CHAPTER 19 LESSON 3

CHAPTER 19 LESSON 3

The Mogul Empire

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can the creation of a new empire impact the people and culture of a region?

The Mogul Dynasty

In 1500 the Indian subcontinent was still divided into a number of Hindu and Muslim kingdoms. The Moguls, who were not natives of India, established a new dynasty and brought a new era of unity to the region. They came from the mountainous region north of the Indus River valley. Their founder, Bābur, was descended from both Timur Lenk and Genghis Khan

Multiple Choice

The Moguls in India were foreigners who were also

• A.Hindus.

• B.Indians.

• C.Muslims.

• D.Christians.

Bābur's grandson Akbar was only 14 when he took the throne. Intelligent and industrious, by 1605 Akbar had brought Mogul rule to most of India. How was Akbar able to place almost all of India under his rule? By using heavy artillery, Akbar's armies were able to overpower the stone fortresses of their rivals. 

Akbar was probably the greatest of the conquering Mogul monarchs, but he is best known for the humane character of his rule. Like all Mogul rulers, Akbar was born a Muslim, but he showed a keen interest in other religions and tolerated Hindu practices. Akbar put his policy of religious tolerance into practice by taking a Hindu princess as one of his wives.

Multiple Choice

Akbar's Mogul included

• A.local officials who keep taxes.

• B.gifts of farmland for low-ranking officials.

• C.religious tolerance.

• D.passage of authority to one's grandson.

zamindars

The upper ranks of the government bureaucracy were filled with nonnative Muslims, but many of the lower-ranking officials were Hindus. It became common practice to give the lower-ranking officials plots of farmland for their temporary use. These local officials, known as zamindars, kept a portion of the taxes paid by the peasants in lieu of a salary

Multiple Choice

Local, lower-ranking officials called zamindars

• A.exercised little if no actual power.

• B.collected taxes.

• C.received farm plots.

• D.commanded small armies.

The grandon od Akbar 1628 to 1658, Shāh Jahān maintained the political system established by earlier Mogul rulers. He also expanded the boundaries of the empire through successful campaigns in the Deccan Plateau. Shāh Jahān's rule, however, was marred by his failure to deal with growing domestic problems. He had inherited a nearly empty treasury. His military campaigns and expensive building projects put a heavy strain on the imperial finances and compelled him to raise taxes. The peasants were even more deprived as a result of these taxes. The majority of Jahān's subjects lived in poverty.

Multiple Choice

Why did Akbar's empire become weaker after he died?

• A.Akbar had not been fair to the peasants during his reign.

• B.The people had not respected Akbar.

• C.Trade was reduced by the Arab traders.

• D.His grandson's reign started with an empty treasury.

Shāh Jahān's troubles worsened with his illness in the mid-1650s. It was widely reported that he had died. Such news led to a struggle for power among his sons. The victorious son, Aurangzeb, had his brother put to death and imprisoned his father. Aurangzeb then had himself crowned emperor in 1658. 

As a man of high principle, Aurangzeb attempted to eliminate many of what he considered to be India's social evils. He forbade the custom of suttee, (cremating a widow on her husband’s funeral pyre), which was practiced by many Hindus, and he put a stop to the levying of illegal taxes. He tried to forbid gambling and drinking as well.

Multiple Choice

What was suttee?

• A.forcing a female to marry

• B.cremating a widow on her husband's funeral pyre

• C.levying illegal taxes

• D.taxing non-Muslims

Aurangzeb adopted a number of measures that reversed the Mogul policies of religious tolerance. For instance, he prohibited the building of new Hindu temples and forced Hindus to convert to Islam. Aurangzeb's policies led to Hindu outcries and a number of revolts against imperial authority.

Open Ended

Contrasting What were some differences between the rules of Shāh Jahān and Aurangzeb?

Open Ended

Analyzing PRIMARY SOURCES

Jahāngīr on Akbar

"In his actions and his movements, Akbar was not as ordinary men. The glory of God was manifest in him. He knew no fear and was always ready to risk his life in battle. With exquisite courtesy, he charmed all those that approached him."

