Rise And Spread Of Islam

In the 7thCentury AD, a new religion named “ISLAM” was born in Arabia
and in a very short span it carved out an empire extending from North
Africa to Iran and India.

Islam was founded and preached by Prophet Muhammad (AD 570

632).

This religion transformed the religious, political and social life of not only
the people of Arabia but also of many parts of the world.

Islam laid emphasis upon belief in one God and its holy book as the
“QURAN”
Muslims believe that the Quran is revealed by God to Prophet
Muhammad. Quran is respected as the supreme source of authority in
Islam.

Every Muslim was asked to pray five times a day, to fast during the
month of Ramzan, to distribute alms and to make a pilgrimage, if
possible, to Mecca.

After the death of Prophet (AD 632) the task of providing religious and
political leadership to the Muslims passed on to the Caliphs. (Caliph is
derived from the Arabic word ‘Khalifa’ which means ‘deputy’.This is a
title given to the rulers who succeeded Prophet Muhammad).

Between AD 632–661 there were four pious Caliphs, all close

companions of the Prophet. The Umayyad Caliphate (AD 661–750)
succeeded the pious Caliphs.
Umayyad dynasty gave stability and prosperity to the Caliphate.

Umayyad dynasty was followed by the Abbasid Caliphate (AD 750–

1258).

During the time of later Abbasids, the Caliphs began to loose

political control and independent Muslim Rulers (Sultans) emerged in
several regions.
 Arab Countries 2023
The collection of Arab countries in the world is also known as the Arab world, Arab
nations, Arab states, or the Arab homeland. This is made up of 22 Arab countries
that are part of the Arab League.

The Arab world is located in Africa and Asia.

The 22 members of the Arab League as of 2021 are Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros,
Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,
Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab
Emirates, and Yemen.

The West Asia region comprises 12 member countries: Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Oman, State of Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic,
United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
 Arab Invasion in India
1) Al-Hajjajj, the Governor of Iraq sent Muhammad-bin-Qasim to India

2) He Conquered Sind with the permission of Caliph Walid at Battle of

Rewar.

3) Fought between Muhammad-bin-Qasim and Dahir the ruler of Sind

Dahir was defeated. Sind and Multan were captured.

4) Muhammad-bin-Qasim called Multan as ‘The City of Gold’

5) Administrative System
a) Sind and Multan were divided into a number of Iqtas or districts by
Muhammad-bin-Qasim and Arab military officers headed the Iqtas.
b) The sub-divisions of the districts were administered by the local Hindu
Officers.
c) Jaziya was imposed on non-Muslims.
6) Muhammad bin Qasim’s Army

25,000 troops with 6000 Camels, 6000 Syrian horses, 3000 Bactrian Camels and an
artillery force with 2000 men, advanced guards etc.

7) End of Muhammad-bin-Qasim

a) Caliph Walid was succeeded by Caliph Sulaiman.

b) He was an enemy of Al-Hajjaj, the Governor of Iraq.
c) Muhammad-bin Qasim was the son-in-law of Al-Hajjaj, so he
dismissed him and sent to Mesopotamia as a prisoner where he was
tortured to death.
d) For more than 150 years, Sind and Multan continued to remain as the
part of the Caliph’s Empire.
 Effects of Arab Conquest

The subjugation of Sind made way for Islam into India.

The art of administration, astronomy, music, painting, medicine and architecture were
learnt by Arabs from our land and they spread astronomy, Indian Philosophy, and
numerals to Europe.
Turkey, officially the Republic of Turkey, is a
transcontinental country located mainly on
the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia
 The Turkish Invasion in India
1) In the 8th and 9th centuries, the Turks dominated the Caliphs of
Baghdad

2) They extended their dominion beyond Sind and Multan into India.

3) Rani Bai’s heroic defense

The wife of Dahir and the other women of Sind put up a heroic defence within the Fort of
Rewar.

4) Brahma Siddhanta
a) Brahma Siddhanta a Sanskrit work of Brahma Gupta was translated into
Arabic in which the names of Indian Scientists like Sindbad, Bhala, Manaka
are mentioned.
b) In a hospital at Baghdad, Dhana was appointed as a chief Medical officer.
C) A serious disease of Caliph Harun-al-Rashid Manaka, a physician cured.
1) In 1001 A.D. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India

2) He was the first Turkish to invade India.

3) He returned to Ghazna with enormous wealth after defeating

a) Jaipala, the ruler of the Hindu Shahi Dynasty[Battle of Peshawar
(1001) ]
Jayapala killed himself and was succeeded by his son Anandapala.
b) Fateh Daud of Multan(1006)
c) Anandpala of Nagarkot(1006)
d) the Chandelas, the rulers of Mathura Kanauj (1018-1021) and
Gwalior(1023)
4) Mahmud’s significant invasion in Hindustan was against the Somnath
temple in 1025 A.D., located on the coast of Kathiawar and Raja
Bhima Dev the ruler of Kathiawar and his followers escaped from the
place.
 Attack on the Somnath Temple

In 1025 Mahmud raided Gujarat, plundering the Somnath temple and

breaking its jyotirlinga. He took away booty of 2 million dinars & stone
fragments are carted back to Ghazni, where they are incorporated into the
steps of the city's new Jama Masjid

6) In 1026. He places a new king on the throne in Gujarat as a tributary. His

return detours across the Thar Desert to avoid the armies of Ajmer and
other allies on his return.
 7) End of Ghazni’s rule in India
a) Ghazni died in 1030.
b) Sultan Mahmud died on 30 April 1030. His mausoleum is located in
Ghazni, Afghanistan.

c) At the time of his death, his kingdom had been transformed into an extensive
military empire, which extended from northwestern Iran proper to the Punjab in
the Indian subcontinent

8) By the end of his reign, the Ghaznavid Empire .

Although his raids carried his forces across the Indian subcontinent, only a portion of
the Punjab and of Sindh in modern-day Pakistan came under his semi-permanent
rule; Kashmir, the Doab, Rajasthan, and Gujarat remained under the control of the
local Hindu dynasties.
 MUHAMMAD GHORI (SHAHABUDDIN MUHAMMAD)
1) In AD 1173 Shahabuddin Muhammad (AD 1173–1206) also called
Muhammad of Ghor ascended the throne of Ghazni.

2) Muhammad Ghori was very much interested in establishing

permanent empire in India and not merely looting its wealth.
His campaigns were well organised and whenever he conquered any territory, he left
a general behind to govern it in his absence. His invasions resulted in the permanent
establishment of the Turkish Sultanate in the region lying north of the Vindhya
Mountains.

3) Conquest of Punjab and Sindh

a) Muhammad Ghori led his first expedition in AD 1175. He marched

against Multan.
b) In the same campaign he captured Uchch .

c) Three years later in AD 1178 he again marched to conquer Gujarat but the
Chalukya ruler of Gujarat, Bhima II defeated him at the battle of Anhilwara.

But this defeat did not discourage Muhammad Ghori. He realised the necessity of
creating a suitable base in Punjab before enturing on the further conquest of India.

d) He launched a campaign against the Ghaznavid possessions in

Punjab.
As a result Peshawar was conquered in AD 1179–80 and Lahore in AD 1186. The fort
of Sialkot and Deabul were captured next.
Thus by AD 1190 having secured Multan, Sind and Punjab, Muhammad Ghori had
paved the way for a further thrust into the Gangetic Doab.
 The First Battle of Tarain (AD 1191)
a) Muhammad Ghori’s possession of Punjab and his attempt to advance into the
Gangetic Doab brought him into direct conflict with the Rajput ruler Prithivaraja
Chauhan.

b) He had overrun many small states in Rajputana, captured Delhi and wanted to
extend his control over Punjab and Ganga valley. The conflict started with claims of
Bhatinda.

c) In the first battle fought at Tarain in AD 1191, Ghori’s army was routed and he
narrowly escaped death. Prithviraj conquered Bhatinda but he made no efforts to
garrison it effectively.

This gave Ghori an opportunity to re-assemble his forces and make preparations for
another advance into India.
 The Second Battle of Tarain (AD 1192)
a) This battle is regarded as one of the turning points in Indian History. Muhammad
Ghori made very careful preparations for this conquest.

b)The Turkish and Rajput forces again came face to face at Tarain.
The Indian forces were more in number but Turkish forces were well
organised with swift moving cavalry.

c) The bulky Indian forces were no match against the superior

organisation, skill and speed of the Turkish cavalry.

d) The Turkish cavalry was using two superior techniques.

i) The first was the horse shoe which gave their horses a long life
and protected their hooves.
Ii) The second was, the use of iron stirrup which gave a good
hold to the horse rider and a better striking power in the battle.
e) A large number of Indian soldiers were killed.

Prithviraj tried to of Hansi, Sarsuti and Samana. Then they moved forward running
over Delhi and Ajmer escape but was captured near Sarswati. The Turkish army
captured the fortresses.

After Tarain, Ghori returned to Ghazni, leaving the affairs of India in the hand of his
trusted slave general Qutbuddin Aibak.

In AD 1194 Muhammad Ghori again returned to India. He crossed Yamuna with

50,000 cavalry and moved towards Kanauj. He gave a crushing defeat to Jai Chand at
Chandwar near Kanauj.

Thus the battle of Tarain and Chandwar laid the foundations of Turkish rule in
Northern India.
The political achievements of Muhammad Ghori in India were long lasting than those
of Mahmud of Ghazni.
While Mahmud Ghazni was mainly interested in plundering Muhammad Ghori
wanted to establish his political control.

His death in AD 1206 did not mean the withdrawal of the Turkish interests in India.
Death of Muhammad of Ghori
i) He was assassinated on 25th March 1206 A.D. in Central Asia
by some Shia rebels and Khokhars.
He is considered to be the real founder of the Turkish Empire in India because of his
various invasions and subjugations of the Rajput territories in North India.
He left behind his slave General Qutbuddin Aibak and Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar
Khalji.
General Qutbuddin Aibak later became first Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate.
Firdausi was the poet laureate at the court of……

A)Mahmud Ghaznavi
B)[Link]
C)Jaipal
D)None of these
 Delhi Sultanate
a) The rulers who ruled substantial parts of the North India between AD1200 to
AD1526 were termed as Sultans and the period of their rule as the Delhi Sultanate.

b) These rulers were of Turkish and Afghan origin. They established their rule in India
after defeating the Indian ruling dynasties which were mainly Rajputs in northern
India.

c) These Sultans ruled for more than 300 years (from around AD 1200 to
AD 1526).

d) The last of the Delhi Sultan, Ibrahim Lodi was defeated by the Mughals under the
leadership of Babur in AD1526 who established the Mughal Empire in India.
 Qutb ud-Din Aibak (Reign: 1206 – 1210)

Aibak was slave of Mohammedd Ghori. In Arabic language slave means [Link] dynasty
established by Qutbuddin Aibak is called slave dynasty or mumluk dynasty.

He tried for internal consolidation only. His rule was for only four years.

He constructed Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi in commeroation of Islam’s victory in India.

He constructed Adhai din ka-Jhompra mosque in Ajmer.

He started the construction of Qutub minar , dedicated to sufi saint Khwaja Qutbuddin Bhaktiyar
kaki.
 Aram Shah

1) In AD 1210, Aibak died of injuries received in a fall from his horse while playing
chaugan(Polo). After his death a few amirs raised his son Aram Shah to the throne in
[Link] Aram Shah was incapable ruler and the Turkish amirs opposed him.

2) The Turkish chiefs of Delhi invited the governor of Badayun (son-in-law of

Qutbuddin Aibak)“Iltutmish” to come to Delhi.

3) Aram Shah proceeded against him at the head of the army

from Lahore to Delhi but Iltutmish defeated him and became the Sultan with the
name of Shamsuddin
 Iltutmish (Reign: 1211 – 1236)

His original name was Samshuddin Iliyas.

He was son in law of Qutbuddin Aibak.

His mongol policy saved India from attack of Chengis Khan.

He shifted his capital from Lahore to Delhi.

He completed the construction of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the Qutb Minar.

He started feudalistic system Iqtha/ iqthadari

He created pact of fourty muslim nobels as

He started coinage system of Delhi Sultanate

Tanka- silver coin

Biranz- bronze coin
Jittal- copper coin

He nominated his daughter Raziya as his successor .

 Raziya (AD 1236–40)

Raziya ascended the throne of Delhi by removing her brother Ruknuddin Feroz.

First muslim women ruler in Indian history.

She appointed an African(absynnian) slave Yakuth as incharge of cavalary.

Her rule created differences with Chahalgani( 40 nobels)

She married Altuniya (governor of Bhatinda).

Later both Razia and Altuniya were killed by coup of Chalghani.

 4. Nasiruddin (1246-66):

After the death of Razia, Chalghani(40 nobels) became powerfull.

However, after six year Balban succeeded in putting Nasiruddin Mahmud, a younger
son of Iltutmish, as Sultan.

Nasiruddin was interested in philosophy, he was inefficient to rule .

He was dethroned by his prime minister Balban.
 5. Ghiyasuddin Balban(1266-86):

He aboilished Chahalghani .

He knew that the real threat to the monarchy was from the nobles called the
Forty(chahalghani). He was convinced that only by enhancing the power and
authority of the monarchy he could face the problems. According to Balban the Sultan
was God’s shadow on earth and the recipient of divine grace.

Balban introduced Persian customs and traditions such as sizda, paibas(kissing feet of
sultan) , jamnibas(kissing hands), Naurauz( Persian new year).

He established defence department known as Diwan-i-Ariz.

Balabn took severe action on robbers and dacoits and made roads of Delhi safe to travel.

Balban dealt Mongol issue with blood and iron policy . he strengthened western
frontiers. He sent his son Mahamud to fight against Mongols on western frontiers.

Mahamud died fighting with Mongols.

Saddened by this tragedy, Balban fell ill and died in 1286.

After his death kalimullah and Qaimus became sultan.

Qaiqubad/Kaiqubad was the last sultan in slave dynasty.

After few year Qaiqubad became paralytic. He was removed from throne by Jalaluddin
khalji.
 Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji

1) Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī also known as Muḥammad

Bakhtiyar Khalji was a Turko military general who led the Muslim
conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and Bihar and established
himself as their ruler

2) In Bengal, his reign is responsible for the spread of Islam. It is

believed that his invasions also caused severe damage to
the Buddhist faith in Bihar.

3) He died in 1206 and was succeeded by Muhammad Shiran

Khalji
4) Ikhtiyar al-Dīn Muḥammad Khalji left the town of Devkot in 1206 to attack Tibet,
leaving Ali Mardan Khalji to look upon.

5) Khalji's forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of Tibetan

forces, which forced him to retreat.

6) Khalji then returned to Devkot with about one hundred surviving soldiers. Upon
Ikhtiyar Khalji's return while he was lying ill at Devkot, he was assassinated by Ali
Mardan.

7) The Khalji noblemen then appointed Muhammad Shiran Khalji as Bakhtiyar's

successor. Loyal troops under Shiran Khalji avenged Ikhtiyar's death, imprisoning Ali
Mardan.
8) Eventually Ali Mardan fled to Delhi and provoked the Sultan of
Delhi Qutub-ud-Din Aibak to invade Bengal.

9) Ali Mardan returned with the governor of Oudh, Kayemaz Rumi, and
dethroned Shiran . He was made Governor of Bengal by Qutb-ud-
din Aibak

10) Shiran fled to Dinajpur where he later died.

11) Ghiyas-ud-din Iwaz Khalji became the successor.

12) Ali Mardan but was killed in 1212.

13) Ghiyas-ud-din again assumed power and proclaimed his

independence
 1. Jalaluddinn Khalji (1290-96) :

Jalaluddin khalji was Turk , but settled in Afghanistan.

