Mughal EmpireFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia"Mughals" redirects here. For other uses, seeMughal (disambiguation)."Moghul" redirects here. For the village in Iran, seeMoghul, Iran.

Mughal Empire

(Persian)Grkniyn (Urdu)Mughliyah Salanat

15261857

Flag

The Mughal Empire

CapitalAgra(15261571)Fatehpur Sikri(15711585)Lahore(15851598)Agra(15981648)Shahjahanabad/Delhi(16481857)

LanguagesPersian(official and court language)[1]Chagatai Turkic(only initially)Urdu(later period)

ReligionIslam(15261857)Din-e Ilahi(15821605)

GovernmentAbsolute monarchy,unitary statewithfederal structure

Emperor[2]

-15261530Babur(first)

-18371857Bahadur Shah II(last)

Historical eraEarly modern

-Battle of Panipat21 April 1526

-Siege of Delhi21 September 1857

Area

-1700[a]3,200,000km(1,235,527 sq mi)

Population

-1700[a]est.150,000,000

Density46.9 /km (121.4 /sq mi)

CurrencyRupee

Preceded bySucceeded by

Timurid dynasty

Delhi Sultanate

Suri dynasty

Adil Shahi dynasty

Sultanate of Bengal

Deccan Sultanates

Maratha Empire

Durrani Empire

Indian Empire

Hyderabad State

Nawab of Carnatic

Nawab of Bengal

Nawab of Awadh

Kingdom of Mysore

Bharatpur State

Sikh Confederacy

Today part ofAfghanistanBangladeshIndiaPakistan

1. Jump up^Area source:[3]Population source:[4]

TheMughal Empire(Urdu: ,Mughliyah Salanat),[5]self-designated asGurkani(Persian:,Grkniyn),[6]was aPersianate[7][8]empire extending over large parts of theIndian subcontinentand ruled by adynastyofMongolandChagatai-Turkicorigin.[9][10][11]In the early 16th century, northern India, being then under mainly Muslim rulers,[12]fell to the superior mobility and firepower of the Mughals.[13]The resulting Mughal Empire did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule, but rather balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices[14][15]and diverse and inclusive ruling elites,[16]leading to more systematic, centralized, and uniform rule.[17]Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially underAkbar, the Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status.[16]The Mughal state's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture[18]and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency,[19]caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets.[17]The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion,[17]resulting in greater patronage ofpainting, literary forms, textiles, andarchitecture.[20]Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as theMarathas, theRajputs, and theSikhs, gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience.[21]Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new Indian commercial and political elites along the coasts of southern and eastern India.[21]As the empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to control their own affairs.[22]The beginning of the empire is conventionally dated to the founderBabur's victory overIbrahim Lodiin the firstBattle of Panipat (1526). It reached its peak extent underAurangzeb, and declined rapidly after his death (in 1707) under a series of ineffective rulers. The empire's collapse followed heavy losses inflicted by the smaller army of theMaratha Empirein theDeccan Wars(16801707),[23]which encouraged the Nawabs ofBengal,Bhopal,Oudh,Carnatic,Rampur, and theNizam of Hyderabadto declare their independence from the Mughals.[24]Following theThird Anglo-Maratha warin 1818, the Mughal emperor became a pensioner of theRaj, and the empire, its power now limited toDelhi, lingered on until 1857, when it was effectively dissolved after thefall of Delhiduring theIndian Rebellionthat same year.[25]The Mughal emperors were Central AsianTurko-Mongolsfrom modern-dayUzbekistan, who claimed direct descent from bothGenghis Khan(through his sonChagatai Khan) andTimur. At the height of their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled much of theIndian subcontinent, extending fromBengalin the east toKabul& Sindh in the west,Kashmirin the north to theKaveribasin in the south.[26]Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and 150 million (quarter of the world's population), over a territory of more than 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million square miles).[4]The "classic period" of the empire started in 1556 with the ascension ofAkbar the Greatto the throne. Under the rule of Akbar and his sonJahangir, India enjoyed economic progress as well as religious harmony, and the monarchs were interested in local religious and cultural traditions. Akbar was a successful warrior. He also forged alliances with several HinduRajputkingdoms. SomeRajputkingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to Mughal dominance of northwestern India, but they were subdued by Akbar. MostMughal emperorswereMuslims. However Akbar in the latter part of his life, and Jahangir, were followers of a new religion calledDeen-i-Ilahi, as recorded in historical books likeAin-e-Akbari&Dabestan-e Mazaheb.[27]The reign ofShah Jahan, the fifth emperor, was the golden age ofMughal architecture. He erected several large monuments, the most famous of which is theTaj MahalatAgra, as well as theMoti Masjid, Agra, theRed Fort, theJama Masjid, Delhi, and theLahore Fort. The Mughal Empire reached the zenith of its territorial expanse during the reign ofAurangzeband also started its terminal decline in his reign due toMarathamilitary resurgence underShivaji Bhosale. During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2 million square kilometres (1.2 million square miles), ruling over more than 150 million subjects, nearly 1/4th of the world's population, with a combined GDP of over $90 billion.[4][28]By the mid-18th century, theMarathashad routed Mughal armies, and won over several Mughal provinces from theDeccantoBengal, and internal dissatisfaction arose due to the weakness of the Mughal Empire's administrative and economic systems, leading to the breakup of the empire and declaration of independence of its former provinces by the Nawabs ofBengal,Bhopal,Oudh,Carnatic,Rampur, theNizam of Hyderabad, sultan of the state of Mysore,Shah of Afghanistanand other small states. In 1739, the Mughals were crushingly defeated in theBattle of Karnalby the forces ofNader Shah, the founder of theAfsharid dynastyin Persia, and Delhi wassacked and looted, drastically accelerating their decline. During the following century Mughal power had become severely limited and the last emperor,Bahadur Shah II, had authority over only the city ofShahjahanabad. He issued afirmansupporting theIndian Rebellion of 1857and following the defeat was therefore tried by theBritish East India Companyfor treason, imprisoned, exiled toRangoonand the last remnants of the empire were taken over by the British.