THE CITY SCHOOL

CCI
PREP BOYS SECTION
HISTORY PORJECT

CLASS: PREP 2-W

PRESENTED TO: MAM

NAYYAR
PRESENTED BY: SHEHROZE
IQBAL
CONTENTS:
1. Babur
2. Humayun

3. SHER SHAH SURI

4. Akbar

5. Jahangir

6. SHAH JEHAN
 7. Aurangzeb

8. Later Mughals

9. References

Babur
Emperor Babur has been known as the founder of Mughal Empire in India. He was born on
14th February, 1483 at a town called Andijan that is located in the present day Uzbekistan.
He belonged to the Mongol tribe that also embraced Turkish and Persian. He was named
Zahiruddin Muhammad and was called Babar affectionately. Babar is derived from Persian
language and means lion. Babar rose to power by his determination and strength and set
the foundation of the Mughal Empire for his future generations. Read this short biography
of King Babur.

The Mughal Emperor Babar is described as a military genius and a skillful warrior. He is
known to have built an empire of good fortune and immense stability. Not only was he an
able administrator, but also a lover of fine arts and poetry. It is said that he loved nature
and built many beautiful gardens and sprawling lawns. He used to organize warm welcome
parties at these gardens and any spot of natural beauty. He was a warrior of extraordinary
strength and is said to have climbed mountains just for exercise.
Babur was a poetic genius and his creations have been
compiled as an autobiography known as Babar-nameh. They
were translated into Persian during the rule of Akbar. They
were then translated into English during 1921-22 and the
compilation was titled "Memoirs of Babar". One finds
valuable information in these works and they define Babar as
someone who was very noble and kind hearted. He was a
very witty person who had a streak of adventure and a keen
eye for natural beauty.

Babar attained his first power position at the mere age of 12! In the year 1494, he
succeeded his father as the ruler of Fargana, which is located in the present day Uzbekistan.
But his uncles were greedy and did everything possible to displace him from his position
and rob his territories. Babar had to spend quite some time in exiles and roam around
without any shelter. His only well wishers were peasants and friends who gave him food
every now and then. Babar attacked a city called Samarkand and got possession of it after a
struggle of seven months. However, he was robbed off Fargana after a rebellion amongst
nobles in his kingdom.

By the 16th century, Babar was determined to conquer Afghanistan and India. It is said that
Babar had no plans of conquering India as such, but after Fargana was robbed off him,
conquering India seemed like an attractive option. He conquered Kabul located in
Afghanistan after waging a fierce battle against the nobles and the rulers. Babar crossed the
mountains and somehow came to India. After waging fierce battles against the Rajputs and
Lodhis, Babar managed to take possession of Delhi and Agra. After that he rapidly started
to spread his territory and conquered most of Indian sub-continent and Afghanistan. He
was succeeded by his eldest son Humayun who further consolidated the empire in India.

Humayun

Emperor Humayun was the second Mughal emperor who ruled India. He was named
Nasiruddin Humayun and was born on 6th March, 1508. He was declared emperor in the
year 1530 and ascended the throne at the age of 22. Emperor Humayun lost the kingdom as
soon as he gained it as he was inexperienced in handling a large empire. But with time and
his efforts, he regained it back with some help from the Persian forces. Read this short
biography to know the life history of king Humayun.

The empire that Humayun inherited after his father Babar was very unstable and lacked
strong administration. This made him face many problems from the very start. The weak
empire attracted aggression from external forces like the Afghans, Rajputs, etc. His biggest
rival was Sher Shah Suri who defeated him in the battle of Kannauj in the year 1540. He
was left with no option but to leave India and escape to Iran for sometime.
While he was wandering in Iran and Sindh, he met a young
Persian girl named Hamida Bano whom he married. After a
year, they had a son whom they named Akbar. According to
local legends, Humayun did not have anything but some
musk to gift to his well wishers and followers at that time. He
broke the musk into small pieces and distributed it among
his men. He predicted that one day the fame of the prince
would spread like the smell of musk.

The Mughal Empire remained inactive for a period of nearly 15 years. Sher Shah Suri
established his own dynasty and called it the Suri dynasty. In the year 1555, Humayun
came back with a strong force and fierce determination and recovered his kingdom back.
He ruled over most of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and was an efficient ruler. He was
quite the gentleman and had much interest in astrology and mathematics. Humayun was
inclined towards the finer things in life and was not a very fierce warrior. He was very
affectionate towards his brothers and did not punish them even though they had betrayed
his trust many times.