Jalal-ud-din won many battles and even in old age he marched out against the Mongol
hordes and successfully halted their entry into India (1292).

He gave his second daughter to Mongol leader Ulugh khan in marriage.

Alauddin Khalji was son in law (also nephew ) of Jalaluddin. Alauddin was governor of
Kara.

Alauddin invaded Devagiri kingdom and procured lot of wealth.

Devagiri was first south Indian state to receive Islamic invasion.

Later Alauddin murdered his uncle Jalaluddin and ascended the throne.
 Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316 A.D.)

In 1296 A.D. Ala-ud-din Khilji succeeded Jalal-ud-din

Firoz Khilji and ascended the throne
1) Alauddin Khalji was Jalaluddin’s ambitious nephew and son-in-law. He had helped his
uncle in his struggle for power and was appointed as Amir-i-Tuzuk (Master of
Ceremonies).

2) Alauddin had two victorious expeditions during the reign of Jalaluddin.

After the first expedition of Bhilsa (Vidisa) in AD 1292, he was given the iqta of Awadh, in
addition to that of Kara.

3) He was also appointed Arizi-i-Mumalik (Minister of War).

4) In AD 1294, he led the first Turkish expedition to southern India and

plundered Devagiri. The successful expedition proved that Alauddin was an able military
commander and efficient organiser.

5) In July AD 1296, he murdered his uncle and father-in-law Jalaluddin Khalji and
crowned himself as the Sultan.
6) Alauddin decided to revive Balban’s policies of ruthless governance. He decided to
curb the powers of the nobles and interference in the matters of the state.

7) He also faced, a few rebellions in succession during the early years of his
[Link] to Baruni, the author of Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, Alauddin felt that
therewere four reasons for these rebellions:
1) The inefficiency of the spy system,
2) the general practice of the use of wine,
3) Social intercourse among the nobles and inter marriage
between them
4) the excess of wealth in the possession of certain nobles.

8) In order to prevent the reoccurrence of these rebellions, Alauddin formulated

certain regulations and implemented them
(1) Families that had been enjoying free land to support
themselves should pay land tax for their holdings. This
curbed the excess of wealth owned by some people.

(2) The Sultan reorganized the spy system and took measure to
make it more effective.

(3) The use of liquor and intoxicants was prohibited.

(4) The nobles were ordered not to have social gatherings or

inter marriages without his permission.

9) Alauddin established a huge permanent, standing army to satisfy his

ambition of conquest and to protect the country from Mongol invasion.
 Expansion of Delhi Sultanate
Alauddin first began his territorial conquest with a campaign against Gujarat.
Alauddin was motivated by his desire to establish a vast empire and obtain
the wealth of Gujarat.

The riches of Gujarat were to pay for his future conquests and her sea port
was to ensure a regular supply of Arab horses for his army.

In AD 1299, an army under two of Alauddin’s noted generals Ulugh Khan and
Nusarat Khan marched against Gujarat.
An enormous booty was collected. Even the wealthy Muslim merchants were not
spared.

Malik Kafur(hazar-dinari) became the trusted commander of the Khalji forces and led
the invasions to South India. Gujarat now passed under the control of Delhi.

After the annexation of Gujarat, Alauddin turned his attention towards Rajasthan.
Ranthamborewas the first target. Ranthambore was reputed to be the strongest fort
of Rajasthan and had earlier defied Jalaluddin Khalji. The capture of Ranthambore
was necessary to break the power and morale of the Rajputs. The immediate cause of
attack was that the ruler of Ranthambore Hamirdeva gave shelter to two rebellious
Mongol soldiers and refused to hand over them to the Khalji ruler.
Hence an offensive was launched against Ranthambore.
To begin with the Khalji forces suffered losses. Nusrat Khan even lost his life. Finally
Alauddin himself had to come on the battle filed. In AD 1301, the fort fell to Alauddin.

In AD 1303, Alauddin besieged Chittor, another powerful state of Rajputana.

According to some scholars, Alauddin attacked Chittor because he coveted Padmini,
the beautiful queen of Raja Ratan Singh.

However many scholars do not agree with this legend as this is first mentioned by
Jaisi in his Padmavat.

According to Amir Khusrau, the Sultan ordered a general massacre of the civil
population. Chittor was renamed Khizrabad after the name of Sultan’s son Khizr Khan.
Alauddin however returned back quickly to Delhi as Mongol army was advancing
towards Delhi
In AD 1305, Khalji army under Ain-ul-Mulk captured Malwa. Other states such as Ujjain,
Mandu, Dhar and Chanderi were also captured. After the conquest of Malwa, Alauddin sent
Malik Kafur to the South and himself attacked Siwana.

The ruler of Siwana Raja Shital Deva defended the fort bravely but was ultimately
defeated.

In AD 1311, another Rajput kingdom Jalor was also [Link] by AD 1311, Alauddin
had completed the conquest of large parts of Rajputana and became the master of North
India.

Deccan and South India

The ambitions of Alauddin were not satisfied with the conquest of the north. He was
determined to conquer south as well. The wealth of the southern kingdoms attracted him.
The expeditions to the south were sent under Malik Kafur, a trusted commander of
Alauddin who held the office of the Naib.
In AD 1306–07, Alauddin planned fresh campaign in Deccan. His first target was Rai
Karan(the earlier rule of Gujarat), who had now occupied Baglana, and defeated him.

The second expedition was against Rai Ramachandra, the ruler of Deogir who had
earlier promised to pay tribute to Sultan but did not pay. Ramachandra surrendered
after little resistance to Malik Kafur and was treated honourably.

He was kept a guest at Alauddin’s court and was given a gift of one lakh tankas and
the title of Rai Rayan. He was also given a district of Gujarat and one of his daughters
was married to Alauddin. Alauddin showed generosity towards Ramachandra because
he wanted to have Ramachandra as an ally for campaigns in the South.
After AD 1309 Malik Kafur was despatched to launch campaign in South India. The
first expedition was against Pratab Rudradeva of Warangal in the Telengana area.
This siege lasted for many months and came to an end when Rai agreed to part with
his treasures and pay tribute to Sultan.

The second campaign was against Dwar Samudra and Ma’bar (modern Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu). The ruler of Dwar Samudra, Vir Ballala III realized that defeating
Malik Kafur would not be an easy task, hence he agreed to pay tribute to Sultan
without any resistance.

In the case of Malabar (Pandya Kingdom) a direct decisive battle could not take
place. However, Kafur plundered as much as he could including a number of wealthy
temples such as that of Chidambaram.
According to Amir Khusrau, Kafur returned with 512 elephants, 7000 horses, and 500
mans of precious stone. The Sultan honoured Malik Kafur by appointing him Naib Malik
of the empire. Alauddin’s forces under Malik Kafur continued to maintain a control over
the Deccan kingdoms

Following the death of Alauddin in AD 1316, the Delhi Sultanate was plunged into
confusion. Malik Kafur sat on the throne for a few days, only to be deposed by
Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah. During this period,rebellions broke out in Deogir but were
harshly suppressed.

Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah was soon murdered and Khusrau ascended the throne.
However he too did not last long as some dissatisfied officers, led by Ghiyasuddin
Tughlaq,defeated and killed him in a battle.

Thus only four years after the death of Alauddin, the Khalji dynasty came to end and
power passed into the hands of the Tughlaqs.
 Market Regulations of Alauddin Khalji

Alauddin’s measures to control the markets were one of the most important policy
initiative. Since Alauddin wanted to maintain a large army, he therefore, lowered and
fixed the price of the commodities of daily use.

To control the prices, Alauddin set up three different markets for different
commodities in Delhi.

These markets were the grain market (Mandi), cloth market (Sarai Adl) and the
market for horses, slaves, cattles, etc.

To ensure implementation, Alauddin appointed a superintendent (Shahna-i-Mandi)

who was assisted by an intelligence officer.
Apart from Shahna-i-Mandi, Alauddin received daily reports of the market from two
other independent sources, barid (intelligence officer) and munhiyans (secret spies).

Any violation of Sultan’s orders resulted in harsh punishment, including expulsion

from the capital, imposition of fine, imprisonment and mutilation.

Control of prices of horses was very important for the Sultan because without the
supply of good horses at reasonable price to army, the efficiency of the army could
not be ensured.

Low price in the horse market were ensured by putting a stop to the purchase of
horses by horse dealers and brokers (dalals) in Delhi market.
 End of the Dynasty
1) Ala-ud-din Khilji died in 1316 A.D.

2) Successors of Ala-ud-din-Khilji were weak rulers.

Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah (1316-1320 A.D.)

Nasir-ud-din Khusrav Shah (1320A.D.)

3) Eventually, in 1320 A.D. the Governor of Punjab Ghazi Malik led a group of
nobles, conquered Delhi and captured the throne.

Ghazi Malik assumed the name ‘Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq’ at Delhi and

founded the Tughluq Dynasty, a dynasty of rulers.
 1)Jalal-ud-din Khalji
2)Alauddin Khalji
3)Malik Kafur
4)Shihab-ud-din Omar
5) Qutb ud din Mubarak
Shah
6)Khusraw Khan
 1. Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25) :

Ghiyasuddin Tughlak founded Thuglaq dynasty in 1320

He added Tughlaqabad city to Delhi.

He replaced men with horses in courier system.

He started Dawk chowkies.

His son prince Jaunakhan defeated Prataparudradeva of Kakatiyas and annexed the
kingdom in 1323.

Ghiyasuddin died accidently in 1325AD.

Jauna ascended the throne and took the title Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
 [Link] bin Tughlaq(1325-51):

Muhammad bin Tughlalq was the most controversial personality in medieval Indian
history.

He was a learned, cultured and talented prince but gained a reputation of being
merciless, cruel and unjust .

He was very tolerant in religious matters.

His innovative reforms brought him bad name, as they were not executed properly.

During the time of Muhammad bin Tughlaq Vijaynagar(1336) and Bahamani(1347)

emerged.

Ibn Batuta , a Morocan traveller visited Tughlaq. He recorded his observation in his
book Qitab-ul-Rihla. Later he was sent to china as ambassador of Tughlaq.

He added jahanpanah city to Delhi.

His innovative experiments are as follows
Token currency

He introduced token currency or copper coins. His main aim was to save precious metals
like gold and silver and introduce more money in circulation.

For this reason copper coins were issued which had same value as silver tanka.

But, Minting the copper coin was not retained as monopoly of government.

The goldsmiths began to forge the token coins on a large scale. Soon the new coins were
not accepted in the markets.

Finally,the sultan stopped the circulation of token currency and promised to exchange
silver coins for the copper coins. Many people exchanged the new coins but the treasury
became empty.
 [Link] of capital:

To safeguard the capital from Mongol invasion and to have better control over south
India, sultan decided to shift capital from Delhi to Devagiri(Daulatabad).

He desired to shift the entire population. Barani says “ not a cat or a dag was left”.

The reason for the move were very practical , but the method adopted was impractical.

Entire population was made to travel around 1500km to Daulatabad.

Many people died during the rigorous journey in the summer. After two years, the Sultan
abandoned Daulatabad and asked them to return to Delhi.
 [Link] in taxes:

The area between Ganga Yamuna doab was very fertile, hence sultan decided to rise tax
so as to enhance the revenues of his empire.
Although it was practical decision the tax hike was too steep and introduced during a
time of no rainfall.

[Link] reforms:

He launched a scheme by which takkavi loans (loans for

cultivation) were given to the farmers to buy seed and to extend cultivation.
A separate department for agriculture, Diwan- i- Kohi
was established.
To curb the rebellion of Taghi , Tughlaq entered into Sindh desert and died due to
sunstroke at Thatta in 1351 AD.
 [Link] shah Tughlaq (1351-89) :

Born in 1309 and ascended the throne of Delhi after the demise of his cousin
Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq.

He started the imposition of Jaziy

He protected sanskrit scriptures and started their translation into persian.

He was the first to link rivers and provide irrigation with the help of four canals.

He imposed water cess haq-i-shrib.

The British called him the ‘father of the irrigation department’ because of the many
gardens and canals that he built.
He established the Diwan-i-Khairat — office for charity.

He established the Diwan-i-Bundagan — department of slave

He established Sarais (rest house) for the benefits of merchants and other travellers

He adopted the Iqtadari framework.

Established four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.

He established hospitals known as Darul-Shifa, Bimaristan or Shifa Khana.
Because of all these , he was called as Sultan of constructions.

Firoz shah died 1388. After his death Muhammad shah ascended the throne.

During rule of Muhammad shah Timur invaded and ruined Delhi. (1398)
 Timur’s Invasion (1398 A.D.)

Timur was a Turk and founder of Timurid Dynasty in Central Asia. who had come
to plunder the wealth of India. The fabulous wealth of India attracted Timur the
ruler of Samarqand a city in southeastern Uzbekistan.

Timur entered Delhi in December 1398 and more than 1 lakh Hindus were taken
as prisoners. Timur ordered all of the 1 lakh men to be killed.

During the period of Nasir-ud-din Mohammed Tughlaq, he invaded India.

In 1398 A.D. Timur captured Delhi and caused the annihilation of the Tughlaq
dynasty by pillaging and slaughtering people , killed both the Hindus and Muslims
and massacred women and children as well .

Timur appointed Sayyid Khizr Khan (the founder of the Sayyid dynasty)
the governor of Lahore, Multan and Dipalpur.
 End of Tughlug Dynasty
The successors of Firoz were not very strong or competent.

By the end of the 14th century, most of the territories became

independent.

Only Punjab and Delhi remained under the Tughlaqs.

Timur’s invasion took place during the Tughlug period which desolate the
delhi.
 The Sayyid Dynasty (1414 -1451) AD

1. The Sayyid Dynasty was founded by Khizr Khan, who was the
governor of Multan and Timur's deputy in India.

2. This dynasty ruled for 37 years from 1414 to 1451 AD by four rulers-

Khizr Khan (1414- 1421 A.D.)

Mubarak Shah (1421-1434 A.D.)
Muhammad Shah (1434-1445 A.D.)
Ala-ud-din AlamShah (1445-1457 A.D.)
 Khizr Khan
1. He was the founder of the Sayyid Dynasty in India and ruled as a deputy of Timur’s
son and successor.

2. He was the Governor of Multan. In 1414 A.D. he occupied the throne

of Delhi.

3. His reign was marked by utter chaos and disorder.

The empire’s territory had Shruken to Delhi and adjoining areas and even these parts
were frequently challenged by the Hindu Zamindars of Etawah, Katehar, Kannauj,
Patiala and Kampila.

4. He died of illness in AD 1421

 Mubarak Shah
1. He was the son of Khizr Khan who got Khutba read on his name and
issued his own coins. He did not accept the suzerainty of any foreign
power.

2. He was the ablest ruler of the dynasty.

He subdued the rebellion at Bhatinda and Daob.

3. He patronised Vahiya Bin Ahmad Sarhind, author of Tarikh-i-Mubarak

Shahi.

4. He was first Sultan ruler to appoint Hindu nobles in the court of Delhi.

5. Muhammad Shah Mubarak’s nephew succeeded him

 Muhammad Shah (1434-1445 A.D.)

1. He defeated the ruler of Malwa with the help of Bahlul Lodi the Governor
of Lahore.

2. He conferred Bahlul Lodi with the title Khan-i-Khana for help in defeating
the ruler of Malwa.

3. Later on during the reign of Muhammad Shah, Bahlol Lodi

tried to capture Delhi but he failed.

[Link] Ala-ud-din Shah succeeded him.

 Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah (1445-1451):

1. Alam Shah was a pleasure-loving, incompetent and weak king.

2. He used to reside at Badaun.

3. According to some historians, he transferred his capital from Delhi to Badaun

on account of the fear of Bahlol Lodi, governor of Lahore.

4. Taking advantage of his absence from Delhi, Bahlol Lodi, occupied Delhi with
the support of Alam Shah’s Wazir Hamid Khan in 1451.

5. Alam Shah continued to live at Badaun till his death in 1478.

 Lodhi Dynasty (1451 to 1526)
The Lodis were the last ruling family of the Sultanate period and the first to be
headed by the Afghans.

Bahlol Lodhi (AD 1451-1489)

1. He was the founder of the Lodhi dynasty. During the reign Of
Muhammad Shah he served as the Subedar (Governor) of Lahore.

2. Sultan Bahlol Lodi was a capable general. He was aware of the fact that to establish
his control over Sultanate he would require help and support of Afghan nobles. The
Afghan nobles wanted Sultan to treat them as an equal partner rather than an
absolute monarch. To placate them Bahlol publicly declared that he considered
himself one of the Afghan peers and not the king.
3 . He did not sit on the throne nor did he insist on his nobles standing in
his court. This policy worked well throughout his long reign and he did
not face any trouble from his powerful Afghan nobles. he opted to sit
on the carpet with his nobles.

4. He tried to restore the greatness of the Delhi sultanate, hence

conquered territories surrounding Delhi. The most successful war was
against Mahmud Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur.
 POINTS TO REMEMBER
1. Bahlol attacked Delhi in 1443 but was not successful. Another attempt was made in
1447, but this was also met with failure.

2. Finally, the Sayyid ruler of Delhi Alam Shah retired in 1448 to Badaun in Uttar
Pradesh. Alam Shah’s minister Hamid Khan invited Bahlul to occupy the throne, which
he did.

3. On 19th April 1451, Bahlol Khan ascended to the throne of Delhi as the first Lodi
ruler, ending the Sayyid dynasty’s reign.

[Link] becoming the king of Delhi, he took on the title, Bahlol Shah Ghazi.

[Link] of the first things he did after ascending the Delhi throne was to imprison
Hamid Khan, as he might have proved dangerous for his position.
[Link] was busy quelling rebellions and uprisings in his territories. He extended his
territory to Jaunpur (1479), Gwalior and upper Uttar Pradesh. He retained Delhi
as his capital.

[Link] was known to treat his Afghan nobles and tribesmen with respect and thus won their
approval and acceptance.

8. He appointed his son Babrak Shah as Jaunpur’s Viceroy in 1486. His second son Nizam Khan was
named his heir apparent.

9. Bahlol Khan Lodi, the founder of the Lodi dynasty died on 12th July 1489.

10. Bahlol’s death in 1489 was followed by a power struggle between his two sons.

11. Nizam Khan succeeded him as the ruler of Delhi and assumed the name,
Sikandar Lodi.

12. Bahlol ruled over Delhi for 38 years. His tomb is located at Chirag Dilli in Delhi.
 Sikandar Lodhi (AD 1489-1517)

1. After the dealth of Bahlol Lodi, Sikandar Lodi (AD 1489–1517)

ascended the throne.

2. Sikandar Lodi was a courageous fighter who, immediately after

gaining the throne, started to work towards saving and expanding
the power of the Delhi Empire. He was against his senior brother
Barbak, who had accepted the title of an independent lord. He was
crushed and taken prisoner however was later discharged.

3. He was the ablest of the three Lodhi rulers. He conquered Bihar In

1495 and Raja of Tirhut and concluded a friendship treaty with the
Alauddin Hussain Shah of Bengal. Dariya Khan was appointed as the
Governor of Bengal.
[Link] princes of Dholpur, Chanderi and Gwalior were likewise stifled.

5. With a perspective of practicing a successful control over his governors

of Etawah, Biyana, Koil, Gwalior and Dholpur, Sikandar Lodi
established the framework of another city of Agra in 1503-04 A.D.

This made him as the central command of his armed force.

6. Like Balban he generally maintained the dignity of his office and did
not mix so openly with the individuals. He never allotted any high post
to a man of low birth.

7. Sikandar Lodi did not believed in all religions. Sikandar Lodi

encouraged Hindus to follow Islam and for this reason he utilized both
sword and cash.
8. He relaxed restrictions on trade, which greatly promoted the
economic prosperity of the people.

9. He introduced "Gaz-i-Sikandari“ (Sikandar's yard) of 39 digits or 32

inches, for the measurement of agricultural land.

10. He transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city which was
founded by him. The village of Sikandara, near Agra, where the
tomb of Akbar stands, was named after Sikandar.

11. He was staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious

tolerance and levied Jaziya or Pilgrim's tax on Hindus harshly .

He was a liberal patron of arts and letters. He wrote verses in Persian under the pen
name of Gulrukhi.
 Jizyah / Jaziya Tax
***Jizyah, also spelled jizya, historically, a tax (the term is often
incorrectly translated as a “head tax” or “poll tax”) paid by non-
Muslim populations to their Muslim rulers.

*** Started in India by Mohammad bin Qasim , imposed for the first time
on Brahmins by Firoj shah tuglaq.

*** Harshly implemented against on Hindus by Sikandar Lodhi.

*** Abolished by AKBAR and reintroduced by AURANGZEB.

 Ibrahim Lodhi (AD 1517-1526)

1. Sikandar Shah was succeeded simultaneously by his two sons

Ibrahim on the throne of Agra and Jalal on the throne of
Jaunpur. Later, Ibrahim killed Jalal and succeeded his father.

2. There were many revolts during his reign; Bihar declared its
independence under Dariya Khan Lohani.

3. There was a rebel in all of his sides.

The chiefs of Oudh, Jaunpur and Bihar chose Darya Khan as their leader.
In Punjab there was a revolt under Daulat Khan.
4. His repressive policy towards the Lohani and Lodhi tribes and his
unsympathetic treatment of Dilawar Khan, the governor of Lahore, turned
the nobles against him , Which resulted in Battle of Panipat, AD 1526.

5. Daulat Khan Lodhi (father of Dilawar Khan) and Alam Khan

invited Babur, ruler of Kabul, to invade India.

6. In the first battle of Panipat (AD 1526), Babur defeated Ibrahim and killed
him.

He became the master of Delhi and Agra. This puts an end to the Sultanate
and the rise of Mughal dynasty in India.
 Literature
The Sultanate of Delhi period witnessed some great scholars and some are:
Alberuni
Amir Khusrau
Zia-ul-Barani

Alberuni

An Arabic and Persian Scholar patronized by Mahmud of Ghazni.

He learnt Sanskrit and translated two Sanskrit works into Arabic.
He was impressed by the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
In his work Tarikh-ul-Hind, he had mentioned the socio-economic conditions of
India.
 Amir Khusrau

1. He was a great Persian poet.

2. He is said to have written four lakh couplets.

3. He was a great singer and was given the title

‘Parrot of India’, (Tuti-e-Hind), and has been called
the "father of Urdu literature."
 The disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate
1. The disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate had begun during the Tughluq period.

2. The invasion of Timur and the incompetent and intolerant nature of some of the
Sayyid and Lodi rulers led to the collapse of the Delhi Sultanate.

3. The rulers of the Vijayanagar and Bahmani Kingdom in the South were the first to
break free from Delhi.

4. Other regions like Assam, Bengal, Khandesh, Gujarat, Jaipur, Kashmir, Multan, Malwa,
Sind, and Orissa also became independent.

5. Babur ended the Lodi Dynasty by defeating Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of Panipat
in 1526 A.D., which brought the downfall of the Delhi Sultanate in India.
The Vijaya Nagar Empire (1336-1646 A.D.)
 THE VIJAYANAGAR EMPIRE

In 1336, Vijayanagar kingdom was established by Harihara and Bukka,

who were two brothers and served in the army of Muhammad-bin-
Tughlaq. They broke away from the Delhi Sultanate and established an
independent state in Karnataka and established the capital city
Vijayanagar on the banks of river Tungabhadra in 1336.

Their dynasty was called the Sangama dynasty. There are several
theories with regard to the origin of this dynasty. According to some
scholars, they had been the feudatories of the Kakatiyas of Warangal
and after their fall they served the Kampili state.

Another view says that they were the feudatories of the Hoysalas and
belonged to Karnataka. Harihara and Bukka were helped and inspired by
contemporary scholar and a saint Vidyaranya for the establishment of their
kingdom.
It is believed that to commemorate the memory of their guru,
the brothers established the city of Vidyanagar or Vijayanagara
on the banks of river Tungabhadra

Although the empire continued to exist till 1646 AD, it lost its
importance in 1565 AD after a key military defeat (The battle of
Talikota) by the Deccan Sultanates.

The empire included people from different cultural regions, the Tamil
Telegu and Karnataka region who all spoke different languages and
belonged to different cultures.

The empire was always at war with Bahamani kingdom and

other Muslim rulers of northern Deccan, collectively referred
as Deccan sultanates.
Foreign travellers like Nicolo Conti (Italian), Fernao Nuniz
(Portuguese),Domingo Paes (Portuguese), Duarto Barbosa (Portuguese)
and Abdur Razzaq(Persian) wrote about the magnificence of Vijayanagar.

There were four dynasties which ruled over Vijayanagar-

Sangama Dynasty,
Saluva Dynasty,
Tuluva Dynasty
and Aravidu Dynasty.
 Sources:

Literary Sources:

Rayavachakam by vishvanatha sthanapati

The Kannada and Telugu literature, like Manucharitram, Saluvabhyudayam,

etc., patronized in the Vijayanagar court, give genealogical, political and
social information.
 Foreign Accounts:

Nicholo de conti visited Vijayanagar durinh times of Devaraya 1 and gave

details about his personality.

Abdul Razzaq from Persia visited during Devaraya 2. He described the

beauty of capital city Hampi.

Domingo Paes and Barbosa visted during Krishnadevraya time.

Nuniz visted during the times of achyuthdevaraya

“The forgotten history of vijayanagar empire” by Robert seawell.

 Inscriptions:

Bitragunta inscription is the major source for construction of family history

of sangama dynasty.

Srirangam copper plates of Devaraya II provide the genealogy and

achievements of Vijayanagar rulers.

Various copper plate inscriptions of krishnadevraya time.

The Hampi ruins and other monuments of Vijayanagar provide information

on the cultural contributions of the Vijayanagar rulers.
 Sangama Dynasty(1336-1485)
1. It was the first dynasty to rule over the Vijaynagar empire. The
founders of the empire, Harihar I and Bukka belonged to this dynasty.

2. It ruled from 1334 AD to 1485 AD.

3. They made Hampi as the capital city.

4. In 1336 A.D. Harihara I captured Mysore and Madurai.

5. In 1356 A.D. Bukka-I succeeded him and ruled for about 20 years.

6. He defeated the Sultan of Madurai and extended the territory into

the south all the way to Rameswaram.
 Harihara Raya II (1377-1404 AD)

Bukka was succeeded by Harihara Raya II.

The later continued the policy of expansion and controlled such ports as Chaul, Goa
and Dabhol.

He took the titles Vedamarga Pravartaka.

Virupaksha Raya (1404-1405 AD)

He could rule for one year only and was murdered by his sons and was succeeded by
Bukka Raya II who in turn was succeeded by Deva Raya I.
 Deva Raya I (1406-1422 AD)

He was always engaged in battles against the Bahmani Sultan of Gulbarga,

Reddis of Kondavidu and Velamas of Telangana.
He was able to retain the large amount of territories he controlled.

Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya (1422-1424 AD)

Deva Raya was succeeded by Ramchandra Raya in 1422 AD who could rule
only for a brief time.

He was succeeded by Vira Vijaya Bukka Raya who in turn was succeeded by
Deva Raya II.
 Deva Raya II (1424-1446 AD)

He was a successful king. He thwarted the attacks of Ahmad Shah I of the

Bahamanis, conquered Kondavidu in 1432 and also defeated the Gajapati of Orissa.
He also invaded Lanka and collected rich tributes from the region.
He managed to collect tributes from the ruler of Calicut.

Praudha Raya (1485 AD)

Deva Raya II was succeeded by
Mallikarjuna Raya,
Virupaksha Raya II
and Praudha Raya who were weak kings.
The last king of Sangama dynasty was Praudha Raya who was driven out of the
capital by his able commander Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya in 1485 AD.
 Saluva Dynasty(1485 to 1505 AD )
This dynasty succeeded Sangama dynasty as the second dynasty of the empire. It
ruled from 1485 to 1505 AD. They ruled over almost the whole South India.

Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya (1485-1491 AD)

He tried to expand his empire but faced stiff opposition from rebelling chieftains.

He conquered the western ports of Kannada country of Mangalore, Honnavar,

Bakanur and Bhatkal but lost Udayagiri to Gajapati Kapilendra in 1491.

He died in 1491.
 Thimma Bhupala (1491 AD)

He succeeded his father Narasimha Deva Raya but was murdered by his
army commander who took the advantage of political unrest. He was
succeeded by his younger brother Narasimha Raya II.

Narasimha Raya II (1491-1505 AD)

Despite being the crowned King, he remained a puppet in the hands of his
commander Tuluva Narasa Nayaka till his death in 1505.

He was murdered by the son of Narasa Nayaka, Viranarasimha Raya who

proclaimed himself as the new king.
Thus Saluva dynasty came to an end.
 Tuluva Dynasty(1505 -1570)

This was the third dynasty which ruled Vijayanagar Empire.

Narasimha Raya II ruler of saluva dynasty was murdered by the son of Narasa
Nayaka, Viranarasimha Raya and laid foundation of Taluva Dynasty.

The most famous king of Vijayanagar empire, Krishna Deva Raya belonged to
this dynasty.

During his rule, the empire reached its Zenith.

He possessed the largest empire in India after the decline of the Delhi Sultanate.
 Tuluva Narasa Nayaka (1491-1503 AD)
He was the commander of the Vijayanagar army under the rule of Saluva
Narasimha Deva Raya and became the de-facto ruler .
He successfully defended the kingdom against the Bahamani sultans, Gajapatis and
the disloyal chieftains.
Viranarasimha Raya (1503-1509 AD)
He became the king of Vijayanagar Empire following the death of Tuluva Narasa
Nayaka.
 Krishna Deva Raya (1509-1529 AD)

He was the most famous king of Vijayanagra Empire.

He earned the titles of Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana and Andhra Bhoja.

During his rule, the empire reached its Zenith.

He possessed the largest empire in India after the decline of the Delhi Sultanate.

When he ascended the throne in 1509, the affairs of the Empire were in a gloomy
state. The Sultan of Bijapur and the rulers of Orissa were a constant threat to the
empire
According to Domingo Paes, a Portuguese traveller “Krishnadeva Raya was the
most competent and perfect king there could possibly be”. He possessed great
military ability. His first task was to check the invading Bahmani [Link] that
time the Bahmani kingdom was replaced by Deccan Sultanates.

The Muslim armies were decisively defeated in the battle of Diwani by Krishna
Deva Raya.

Then he invaded Raichur Doab which had resulted in the confrontation with the
Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah.

Krishna Deva Raya defeated him and captured the city of Raichur in 1520. From
there he marched on Bidar and captured it.
• Krishna Deva Raya’s Orissa campaign was also successful.

• He defeated the Gajapathi ruler Prataparudra and conquered the whole of

Telangana.

• He maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese.

• Albuquerque sent his ambassadors to Krishna Deva Raya.

• Though a Vaishnavaite, he respected all religions.

•He was a great patron of literature and art and he was known as Andhra Bhoja.

•Eight eminent scholars known as Ashtadiggajas were at his royal court.