—quoted in A Brief History of India

DBQ DRAWING CONCLUSIONS How do the qualities Jahāngīr attributes to his father explain Akbar's success as a ruler?

The Development of Sikhism

According to Sikh (pronounced "Sik-kh", with a short "i" sound) tradition, during the rule of Bābur a man named Nanak (1469-1539) had a religious vision at the age of twenty-nine or thirty. Nanak (NA • nahk) lived in the Punjab (puhn – JAB), a region of South Asia that was ruled by the Moguls. The Punjab was an especially diverse environment with Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains living in the region. Guru Nanak had a vision in which God revealed that everyone is a child of God and all faiths are different paths towards the same Creator.

Nanak is regarded as the first Guru (gur • oo), or spiritual leader in the Sikh tradition. His teachings and those of his successors were compiled by the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan (1563-1606), into a holy book called the Adi Granth. Guru Arjan also built Darbar Sahib (later known as the Golden Temple), an important Sikh house of worship, in the city of Amritsar, Punjab.

ine Gurus followed Nanak until the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), appointed the Sikh holy text and the community as his successors. Along with passing his authority to the holy book, now known as the Guru Granth Sahib, Singh also established the Khalsa, a community of initiated Sikhs. All initiated Sikhs display the signs of the Khalsa (KAL • suh), popularly called the “five Ks.” These are: 1) Kesh, uncut hair covered by a special turban; 2) Kanga, comb for the hair; 3) Kirpan, a short ceremonial sword; 4) Kara, a metal bracelet; and 5) Kachera, traditional underwear.

Open Ended

Describing How did the Sikh religion spread?

Life in Mogul India

The Moguls were foreigners in India. In addition, they were Muslims ruling a largely Hindu population. The resulting blend of influences on the lives of ordinary Indians could be complicated. The treatment of women serves as a good example.

Women had long played an active role in Mogul tribal society. Mogul rulers often relied on female relatives for political advice. To a degree, these Mogul attitudes toward women affected Indian society. Women from aristocratic families frequently received salaries and were allowed to own land.

At the same time, the Moguls placed certain restrictions on women under their interpretations of Islamic law. These practices generally were adopted by Hindus. The practice of isolating women, for example, was followed by many upper-class Hindus.

In other ways, however, Hindu practices remained unchanged by Mogul rule. The custom of suttee continued in spite of efforts by the Moguls to abolish it. Child marriage also remained common.

Multiple Choice

Women's lives were complicated by the fact that some Mogul traditions gave women respect, while other traditions

• A.refused them salaries.

• B.allowed them to own land.

  .

• C.followed the practice of isolating them.

• D.called on them to give advice

Taj Mahal

The Moguls brought together Persian and Indian influences in a new and beautiful architectural style. This style is best symbolized by the Taj Mahal, which Shāh Jahān built in Agra in the mid-seventeenth century. The project lasted more than twenty years. To finance it, the government raised land taxes, driving many Indian peasants into complete poverty.

Multiple Choice

The Taj Mahal is an example of the beauty and delicate lightness of the Moguls' new

• A.government.

• B.style of painting.

• C.Islamic law.

• D.architectural style.

Europeans Come to India

The arrival of the British hastened the decline of the Mogul Empire. By 1650, British trading forts had been established at Surat, Fort William (which was renamed Calcutta and is now the city of Kolkata), and Madras (Chennai). British ships carried Indian-made cotton goods to the East Indies, where they were traded for spices. 

While fighting the French, Clive was also consolidating British control in Bengal. The Indian ruler of Bengal had attacked Fort William in 1756. He had imprisoned the British garrison in the "Black Hole of Calcutta," an underground prison. Due to the intense heat in the crowded space, only 23 people (out of 146) survived.

In 1757 Clive led a small British force of about 3,000 to victory over a Mogul-led army more than 10 times its size in the Battle of Plassey in Bengal. As part of the spoils of victory, the failing Mogul court gave the East India Company the power to collect taxes from lands in the area around Calcutta.

Multiple Choice

British successes in India were achieved through the military genius of

• A.Agra.

• B.Akbar.

• C.Sir Robert Clive.

• D.Shah Jahan

Open Ended

How can the creation of a new empire impact the people and culture of a region?