Though Humayun managed to get his kingdom back, he couldn't rule for long. One day
while coming down from his library, he slipped and fell down the stairs. He suffered
massive injuries including a skull fracture. Due to his advancing age and lack of medicinal
facilities, he died a tragic death. The kingdom was left with his son Akbar

SHER SHAH SURI

Sher Shah Suri, "The Lion King", founder of the Suri Dynasty, was born in 1472 in Punjab.
His original name was Farid. He was the son of a petty Afghan Jagirdar. Ill-treated by his
stepmother, he left home at an early age. He went to Jaunpur where he set himself to
serious study and there he acquired good command over the Arabic and Persian languages.
Bec ause of his abilities, he was soon appointed by his father to
manage the family Jagir. But again because of his stepmother, he left his father's Jagir and
went to Bihar where he later joined the service of Babur.

Seeing the weaknesses in the Mughal rule and military organization, Sher Shah took
advantage of the problems faced by Humayun. Eventually he managed to overthrow the
Mughal rulers. His reign barely spanned five years, but is a landmark in the history of the
Sub-continent. With his deep knowledge and practical experience, he made many brilliant
additions and improvements to the existent system. Sher Shah was a capable military and
civilian administrator. He set up reforms in various areas. Akbar later built on these
reforms and extended them further. Many of these reforms pertained to the army, but the
principal reforms for which he is remembered are those connected with revenue
administration. Numerous civil works were carried out during his short reign.

AKBAR

Mughal Emperors are well known all over the world for their golden rule over the Sub-
continent, which lasted for over three centuries. Not only did they gloriously rule this part
of the world, they also left an indelible mark on the Indian Sub-continent with their art and
architecture. To this day, there are beautiful buildings in all parts of the Sub-continent, now
divided into India and Pakistan, which reminds one of its splendid past.

BRIEF HISTORY OF MUGHAL EMPIRE:

Mughals came to the Sub-continent when Zahiruddin Babar conquered Delhi in 1526. It was
after the famous Battle was Panipat where Babar defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, thus bringing an
end to the Lodhi dynasty. This also laid the foundation for Mughal Empire which then went
on to rule the Sub-continent for next three centuries. Babar was a very dynamic and
enterprising ruler, who could not rule India for more than four years as he died in 1530.

Humayun, Babar's son, succeeded him but he faced several tough times when he ascended
the throne. It was because of the fact that his father died before he could consolidate his
empire. This led to many administrative problems coupled with the fact that there were
some Afghan rulers who were powerful enough to compete with Humayun for the throne.
Among them, Sher Shah Suri proved to be the toughest one who brought Afghans to power
and temporarily put an end to the Mughal rule after he defeated Humayun in 1540.

Sher Shah Suri was quick to capture most of the Sub-continent and this opened a great
chapter of excellent administration in the history of India. His five-year rule that ended
tragically with his accidental death in 1545 was marked with significant administrative and
military reforms. Sher Shah will always be remembered for the wonderful road network
that connected most areas of the Sub-continent. Among them is the Grand Trunk Road
which joins East Bengal to West Punjab passing through Agra, Delhi and Lahore.

After his death, his son reigned for nine years and his son Firuz Shah succeeded him in turn
in 1554. But all this proved to be nothing but temporary hindrance in the restoration of the
Mughal Dynasty, which was established once again by Humayun in 1555. But poor
Humayun was very weak by then and died just a year later, in 1556.

It was then that the most important and by far the most eventful period of Mughal reign
began when Akbar, son of Humayun took over after his father's death. Akbar was hardly
thirteen when he ascended the throne and went on to rule for almost half a century. But in
his early days of power, Akbar was supported by Bairam Khan who faithfully helped him
govern the huge Empire. Akbar is well remembered for his statesmanship, which was based
upon good will towards all. He was but a weak Muslim and tried to bring objectionable
changes in the rules of this religion. But these changes didn't last for long as Muslims
believed staunchly in the rules laid by the Holy Koran.

Akbar's death brought his son Jahangir to the throne in 1605. Jahangir's reign is dented
with many rebellions which he successfully countered. His greatest achievement was the
conquest of the fortress of Kangara in Punjab. It was captured after a struggle, which lasted
14 months.