 Ashtadiggajas were as follows:

Allasani Peddanna – the author of Manucharitram & Harikathasaram.

He was also known as Andhra Kavitapitamaha.

Nandi Thimmana – the author of Parijathapaharanam

Madayagari Mallana
Dhurjati

Ayyalaraju Ramabhadra

Pingali Surana

Ramaraja Bhushana

Tenali Ramakrishna
• Krishna Deva Raya himself authored a Telugu work, Amukthamalyadha and
Sanskrit works, Jambavati Kalyanam and Usha-parinayam.

• He built the famous Vittalaswamy and HazaraRamaswamy temples at

Vijayanagar.

•Nagalapuram the temple town is built at the time of Krishnadevaraya

regime in memory of his mother Nagamamba Devi.

•He is credited with building some fine temples and adding impressive
gopurams to many important south Indian temples.

• He built large tanks and canals for irrigation.

• He developed the naval power understanding the vital role of overseas
trade.
• He maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese and Arab traders.
• Krishna Deva Raya died in 1529. Prior to his death, he
nominated his half-brother Achyuta Deva Raya as his successor.
• After his death, Achutadeva and Venkata succeeded the throne.

• During the reign of Rama Raya, the combined forces of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar,
Golkonda and Bidar defeated him at the Battle of Talaikotta in 1565. This
battle is also known as Raksasa Thangadi.

• Rama Raya was imprisoned and executed. The city of Vijayanagar was destroyed.
This battle was generally considered to mark the end of the Vijayanagar Empire.

• However, the Vijayanagar kingdom existed under the Aravidu dynasty for
about another century.
• Thirumala, Sri Ranga and Venkata II were the important rulers of this dynasty.

• The last ruler of Vijayanagar kingdom was Sri Ranga III.

 Aravidu Dynasty(1570-1646)

It was the fourth and last Hindu dynasty which ruled Vijayanagara
Empire. It was founded by Tirumala .

Tirumala Deva Raya

Tirumala Deva Raya was also the son-in-law of Krishna Deva Raya.
He re-founded the Vijaynagar kingdom in Penukonda, Andhra
Pradesh.

During his reign, he faced rebellion from Southern Nayakas of Madurai

and Ginjee. He retired to a religious life in 1572 AD.
 Sriranga Deva Raya (Sriranga I)

He ruled Vijayanagara kingdom from 1572 AD to 1586 AD. He faced

repeated attacks from Muslim rulers of Deccan. Nonetheless, he did his best to defend
the territories of the kingdom and died in 1586 without an heir.

Venkata II (1586-1614 AD)

He succeeded his elder brother Sriranga I in 1586 as the new king of
Vijayanagara Empire. He revived the strength of the kingdom by dealing
successfully with the sultans of Bijapur and Golkonda. He suppressed the
rebelling Nayakas of Tamil Nadu.

Sriranga II (1614 AD)

He ruled for a brief period of time. During his time, internal feud between
the rival factions started.
 Ramadeva (1617-1632 AD)
He ruled from 1617 AD to 1632 AD.

Venkata III
He became the king of Vijayanagara in 1632 AD and ruled till
1642 AD.

Sriranga III

He was the last ruler of the Vijayanagar Empire.

He ruled from 1642 to 1646 AD.
The Bahmani Kingdom (1347-1526 A.D.)
The Bahmani Kingdom (1347-1526 A.D.)
 Bahmani Kingdom (1347-1526 AD)

Bahmani Kingdom was a Muslim state of the Deccan in Southern India during the
medieval era in Indian History.

It was founded in the year 1347 by the Turkish Governor Ala-ud-Din Hassan Bahman
Shah who was also known as Hassan Gangu.

He had revolted successfully against the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

His kingdom stretched from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, included the
whole of Deccan up to the river Krishna with its capital at Gulbarga.

Kalimullah was the last king of the Bahmani dynasty.

 Rulers of the Bahmani Kingd
Muhammad Shah-I (1358-1377.A.D.)
1. He was the next ruler of the Bahamani Kingdom.

2. He was an able general and administrator.

3. He defeated Kapaya Nayaks of Warangal and the Vijayanagar ruler

Referral Code
Bukka-I.
– KD496
Muhammad Shah-ll (1378-1397.A.D.)
[Link] 1378 A.D. Muhammad Shah-ll ascended the throne.

[Link] was a peace lover and developed friendly relations with his
neighbours.

[Link] built many mosques, madrasas (a place of learning) and

hospitals.
 Feroz Shah Bahmani (1397-1422 A.D.)
[Link] was a great general

2. He defeated the Vijayanagar ruler Deva Raya I.

Ahmad Shah (1422-1435 A.D.)

1. Ahmad Shah succeeded Feroz Shah Bahmani

[Link] was an unkind and heartless ruler.

[Link] conquered the kingdom of Warangal.

[Link] changed his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1425 AD.

Referral Code
[Link] died in 1435A.D. – KD496
 Muhammad Shah-lll (1463-1482 A.D.)

[Link] 1463A.D. Muhammad Shah lll became the Sultan at the

age of nine

2. Muhammad Gawan became the regent of the infant ruler.

[Link] Muhammad Gawan’s able leadership the Bahmani

kingdom became very powerful.

4. Muhammad Gawan defeated the rulers of Konkan, Orissa,

Sangameshwar, and Vijayanagar.
 Muhammad Gawan

1. He was a very wise scholar and an able administrator.

2. He improved the administration, systematized finances, encouraged

public education, reformed the revenue system, disciplined the army
and eliminated corruption.

3. In 1481 Muhammad Gawan persecuted by the Deccan Muslims who

were jealous of him and sentenced to death by Muhammad Shah.

4. Bahmani Empire reached its zenith during the time of Mahmud

Gawan who was a minister of the Empire.

5. Following his execution the empire started disintegrating. The Empire

disintegrated into five small kingdoms
The Empire disintegrated into five small kingdoms namely
Adamshahi (of Ahmadnagar),
Adilshahi (of Bijapur),
Kutubshahi(of Golkonda),
Barishahi( Bidar)
and Imadshahi kingdom of Berar.

Bijapur, Ahmadnagar,declared their indpendence in 1490 AD,

Bidar in 1492 AD

while Golkonda got itself separated in 1512 AD.

Although the Bahmani sultans lived on in Bidar until 1526, they were mere puppets in the hands
of the real rulers of Bidar, the Barid Shahis,
Kalimullah was the last king of the Bahmani dynasty.
 Administration
1. The Sultans followed a Feudal type of administration.

2. Tarafs – The kingdom was divided into many provinces called Tarafs
Tarafdar or Amir – Governor who controlled the Taraf.

Golgumbaz
Golgumbaz in Bijapur is called the whispering gallery because when one whispers,
the lingering echo of the whisper is heard in the opposite corner.
 Contribution to Education

1. The Bahmani Sultans gave great attention to education.

2. They encouraged Arabic and Persian learning.

3. Urdu also flourished during this period

Art and Architecture

1. Numerous mosques, madrassas and libraries were built.

2. The Juma Masjid at Gulbarga The Golconda Fort

3. The Golgumbaz at Bijapur

4. The Madrasas of Muhammad Gawan

 Decline of Bahmani Kingdom

1. There was a constant war between the Bahmani

and Vijayanagar rulers.

2. Inefficient and weak successors after Muhammad

Shah III.

3. The rivalry between the Bahmani rulers and

foreign nobles.
 Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur (1526- 1530 AD)
Babur was born on February 14, 1483, in Fergana which is now in
[Link] name was derived from Persian language, "Babur "which
means lion.
• Babur succeeded his father Umar Shaikh Mirza as the ruler of
Farghana, but was soon defeated by his distant relative and as a result
lost his kingdom.

• He became a wanderer for sometime till he captured Kabul from one

of his uncles.

• Then, Babur took interest in conquering India and launched three

expeditions between 1519 and 1524.

The first attack of Babur in India was on Bajaur in 1519 with 2000
horsemen. It was followed by capture of Bhira on Jhelum River in Punjab.
Gun Powder was used for the first time during his expedition to Bajaur. In
successive expeditions he used Gun powder and Canons which were
perhaps new to the Indians.

In one of these four expeditions he was able to defeat Daulat Khan Lodi, the
Governor of Punjab. The Kabul troops of Babur routed the Lahore troops of
Daulat Khan and plundered Lahore Bazaars.

Babur rested only for 4 days in the Capital Then he returned Kabul. His fifth
& final expedition was in November 1525 which ended in 1526 with victory
at Delhi.
• The opportunity to fullfil his ambition came to Babur when he was invited to India by
discontented party, Daulat Khan Lodhi the most powerful noble of the Punjab and
Alam Khan an uncle of Ibrahim Khan Lodhi sought Babur to help to fight against
Ibrahim Lodhi.

• Political situation in north-west India was suitable for Babur to enter

India . Sikhandar Lodi died in 1517 and Ibrahim Lodi succeded
him.
Ibrahim Lodhi tried to create a strong centralised empire which
alarmed Afghan chiefs as well as Rajaputs.

His repressive policy towards the Lohani and Lodhi tribes and his unsympathetic
treatment of Dilawar Khan, the governor of Lahore, turned the nobles against him.

Which resulted in Battle of Panipat, AD 1526.

On the eve of Babur’s invasion of India, there were five prominent Muslim rulers – the
Sultans of Delhi, Gujarat, Malwa, Bengal and the Deccan – and two prominent Hindu
rulers – Rana Sangha of Mewar and the Vijayanagar Empire.

He received messages of support from disaffected and opportunists nobles of Ibrahim’s

court and Rana Sangha of Mewar is also said to have sent him an invitation for a joint
invasion of Delhi.

In the first battle of Panipat ( 21st April AD 1526), Babur defeated Ibrahim and killed
him and captured Delhi and Agra and laid the foundation of Mughal Empire.
• One of the causes of Babur’s success in the battle was that Babur was seasoned
General whereas Ibrahim was a head strong, inexperienced youth.
As Babur remarks he was ‘an inexperienced man, careless in his movements, who
marched without order, halted or retired without method and engaged without
foresight.’

• Babur was the master of a highly evolved system of warfare which was the result
of a scientific synthesis of the tactics of the several Central Asian people. While
Ibrahim fought according to the old system then in existence in the country.

• Babur had a park of artillery consisting of big guns and small muskets while
Ibrahim’s soldiers were absolutely ignorant of its use.
• Also, Ibrahim did not get the backing of his people which weakened his power.
• Babur was right when he recorded in his diary that the Indian
soldiers knew how to die and not how to fight.

• On the other hand Babur’s army was well trained and

disciplined and shared the ambition of conquering rich
Hindustan.

• Babur occupied Delhi and sent his son Humayun to seize

Agra.

• Babur proclaimed himself as “Emperor of Hindustan”.

• The establishment of an empire in the Indo-Gangetic valley

by Babur was a threat to Rana Sanga.
On March 16, 1527, Rana Sangha, along with rulers of Amber, Gwalior, Ajmer
and Chanderi and Sultan Mahmood Lodi (whom Rana Sangha had acknowledged
as ruler of Delhi) met Babur in a decisive contest at Kanhwa, a village near Agra.

The aim was to prevent the imposition of another foreign repression

on Babur succeeded over them by using similar tactics as in the Battle of Panipat.
Then, he took on the title of “Ghazi”.

In 1528, Babur captured Chanderi from another Rajput ruler Medini Rai.

On May 6, 1529, Babur met the allied Afghans of Bihar and Bengal on the banks
of Gogra in Bihar, near Patna and defeated them. With this battle, Babur occupied a
considerable portion of northern India.

By these victories, Babur consolidated his power in India.

On December 26, 1530, Babur died at Agra aged 40. His body was first laid
at Arambagh in Agra but was later taken to Kabul, where it was buried.

Estimate of Babur
He was an eminent scholar in Arabic and Persian.

He wrote his memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Baburi Turki language.

He is considered as Lion of Asia.

Babur had four sons Humayun, Kamran, Askari and Hindal.

• Humayun succeeded Babar in December 1530 at the young age

 HUMAYUN (1530-1540, 1555-1556)

Humayun was the eldest son of Babur.

After his father Babur’s death, Humayun ascended the throne in 1530. Prior to
becoming a king, he served as one of the commanders in his father’s army.

Unlike Babur, Humayun did not command the respect and esteem of Mughal nobility.

The Chagatai nobles were not favourably inclined towards him and the Indian nobles,
who had joined Babur’s service, deserted the Mughals at Humayun’s accession.
Six months after his succession,
Humayun besieged the fortress of Kalinjar in Bundelkhand, gained a victory over
Afghans at Douhrua and drove out Sultan Mahmood Lodhi from Jaunpur, and even
defeated Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. His victories, however, were short-lived due to the
weakness of his character.

Humayun had three brothers, Kamran, Askari and Hindal.

Humayun divided the empire among his brothers but this proved to be a great
blunder on his part.

Kamran was given Kabul and Kandahar.

Sambhal and Alwar were given to Askari and Hindal respectively.

Humayun means “fortune” but he remained the most unfortunate ruler of the
Mughal Empire.

He faced challenges from all the directions. The prominent among them were;

• His younger brother Kamran posed a threat in north-west frontier of his

kingdom.

• Afghans were also a threat in east.

• Bahadur Shah, the king of Gujarat and Malwa was also a danger.

The Rajputs were restrained by Babur not subdued, therefore they also posed a
challenge to the new rule of Humayun.
 Battle of Chausa

The battle of Chausa was fought between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri in 1539. The
Mughal forces under Humayun were handed out a crushing defeat by Sher Shah.
Humayun narrowly escaped with his life.

Battle of Kannauj

Mughal forces once again clashed with Sher Shah in May 1540. This time Humayun
was decisively defeated by Sher Shah. Humayun left India and went into exile. He
remained in exile for the next 15 years.

He took refuge in the court of Shah of Iran (Persia) Tahmasp-I.

Aided by the Shah, Humayun was able to win Kandahar & Kabul from Kamran in
1547.
The four brothers were united in Lahore, but every day they were informed that Sher Shah
was getting closer and closer. When he reached Sirhind, Humayun sent an ambassador
carrying the message "I have left you the whole of Hindustan [i.e. the lands to the East of
Punjab, comprising most of the Ganges Valley]. Leave Lahore alone, and let Sirhind be a
boundary between you and me." Sher Shah, however, replied "I have left you Kabul. You
should go there."

Kabul was the capital of the empire of Humayun's brother Kamran, who was far from
willing to hand over any of his territories to his brother.

Instead, Kamran approached Sher Shah and proposed that he actually revolt against his
brother and side with Sher Shah in return for most of the Punjab. Sher Shah dismissed his
help, believing it not to be required, though word soon spread to Lahore about the
treacherous proposal.

Humayun aided by the Shah killed him and able to win Kandahar & Kabul from Kamran in
1547.
• Freed from his brother’s opposition Humayun was now in a position to
attempt the reconquest of India.

• He had secured the services of an able officer named Bairam Khan

and the time was also favourable to him.

• By the time Suri Empire was in a civil war where various contenders to
the throne fought each other for supremacy. Sikandar Shah Suri what
occupied with his struggle against Ibrahim Shah Suri
when Humayun mobilized an army from Kabul.

• Humayun defeated the Afghan forces of Sikandar Shah Suri in Battle of

Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district in the Indian state of Punjab and
occupied Agra and Delhi (A.D. 1555)

• It is clear that the major causes of Humayun’s failure against Sher Khan
was his inability to understand the nature of the Afghan power.
• Due to existence of large numbers of Afghan tribes scattered over
north India, the Afghans could always unite under a capable leader
and pose a challenge.

