60-second revision
- First Panipat 1526: Babur beat Ibrahim Lodi. Khanwa 1527: Babur beat Rana Sanga.
- Sher Shah defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540); issued the silver rupiya.
- Second Panipat 1556: Akbar's forces under Bairam Khan defeated Hemu.
- Akbar: abolished jizya (1564), Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri (1575), Din-i-Ilahi (1582); Todar Mal's zabt system.
- Mansabdari: zat = personal rank and pay; sawar = number of horsemen to maintain.
- Sir Thomas Roe came to Jahangir's court (1615); Aurangzeb reimposed jizya (1679).
- Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi.
- Nadir Shah invaded in 1739 and carried off the Peacock Throne.
Emperors and key events
| Ruler | Reign | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Babur | 1526–1530 | Panipat I (1526), Khanwa (1527), Chanderi (1528), Ghaghra (1529); memoirs Baburnama in Turki |
| Humayun | 1530–1540, 1555–1556 | Lost to Sher Shah at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540); returned 1555; died after a fall from library stairs (Sher Mandal) |
| Sher Shah Suri (Sur dynasty) | 1540–1545 | Rupiya and dam coins; repaired the road from Sonargaon to Peshawar (later Grand Trunk Road); sarais; tomb at Sasaram |
| Akbar | 1556–1605 | Panipat II (1556); Haldighati (1576) against Maharana Pratap; Fatehpur Sikri; mansabdari; religious tolerance |
| Jahangir | 1605–1627 | Chain of justice; Nur Jahan's influence; Sir Thomas Roe (1615); Guru Arjan Dev executed (1606); painting at its peak |
| Shah Jahan | 1628–1658 | Taj Mahal, Red Fort and Jama Masjid in Delhi, Shahjahanabad, Peacock Throne; deposed by Aurangzeb |
| Aurangzeb | 1658–1707 | Reimposed jizya (1679); Guru Tegh Bahadur executed (1675); long Deccan wars; died 1707 |
Akbar's policies
- Abolished the pilgrim tax (1563) and the jizya (1564).
- Married into Rajput families and gave Rajputs high mansabs (Man Singh of Amber led the Mughals at Haldighati).
- Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri (1575) for debates among religions; the Mahzar (1579) strengthened his authority on religious questions.
- Din-i-Ilahi (1582), a small spiritual order of loyal nobles, based on the idea of sulh-i-kul (peace with all).
- Translations: the Mahabharata into Persian as the Razmnama.
- Famous courtiers included Abul Fazl, Faizi, Birbal, Todar Mal, Man Singh, Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan and the musician Tansen.
Administration and revenue
Every officer held a mansab, a numerical rank with two parts: zat (personal rank and salary) and sawar (number of horsemen he had to maintain). Mansabdars were usually paid through jagirs, revenue assignments that were transferred regularly. The empire was divided into subas (provinces) under subedars. Todar Mal's zabt or dahsala system measured land and fixed cash revenue on the average produce and prices of the previous ten years.
Buildings
| Monument | Builder / patron | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Humayun's Tomb, Delhi | Commissioned by Humayun's widow Bega Begum | Early garden tomb (charbagh); model for the Taj |
| Fatehpur Sikri, Buland Darwaza | Akbar | Buland Darwaza marks the Gujarat campaign; tomb of Salim Chishti |
| Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra | Begun by Akbar, completed by Jahangir | Near Agra |
| Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb, Agra | Nur Jahan | White marble with pietra dura inlay |
| Taj Mahal, Agra | Shah Jahan | For Mumtaz Mahal |
| Red Fort and Jama Masjid, Delhi | Shah Jahan | Part of Shahjahanabad |
| Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad | Built in memory of Aurangzeb's wife Dilras Banu Begum | Often called the "Taj of the Deccan" |
| Badshahi Mosque, Lahore | Aurangzeb | One of the largest Mughal mosques |
Books to remember
| Book | Author | About |
|---|---|---|
| Baburnama (Tuzuk-i-Baburi) | Babur | Memoirs, in Turki |
| Humayun-nama | Gulbadan Begum | Life of Humayun, by his half-sister |
| Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari | Abul Fazl | History of Akbar's reign and its administration |
| Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri | Jahangir | Memoirs |
| Sirr-ul-Akbar | Dara Shikoh | Persian translation of the Upanishads |
Painting and culture
Mughal painting began under Humayun, who brought the Persian masters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad to India. Under Akbar their workshop illustrated books such as the Hamzanama and the Razmnama, blending Persian and Indian styles. Painting reached its height under Jahangir, whose artists, such as Ustad Mansur, painted realistic birds, animals and portraits. Shah Jahan preferred architecture, and Aurangzeb withdrew court patronage from music and painting, pushing artists towards the Rajput and Pahari courts.
Decline
After Aurangzeb's death in 1707 the empire weakened quickly: wars of succession, the rise of the Marathas, Sikhs and Jats, and regional states such as Hyderabad, Bengal and Awadh. Nadir Shah of Persia defeated Muhammad Shah at Karnal (1739) and plundered Delhi. Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas at the Third Battle of Panipat (1761).
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