The+Ancient+Kingdoms

= **The Ancient Kingdoms** =

In **1525 Babur** became the ruler of Afghanistan and made Kabul the capital of his Moghul Empire. From Babur conquered most cities of Afghanistan before his campaign into India. He learnt about the riches of 'Hindustan' and conquest of it by his ancestor. The great grandson of Tamerlane, Babar came to India in 1526. After acquiring Kabul (Afghanistan) in 1514 he established his base camp at Peshawar by 1924. At the request of an Indian governor who required Babar's help in his fight against Ibrahim Lodi, Babar defeated Lodi at Panipat, not far from Delhi, and so came to establish the Mughal Empire in India. Babar ruled until 1530.

Bābur’s son **Humayun (1530-40, 1554-56)** lost control of the empire to Afghan rebels. Afghan leader, Sher Shah Suri, defeated Humayun in the battles of Chausa and Kanauj in 1540. Humayun spend nearly fifteen years in exile in Persia. During these years Sher Shah Suri under Sur dynasty, ruled over North India. Although he ruled for a short period, he is remembered in Indian history as one of the ablest rulers. Humayun invaded India in 1554 with the help of Bairam Khan. He conquered most of the Punjab and defeated the Afghans in a battle near Sirhind and captured Delhi.

After his death his fourteen-year-old son, **Akbar (1556-1605),** was crowned under the care of Bairam Khan. During this time Akbar’s position in India was not strong. He defeated the Hindu King, Hemu, at the Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and thus reestablished his dynasty in Hindustan. Agra became the capital of the Mughal Empire. During the next four years, Bairam Khan enjoyed a supreme position in the state as the emperor's guardian and Prime Minister. In 1560, Akbar took over the reign from Bairam Khan who was killed in Gujarat.

Akbar consolidated the empire for the next forty years of his reign. He annexed various states like Jaunpur, Gwalior, Ajmer, and Malwa. To strengthen his position Akbar adopted the policy of matrimonial alliance with the Rajputs. Not only did Akbar’s policy secure the Mughal Empire from the brave Rajputs, but the Rajputs also helped him expand his Empire. With their help he established peace and prosperity.

Mewar was the only state that never accepted the sovereignty of the Mughals. As a result, the famous battle of Haldighati was fought in 1576 between the Rajput King, Maharana Pratap, and the Mughal army headed by Raja Man Singh of Amber. The Mughals won the battle. Besides Malwa and Mewar, Akbar also conquered Gujarat as it was an important state for overseas trade and commerce. In 1585 Hakeem, Akbar’s step-brother and governor of Kabul Mirza, died. Akbar took advantage of this opportunity and annexed Kabul to the Mughal Empire. By 1595, he brought Kashmir, Sind, Orissa, and Bengal under the Mughal Empire. He then moved toward the south. At the time of Akbar’s death in 1605, the empire extended from Afghanistan to the Bay of Bengal.

After his death Akbar’s son, **Jahangir (1605–27)**, continued both his father’s administrative system and his tolerant policy toward Hinduism. Jahangir offered liberal terms to Mewar, owing to the fact that Jahangir had taken refuge in Mewar at the time of his revolt against Akbar. This ended the long struggle between Mewar and the Mughals. Jahangir also faced the revolt of his son, Khusrau. Jahangir’s marriage to Nur Jahan was a very important event in Mughal history as she proved to be a very influential woman and helped him rule the Kingdom well.

Jahangir’s son, **Shah Jahan (1628–58)**, had a passion for building and architecture. The Taj Mahal, the Great Mosque of Delhi, and Red Fort are among the monuments build under his rule. He spent much of his time and resources restraining Hindu kingdoms of southern India.


