A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS (05:08 PM)

MUGHAL EMPIRE (05:09 PM)

• Sources 
• Baburnama- Autobiography of Babur. It was originally written in the Turkish language and later translated into Persian. 
• Tarikh-i-Rashidi- It was written by Mirza Haider Ali Dughlat (Cousin of Babur). This Book talks about Babur as well as the early years of Humayun. 
• Humayunnama- It was written by Gulbadan Begum, daughter of Babur. This book tells about the Rituals, Social conditions, Conditions of Haram, Enmity between the brothers, etc. 
• Akbarnama- Written by Abul Fazal. This book is written in three volumes. The third volume of this book is Aina-e-Akbari. It gives the detailed character of Akbar. In this book, he is given the title of "Insaan-e-Kamil". 
• Tuzuk-i-Jehangiri- Autobiography of Jehangir. 
• Padshahnama- by Abdul Hamid Lahori. It provides detailed information about the rule of Shahjahan. 
• Alamgirnama- Written by Mirza Mohammad Qazim. It tells about the reign of Aurangzeb. 

BABUR (05:35 PM)

• At the age of 12, in 1494, Babur became ruler of the Farghana Valley. Babur was a direct descendent of Taimur, hence he had both Mongol and Turkish heritage. 
• One of the Governors of Ibrahim Lodi, Daulat Khan, sent a letter to Babur to invade Delhi. 
• In 1526, the most important kingdoms in India were Delhi Sultanate, Gujarat, Malwa, Bengal, Mewar, Deccan Sultanates, and Viajaynagar.  
• In the first Battle of Panipat, in 1526, the Army of Babur fought with Ibrahim Lodi's army. Despite numerical inferiority, Babur emerged victorious because he effectively applied the Rumi method of Warfare (Tulguma Strategy). 
• 
• Babur also utilized Gunpowder on a large scale. 
• Battle of Khanwa, 1527- Many Rajput rulers rallied around Rana Sanga, Ruler of Mewar of the Sisodia Clan. Rana Sanga had hoped for the return of Babur back to Central Asia like earlier invaders. In a famous battle, the Battle of Khanwa, Babur emerged victorious against the army of Mewar. 
• [* Role of Religion in political development- While defeating the Rana Sanga, Babur used religion i.e. Gazi spirit to motivate his generals.]
• In 1528, Battle of Chanderi, Babur defeated Medini Rai, another Rajput ruler
• In 1529, Battle of Ghaghra, Babur was able to check the Afghan attack led by Mahmud Lodi
• Babur died in 1530 and despite victorious military campaigns was not able to consolidate Mughal Authority in India. 

HUMAYUN (1530-1540, 1555-56) (05:49 PM)

• Humayun faced many problems, the newly conquered territories were not consolidated, and he did not command the same level of respect as Babur. He faced hostility from his own brother Kamran. He also confronted the hostility of Afghans led by Sher Khan. 
• In 1539, in the Battle of Chausa at the banks of river Karmnasa, Humayun was defeated by Sher Khan, and in 1540, Battle of Kannuj, Humayun was defeated decisively. He had to flee and took shelter in Persia. 
• In 1540, the second Afghan Kingdom came into existence in Delhi. 

SHER SHAH SURI (1540-45) (06:02 PM)

• His original name was Farid. He took the title of Sher Khan. His father was a Jagirdar in the Jaunpur Kingdom. 
• He was born in Sasaram, Bihar, and showed military and leadership skills at a very young age. He was able to unite different Afghan factions, captured Delhi by 1540, and in 1545 established himself as the most powerful ruler in North India. 
• He died in 1545 in an accidental Blast of Gun powder. 
• Administrative reforms 
• During his time, Law and order significantly improved in fact during his son's rule, laws were codified properly. 
• Infrastructure- He is known for the construction of roads, for Example- Grand Trunk Road which connected the Indus River to Bengal, Sarai i.e. resting place after every few Kms with a Chaukidar called Sahna
• Trade- Custom duties were collected only at two places i.e. At the Indus River and Sikari Gali. Rupaiya as a currency started by Sher Shah Suri. 
• Agriculture- Land was divided into three categories Good, Bad, and Midling and accordingly land revenue was decided. Extra cess was collected during the famine.
• Army- He reintroduced the concept of the Dagh System (Branding of Horses used during the time of Ala-ud-din-Khilji). 
• Jaziya continued. He did upgradation work on Purana Qila in Delhi. 
• Malik Muhammad Jayasi was his court poet known for the book Padmawat. 
• After the death of Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan Kingdom declined, and by 1555, Delhi and Agra were recaptured by Humayun. 