However, he could rule only for six months and died in 1556 on 24 January when he
slipped down the stairs of his palace.

In 1542, during his wanderings in deserts of

Sindh, Humayun married Hamida Banu Begum, daughter of Sheikh Ali
Amber Jaini, who had been a preceptor of Humayun’s brother Hindal.

On 25 october 1542, Humayun’s wife gave birth to Akbar

Humayun was kind and generous, though he was not a good General and warrior.

He also loved painting and wrote poetry in the Persian language.

 Sher Shah (The Second Afghan Empire)

• The first Afghan kingdom under the Lodis was replaced by

the Mughals under Babur in 1526.

• After a gap of 14 years Sher Shah succeeded in establishing

the Afghan rule again in India in 1540.

• Sher Shah and his successors ruled for 15 years and this period
is known as the period of second Afghan Empire.

• The founder of the Sur dynasty was Sher Shah, whose original
name was Farid.
• He was the son of Hasan Khan, a jagirdar of Sasaram in Bihar.

• Later, Farid served under the Afghan ruler of Bihar, who gave him the
title Sher Khan for his bravery.

• He defeated Humayun at the Battle of Chausa and became the ruler

of Delhi in 1540.

• Sher Khan was a great tactician and able military commander.

• Sher Shah waged extensive wars with the Rajputs and expanded his
empire.
• His conquests include Punjab, Malwa, Sind, Multan and Bundelkhand.

• His empire consisted of the whole of North India except Assam, Nepal,
Kashmir and Gujarat.
• Sher Shah after his death in 1545 was succeeded by his son Islam Shah.

• Islam Shah had to face a number of conflicts with his brother Adil Khan
and many Afghan nobles.

• The Afghan empire was substantially weakened. Humayun saw an

opportunity and moved towards India who again captured his lost
kingdom by 1555 and ended the second Afghan Empire.

Sher Shah’s Administration

• Although Sher Shah’s rule lasted for five years, he organized a brilliant administrative
system.

• The central government consisted of several departments. The king was assisted by
four important ministers:
1. Diwan –i- Wizarat – also called as Wazir – in charge of Revenue and
Finance.
2. Diwan-i-Ariz – in charge of Army.

3. Diwan-i-Rasalat – Foreign Minister.

4. Diwan-i-Insha – Minister for Communications.

• Sher Shah’s empire was divided into forty seven sarkars.

• Chief Shiqdar (law and order) and Chief Munsif (judge) were the two
officers in charge of the administration in each sarkar.

• Each sarkar was divided into several parganas. Shiqdar (military officer), Amin
(land revenue), Fotedar (treasurer) Karkuns (accountants) were in charge of
the administration of each pargana.

• There were also many administrative units called iqtas.

He introduced a system of tri-metalism which came to characterise Mughal coinage
(Silver coin) which was called 'Rupia'.Rupee is today used as the national currency in
India, Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka among other
countries.

He introduced copper coins which were called Dam, Half Dam and quarter Dam as per
denomination.

He introduced regular postal services.

Constructed four important roads: Grand Trunk Road from Sonargaon to Peshawar; road
from Agra to Multan via Burhanpur and Delhi; road from Multan to Lahore; and road
from Mandu to Agra. These roads were lined with trees, wells and rest houses.
He was called as Sadak-I-Azam
Sources of income were: Land revenue; Taxes on the transportation of raw and
finished products; The Royal mint; Confiscation of the unclaimed
property; Tributes from the rajas, nawabs jagirdars, etc.; Gifts from the foreign
travellers; Salt tax; Jaziya on the Hindus; and One-fifth of the Kham (booty).

Conclusion - He introduced many reforms and on that basis Akbar built a

superstructure of Mughal administration. His administration has been centralised
administration just like sultanate period. He was the first Muslim ruler of India who
displayed a real aptitude for civil government
 Akbar The Great (1556-1605)

Akbar was born in Umerkot(Amarkot) in present-day Sindh, Pakistan as the son

of Humayun and Hamida Banu Begum in 1542.

He was born in a Rajput fortress where his parents were living in refuge under the
local ruler Rana Prasad.

He was raised by his uncle Kamran in Kabul . He treated the child well.

Akbar was re-united with his parents after the capture of Qandhar in 1547.

His full name was Abu’l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar.

When Humayun died, Akbar was in Punjab, commanding operations against the
Afghan rebels.

In 1556, Akbar was crowned at Kalanaur at the age of merely thirteen years and
four months.

Bairam Khan, the tutor of the prince and a loyal and favourite officer of
Humayun, rose to the occasion.

He became the wakil of the kingdom, with the title of Khan-i-Khanan, and
rallied the Mughal forces.

The threat from Hemu was considered the most serious for Akbar. Further, the
area from Chunar to the border of Bengal was under the domination of Adil
Shah, a nephew of Sher Shah.
During Islam Shah’s reign, Hemu had started his career as a superintendent
of the market, but soon promoted under Adil Shah.

Surprisingly, Hemu had not lost a single one of the twenty-two battles in
which he had fought.

Adil Shah had appointed Hemu as wazir, gave the title of ‘Vikramajit,’ and
entrusted him with the task to expel the Mughals.

Bairam Khan helped Akbar to put an end to Hemus’ constant dictatorship. It

was in Bairams command that Akbar's army defeated Hemu in the Second
Battle of Panipat in 1556 AD.
 Second Battle of Panipat

Hemu first seized Agra, and with an army of 50,000 cavalry, 500 elephants and a strong park
of artillery marched towards Delhi.

In a well-contested battle, Hemu defeated the Mughals near Delhi and captured the city. But
Bairam Khan took an energetic and smart step to meet the critical situation. Bairam Khan
strengthened his army marched towards Delhi before Hemu could have time to consolidate
his position again.

On 5 November, 1556, the battle between the Mughals (led by Bairam Khan) and the
Afghan forces (led by Hemu), took place once again at Panipat.

Though Hemu’s artillery had been captured by a Mughal force, the tide of battle was in
favor of Hemu. Meanwhile, an arrow hit in the eye of Hemu and he fainted. Hemu was
arrested and executed. Akbar had virtually reconquered his empire.
 Bairam Khan’s Conquest

Bairam Khan remained at the helm of affairs of the Mughal Empire for
almost next four years and during this period, he kept the nobility fully
under control.

The territories of the Mughal Empire were extended from Kabul (in the
north) to Jaunpur (in the east) and Ajmer (in the west).

Mughal forces captured Gwalior and vigorous efforts were made to

conquer Ranthambhor and Malwa.
 Bairam Khan’s Downfall

Over a period of time, Akbar was approaching the age of maturity. On the other hand,
Bairam Khan became arrogant and had offended many powerful persons and nobles of
Mughal court (as he held supreme power).

Many of the nobles complained to Akbar that Bairam Khan was a Shia, and that he was
appointing his own supporters and Shias to high offices, while neglecting the old nobles.

The charges against Bairam Khan were not much serious in themselves, but he (Bairam
Khan) became egoistical, and hence failed to realize that Akbar was growing up.

In fact, there was friction on a petty matter, which made Akbar realize that he could not
leave the state affairs in someone else's hands for any more.
To control Bairam Khan, Akbar played his cards cleverly. He left Agra on the pretext of
hunting, and came Delhi.

From Delhi, Akbar issued a farman (summon) dismissed Bairam Khan from his
office, and ordered all the nobles to come and submit to him personally.

The farman made Bairam Khan realize that Akbar wanted to take power in his own
hands; so, he was prepared to submit, but his opponents were keen to ruin him.
They heaped humiliation upon him until he was goaded to rebel.

The rebellion distracted the empire for almost six months. Finally, Bairam Khan was
forced to submit in Akbar’s court; Akbar received him cordially, and gave him the
option of serving at the court (anywhere), or retiring to Mecca.
Bairam Khan chose to retire to Mecca. On his way to Mecca, he was assassinated at
Patan near Ahmadabad by an Afghan who bore him a personal grudge.

Bairam Khan's wife and a young child were brought to Akbar at Agra. Akbar married
Bairam Khan's widow (who was also his cousin), and brought up the child as his own
son.

Bairam Khan’s child later became popular as Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan and held
some of the most significant offices and commands in the Mughal Empire.

During Bairam Khan's rebellion, some groups and individuals in the nobility became
politically active. The group included Akbar's foster-mother, Maham Anaga, and her
relatives. However, Maham Anaga soon withdrew from politics.
Mahamanga’s son, Adham Khan, was an impetuous young man. He assumed
independent airs when he had been sent to command an expedition against Malwa.

He claimed the post of the wazir, and when this was not accepted, he stabbed the
acting wazir in his office. His tyrannical act enraged Akbar. In 1561, Adham Khan
had been thrown down from the parapet of the fort and he died.
 THE MUGHAL EMPIRE FROM AKBAR

Expansion of Akbar

In 1559–60 - Gwalior & Malwa.

In 1564 – Gondwana

By 1570 - captured almost the whole of Rajasthan

In 1572 – Gujrat

Between 1574 – 1576 – Bihar and Bengal.

In 1581-82 – Punjab, Afganistan

In 1586 – Kashmir

In 1592 – Orissa

In 1595 – Finally the complete supremacy of Mughals over North-West region was
established

In 1595 - first expedition was dispatched to Ahmednagar ( Berar)

In 1598 – Ahmednagar, Asirgarh and adjoining regions.

Along with the expansion of territory Akbar initiated the policy of

absorbing the chieftains into Mughal nobility. His policy paid rich
dividends to the empire. The Mughal emperor succeeded in getting the
support of chieftains and their armies for new conquests.
As part of Mughal nobility, their help was also available for
administering a large empire. In addition, a friendly relationship with
them ensured peace for the empire. The chieftains also benefited from
this policy. Now they could retain their territories and administer them
as they wished. In addition, they received jagir and mansab.

Often they got territories in jagir bigger than their kingdoms. It also
provided them security from enemies and rebellions. Many Rajput
mansabdars were assigned their own territories as Watan Jagir, which
was hereditary and non-transferable.

The territorial expansion under Akbar gave a definite shape to the

Mughal Empire. In terms of territorial expansion very little was added to
the empire after Akbar. Some territories were added during the regions
of Shahjahan and Aurangzeb in the Deccan and North East of India.
 Akbar and Maharana Pratap

Upon his ascension to the Mughal throne, Akbar had embarked on a policy of
conquest of the Rajputana region. Using a combination of diplomacy and brute
force, many kingdoms of Rajputana submitted to Mughal overlordship except for
Mewar.

The Udai Singh II of Mewar, regarded as one of the strongest kings of the Rajput
states, had fought a war with the Mughals which culminated in the Siege of
Chittorgarh in 1568. The siege ended with the loss of a sizable portion of eastern
Mewar to the Mughals.

When Maharana Pratap succeeded his father on the throne of Mewar, Emperor
Akbar sent many diplomatic missions to convince Maharana Pratap to become a
vassal of the Mughals.
Four emissaries were sent to Maharana Pratap, out of these, only Raja
Bhagwant Das came close to succeeding in swaying Maharana Pratap.

Initially, Maharana Pratap had agreed to don a rob presented by emperor

Akbar and send his young son Amar Singh to the Mughal court.

This was deemed unacceptable by the Akbar as he wanted the Maharana

Pratap to submit in person. Maharana Pratap outrightly refused to do so and
an additional diplomatic mission under Raja Todar Mal failed to yield any
result. Thus with diplomacy having failed, the war was inevitable.
The Battle of Haldighati (18 June 1576 AD) was fought between Akbar and
Maharana Pratap, which was of three - four hours duration only.

Maharana Pratap was an unbeatable warrior and he used to ride his brave horse
Chetak. It was mentioned that his horse Chetak had saved Maharana Pratap from
enemies.

With Maharana Pratap able to make a successful escape, the battle failed to break
the deadlock between the two powers.

Subsequently, Akbar led a sustained campaign against the Rana, and soon, Goganda,
Udaipur, and Kumbhalgarh were all under his control.

The pressure was exerted by the Mughals upon Rana’s allies and other Rajput chiefs,
and he was slowly but surely both geographically and politically isolated.
 Adminisration under Emperor Akbar
Akbar was a shrewd administrator. He divided kingdom into Subahs each of which
was administered by governors.

The various departments were given precise responsibilities and organised properly.
The governors kept the troops for defence and military purposes.

But the right to collect taxes on property were given to other officials. Akbar also had
a policy of transferring officials periodically.

He gave fixed salaries to the officials based on their ranks. Thus, he ensured the
integrity of his empire by not allowing any official or governor to grow too powerful
and break away from his empire.
Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system of administration. Under this system, there
were Mansabdars or officials/nobles who were given jagirs (land revenue
assignments). A Mansabdar’s rank dictated the number of soldiers under his
command. His salary was paid in cash and the title was not hereditary. A
Mansabdar had to perform civil and military duty when asked by the king.

In 1580, Akbar instituted a new system called the dahsala; This system was land
revenue system available in majority of Akbar's empire in areas such as Lahore to
Allahabad, Malwa and Gujarat.

Raja Todar mal was the person who pioneered and introduced this system to the
empireunder this system.

under the Dahsala system the one third of the crop is known to be the share of the
government.
Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system of administration. Under this system, there
were Mansabdars or officials/nobles who were given jagirs (land revenue
assignments). A Mansabdar’s rank dictated the number of soldiers under his
command. His salary was paid in cash and the title was not hereditary. A
Mansabdar had to perform civil and military duty when asked by the king.

In 1580, Akbar instituted a new system called the dahsala; This system was land
revenue system available in majority of Akbar's empire in areas such as Lahore to
Allahabad, Malwa and Gujarat.

Raja Todar mal was the person who pioneered and introduced this system to the
empireunder this system.

under the Dahsala system the one third of the crop is known to be the share of the
government.
Todar Mal was a brilliant revenue officer of his time. He first served on Sher Shah’s
court, but later joined Akbar.

Akbar’s capital city was Agra for the most part of his reign.
Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore had also served as capitals.

Akbar had many wives and there were Hindu Rajput princesses among them. These
Hindu queens were allowed to practice their own faith.
Akbar was known for his religious tolerance and even took part in Hindu festivals.

He liked to learn about other faiths and had discussions about various religions in his
court. He even banned the slaughter and sale of meat on certain days of the year.
He was also deeply influenced by Sufism.
To promote tolerance of other faiths and even encouraged debate on philosophical
and religious issues. In 1575, Akbar built Ibadat Khana (House of worship) at his
new capital Fatepur Sikri and invited scholars from all religions like Christianity,
Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna is one of the
world's oldest continuously practiced religions, based on the teachings of the
Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster)

In 1564, he initially abolished jiziya, finally abolished in 1579.

He founded a new religious philosophy based on his learnings and called it Din-e-ilahi
also known during its time as Tawḥīd-i-Ilāhī ("Divine Monotheism", lit. 'Oneness of
God') or Divine Faith . The elements were primarily drawn from Islam, Hinduism,
and Zoroastrianism, but some others were also taken from Christianity, Jainism,
and Buddhism.
But it died a natural death after Akbar’s time.
 Administrative Units
Akbar followed the system of the Subhah, the pargana, and the sarkar as his major
administrative units.

Subhah was the top most administrative unit, which was further sub-divided
into Sarkar. Sarkar (equivalent to district) was constituted of certain number
of parganas and pargana was the collective administrative unit of a few villages.
In 1580, Akbar classified his empire into twelve subas (provinces) namely −
Bengal
Bihar
Allahabad
Awadh
Agra
Delhi
Lahore
Multan
Kabul
Ajmer
Malwa and
Gujarat
By adopting a liberal policy of religious toleration and, in some cases, by giving
important jobs, including service at the court and in the army, to the Hindus, Akbar
successfully attempted to integrate all religious people.