Shah Jahan followed Jahangir in 1628, and to this day Shah Jahan is known for the
magnificent monument of Taj Mahal which he had built in memory of his wife, Mumtaz
Mahal. But Shah Jahan was accused by his son, Aurangzeb Alamgir, of extravagance and he
held his father captive and after some resistance from his brothers came to power in 1658.
He remained imprisoned for eight years where he was treated very well but was kept away
from the administration of the Empire.

Aurangzeb Alamgir is known in history for his Islamic works. He was a pious man who lived
like any other ordinary man of India while he was on the throne. He had seen the way his
father had led his life and despised it strongly. Therefore he preferred to work more for the
social good of his people.

Though Mughal Empire did continue after the death of Aurangzeb, it is unanimously agreed
that the decline had started right after the birth of this great Mughal Emperor. Bahadur
Shah Zafar was the last Mughal emperor who ascended the throne in 1837 and was forced
to leave in 1857 after the famous war of independence in which British imprisoned Bahadur
Shah in a fort and from thereon became real ruler of the Sub-continent till 1947.

INFLUENCE OF THE MUGHAL DYNASTY:

Mughals were patrons of art and literature. They were themselves deeply interested in
poetry and prose and therefore extended patronage to many poets and scholars. It was a
great honor for a poet to be selected as a poet of the court. But one of the most significant
features of their rule was the development that took place in the area of architecture. They
erected buildings all over the Sub-continent which are nothing less than architectural
masterpieces. The most famous among them are the Purana Qila by Sher Shah Suri, the Jama
Masjid, The Agra Fort, The Lahore Fort all by Akbar, Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid of Agra, Jama
Masjid of Delhi, the Shalimar Garden, and The Sheesh Mahal, all examples of Shah Jahan's
refined taste in architecture. There are many other gloriously beautiful buildings, which
reminds one of the Mughal rule and the impression that they have left are deeply engraved
on the Sub-continent's colorful past.

Apart from architecture and literature, Mughals greatly supported music and paintings.
They would personally look after the development of this area and would help in painters
and musicians in whatever way possible. Much of Sub-continent's literature and art
originated during the Mughal Rule, the great poet Ghalib who is to this day considered as
one of the most gifted poets to have emerged from this part of the world was also a product
of this very period

Jahangir

Emperor Jahangir strengthened the Mughal Empire in India after his father Akbar. Jahangir
was born on 31st August, 1569 and was named Nuruddin Salim Jahangir. Nuruddin has
been derived from Arabic which means "light of faith". Jahangir is a Persian word which
means "world conqueror". Jahangir was an able administrator who had a penchant for the
finer things in life. He was not a brutal warrior but a learned politician. Read this short
biography to know the life history of Mughal Emperor Jehangir.

Jahangir received the best education that was available at that time. His father Akbar was
very particular that his son received the best education that was available in the kingdom.
At the age of four he was taught Turkish, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Arithmetic, Geography,
History, Sciences, etc. At a very young age, he was given the rank of a Mansabdar of ten
thousand, which is the highest rank in military after the Emperor. At the mere age of
twelve, he commanded a regiment independently in the Kabul campaign.

Emperor Jahangir married many times and the girls were

from very high-class noble families of the Mughals and
Rajputs. A Rajput princess known as Jagat Gosain was his
favorite and she gave birth to Shah Jahan, Jahangir's
successor. He also married the famous Noor Jahan, who was
the widow of Sher Afghan. Noor Jahan was supposed to be
unparalleled in beauty and intelligence. This was the reason
why Jahangir was attracted towards her. She proved to be
the driving force behind Jahangir and made him strengthen
the empire.

Jahangir loved fine arts and encouraged the growth the poetry, paintings, dance, music, etc.
He was also a good writer and loved nature. He penned down his life and his experiences in
the form of an autobiography named Tuzk-e-Jahangiri. He was a collector of paintings and
many of them are still preserved in a museum. He was famous for his "Chain of Justice",
which was a golden chain attached to some bells outside his palace. Anyone in despair
could pull the chain and go in for a personal hearing from the emperor himself. Jahangir
died in the year 1627 and was buried in a magnificent tomb at a place called Shahdra,

located in present day Pakistan.