AKBAR (1556-1560- UNDER REGENT BAIRAM KHAN, 1560-1605-EMPEROR) (06:20 PM)

• Akbar was a minor when Humayun died. From 1556 to 1560, Bairam Khan ruled as Regent, under his leadership, the second Battle of Panipat was fought in 1556 between the Mughal army and Afghan Army led by Hemu who was wazir of Adil Shah Suri of the Afghan Kingdom of Bengal. 
• Afghan Army was defeated, and Hemu was captured and Killed. 
• Bairam Khan became arrogant and was removed from his position when Akbar came of Age. 
• Bairam Khan rebelled but was arrested and later pardoned. His son Rahim was given the same title Khan-i-Khana and became an important Mughal Noble. 
• Military Campaigns of Akbar
• 1562- He captured Malwa from Baz Bahadur. 
• 1564- Gondwana region in central India had become independent. It was ruled by Rani Durgawati, the widow of Dalpat Shah. She was regent queen, ruling on behalf of her son Narayanwas
• Apart from Military campaigns, Akbar also entered into Matrimonial alliances with Rajput rulers. For example- He Married Harkha Bai, popularly known as Jodha Bai the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. 
• 1573- He captured Gujarat from Muzaffar Shah
• 1576- A famous battle known as the Battle of Haldighati was fought between the army led by Maharana Pratap, the Grandson of Rana Sanga, and the Mughal Army led by Raja Man Singh. Maharana Pratap had not submitted to the authority of Akbar. 
• Bengal and Bihar were won by the Afghans in a series of campaigns.
• In 1595, Mughal forces invaded Ahmadnagar which was ruled by Chand Biwi. She had to cede the territory of Berar to the Mughals, but later she was able to recapture it with the help of Bijapur and Golconda.  

RELIGIOUS POLICY OF AKBAR (07:11 PM)

• Akbar adopted a policy of religious tolerance, for example- He abolished Jizyah and Pilgrimage tax, Inducted Hindus into administration, and gave them important positions. For example- Raja Birbal, Raja Todarmal, and Raja Man Singh. 
• Akbar was deeply interested in Religion and policy, though he was an orthodox Muslim in his initial days.
• In 1575, he built a hall called Ibadat Khana at his capital Fatehpur Sikri. In this hall, religious scholars of different religions gathered and debated but by 1582 the debates were discontinued as they had led to bitterness. 
• In 1579, he issued a declaration (Mahzar) in which if there is a difference of opinion among scholars regarding the interpretation of the Quran then Akbar's view will prevail. 
• In 1582, he set up a new religion called Din-e-ilahi, which followed the policy of equal toleration and respect for all religious sects, however, this did not become very popular. 

AKBAR'S NAVRATNAS (07:19 PM)

• Abul-Fazl- Author of Akbarnama and Aina-i-Akbari. He was killed on the orders of Prince Salim.
• Faizi- He was the brother of Abul Fazl. Under his supervision, Mahabharata and Ramayan were translated into the Persian language. He personally translated Lilavati into Persian, a work on mathematics written by Bhaskara II.  
• Tansen- His original name was Tanna Mishra. He was given the title of Tansen by his patron King Ramchandra. Later he became the court musician of Akbar. Akbar gave him the title of Mian.
• Raja Birbal- His original name was Mahesh Das. The title Raja and Birbal was given to him by Akbar. 
• Raja Todar Mal- He was head of the revenue system, who introduced standards weights, and measures. He was instrumental in developing the Dahshala system as part of land revenue administration. Earlier he had worked under Sher Shah Suri. [* Akbar gave him the title of Diwan-e-Ashraf. (Jewels among all dewans)]
• Raja Man Singh- He was one of the most trusted generals of Akbar. 
• Rahim (Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khana)- He was the Son of Bairam Khan, a Great poet who translated BaburNama into Persian and even today he is known for his couplets. 
• Fakir Aziao din- He was a Sufi saint and spiritual advisor of Akbar. 
• Mirza Aziz Koka- He was the foster brother of Akbar who was later appointed as Subedar of Gujarat. 

JEHANGIR (1605-1627) (07:36 PM)

• His original name was Salim. He is not known for Military conquests. For example- In Deccan, he was not able to achieve much. In fact, the position of the Mughals weakened in the Deccan region. However, he maintained his authority in most of North India. 
• During his reign, East India Company persuaded King James to send an envoy led by Sir Thomas Roe to the Agra Court of Jehangir. 
• Jehangir played a very important role in the development of Art, Painting, and Poetry. He himself was a skilled painter. 
• His most influential queen was Noor Jahan, who played a significant role in the administration. Because of this Jehangir's Son Khurram rebelled against his father. In fact, he became friends with Malik Amber, the great enemy of the Mughal empire. 
• In 1613, the Mughals attacked the Portuguese because later seized Mughal Ships. 

SHAHJAHAN (1628-1658) (07:49 PM)

• He was born to Jagat Gossain, one of the wives of Jehangir. 
• Shah Jahan's reign is often referred to as the Golden Age of the Mughal Empire, mainly due to their contribution to Architecture and the overall prosperity of the Kingdom. 
• In 1657, because of illness, Dara Sikoh was declared as successor, but in a succession war among four brothers, Aurangzeb emerged victorious. Dara, Suza, and Murad were killed.
• Shah Jahan was sent to prison and Aurangzeb became the next emperor. 

The topic for the next class:- Aurangzeb, Mughal Administration, Regional Kingdoms.