The contemporary popular saints, such as Chaitanya, Kabir , (resided in different

parts of the country) emphasized on the essential unity of Islam and Hinduism

From the beginning, Akbar successfully attempted to gather a band of intellectual

people with liberal ideas at his court.

Abul Fazl and his brother Faizi were the most recognized scholars of that time.
This love for culture made him collects his “Nine Jewels or Naurattans” who excelled
in their fields of art and knowledge, they were as following—

1. BIRBAL (Mahesh Das) .

2. TANSEN (Tanna Mishra) the court singer.
3. ABUL FAZL (The chronologist) who wrote An-I-Akbari(Akbarnama)
4. FAIZI ( The court Poet)
5. MAHARAJA MAN SINGH (Army Consultant)
6. FAKIR AZIAO DIN (Sufi Singer)
7. MULLA DO-PIYAZA (depicted as Birbal's Muslim counterpart)
8. TODAR MAL (Finance Consultant)
9. ABDUL RAHIM KHAN I KHANAA (Writer of Hindi Couplets).
Akbar introduced a number of social and educational reforms. He stopped sati (the
burning of a widow), unless she herself, of her own free will, determinedly desired it.

Further, Akbar made a strict rule that widows of tender age who had not shared the
bed with their husbands were not to be burnt at all. Akbar also legalized Widow
Remarriage.

Akbar was not in favor of second marriage (having two wives at the same time) unless
the first wife was barren.
Akbar raised the marriage age, 14 for girls and 16 for boys.

Akbar revised the educational syllabus, emphasizing more on moral education and
mathematics, and on secular subjects including agriculture, geometry, astronomy,
rules of government, logic, history, etc.
His government encouraged traders and protected them. Akbar’s reign is marked by
economic and religious harmony and he is hence called ‘Akbar the Great’.

Akbar died of an illness in 1605.

His tomb is at a mausoleum at Sikandra in Agra.

He had reigned for 49 years.

He was succeeded on the throne by his son Jahangir.

 Jahangir(1605-1627)

Akbar was succeeded by his son Salim with the title Nur-ud-din Jahangir.
He was Akbar’s son by a Rajput wife.

His ascension was challenged by his eldest son Prince Khusrau who staged a revolt
with the blessings of Sikh Guru Arjun Dev.

Prince Khusrau was defeated, captured and blinded, while Guru Arjun Dev was
executed.

In 1608 Ahmad Nagar in the Deccan had declared independence under Malik Ambar.

During the reign of Jahangir there was no addition to the Mughal territory in Deccan.
Jahangir’s reign witnessed the visit of two Englishmen – William Hawkins and Sir
Tomas Roe. While the former could not get the consent of the Emperor for
establishing an English factory in India, the latter, sent as ambassador by King James I,
succeeded in securing permission to establish a British factory at Surat.

In 1611, Jahangir married Mehrunnisa who was known as Nur Jahan (Light of
World).

Nur Jahan dominated the royal household and set new fashions based on Persian
traditions. She encouraged Persian art and culture in the court.

Nur jahan became the real power behind the throne.

Jahangir died near Lahore (on the way from Kashmir to Lahore). He was buried in
Lahore.
 Shihab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram (1627-1658)

When Jahangir died, Khurram was away in Deccan. So Nurjahan supported and try to
make Shaharyar (Jahangir's youngest son) the King.

But Asaf, miffed by his sister’s action, sent a speedy message to Khurram and set up
Khusuru’s son Dawar Baksh as ad hoc regent.
He attacked Shaharyar and took him as prisoner.

Khurram while hastening from Deccan had already sent orders to eliminate
Shaharyar. The orders were immediately carried out.

Thus Khurram ascended the Mughal Throne with the name Shah Jahan (the King of
the world).
Shah Jahan was born On 5 January 1592, as Prince Shihab-ud-din Muhammad
Khurram , to Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his wife Jagat Gosaini in Lahore,
Pakistan.

His name means "joyful" in Persian language, and his Grandfather "Akbar the
Great" gave him the name "Khurram".

He got the title "Shah Jahan Bahadur" from his father, when he got
impressed from his child, that too at a very early age. He presented
extraordinary military abilities against the Lodi in the Deccan, and also the
Mewar.

Another title given to Shah Jahan was "The Builder of the Marvels", as he had
a remarkable ability of designing new structures re-designing old forts.
He became the most “celebrated” among the Mughal emperors but not popular
among the Hindus. His approach towards non - Muslims was less liberal, as he was
an Orthodox Muslim, as compared with the behaviour of his father and grandfather
Jahangir and Akbar, respectively, towards Non - Muslims.

He was extremely anxious to enlarge his enormous kingdom.

Even as a prince, he was a successful commander and it was largely due to his
campaigns that Mughal Empire was spread in 3 Lakh square kilometers when he
was deposed of throne by his son Aurangzeb.
When he became King, he had great counselors such as his father-in-law Asaf Khan,
Mahabat Khan.
A French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier visited during his reign and has described
him as a King who has firm administration of Justice and Universal sense of security.
He estimated the cost of the Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan around 6.5 million
sterling (64,99,46,700.00 Indian Rupee).

Reign as the Emperor of the Mughal Empire

The peaceful days of Akbar’s reign were over long ago. During Jahangir’s time, there
were not many rebellions.
But during Shah Jahan’s reign, there were two big revolts immediately after he sat on
the throne.

The first revolt was in Bundelkhand in 1636 under Jujhar Singh. The revolt was
suppressed and Jujhar Singh was eliminated.

Another was under the Lodi remnant Khan Jahan Lodi. This revolt had also been
suppressed.
On becoming the emperor, Shah Jahan executed many of his former rivals including
his own brother Shahryar, imprisoned many more and consolidated his power.

Before becoming king, as a prince, he had been the governor of the Deccan, Bihar,
Bengal, Gujarat and Delhi.

As king, Shah Jahan expanded the military and promoted the production of arms. He
annexed several territories.
Shah Jahan's instructions proved out to be exceptional in order to get victories on the
Deccan states. By 1636, Ahmadnagar had been added along with that Golconda and
Bijapur, and were forced to end up their tributaries.
Mughal power was furthermore connected in the northwest. In 1638, the Persian
governor head of Kandahar, ʿAli Mardan Khan, surrendered that post to the
Mughals.
 Arjumand Banu Begum (Mumtaz Mahal)

Shah Jahan married multiple times as was the custom. His favourite was said to be
Arjumand Banu Begum who is better known as Mumtaz Mahal.

In 1608, when Shah Jahan was only 15 years old got he engaged to 14 years old
Arjumand Banu Begum.

In 1612, wedded Arjumand Banu Begum, who was given the title Mumtaz Mahal.

The wedding was a cheerful and Shah Jahan stayed dedicated to Mumtaz Mahal
throughout his life. She gave birth to fourteen children of Shah Jahan, out of which
only seven survived till adulthood.
It was in 1631 that the lady of Taj, Mumtaj Mahal died during birth of their 14th
Child Gauhara Beghum.

After 1 year of her death, construction of Taj Mahal Began. It was completed in 1648
and surrounding buildings were finished in next 5 years.

Who was the architect of the Taj is a question that is still not answered satisfactorily.
Several names are associated with this work such as Abd ul-Karim Ma’mur Khan,
Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri.

Out of them Ustad Ahmad Lahauri, a Persian is thought to be the principal architect,
evident by some document left by his son.

The exquisite monument Taj Mahal is a witness to her husband’s devotion

He was the originator of the glorious monument Taj Mahal, the Moti Masjid in
Lahore- now in Pakistan, Jama Masjid of Delhi, Section of Agra Fort, and the Red
Fort of Delhi.
( "Golden age" of Mughal Architecture )

He devolved the power among his 4 sons, each of whom was given a governorship.
But these 4 brothers were jealous of each other and Shah Jahan thought to secure
peace by dividing the empire in 4 pieces, a fatal policy.

Dara Shikoh was given Multan and Kabul,

Shah Shuja got Bengal,
Aurangzeb got Deccan
and Murad Got Gujarat.
At the point when Shah Jahan turned out to be sick in 1658, Shah Jahan's and
Mumtaz Mahal's eldest son Dara Shikoh, come forward and accepted the
responsibility of regent in his father's name.

After getting the knowledge of his suspicion of the regency, Dara Shikoh’s younger
siblings, Shuja, who was the Viceroy of Bengal, and Murad Baksh, who was the
Viceroy of Gujarat, announced their freedom, and walked towards Agra with a
specific end goal to claim the wealth of their father.

Aurangzeb, the third son, and most able son among the siblings, accumulated a
prepared an efficient armed force and turned into its chief commander. He faced
Dara Shikoh's armed force close to Agra and crushed them in the Battle of
Samugarh.
In spite of getting completely recovered from his illness, Aurangzeb declared Shah
Jahan to be incompetent to administer the empire and Aurangzeb put him under
arrest in the house of Agra Fort.

In January 1666, Shah Jahan fell seriously ill and got confined to bed; he turned out
to be continuously weaker and died by 22nd January.

Jahanara Begum Sahib, Mumtaz Mahal’s first daughter, voluntarily shared his 8-
year confinement and nursed him in his dotage.

The body was then taken to Taj Mahal in Agra and was buried by river alongside with
the body of his dearest wife Mumtaz Mahal.
 Prince Aurangzeb

Mohyuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb was born in 1618 and had already been the
Governor of Deccan after 1636.

This was when he was a young man of 17-18 years preoccupied with the thoughts
of a vaticinator, who wanted a purpose of life.

In 1643, when he was 25 years he announced his intentions to retire from this
material world, quit from the viceroyalty of Deccan and took his abode in the jungles
of Western Ghats, adopting a life of a Fakir. But this experiment soon faded away
and he returned to work.
In 1644, his sister Jahanara got burnt in an accident. The other brothers quickly reached
but this “Zinda Faqir” reached 20 days later. He was dismissed the Viceroyalty of the
Deccan.

In 1647 he was sent to take command of the provinces of Balkh and Badakhshan beyond
the Hindukush which was recently acquired by the Uzbeks. He fought there unsuccessfully
and was compelled to draw his forces with heavy losses.

In 1649 and 1652, he was asked to recover Kandhar but got failed, but these failures gave
Aurangzeb the idea of fighting in the mountains with the best soldiers of the world and
shaped his personality as a good & witty administrator.

In 1655, he was again sent to Deccan. He attacked Golconda and Bijapur in next 2 years,
but at the very eve of the victory, his father got ill and was recalled to Agra.
 The War of Succession
Aurangzeb was summoned to North in 1657. The emperor Shah Jahan was believed
to be dying. Since there was no rule of succession, each of the 4 princes prepared for
the fight to the throne.

Each of the princes were ruling like independent sovereign Kings, having command
of the large revenues which they used to muster their own large armies.

First in the field was Shah Shuja. He proclaimed himself as emperor at Bengal,
engraved his coins and marched towards Agra.

At the same time, Murad Baksh, struck his own coins at Gujarat and ordered that
Khutba should be read in his name.
Dara, who was governor of Multan and Kabul was in Delhi and he lost no time to
send the imperial armies to repulse Shuja & Murad.

Shuja’s army was beaten by the imperial army commanded by Raja Jaisingh of
Amber at Banaras. He was repulsed and thrown back to Bengal.

Meanwhile Aurangzeb had made his mind and joined the forces of Murad. These
combined forces attacked the Royal army under the command of Maharaja Jaswant
Singh on the banks of river Narmada. This crucial battle is called the Battle of
Dhramatpur
 Battle of Samugarh 1658

After a defeat in the Battle of Dhramatpur, Dara sent a magnificent army

which counted 1 lakh horses against the Aurangzeb.

But the news of Jaswant Singh’s defeat had already demoralized the royal
army. The two armies met at Samugarh, some 13 kilometers from Agra

The combined army of Aurangzeb and Murad won and Dara had fled with
a few hundred horses.
After this battle, Aurangzeb reached Agra. His attention was now to his
most dangerous rival, his old father Shah Jahan.

He sent his son Muhammad inside the fort of Agra. Muhammad overcame
the guards and turned the palace into a jail.

Shah Jahan was locked up now safely. He survived but only 7 years, and
never came out of this prison. He was given all the facilities his old age
required but not freedom.

The father and son never met again. Jahanara(1st daughter from mumtaz)
nursed her father till he died in 1666, at the age of seventy 76. His body
was laid in a tomb near the grave of his beloved late queen.
 Aurangzeb -Emperor of Mughal India
Elimination of Brothers by Aurangzeb
After Muhammad had safely locked Shah Jahan in the fort, Aurangzeb entered Agra
and seized Dara’s house and the treasure. He now launched a campaign to pursue
Dara.

Murad Baksh who was now enjoying the mock sovereignty was found drunk one day
and Aurangzeb put this violator of Islam into Chains. He was secretly sent to a prison
and was executed 3 years later.

After the defeat in the Battle of Samugarh,

Dara fled to Agra and from there to Delhi and from Delhi to [Link] Lahore he
went to Multan and crossing the Runns of Gujarat he reached Kathiawar where the
governor Shah Nawaz Hussain helped him to raise new forces.
He occupied Surat and then went to Ajmer.

He met with Aurangzeb’s army at Deorain near Ajmer again in 1659 but
Dara again got defeated.

The luckless prince again fled to Multan and sought asylum to one Malik
Jiwan who betrayed him, arrested him and handed over to Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb executed him in the same year on the charges of heresy.

Dara was executed. Shah Jahan was locked up. Murad was also waiting
inside the prison for the doomsday
 Next was Shah Shuja.

Aurangzeb sent an imperial army under Mir Jiwan to pursue him. He was defeated by
army.

He along with his family fled to Arakan (Now in Myanmar) .

The ruler of Arakan gave him asylum and allowed him a house to stay there, but
there was a fight over his daughter who had infatuated the King of Arakan.

The quarrel started and Shah Shuja along with the family was tortured to death.
Aurangzeb Alamgir sat on the peacock throne with an even longer title of
Al-Sultan al-Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram Hazrat, Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din
Muhammad Aurangzeb Bahadur Alamgir I, Badshah Ghazi, Shahanshah-e-Sultanat-
ul-Hindiya Wal Mughaliya.

He took his title “Alamgir”, the Persian word engraved on the sword which was
given to him by his father.

He was a Puritan emperor. He did nothing which was not allowed in Islam. For Islam,
he destroyed the temples and broke the idols.
He abjured the pleasures of the senses in lived like a Fakir, once he aspired
to become.

He never tasted wine and his drink was water.

He slept on the ground with only tiger skin over him.

He learnt Quran by heart and copied it twice in his fine calligraphy and sent
it to Mecca.

This Bigot Mohammedan created a lot of troubles for himself and lost both
energy and resources in dealing with the rebellions of Jats, Satnamis,
Bundelas, Sikhs and finally the formidable Marathas (shivaji- the greatest
enemy)
He stopped engraving Kalma on coins.
Forbade the Parsis to celebrate their festival Navaroz.

Released an order to ban the music and wine & intoxicant materials everywhere and
arrest those who listen to the music and consume wine & intoxicant materials.

Ended the Mughal pomp of Jharokha Darshan, use of almanacs, the Mughal custom
of weighing the emperor in gems -distributing the wealth to the poors, on
coronation anniversaries.

In 1679, he reimposed jizya and pilgrim tax.

His invasions against the Deccan sultanates were partly due to his hatred of the Shia
faith.

He ordered execution of the ninth Sikh Guru Teg Bahadur.

The fifth Guru Arjun Dev gave the Sikhs a permanent organization with
regular sources of income. Later on he was executed by Jahangir.

