Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire is among the most influential dynasties in South Asian history. Established in 1526 with the deposing of the Delhi sultanate, under the leadership of generations of charismatic, ambitious, and highly effective emperors, the Mughal Empire experienced nearly 200 years of stable rule over much of the Indian subcontinent. The empire also facilitated a cultural renascence that blended Islamic and Indic traditions. Today, the legacy of the Mughal era is found in various artistic, literary, and architectural wonders.

In 1526, Babur, a Central Asian general, after defeating Sultan Ibraham Lodi in the Battle of Panipat, established the Mughal Empire, which he led until his death in 1530. Humayun, Babur's eldest son, then ruled the dynasty from 1530 to 1556. His reign was marked by infighting with his brothers as well as mixed fortunes on the battlefield against his rivals.

Humayun's son Akbar, the most successful and influential of the Mughal emperors, assumed the throne in 1556 after his father's death and reigned until 1605. Conquering vast territories including Gujarat and Bengal, Akbar significantly increased the domain of Mughal rule. The expanding empire was funded chiefly through revenues collected from trade and agriculture. Akbar installed the mansabdari, a sophisticated and highly efficient bureaucracy, to both defend and administer his empire.

Akbar strived to create an Indic empire free of sectarian strife. To this end, he gained support among many Hindu rulers by appointing them to high-level positions in his court and by eliminating the jizya (taxes imposed on non-Muslims). His royal court was reputed for being a center of religious pluralism, to which the emperor invited scholars and mystics from different religions. Akbar eventually synthesized what he saw as the best elements of these disparate traditions by developing his own religion, which he referred to as Din-i-Ilahi.

The Mughal Empire continued flourishing under the rule of Akbar's next three successors: Jahangir (1605–1627), Shah Jahan (1627–1658), and Aurangzeb (1658–1707). Following the reign of Aurangzeb, the empire entered a period of [Page 834]decline, with subsequent emperors wielding diminishing power and influence. British officials exiled the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The Mughal emperors sponsored the production of various illustrated manuscripts, including the translations of the Sanskrit epics into Persian. Akbar's royal studio brought together both Hindu and Muslim artists, who produced new Indo-Persian styles of painting. Included among the architectural marvels of the Mughal world are the Red Fort and Humayun's tomb in Delhi, the Lalbagh Fort in Dhaka, and the Taj Mahal in Agra.