughals Timeline

                                           Mughal Empire

Babur (1526 – 1530)

Mughal Empire was founded by Babar

1^st battle of Panipat (21^st April

B/w Babur & Ibrahim Lodi

Babar sent his son Humayu to seize Agra; & Claimed himself “ Emperor of Hindustan”

Battle of Khanua (Near Agra →  1527)

Babur wrote his memoirs in “Tuzuk – i – Baburi in Turki language & died in 1530

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Humayu (1530 – 1540)

Eldest son of Babur; means fortunate but was most unfortunate ruler of Mughal empire

Gave Kabul & Kandhar to Kamran; Sambhal to Aksari & Alwar to Hindal

 (All 3 his brothers)

Humayun  →  Busy fighting with Afgans (Sher khan / Sher shah) in east, got the news that Bahadur shah of Gujrat was advancing towards Delhi  →  Hence made treaty with Sher shah

Humayu captured Gujrat from Bahadur shah & made Aksari its governor, but soon Bahadur shah recovered it from Aksari who fled from their

Battle of Chausa (1539)

• Between Humayu & Sher Shah
• Sher Shah destroyed Mughal army
• Humayu fled from there

Battle of Kannauj or Bilgram (1540)

• Between Humayu & Sher Shah
• Brothers’ dint supported Humayu, hence he fought alone
• Humayu was thoroughly defeated by Sher shah
• Result →   Humayu became exile for next 15 years

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Sur interregnum (1540 – 1555)

• Founded by Sher Shah; became ruler of Delhi in 1540
• Formed 4 ministries for central administration viz.

• Diwan – i – Wazirat   → Headed by Wazir (Incharge of finance & revenue)
• Diwan – i – Ariz        → Headed by Military Incharge
• Diwan – i – Rasalat → Headed by Foreign minister
• Diwan – i – Insha    → Headed by Communication minister

Administration

Sher Shah empire was divided in 47 Sarkars with

Chief Shiqdar to maintain law & order in each sarkar

Chief Munsif as Judge in each Sarkar

Each Sarkar was divided into Parganas with each pargana consisted of:

• Shiqdars  →  Military officer
• Amin         →  Land revenue officer
• Fotedar     →  Treasurer
• Karkuns    →  Accountant

Architecture

• Introduced new silver coins called ‘Dam’ which were in circulation till 1835
• Laid foundation of 4 important highways & constituted rest houses alongside highways viz.

• Built a new city on banks of river Yamuna near Delhi (Purana quila & its mosque are remains of the same)
• Built Mausoleum at Sasaram →  Considered one of the masterpiece of Indian Architecture
• Patronized Malik Muhammad Jayasi who wrote famous Hindi work Padmavat during his reign

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Humayun (1555 – 1556)

• Humayun defeated Afgans in 1555
• Died in 1556 after falling from the staircase of his library

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Akbar (1556 – 1605)

• Akbar married Rajput princess Jodha, daghter of Raja Bhairomal of Amber
• This marriage became a turning point in the history of Mughals, as Rajputs supported them now
• Many Rajputs like Raja Man singh & Raja Bhagwan Das were given senior position in Akbar’s court
• Battle of Haldighati, 1576

• Between Akbar and Maharana Pratap of Mewar
• Mughals under the leadership of Raja Man singh defeated Rana Pratap of Mewar

• Akbar was very tolerant towards religious policies →  abolished pilgrim tax & later Jiziya
• He formed a strong alliance b/w Mughals & Rajputs which ensured peace in Rajasthan & Northern India

Akbars’ Religious Touch

• Early contact with Sufi saints
• Teachings from his teacher Abdul Latif
• His marriage with Rajput princess
• His association with intellectual giant like Shaikh Mubarak & his 2 sons – Abul Faizi & Abul Fazal
• After marrying Jodha Bai, he abolished pilgrimage tax & Jiziga
• Allowed his Hindu wife to worship her own God
• He was a pious Muslim in his early life but later became a skeptic one
• Constructed Ibadat khana (house of worship where scholars from all religion meet to discuss religious policies) at his new capital Fatehpur sikri
• Invited learned scholars from all religions to discuss religious policies
• Disliked the interference of Muslim Ulemas in political matters
• In 1579, He issued infallibility decree & asserted his religious powers
• In 1582, he promulgated a new religion “Din – i – Ilahi” or divine faith in one god
• Din – i – Ilahi contained good points of all the religions & uphold no dogma
• Din – i – Ilahi mainly aimed to bridge gap b/w all religions (Only 15 followers joined including Birbal)

Akbars’ Land Revenue system

• Land revenue system of Akbar was known as Zabti / Bandobast system
• Further modified by Raja Todarmal, now known as Dahsala system which included

• Measurement of land
• Revenue fixed on average yield of last 10 years
• Land divided into four categories viz.

Polaj	Cultivated every year
Parauti	Cultivated every 2 years
Chachar	Cultivated every 3 – 4 years
Banjar	Cultivated every 5 years

Mansabdari system of Akbar

• Under this system, every officer was assigned a Rank (Mansab)
• Lowest officer got 10 coins & highest officers (Nobles) got 5000 coins for their services
• Includes all public services except Judiciary
• Ranks were divided into 2 categories, namely

• Zat        →  Described the personal status of a person
• Sawar   →  Number of cavalry man a person is required to maintain

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Jahangir (1605 – 1627)

• Prince Salim succeeded the throne with the title Jahangir (Conqueror of the world)
• Witness rebellions from his son Khusaro, but was defeated & imprisoned
• Beheaded 5^th Sikh Guru Arjun dev
• In 1611, Married Mehrunnisa (Nurjaha → Light of the world)
• Wrote his Autobiography →  Tuzuk – i – Jahagiri

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Shahjaha (1627 – 1658)

• Married Mumtaj (Banu Begum)
• Conquered Deccan (Bijapur & Golkunda and put it under the leadership of his son Aurangzeb)
• Later, Aurangzeb killed his 3 brothers & confined Shahjaha to female apartments in Agra fort
• Though Aurangzeb never ill-treated Shahjaha

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Aurangzeb (1658 – 1707)

• Assumed the title Alamgir (or World Conqueror)
• To contain Marathas (Shivaji), he attacked Golkunda & Bijapur (Deccan Shias)
• Though Aurangzeb defeated them but it removed the only boundary b/w Marathas & Mughals
• According to JN Sarkar, Deccan ulcer ruined Aurangzeb

Religious Policies of Aurangzeb

• Very orthodox & staunch Muslim; tried to change India into an Islamic state
• Created separate departments to enforce moral codes called ‘Muhtasib’

• Prohibited drinking, cultivation & use of Bhang & drugs
• Forbid music in Mughal court, Dismissed royal astrologers & astronomers
• Discontinued practice of Jharoka darshan
• Discontinued celebration of Dussehra

• Destroyed Hindu temples & banned construction of them
• Reimposed Jiziya & pilgrimage tax (in 1679)
• Stopped celebration of Muharram (Not tolerant towards other Muslim sects)
• Was against Sikhs & executed 9^th Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur, which resulted transformation of sikhs into warring community

His religious policies turned Rajputs, Sikhs, Marathas, Jats & Satnamis against him & hence became the sole reason for decline of Mughal Empire

Personality & Character of Aurangzeb

• Very simple in dressing & food; Very disciplined & industrious
• Earned money for personal expenses by copying Quran & selling those copies
• Did not consume wine, learned & proficient in Arabic & Persian language
• Lover of books, strict follower of Islam
• Daily Namaz for 5 times & strictly observed Ramzan
• Overall an orthodox Muslim intolerant to other religions