Har Govind(1606-1645 A.D.) son of Guru Arjun Dev, came into conflict with
Shah Jahan and then Guru Tegh Bahadur started conflicting Aurangzeb.

When Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of Sikh Gurudwaras and the

expulsion of Guru’s followers from the cities, Guru Tegh Bahadur rose
against the Empire.
Thus, Aurangzeb completed the transformation of Sikhs from a Bhakti
movement into a military hood.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was captured and taken to Delhi. He was asked to
embrace Islam. When he refused to do so, Aurangzeb ordered tortures on
him.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in December 1675 A.D. in Chandini

Chowk.

The Gurudwara Sheeshganj marks the site of his martyrdom.

 Personality and character of Aurangzeb

Aurangzeb was a God-fearing Muslim. He did not like ostentation and led a
simple life. He was a strict disciplinarian and never spared himself or his
subordinates in the tasks of government.

He was devoted to his religion, offered namaz five times a day and strictly
observed fast in the month of Ramadan.

He did not consume wine. He earned for his personal expenses by copying the
Quran (holy book of Muslims) and selling those copies.

Due to all these qualities, he began to be regarded as a Zinda Pir (living saint). He
was a learned person and proficient in Arabic and Persian languages.
 Art and Architecture during his reign

He constructed the Moti Masjid at Delhi and the Badshahi Mosque at Lahore.

Ishwar Das Nagar authored Fatahat-i-alamgiri.

Nimat Khan Ali authored Wakai-i-Hyderabad, the conquest of Golconda by

Aurangzeb.

Mirza Mohammad Qasim authored Alamgirnama.

The death of Aurangzeb led the foundation of decline of the mighty Mughal
Emperor and it was happen due to prolong war of succession between his
three sons- Muazzam, Azam and Kam Baksh.

They were assigned at different region for administrative purposes-

Muazzam as Governor of Kabul,
Azam of Gujarat,
and Kam Baksh of Bijapur

which created differences between them that causes faction on succession.

.
The war of succession after Aurangzeb’s death in later Mughal.

Muazzam 'Bahadur Shah I' (AD 1707-1712)

He was popularly known as Shah Alam I and called Shahi-i-Bekhabar

by Khafi Khan due to his appeasement parties by grants of title and rewards.

He was ascended himself on the throne in 1707 after killing his two brothers, and defeating
Kam Baksh in the Battle of Jajau. He was the last Mughal who enjoyed all the authority in
real term.

He tried to create affinity between Sikh and Maratha. He granted the right to collect Sardesh
Mukhi of Deccan but not Chauth to the Marathas.

A fresh war of succession had started after the death of Muazzam between his sons-
Jahander Shah, Azim-us Shah, Rafi-us Shah and Jahan Shah.
 Jahander Shah (AD 1712-1713)
[Link] was ascended himself on the throne after killing his three brothers
with the help of Zulfikar Khan who was the leader of in Mughals Court.

2. He was puppet of Zulfikar Khan who acts as the defacto ruler which
led the foundation of the concept of king makers. He was also under
the influence of his mistress Lal Kunwar which reminded the style of Nur
Jahan.

3. He gave the title of ‘Mirza Raja’ to Jai Singh of Malwa and ‘Maharaja’
to Ajit Singh of Marwar.

4. His step of giving grants of Chauth and Sardesh Mukhi to Marathas led
the foundation of weakening Mughal domination.

5. He was the first Mughal ruler who killed by Sayyid brothers- Abdulllah Khan
and Hussain Ali .
 Farrukhsiyar (AD 1713-1719)

He ascended himself on the throne with help of Sayyid brothers-Abdulllah Khan and Hussain
Ali .

He assigned the duty of Deccan’s governor to Chin Quilch Khan who was better known ‘Nizam-
ul-Mulk’, later who laid the foundation of independent state of Hyderabad.

In 1717, Farrukhsiyar issued a farman giving the British East India Company the right to
reside and trade in the Mughal Empire

Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath visited in his court to take grant for collecting Chauth and Sardesh
Mukhi on Maratha land.

Banda Bahadur was captured and put to death in 1715 during his reign.
(Banda Singh Bahadur, was a Sikh warrior and a commander of Khalsa army)
 Rafi-ud-Darajat (AD 1719)
He was one of the Mughal rulers who ruled very short period of merely
a few months.

Rafi-ud-Daula (AD 1719)

He was popularly known as ‘Shah Jahn II’.

Muhammed Shah (AD 1719-48)

His name was Roshan Akhtar who was ineffective, pleasure-seeking

Mughal emperor of India. Due to his pleasure loving attitude, he was
also called Rangila.

He ascended the throne at the age of seventeen with the Sayyid Brothers as his regents
until 1720
Muhammad Shah, to take back control of his rule, arranged for the brothers to be
killed with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah.

During his reign, Maratha under Baji Rao for the first in Mughal history raided in
Delhi

Nadir Shah of Persia invaded with the help of Sadat Khan who defeated Mughal
army at the Battle of Karnal(24 February1739). it lasted only for three hours because
of weak Mughal forces which were not able to stand against massive force of Nadir
Shah’s army.

Delhi was looted along with "the Peacock Throne," and plundered by Nadir shah .
 Nadir Shah's invasion of India

Emperor Nadir Shah, the Shah of Persia (1736–47) and the founder of the
Iranian Afsharid dynasty of Persia, invaded Northern India, eventually
attacking Delhi in 1739.

His army had easily defeated the Mughals at the Battle of Karnal and would
eventually capture the Mughal capital in the aftermath of the battle.

The Mughal Emperor at that time was Muhammad Shah. His reign saw a rapid
decline of the once formidable Mughal Empire.

Nader Shah, along with his troops, entered the Mughal territory from Kandahar. The
frontier governors resisted the Persian attack briefly but were routed by the invading
army.
Upon hearing of the advancing Persian army, Muhammad Shah marched his forces
out of Delhi in order to meet the invading army and prevent their entry into his
capital. He led a huge army of about 3,00,000 men along with about 2000 elephants
and 3000 guns.

Nader Shah’s army was less than one-fifth the size of his opponent’s. But, it was the
better trained, the better equipped.

The Mughal army reached Karnal, about 120 km north of Delhi (in the modern
Indian state of Haryana). On 24 February, the two forces met in Karnal for battle.

Using a combination of surveillance and intelligence techniques, and also using his
shrewd military tactics, Nader Shah’s smaller force defeated the Mughal army in a
day’s battle. His forces wreaked havoc among the hapless Mughal soldiers. Many of
their high-ranking officers were either killed or taken prisoner.
About 400 Mughal officers and probably 20 – 30 thousand soldiers were killed in the
battle. Muhammad Shah surrendered and he had to take Nader Shah to his capital,
Delhi. There the entire treasury of the Mughal emperor was looted by the Persians.

The Persian soldiers initially did not plunder the city of Delhi but due to a violent
scuffle involving some people, Nader Shah ordered the sack of Delhi. His soldiers
indulged in the brutal massacre of the city’s inhabitants. People were killed in their
homes and their wealth looted.

The sack of Delhi lasted for several days after which Nader Shah ordered his men to
cease.

In May 1739, Nader Shah and his troops left the city. Muhammad Shah was retained
the emperor of the Mughal Empire. But his treasury was almost emptied. Among
Nader Shah’s booty included the famous Peacock Throne, the Koh-I-Noor.
All Mughal land west of the Indus were ceded to Nader Shah. The retreating
Persian army also took with them thousands of horses, camels and elephants.

Nader Shah’s devastating invasion weakened the already declining Mughal Empire.
More importantly, it exposed the Mughal Empire’s flaws and vulnerabilities and
alerted the British East India Company to a possibility of expanding its horizons.

As a result of the defeat of the Mughal Empire at Karnal, the already declining
Mughal dynasty was critically weakened to such an extent as to hasten its demise.
 Ahmed Shah (AD 1748- 1754)
1. Ahmed Shah Abdali, the former general of Nadir Shah who invaded
India five times during reign.

2. He was over throne by his wazir Imad-ul Malik and placed Alamgir II as
ruler.

Alamgir II (AD 1754-1759)

1. He was called ‘Azizuddin’.

2. During his reign, the Battle of Plassey(1757) took place.

3. He was over throne by his wazir Imad-ul Malik and placed Shah Alam II as ruler.
 Shah Alam II (AD 1759-1806)
1. He was popularly known as ‘Ali Gauhar’ who was defeated in the
Battle of Buxar in 1764.

The Battle of Buxar was fought on 22/23 October 1764, between the forces under the
command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined
armies of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-
Daula; and the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II accompanied by Raja Balwant Singh of
Kashi.[

2. During his reign, the third Battle of Panipat took place.

The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on 14 January 1761 between the Maratha
Empire and the Ahmad shah Durrani Empire of Afghanistan

He was the first Mughal ruler who becomes East India Company Pensioner.
 Akbar II (AD 1806- 1837)

1. He was the first Mughal ruler who was under the British
protection.

2. During his tenure, Mughal Empire shrinks to Red Fort only.

3. He gave title of RAJA to ram mohan rai.

 Bahadur Shah II (AD1837- 1862)

1. He was the son of Akbar II and Rajput princess Lal Bai and also was the
last ruler Mughal Empire.

2. During his reign, 1857 revolt took place; he was behaved to Rangoon
as captive where he was died in 1862.

3. He was very good Urdu poet and his pen name was Zafar.
 Causes of Mughal’s Decline

The decline of Mughal Empire was not sudden but gradual process of fused
administrative action. The following were the main causes of decline:

1. The Vastness of the Empire: It was not possible to rule over area without
any cooperative federalism. Hence, the Empire began to sink due to its own
reason.

2. Centralized Administration: The vast Empire cannot be rule without

decentralization and their coordination.
3. Responsibility of Aurangzeb: His religious policy, Rajput Policy, and Deccan
Policy led disappointments to his subjects who made way of disintegration.

4. Wars of Succession: Prolong war of succession fractured the administrative unit of

Mughal’s.

5. Weakness of the Nobility: Mughal’s noble were well known for their loyalty but
war of successor degenerated the nobility.

The mighty Mughal Empire began to decline after the death of Aurangzeb. The
declining prospect of Mughal rule was knelled by quick succession and also war of
succession.
 Some important Points to Remember –

1. Literature during Mughals

Persian, Sanskrit and regional languages developed during the Mughal rule.

Persian was the language of administration in Mughal Empire.

The greatest contribution in the field of literature during the Mughal rule was the
development of Urdu as a common language of communication for people speaking
different dialects.

Babur wrote his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburi in Turki language.

This autobiography gives details of flora and afauna in India.

Babarnama(translation of tuzuk I baburi) was written in Persian by Abdul Rahim
Khan.

Abdul Fazl has written Akbarnama (history of Akbar) and Ain-i-

Akbari(administration book).

Jahangir hasitten his autobiography as Tuzuk-i-jahangiri.

Mutamid khan has written biography of Jahangir as Iqbalnamah-i-Jahangir.

Shahjahan’s biography padshanamah was written by two author. They were Abdul
Hamid lahori and Inayat Khan. Inayat khan wrote shahjahan namah.

Persian literature was enriched by translations of Sanskrit works.

The Mahabharata was translated under the supervision of Abul Faizi, brother of
Abul Fazal and a court poet of Akbar.
Dara Shikoh translated the Bhagavat Gita and Upanishads into the Persian language.
His most famous work, Majma-ul-Bahrain.
Badauni was bitter critic of Akbar. He translated Mahabharata into Persian as
Razanamah.

Regional languages such as Bengali, Oriya, Rajasthani and Gujarathi had also
developed during this period.

From the time of Akbar, Hindi poets were attached to the Mughal court. The most
influential Hindi poet was Tulsidas, who wrote the Hindi version of the Ramayana,
the Ramcharitmanas.

Jaganath Pandithraya , court poet of Shahjahan has written two Sanskrit books Ganga
Lahari and Rasagangadharam.
 Origins of the Maratha Empire

The origins of the Maratha Empire can be traced back to a series of rebellions led by
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj against the rule of the Bijapur Sultanate and later
the Mughal Empire.

Based on the principle of Hindawi Swarajya, he carved out an independent Maratha

kingdom with Raigad as the capital.

In 1674, he was crowned Chhatrapati (sovereign) of the new Maratha Kingdom after
successfully defending it from Mughal incursions.

At the time of his death, the kingdom was defended by a series of forts and well
equipped naval establishments. By the time of his grandson’s (shahu) rule in the
early 18th century, the kingdom had increased its size and transformed into a full-
fledged empire.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, great Maratha ruler was born on 19 February 1630 at
Shivneri Fort in District Pune in the present-day state of Maharashtra.

Shivaji was born to Shahaji Bhonsle, a Maratha general who held the jagirs of Pune
under the Bijapur Sultanate. Shivaji’s mother was Jijabai, a pious woman whose
religious qualities had a profound influence on him. Shahaji had also served the
Ahmednagar and Deccan sultanates.

Shivaji was given excellent training in military warfare and administration. He was
married for the first time in 1640 to Saibai.

Shivaji displayed his military zeal for the first time in 1645 when as a teenager, he
successfully got control of the Torna Fort which was under Bijapur.
He also acquired the Kondana Fort. Both these forts were under Adil Shah of Bijapur. Shah
then got Shahaji imprisoned in a bid to contain Shivaji.
Some accounts say that Shivaji surrendered these forts to get his father released. Shahaji
died in 1664-65. After this, Shivaji resumed his raids and extended his territories.

He achieved great name when he defeated Afzal Khan, a general of Adil Shah.

In the Battle of Pratapgarh in 1659, Shivaji’s forces vanquished the Bijapur Sultanate’s
army. From this victory, he acquired a large number of weapons and horses which greatly
added to his growing Maratha army’s strength.

In the same year, another battle was fought with the Adilshahi camp at Kolhapur where
Shivaji’s army defeated the enemy force.
Shivaji displayed great military prowess during this battle. This victory now alarmed
Aurangzeb.
Shivaji raided Mughal territory near Ahmednagar and in Junnar. Aurangzeb’s forces
under Nasiri Khan did defeat Shivaji at Ahmednagar in 1657 but the Mughal prince
soon became engaged with his own battles with his brothers for the possession of
the Mughal throne upon his father’s illness.

Shivaji defeated a large force of Shaista Khan (Aurangzeb’s maternal uncle) and the
Bijapur army in Pune.
In 1664, the wealthy Mughal trading port of Surat was sacked by Shivaji.

In June 1665, the Treaty of Purandar was signed between Shivaji and Raja Jai Singh I
(representing Aurangzeb). Shivaji signed this agreement realising that a war with the
Mughals would cost him men and money. As per this treaty, many forts were
relinquished to the Mughals and it was agreed that Shivaji would meet Aurangzeb
at Agra. Shivaji also agreed to send his son Sambhaji as well.
At Agra in 1666, when Shivaji went to meet the Mughal emperor, the Maratha
warrior felt he was insulted by Aurangzeb and stormed out of the court. He was
arrested and kept prisoner. The clever escape of Shivaji and his son from
imprisonment in disguise out of Agra is legendary today.

After that there was peace between the Marathas and the Mughals until 1670. After
that, the jagir of Berar which was granted to Sambhaji by the Mughals was taken back
from him. Shivaji in response attacked and recovered many territories from the
Mughals in a short span of four months.

In October 1670, he also harassed the English forces at Bombay for their support of
the Mughals.
Through his military tactics, Shivaji now acquired a large part of the land in the
Deccan and western India. He was crowned as the king of the Marathas on June 6,
1674, at Raigad. He took on the title of Chhatrapati, Shakakarta, Kshatriya
Kulavantas and Haindava Dharmodhhaarak.