 * Aurangzeb (1658–1707)** came to the power in 1658. He kept Shah Jahan under house arrest at the Agra Fort until he died in 1666. Aurangzeb annexed the kingdoms of Bijapur and Golconda. His political and religious intolerance was the cause of the Mughal Empire’s speedy decline. He destroyed Hindu schools and temples, excluded Hindus from public office, and levied special taxes on all Hindus. This policy roused upheaval among the Rajputs, Sikhs, and Marathas. Aurungzeb's three sons disputed over succession and the Mughal Empire crumbled. This was the era when Europeans began to reach Indian coastal regions for trade and expansion of their own empire.



After Aurangzeb's death his son, **Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712),** took the throne. In the eyes of history Bahadur Shah is considered the last major Mughal emperor. Due to Bahadur Shah's weak military and leadership the Mughal Empire started to shrink. Although **Jahandar Shah (1661–1713)**, and his son afterward, came to power they had little influence beyond Delhi.

The policies of collaboration and tolerance followed by Akbar and his son Jahangir resulted in trade opportunities both within and outside of India. Numerous inns, hospitals, and roads were built and income from the export of luxury goods, agriculture, and trade filled the Mughal treasuries. However, their successors could not show the same skills which lead to the collapse of the Mughal Kingdom.

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From the 16th century to the early 1700s, Afghanistan was divided between three kingdoms. The north was the Kingdom of Balk, ruled by Uzbeks Khans, the west was ruled by Persian Safavid, and the east by the Mughals. The region of Kandahar became a cause for war between the Persians and Mughals (although most of the time it was under Persian rule). With the collapse of the Mughal Empire, various Hindu kingdoms like Marathas in the mid-west, Sikh in north, and Rajputs in west started expanding. The Mughal emperor, **Muhammad Shah (1719–48),** 4th son of Bahdur Shah I, ruled most of northern India but his empire eventually began to break apart due to dynastic warfare, rivalries, and the Iranian conqueror Nādir Shah’s invasion of northern India in 1739.

After the death of Muhammad Shah in 1748, the Marathas overran almost all of northern India. Mughal rule was reduced to only a small area around Delhi, which passed under Maratha (1785) and then British (1803) control. The last Mughal, **Bahādur Shah II (1837–57)**, was exiled to Rangoon (now Yangon) by the British after his involvement with the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58 against the British.


 * The East India Company** was formed in 1600 by a Royal Charter granted by Queen Elizabeth I to pursue trade with East India. In 1634, the Mughal emperor extended his hospitality to the English traders to the region of Bengal and in 1717 completely waived customs duties for the trade.



European demand for Indian textiles rose steeply, while India in return received a few luxury items, precious metals, a modest amount of wool, tin, lead, and copper from Britain as well as spices from Southeast Asia brought by the Dutch. The British found India to be a good and cheap source for raw material and a fine market to sell their finished goods. Slowly, the Indian markets flooded with imported goods which resulted in a big blow for local handicrafts. As the East India Company continued to expand, it experienced resistance from local rulers. After the death of Aurungzeb, the Mughal empire continued to break apart even further. A few small kingdoms, like those ruled by Haidar Ali and Tipu Sultan, gave the British forces a tough time. But none of them could stand for long against the modern weapons of the East India Company. The officers of the company made so much money during this era that, after returning to England, they owned big businesses and had strong positions in British parliament.

The revolution of 1857-58 is considered India’s first war for independence. It began on May 10, 1857 in Meerut when Mangal Panday, a soldier in the Army, shot his commander for forcing the Indian troops to use some controversial cartridges. The British introduced new rifle cartridges rumored to be greased with oil made from the fat of the sacred Hindu cow, while Muslims were repelled by pig fat. After a week of street fighting, the revolution was suppressed when more British forces landed. In August 1858 the British crown took control of India from the East India Company and in 1877 Queen Victoria was crowned as the Empress of India.

The Indian independence movement started again under the Indian National Congress and **Mahatma Gandhi**. The British followed the policy of “divide and rule” which resulted in partition of India and Pakistan with independence achieved on August 15th, 1947.

Images: [|Growth of the Mughal Empire 1526 -1707] [|East India Company Power Map]

Video: [|Mughal Empire Expansion]

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