What was the Extent of the Mughal Empire?

Origin of the Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire, also referred to as Mogul or Timurid, holds a significant position in the Indian subcontinent history. Its timeline stretches from 1526-1857, and Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur founded it. A military adventurer, a soldier as well as a statesman, Babur was a successor of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and also of the Turkik conqueror Timur. In 1526, the young Babur fought and defeated the Delhi Sultanate and Sultan Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat. Having ruled the Indian subcontinent for over three centuries, the Mughal Empire by 1650 became one of the leading powers of the Islamic World. And by the 17th-century, it happened to rule almost the entire Indian population.

Reign of Babur and Humayun

Babur’s reign lasted for a very short period. He ruled the area of Northern India and the plain of Ganges River. His reign brought about a decrease in slavery but promoted trade with Persia and Europe. Consequently, the Empire also had a lot of Persian cultural influence. Babur took his last breath in the year 1530 and died at the age of 47. Babur was succeeded by his eldest son Humayun, who ruled over territory encompassing Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh till 1540. Meanwhile, Humayun’s uncle was one of his many enemies who won over the Punjab and Indus Valley regions from him. Owing to the increasing wars with his rivals, Humayan was forced to turn to Persia for refuge. After the death of his rival Sher Shah Suri, Humayun finally returned to India in 1555. Post this he ruled for a year and took control over of over 386,000 sq. miles.

Akbar’s Reign

Humayun was succeeded by his son Akbar, who ruled from 1556-1605. The major credit for consolidating and expanding the frontiers of the Mughal Empire goes to Akbar the Great. He embarked on military campaigns to win over and consolidate all the lost territories during his grandfather’s rule, paying particular attention to root out hostile rulers of Afghan origin from India. These included Delhi, Agra, Lahore and Multan to begin with. In 1560, he turned his attention towards Malwa and defeated Afghan ruler Baz Bahadur. From 1561 onwards, he subdued Rajputana, and by 1568, he had conquered Chittor Fort in Mewar. In 1569, he established a new capital Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra. Subsequently, his forces also defeated and captured the Gondwana Kingdom in 1564. By 1573, he had annexed Ahmedabad and Surat in Gujarat. After that, Akbar’s Mughal army captured Patna from Daud Khan in 1574 and further annexed parts of Bihar and Bengal in 1575. From 1585 onwards, he sent many experienced warriors from his army to conquer Afghanistan and Central Asia, without much success though. However, Kashmir (1589), Baltistan and Ladakh were conquered one by one. Sindh (1591), and some areas of Balochistan also became a part of the Mughal Empire. By 1601, Akbar had seized Ahmednagar, Berar and Khandesh in Deccan, vastly increasing the reach of the Mughal Empire.

Unlike the earlier Mughal rulers, Akbar made India his home, and also provided a robust political and administrative framework for the Empire, thereby delegating regional officers to rule over various territories. With an explicitly progressive approach, Akbar gave many of these positions to Hindus. Though most of his military campaigns resulted in the massacre of soldiers and civilians in captured territories, the latter part of his reign was one of religious tolerance, and promoted equal and fair treatment of all irrespective of one’s religious obligations. More than anything else, Akbar’s Empire was known for its strong administration and comprehensive policies which gave the Mughal Empire a strong foothold to survive for over 150 years.

Mughal Empire in 17th-century

Akbar’s death followed the succession of his son Jahangir who ruled from 1605-1627 and under whom the Empire continued to prosper economically with religious peace. Jahangir’s rule was then succeeded briefly by emperor Shahryar, who was killed by his brother Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan ruled for a considerable period from 1628-1658 and is best recognized for designing magnificent architectural monuments, including the famous Taj Mahal in Agra near Delhi.

Shah Jahan’s younger son, Aurangzeb, seized the throne after defeating his brother Dara Shikoh and imprisoning his father. Aurangzeb was a seasoned military leader and continued to expand the Mughal Empire by conquering newer territories to include almost the whole of the Indian subcontinent (nearly four million sq km). He was the sixth Mughal emperor and ruled from 1658 to 1707. However, he lived in austerity, unlike the opulence of his father and grandfather’s reign. The Mughal Empire reached its geographical zenith during his 49-year reign. However, his orthodox policies of opposing drinking and music, the introduction of Jaziya tax on Hindus, and execution of a Maratha king and a Sikh guru are believed to have instigated many rebellions, eventually leading to the downfall of the Mughal Empire.

Fall of the Mughal Empire

The successive reigns of Aurangzeb’s son Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712) and Muhammad Shah (1719-1748) were marked by a decline in the political power of the Empire. The Carnatic Wars and Bengal War during the 18th-century to safeguard the empire cost thousands of lives. The led to the weakening of the Empire and the resultant uprisings in the once flourishing Empire. Meanwhile, there was an intervention by the East India Company owing to the Industrial Revolution in England for which they required raw material from India. Eventually, this gave them a firm footing in India and gradually, they were able to establish their own administrative and military departments. This power was taken over by the British government by 1813. Finally, in 1857, the Indian rebellion bought about the exile of Bahadur Shah II. This ended with full control of the Indian subcontinent falling into the hands of the colonial British Raj.

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