Shah Jahan

Emperor Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal ruler of India. He was born on 5th January, 1592
and it is said that during the reign of Shah Jahan, the Mughal Empire prospered greatly like
never before. The name Shah Jahan has been derived from Persian and it means "Emperor
of the World". He was named Prince Khurram and ascended the throne at the age of 35.
This short biography given here presents the life history of emperor Shahjahan.

Shah Jahan was an able ruler and an efficient administrator and aimed at spreading the
extent of Mughal Empire. Shah Jahan was a devout Muslim and unlike his grandfather
Akbar, he was not tolerant towards Hindus. He ordered that Hindu temples that were being
constructed should be destroyed. He was also not a supporter of other religions and also
demolished the churches of Christians located at Agra and Lahore. Shah Jahan also attacked
a Portuguese colony located near Calcutta as the Portuguese were charged with crimes like
kidnapping Mughal subjects and shipping them to Europe as slaves.

Shah Jahan was a lover of art and architecture and took care
of even the minutest detail in any construction that he
ordered. The most famous example of his architectural style
is the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built in the memory of
his second wife Mumtaz Mahal who died while giving birth to
his 14th child. She was a devoted lady and accompanied Shah
Jahan to each and every military expedition he went. When
she died, Shah Jahan was devastated and locked himself in a
room. It is said that when Shah Jahan emerged from the room
he looked a hundred years old and had become very fragile.

Taj Mahal was built with utmost dedication and care. The pure white marble was carefully
cut and carved to make up this wonderful dream in marble. The walls were decorated with
verses from the Quran and the monument was studded with precious and semi-precious
stones all over. When Taj Mahal was completed, everyone was awestruck. Other famous
monuments he made are Jama Masjid and Red Fort located at Delhi. A famous mosque that
he built was the Pearl Mosque located at Agra.

Shah Jahan lived an opulent life. He built the Peacock Throne which was made out of gold
and precious stones. The legs were made of solid gold and 12 pillars of emeralds supported
an emerald canopy. Each pillar was intricately carved with two peacocks that were studded
with rubies and diamonds and from between the peacocks emerged a tree which was
covered in diamonds, rubies and pearls. Shah Jahan took care of every minute detail and
during his reign jewelry was refined to very high level of perfection.

Shah Jahan was captured by his own son Aurangzeb and was locked away in a fort during
the battle for succession to the throne among his sons. Shah Jahan was a helpless spectator
as he was too old and weak to put up a fight against the army of his son. While on his death
bed, his eyes were fixed on the Taj Mahal and when he died, he was buried in the
magnificent tomb next to his wife.
Aurangzeb

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb

Main article: Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb's reign ushered in the decline of the Mughal Empire. Aurangzeb, who in the
latter half of his long rule assumed the title "Alamgir" or "world-seizer," was known for
aggressively expanding the empire's frontiers and for his militant enforcement of orthodox
Sunni Islam. During his reign, the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent (the Bijapur
and Golconda Sultanates which had been reduced to vassaldom by Shah Jahan were
formally annexed), although it is likely that his policies also led to its dissolution. Still, there
is some belief that his policies may have slowed the decline of the Empire rather than
precipitated it. Although he was an outstanding general and a rigorous administrator,
Mughal fiscal and military standards declined as security and luxury increased. Land rather
than cash became the usual means of remunerating high-ranking officials, and divisive
tendencies in his large empire further undermined central authority.
In 1679 Aurangozeb reimposed the hated jizyah tax on Hindus. Coming after a series of
other taxes, and other discriminatory measures favouring Sunni Muslims, this action by the
emperor, incited rebellion among Hindus and others in many parts of the empire--Jat, Sikh,
and Rajput forces in the north and Maratha forces in the Deccan. The emperor managed to
crush the rebellions in the north, but at a high cost to agricultural productivity and to the
legitimacy of Mughal rule. Aurangzeb was compelled to move his headquarters to
Daulatabad in the Deccan to mount a costly campaign against Maratha guerrilla fighters led
by Shivaji, which lasted twenty-six-years until he died in 1707 at the age of seventy nine.

In the century and a half that followed, effective control by Aurangzeb's successors
weakened. The mansabdari system gave way to the zamindari system, in which high-
ranking officials took on the appearance of hereditary landed aristocracy with powers of
collecting rents. As Delhi's control waned, other contenders for power emerged and
clashed, thus preparing the way for the eventual British takeover.

