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4 Important Mughal Emperors

The document outlines the significant contributions and challenges faced by four important Mughal emperors: Babur, Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. Babur established the Mughal Empire in India after defeating the Lodi Sultanate, while Akbar expanded and unified the empire through military conquests and policies of tolerance. Jahangir focused on the arts and stability, and Shah Jahan is renowned for commissioning the Taj Mahal, although his reign ended in a succession conflict.

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18 views5 pages

4 Important Mughal Emperors

The document outlines the significant contributions and challenges faced by four important Mughal emperors: Babur, Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan. Babur established the Mughal Empire in India after defeating the Lodi Sultanate, while Akbar expanded and unified the empire through military conquests and policies of tolerance. Jahangir focused on the arts and stability, and Shah Jahan is renowned for commissioning the Taj Mahal, although his reign ended in a succession conflict.

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Amirfaheem
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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4 Important Mughal Emperors6 Important

Mughal Emperors
Babur

Zahir al-Din Muhammad (throne name Babur) was a fifth-


generation descendant of the Turkic conqueror Timur, whose
empire, built in the late 14th century, covered much of Central
Asia and Iran. Born in 1483 at the twilight of that empire, Babur
faced a harsh reality: there were too many Timurid princes and
not enough principalities to go around. The result was a
constant churning of wars and political intrigue as rivals sought
to unseat each other and expand their territories. Babur spent
much of his youth fixated on trying to capture and hold
Samarkand, the former capital of the Timurid empire. He
occupied it in 1497, lost it, and then took it again in 1501. His
second triumph was brief—in 1501 he was resoundingly
defeated in battle by Muhammad Shaybani Khan, losing the
coveted city along with his native principality of Fergana. After
one final futile attempt to retake Samarkand in 1511, he gave
up on his lifelong goal.

But there are second acts in Timurid life. From Kabul, which he
had occupied in 1504, Babur turned his attention toward India,
launching raids into the Punjab region beginning in 1519. In
1526 Babur’s army defeated a much larger force belonging to
the Lodi Sultanate of Delhi at the Battle of Panipat and marched
on to occupy Delhi. By the time of Babur’s death in 1530, he
controlled all of northern India from the Indus to Bengal. The
geographical framework for the Mughal Empire was set,
although it still lacked the administrative structures to be
governed as a single state.

Babur is also remembered for his autobiography, the


Baburnamah, which gives a cultured and witty account of his
adventures and the fluctuations of his fortunes, with
observations on nature, society, and politics in the places he
visited.
Akbar

Humayun’s son Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) is often


remembered as the greatest of all Mughal emperors. When
Akbar came to the throne, he inherited a shrunken empire, not
extending much beyond the Punjab and the area around Delhi.
He embarked on a series of military campaigns to extend his
boundaries, and some of his toughest opponents were the
Rajputs, fierce warriors who controlled Rajputna (now
Rajasthan). The Rajputs’ main weakness was that they were
divided by fierce rivalries with each other. This made it possible
for Akbar to deal with Rajput chiefs individually instead of
confronting them as a united force. In 1568 he captured the
fortress of Chitor (now Chittaurgarh), and his remaining Rajput
opponents soon capitulated.
Akbar’s policy was to enlist his defeated opponents as allies by
allowing them to retain their privileges and continue governing
if they acknowledged him as emperor. This approach,
combined with Akbar’s tolerant attitudes toward non-Muslim
peoples, ensured a high degree of harmony in the empire, in
spite of the great diversity of its peoples and religions. Akbar is
also credited with developing the administrative structures that
would shape the empire’s ruling elite for generations. Along
with his skill at military conquest, Akbar proved to be a
thoughtful and open-minded leader; he encouraged
interreligious dialogue, and—despite being illiterate himself—
patronized literature and the arts.

Humayun’s son Akbar (reigned 1556–1605) is often


remembered as the greatest of all Mughal emperors. When
Akbar came to the throne, he inherited a shrunken empire,
not extending much beyond the Punjab and the area around
Delhi. He embarked on a series of military campaigns to
extend his boundaries, and some of his toughest opponents
were the Rajputs, fierce warriors who controlled Rajputna
(now Rajasthan). The Rajputs’ main weakness was that they
were divided by fierce rivalries with each other. This made it
possible for Akbar to deal with Rajput chiefs individually
instead of confronting them as a united force. In 1568 he
captured the fortress of Chitor (now Chittaurgarh), and his
remaining Rajput opponents soon capitulated.

Akbar’s policy was to enlist his defeated opponents as allies


by allowing them to retain their privileges and continue
governing if they acknowledged him as emperor. This
approach, combined with Akbar’s tolerant attitudes toward
non-Muslim peoples, ensured a high degree of harmony in
the empire, in spite of the great diversity of its peoples and
religions. Akbar is also credited with developing the
administrative structures that would shape the empire’s
ruling elite for generations. Along with his skill at military
conquest, Akbar proved to be a thoughtful and open-minded
leader; he encouraged interreligious dialogue,z and—despite
being illiterate himself—patronized literature and the arts.

Jahangir
Jahangir (birth name Salim), the son of Akbar, was
so eager to take power that he staged a brief
revolt in 1599, proclaiming his independence
while his father was still on the throne. Two years
later he went so far as to arrange for the
assassination of his father’s closest friend and
adviser, Abu al-Fazl. These events disturbed
Akbar, but the pool of possible successors was
small, with two of Jahangir’s younger brothers
having drunk themselves to death, so Akbar
formally designated Jahangir as his successor
before his death in 1605. Jahangir inherited an
empire that was stable and wealthy, leaving him to
focus his attention on other activities. His
patronage of the arts was unprecedented, and his
palace workshops produced some of the finest
miniature paintings in the Mughal tradition. He
also consumed excessive amounts of alcohol and
opium, at one point employing a special servant
just to manage his supply of intoxicating drugs.

Shah Jahan
Like his father Jahangir, Shah Jahan (birth name
Shihab al-Din Muhammad Khurram) inherited an
empire that was relatively stable and prosperous.
He had some success in extending the Mughal
Empire into the Deccan states (the states of the
Indian peninsula), but he is known today primarily
as a builder. He commissioned his most famous
creation, the Taj Mahal, in 1632 after his third
wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died while giving birth to the
couple’s 14th child. The massive mausoleum
complex took more than 20 years to complete and
today is one of the best-known buildings on earth.

Mughal family politics remained tricky as always


during Shah Jahan’s reign. In 1657 Shah Jahan fell
ill, igniting a war of succession among his sons.
His son Aurangzeb won, declaring himself
emperor in 1658 and keeping his father confined
until his death in 1666.

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