Mughal & Ming Lesson

​A tale of two civilizations: 

The Mughal Empire in India, & the Ming Dynasty in China

​Key Terms

-Mughal Empire

-Sikhism

-Taj Mahal

-Babur

-Akbar

-Ming dynasty

-Zheng He

Essential Question​

The Mughal Empire in India directly descended from the Mongols. The Ming Dynasty in China overthrew the Yuan Dynasty, that was ruled by Mongols.  When considering these transitions in and out of Mongol rule, what are the positive and negative aspects of both chaos and order?

​Descended from nomadic groups, the Mughals invaded India and used gunpowder to conquer the Delhi Sultanate, bringing further Muslim influence to the region.

●India was ruled by a series of absolute monarchs, including Babur, who established the Mughal Empire.

​The Mughal Empire, India

The Gupta Empire crumbled in the late 400s. First, Huns from Central Asia invaded. Then, beginning in the 700s, warlike Muslim tribes from Central Asia carved northwestern India into many small kingdoms. The people who invaded descended from Muslim Turks and Afghans. They called themselves Mughals, which means “Mongols.” after the ancestors of their leader. So, although the Mongols themselves did not directly affect much of India, their descendants had a long-lasting impact on Indian history and culture.

​In 1494, an 11-year-old boy named Babur, who counted both Timur the Lame and Genghis Khan as ancestors, inherited a kingdom in Central Asia. It was only a tiny kingdom in central Asia, and his elders soon took it away and drove him south. But Babur built up an army. In the years that followed, he opted to destroy the Dehli Sultanate in India, laying the foundation for the vast Mughal Empire.

After Babur’s death, his incompetent son, Humayun, lost most of the territory Babur had gained. Babur’s 13-year-old grandson, Akbar, followed Humayan.

​Babur’s grandson was called Akbar, which means “Great.” Akbar certainly lived up to his name, ruling India with wisdom and tolerance from 1556 to 1605.

●As A Military Conqueror Akbar recognized military power as the root of his strength. In his opinion, a King must always be aggressive so that his neighbors will not try to conquer him.

●As A Liberal Ruler Akbar was a genius at cultural blending. He continued the Islamic tradition of religious freedom. He permitted people of other religions to practice their faiths.

●As Akbar extended the Mughal Empire, he welcomed influences from the many cultures in the empire. This cultural blending affected art, education, politics, and language.

​Akbar the Great was known for uniting most of India under his rule. As ruler, he:

●Divided the government into provinces, allowing both Hindus and Muslims to serve in government positions of power.

●Cancelled some religious taxes on non-Muslims

●Encouraged the growth of learning and culture, including art, architecture, and literature.

●Attempted to end child marriage, sati, seclusion, and the veiling of women.

Mughal rulers spread Islam in northern India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Akbar the Great supported religious toleration but later Mughal rulers were more strict in their beliefs.

The reversal of Akbar’s policies resulted in further tension between Hindus and Muslims in India.

​With Akbar’s death in 1605, the Mughal court changed to deal with the changing times. The next three emperors each left his mark on the Mughal Empire.

Akbar’s son called himself Jahangir, or “Grasper of the World.” However, for most of his reign, he left the affairs of state to his wife, who ruled with an iron hand. Jahangir’s wife was the Persian princess Nur Jahan.  Her political scheming and ever-shifting favor between potential heirs would ultimately cause a bitter religious conflict with the Sikhs. 

Sikhism: Sikhism developed in Punjab India in the 15th century.

●Mughal leader Akbar provided land grants for Sikhism, causing it to gain in popularity. Later persecution of Hindus under Aurangzeb led to the establishment of the Punjab state (area formerly the Indus River Valley) by the Sikhs. This region would later be incorporated into territory controlled by the British East India Company.

●Sikhism developed from Hinduism and may have been influenced by Islamic Sufis.

​Sikhism (continued)

●Sikhism is monotheistic and practices meditation in seeking salvation.

●Sikhism is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.

❖Belief in the equality of all people, including equality between men and women; religious freedom; and in living a moral and ethical life dedicated to helping and serving others.

❖5 Ks worn by Sikhs as articles of faith: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a wooden brush for hair), Kara (a metal bracelet), Kachehra (undergarment), and Kirpan (a dagger).

​Jahangir’s son and successor, Shah Jahan, could not tolerate competition and secured his throne by assassinating all his possible rivals. He had a great passion for two things: beautiful buildings and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

​Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife, blending Persian, Islamic, and Indian styles of architecture. This memorial has been called one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

​The Founding Of The Ming Dynasty, China

Led by Hong Wu, an army of peasants revolted against the Yuan dynasty, or Mongols. Once the Yuan Dynasty had been toppled, these peasants ruled China and established the Ming dynasty. Hong Wu became emperor and established an absolute monarchy and claimed the Mandate of Heaven.

​The Ming Dynasty, China

The European voyages of exploration had led to opportunities for trade. Europeans made healthy profits from trade in the Indian Ocean region. Soon, European countries were seeking trade relationships in East Asia, first with China and later with Japan. By the time Portuguese ships dropped anchor off the Chinese coast in 1514, the Chinese had driven out their Mongol rulers and had united under a new dynasty.

​China had become the dominant power in Asia under the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). In recognition of China’s power, vassal states from Korea to Southeast Asia paid their Ming overlords regular tribute, which is a payment by one country to another to acknowledge its submission. China expected Europeans to do the same. Ming rulers were not going to allow outsiders from distant lands threaten the peace and prosperity the Ming had brought to China when they ended Mongol rule.

​●The Ming dynasty brought back the civil service exams and based society on traditional Confucian teachings, including the 5 relationships and filial piety.

●At the time, China led exploration with the largest navy in the world.

​The most famous Ming explorer was Zheng He, who travelled all the way from China, to India, the Middle East, and East Africa on giant “treasure ships” (junks).

●Zheng He’s voyages were sponsored by the Chinese emperor and were intended to serve as diplomatic voyages and create commercial ties for China in the Middle East and Africa.

●New tribute states were established in the Indian Ocean region and Southeast Asia and paid tributes to the Ming.

After Zheng He’s death, conservative Confucian scholars demanded an end to exploration and argued for a greater focus on domestic affairs, resulting in increased isolationism. The period of Chinese maritime exploration ended.

​Influence of Ming dynasty on world trade:

●Ming policies, which required that taxes be paid in silver, created high demand for silver, which the Spanish Empire could supply from mines at Potosi, Zacatecas, and other mines in the New World.

●Spanish silver was traded for Chinese products (porcelain, silk, tea) that were in high demand, and a truly global trade network resulted.

●Manila (Philippines) was established by the Spanish specifically to facilitate trade with China and to avoid pirates in the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, Catholicism spread to the Philippines, which is still predominantly Catholic.

​The Ming used their wealth to fund projects such as extending the Great Wall, improving the Grand Canal, and building parts of the Forbidden City for the rulers.

●Over time, the Ming dynasty weakened due to inflation, high taxes, isolationism, and discontented peasants. No longer the leader in gunpowder-based weaponry, shipbuilding, and navigation, the Ming dynasty focused on improvements of existing technologies such as lacquers, porcelains, and textiles.

●In 1644, foreigners from Manchuria (the Manchu) overthrew the Ming dynasty and later became known as the Qing dynasty.