The Mughal state reached its height under Aurangzeb's leadership. It had 29.2 percent of
the world population under its flag (175 million out of 600 million in 1700 AD) and was
one of the richest states the world had ever seen, with 24.5% of the world's GDP (the
equivalent of $90.8 billion out of $371 billion in 1700). [citation needed]

Aurangzeb, as is his father before him, is remembered as a builder-emperor. The Badshahi

Masjid (Imperial Mosque) in Lahore was constructed in 1673 on his orders. It was not only
the largest mosque ever built by a Mughal emperor but was at that point the largest
mosque in the world. He also constructed the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is
today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moti Masjid inside Delhi's Red Fort was also finalized
by him.

Later Mughals

Bahadur Shah I

When Aurangzeb died close to the age of eighty, there were seventeen legitimate claimants
to the throne that included not only his sons but also his grandsons and great grandsons.
After the death of the emperor two brothers fought near Agra in the same battle site that
Aurangzeb had fought his brother Dara Shikoh. Prince Muazzam prevailed and killed his
brother Prince Azam Shah and assumed the title Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam I.

Bahadur Shah’s son Jahandar Shah succeeded after his death. In Deccan Saiyid Husain Ali
Khan colluded with the Marathas and attacked Delhi and using trickery and intrigue seized
Farrukhsiyar in the Red Fort[citation needed]. The emperor was blinded and caged and later
poisoned as well as stabbed to death[citation needed]. However, prior to his death, Farrukhsiyar
had the dubious distinction of aiding the British to have a firm foothold in India, by signing
the much-coveted farman an imperial directive that would seal the future of British
takeover of India.

Marathas were now constantly attacking Delhi. Of more consequence and humiliation was
the plunder of Delhi by Nadir Shah. A Timur descendent, Nadir Shah usurped the throne in
Persia and seized Kandahar and Kabul. He marched through Panjab and was invited by
Muhammad Shah as a guest to Delhi (only because he had neither the will nor the
resources to fight him). Within forty-eight hours, using a lame excuse, Nadir Shah ordered a
general massacre of Delhi citizens and looted every bit of wealth they could extort out of
the royalty as well as Delhi’s citizenry. Nadir Shah remained in Delhi for forty eight days
and departed with millions worth of gold, jewelry and coins. Even the emperor’s bejeweled
peacock throne made during Shah Jahan's reign was packed on elephants and carried away
to Persia. Another prize, the Koh-I-nur diamond (Humayun’s diamond) now passed into
Persian hands. Later an Afghani, Ahmad Shah Abdali started his incursions into Delhi just
for the purpose of looting the capital. In a series of attacks starting in 1748 until 1761,
Abdali would not only pillage and loot Delhi, he also cleaned out Mathura, Kashmir and
cities in Panjab. From the east the British defeated the Nawab of Bengal and occupied the
state of Bengal.

Bahadur Shah II, The last Mughal emperor

The raids by Nadir Shah and repeated incursions of Abdali resulted in quick disposal of the
next two emperors Ahmad Shah and Alamgir II until in 1759 Shah Alam II ascended the
throne. His reign would last several decades. However, he would preside over more loss of
territory to the British. When the Nawab of Bengal lost to Robert Clive, Shah Alam II was
forced to recognize Clive as a diwan (chancellor) and Bengal slipped to the British hands
permanently.
In 1806 Shah Alam’s son Akbar Shah II acceded to the much diminished empire of the
Mughals and ruled until 1837. His son Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last emperor of
Mughals before the British deposed him in 1858 and the Mughal dynasty would officially
come to an end. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Bahadur Shah II was forced to take
the side of the mutineers though he had no power to affect the outcome of the events. The
mutineers had outwitted his British sponsors and now the emperor neither had the troops
nor the competence. He had no choice but to join the winning side. However, the success of
the mutineers was soon reversed and the octogenarian (he was eighty-two years old) was
relieved of his empire and deposed in 1858. The emperor was then exiled to Rangoon in
Burma where he died in obscurity in 1862.

The Mughal Family

The Mughal Emperors practiced polygamy.[2] Besides their principal wives, they also had a
number of illegitimate wives in their harem. This makes it difficult to identify all the
offspring of each emperor. The principal offspring of each emperor and their relationships
are provided in the chart below.
References

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.com