The Maratha Kingdom founded by Shivaji was about 4.1% of the Indian subcontinent
but it grew larger over time and became the dominant Indian power in the early
18thcentury.

Shivaji fell ill and died of ill-health on 3 April 1680 at Raigad.

Shivaji laid the foundations of a great empire which played significant parts in modern
Indian history.
He established a strong army and a navy across the Konkan coast. His admiral Kanhoji
Angre is called the ‘Father of Indian Navy’.

Shivaji was also considered a master of the guerrilla warfare.

Shivaji is today considered a national hero in India and especially in the state of
Maharashtra.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was succeeded by his eldest son Sambhaji (also known as
Shambhu Raje) in 1681. He continued the expansion policy of his father defeating the
Portuguese and Chikka Deva Raya of Mysore to expand his borders. These
developments were alarming enough for Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb to launch an
expedition against the Marathas.
In the 8 years of wars that followed, Shambhu Raje fought Aurangzeb all along the
Deccan region, never losing any battle or his forts.

Then in 1689, Sambhaji was ambushed by Mughal forces while on his way to meet his
commanders at Sangameshwar. He was imprisoned and later executed by Aurangazeb
to demoralise the Maratha forces, but they still fought on.

Aurangazeb later proceeded to occupy the capital of Raigad, holding the family of
Chhatrapati Sambhaji hostage.

Sambhaji’s brother Rajaram was crowned Chhatrapati in 1690, the coronation had
taken place at Jinji fort in modern-day Tamil Nadu, assuming the regency for the
seven-year-old son of Shambu Raje, Shahu.
Aurangzeb continued in his attacks against the Marathas and even caused Junji fort
after three attempts.
Chhatrapati Rajaram escaped to Berar and died at Sinhagad in Pune in 1700

His widow, Tarabai, then heroically lead the Maratha forces against the Mughals,
successfully fighting them until they crossed the Narmada river and took Malwa in
1705.
This was a crucial victory as the long drawn out Maratha-Mughal conflict had drained
the Mughal treasury and rebellions in other parts of the country had severely
weakened it.

Shahu was released from captivity following the death of Aurangazeb in 1707. He
proceeded to challenge and defeat Tarabai in a series of battles to regain the
Maratha throne with the help of Balaji Vishwanath .
 Important Battles under shivaji

Battle of •Fought at the fort of Pratapgad near the town of Satara, Maharashtra,
Pratapgad, 1659 between the forces of the Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
and the Adilshahi general Afzal Khan.

Battle of Pavan •Fought at a mountain pass in the vicinity of fort Vishalgad, near the city
Khind, 1660 of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, between the Maratha Sardar Baji Prabhu
Deshpande and Siddi Masud of Adilshahi.

Sacking of Surat, •Fought near the city of Surat, Gujarat, between Chhatrapati Shivaji
1664 Maharaj and Inayat Khan, a Mughal captain.

Battle of •Fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire.

Purandar, 1665
 Battle of •Fought on the fort of Sinhagad near the city of Pune,
Sinhagad, 1670 Maharashtra between Tanaji Malusare, a commander of Maratha
ruler Shivaji Maharaj and Udaybhan Rathod, fortkeeper under Jai
Singh I who was a Mughal Army Chief.

Battle of •Bahadur Khan of the Mughal Empire defeated the Maratha

Kalyan, 1682-83 army and took over Kalyan.

Battle of •Fought between the Mughal Empire and Maratha Empire. This
Sangamner, was the last battle in which the Maratha King Shivaji fought.
1679
 Administration Under Shivaji

Central Administration:

It was founded by Shivaji for the sound system of administration

which was greatly inspired from the Deccan style of administration.

Most of the administrative reforms were inspired from Malik Amber reforms in
Ahmednagar.

The King was the supreme head of state who was assisted by a group of eight
ministers known as the ‘Ashtapradhan’.

The peshwa, also known as the mukhya pradhan, originally headed the advisory
council of the raja Shivaji.
Eight prominent officials were collectively known as AshtaPradhan. They were-

Peshwa or Pantpradhan- Prime minister.

Amatya or Majumdar– Finance Minister.
Waq-i-Nawis or Mantri- Home Minister & Internal affairs.
Dabir or Sumant– Foreign Minister.
Sachiv- Secretary, preparing royal edicts..
Pandit Rao- Religious Officer or High Priest.
Sar-i-Naubat or Senapati- Commander-in- Chief.
Nyayadhyaksh– Chief Justice.
 Revenue Administration:

Shivaji abolished the Jagirdari System and replaced it with Ryotwari System, and
changes in the position of hereditary revenue officials which was popularly known as
Deshmukhs, Deshpande, Patils and Kulkarnis.

The revenue system was patterned on the Kathi system of Malik Amber in which every
piece of land was measured by Rod or Kathi.

Chauth and Sardeshmukhi were other sources of income.

Chauth amounted to 1/4th of the standard which was paid to Marathas as a safeguard
against Shivaji’s forces raiding Non-Maratha territories.

Sardeshmukhi was an additional levy of 10% demanded from areas outside of the
kingdom.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was succeeded by his eldest son Sambhaji (also known
as Shambhu Raje) in 1681 , Then in 1689, Sambhaji was ambushed by Mughal forces
under Zulfikar Khan, and was imprisoned and later executed by Aurangazeb.

Sambhaji’s brother Rajaram was crowned Chhatrapati in 1690, the coronation had
taken place at Jinji fort in modern-day Tamil Nadu , In 1700 His widow, Tarabai then
heroically lead the Maratha forces against the Mughals.

Shahu was released from captivity following the death of Aurangazeb in 1707.

He proceeded to challenge and defeated Tarabai in Battle of Khed (October 12,

1707) and occupied Satara with the help of Balaji Vishwanath
On 16 November 1713, Maratha Emperor Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath as
the Peshwa or Prime Minister of the Empire.

His reign saw the rise of Peshwaship and transformation of the Maratha kingdom into
an empire based on the principle of confederacy
he also made the post of Peshwa hereditary

For his exemplary service to Chhatrapati Shahu in consolidating an empire and

setting right many things in the kingdom, he is called the ‘Second founder of the
Maratha State’.

During his reign, Maratha kingdom was split into part-

Kolhapur under Tarabai

and Satara under Shahu.
Under Shahu's reign, Maratha power and influence extended to all corners of the
Indian subcontinent.

Early in his reign, Shahu appointed Balaji Vishwanath as his Peshwa. Over the next
fifty years, Balaji followed by his son, Bajirao I and grandson Balaji Bajirao with help
of capable military leaders such as Shinde, Holkar, Gaekwad, Pawar and Bhonsle of
Nagpur expanded Maratha power in all directions of the Indian subcontinent.

After his death(1749), his ministers (the Peshwas) and the generals carved out their
own fiefdoms such as

Bhonsle of Nagpur,
Gaekwad of Baroda,
Sindhia of Gwalior
and Holkar of Indore.
Between 1720 and 1761, the Maratha empire expanded. It gradually chipped away at
the authority of the Mughal Empire.

Malwa and Gujarat were seized from the Mughals by the 1720s.

By the 1730s, the Maratha king was recognised as the overlord of the entire Deccan
peninsula.

They possessed the right to levy chauth and sardeshmukhi in the entire Region.

Shahu Maharaj died 15 December 1749.

 Maratha Confederacy

The origin of the Maratha Confederacy may be traced to the revival of the Jagir or
Saranjam system by Rajaram.

The bases of this system were laid during the time of Balaji Rao I.

In this process, Sahu issued letters of authority to his various Maratha sardars for
collecting taxes like Chauth or Sardeshmukhi from various parts of the territory.

Maratha Confederacy, consisted of very important Maratha jagirdars:

(i) Raghuji Bhonsle of Berar
(ii) Gaekwad of Baroda
(iii) Holkar of Indore
(iv) Scindhia of Gwalior
(v) Peshwa of Poona
 Marathas under Peshwa

Peshwas were the loyal ministers of Marathas state who were appointed to assist the
king in different administrative as well as political affairs.

Among Peshwas, Balaji Rao I was the ablest Peshwas

Balaji Vishwanath - (AD 1713 to 1721) –

He was appointed as a Peshwa (Prime Minister) by Sahuji in 1713 to assist a

young Shahu for consolidation of the empire.

He raise the Marathas empire into zenith points after winning over all most all the
sardar to the side of Shahu. He made the post very important as well as hereditary.
 Bajirao Peshwa I (AD 1721 to 1740) –
He was the eldest son of Balaji Vishwanath; succeeded him as Peshwas at the young
age of 20.
He was known for his guerrilla tactics after Shivaji.

Balaji’s son Peshwa Baji Rao I further expanded the empire to include much of
present-day central and south India.

In the meantime, the Mughals were reduced to mere puppets under the protection of
the Maratha Chhatrapati.

Balaji Baji Rao (AD 1740-1761) – He was popularly known as Nana Saheb who
succeeded his father at the age of 20.
Under him the Maratha empire reached its greatest extent with one-third of the Indian
sub-continent by 1760.
The Maratha empire suffered a catastrophic setback when it faced defeat at the hands
of the Afghan Durrani Empire in 1761{ Shah Alam II (AD 1759-1806) }

An entire generation of Maratha leaders lay dead on the battlefield and this caused the
Maratha empire to fragment into different holdings under the control of individual
Maratha clans.

He died in 1761 after hearing that his son (Viswas Rao) and cousin (Sadasiv) died at
the battle field of Panipat.

Eventually, the Maratha resurrection was started by Peshwa Madhavrao I and

completed by Mahadaji Shinde. But unfortunately, the legacies of Marathas
confederacy get decayed in front of the British imperialism.
 The decline of the Maratha Empire
A series of succession struggles in the late 18th century by the individual Maratha
chiefs led to British intervention through the East India Company who themselves
were establishing their own power base in India.
To prevent interference of their internal affairs, other Maratha chiefs fought the British
in a series of three Anglo-Maratha wars.

The first one ended in Maratha victory in 1782.

The cause of the second Anglo Maratha War ended in a Maratha defeat in which they
were forced to sign a treaty acknowledging British paramountcy.

The Third Anglo Maratha War from 1817-1818 was a last-ditch effort to regain
sovereignty, resulting in the loss of Maratha independence: it left Britain in control of
most of India.
The last Peshwa, Nana Sahib, born as Govind Dhondu Pant, was the adopted
son of Peshwa Baji Rao II.

He was one of the main leaders of the 1857 revolt from Kanpur against
British rule

Though he was defeated in the revolt, his legacy inspired many to continue
the struggle in the name of the Indian Independence.
Emergence of
New States in
th
18 Century
Through the 18th century, the Mughal Empire gradually fragmented into a number of
independent, regional states. It can be divided into three overlapping groups:

1. States that were old Mughal provinces like Awadh, Bengal, and Hyderabad.
Although extremely powerful and quite independent,the rulers of these states did not
break their formal ties with the Mughal emperor.

2. States that had enjoyed considerable independence under the

Mughals as jagirs. These included several Rajput principalities.

3. States under the control of Marathas, Sikhs and others like the Jats.
They all had seized their independence from the Mughals after a long- struggle.
South Indian States in 18th Century

Hyderabad and Carnetic

Mysore
Kerala
The rulers of the South Indian states established law and order and viable economic
and administrative states.

The politics of South Indian states were invariably non-communal or secular .The
rulers of South Indian states did not discriminate on religious grounds in public
appointment; civil or military; nor did the rebels against their authority pay much
attention to the religion of the rulers.

The South Indian states prevented any breakdown of internal trade and even tried to
promote foreign trade, they did nothing to modernize the basic industrial and
commercial structure of their states.
 Hyderabad and Carnetic

Farrukhsiyar assigned the duty of Deccan’s governor to “Chin Quilch Khan” who was
better known ‘Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah’.

Later he laid foundation of independent state of Hyderabad was in 1724. He was

one of the leading nobles of the post-Aurangzeb era.

(Muhammad Shah, to take back control of his rule, arranged for the brothers to be
killed with the help of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah )

Asaf Jah never openly declared his independence in front of the Central Government,
but in practice, he acted like an independent ruler. He waged wars, concluded peace,
conferred titles, and offices without reference to Delhi.
Asaf Jah followed a tolerant policy towards the Hindus. For example, a Hindu, Purim
Chand, was his Dewan. He consolidated his power by establishing an orderly
administration in Deccan.

The state of Hyderabad was constantly engaged in a struggle against the Marathas to
the west and with independent Telugu warrior chiefs (nayakas)

After the death of Asaf Jah (in 1748), Hyderabad fell prey to the same disruptive
forces as were operating at Delhi.
The Carnatic was one of the subahs of the Mughal Deccan and as such came under the
Nizam of Hyderabad's authority. But just as in practice the Nizam had become
independent of Delhi, so also the Deputy Governor of the Carnatic, known as the
Nawab of Carnatic, had freed himself from the control of the Viceroy of Deccan and
made his office hereditary.

Nawab Saadutullah Khan of Carnatic had made his nephew Dost Ali his successor
without the approval of his superior, the Nizam.

Later, after 1740, the affairs of the Carnatic deteriorated because of the repeated
struggles for its nawabship and this, provided an opportunity to the European trading
companies to directly interfere in Indian politics.
 Mysore
Next to Hyderabad the most important power that emerged in South India was
Mysore under Haidar Ali. The kingdom of Mysore had prescribed its precarious
independence ever since the end of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Early in the eighteenth century two ministers Nanjaraj and Devraj had seized power
in Mysore reducing the king Chikka Krishna Raj to a mere puppet.

Haider Ali born in 1721, in an obscure family, started his career as a petty officer in
the Mysore army. Though uneducated, he possessed a keen intellect and was a man
of great energy and daring and determination. He was also a brilliant commander and
shrewd diplomat.
In 1761 he overthrew Nanjaraj displacing the Wodeyar Dynasty and established his
authority over the Mysore state. He extended full control over the rebellious poligars
(warrior chieftains and zamindars) and conquered the territories of Bidnur, Sunda,
Sera, Canara and Malabar.

He took over Mysore when it was weak and divided state and soon made it one of the
leading Indian powers.

Almost from the beginning of the establishment of his power, Haidar Ali was engaged
in wars with the Maratha Sardars, the Nizam, and the British forces.

In1769, Haidar Ali repeatedly defeated the British forces and reached the walls of
Madras. He died in 1782 in the course of the second Anglo-Mysore War and was
succeeded by his son Tipu.
Sultan Tipu, who ruled Mysore untill his death at the hands of the British in 1799,
was a man of complex character.
His desire to change with the times was symbolized in the introduction of a new
calendar, a new system of coinage, and new scales of weights and measures.

Tipu Sultan’s personal library contained books on such diverse subjects as religion,
history, military science, medicine, and mathematics. He showed a keen interest in the
French Revolution.

The Jacobin Club of Mysore was the first Revolutionary Republican organization to
be formed in India. It was founded in 1794 by French Republican officers with the
support of Tipu Sultan. He planted a Liberty Tree and declared himself Citizen
Tipoo.

The Jacobins were known for creating a strong government that could deal with the
needs of war, economic chaos, and internal rebellion
Jacobin Club, byname Jacobins, formally (1789–92) Society of the Friends of the
Constitution or (1792–94) Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Liberty and Equality
, the most famous political group of the French Revolution, which became identified
with extreme egalitarianism and violence and which led the Revolutionary
government from mid-1793 to mid-1794.

His organizational capacity is borne out by the fact that in those days of general
indiscipline among Indian armies, his troops remained disciplined and loyal to him to
the last.

He tried to do away with the custom of giving jagirs.

Tipu Sultan’s land revenue was as high as that of other contemporary rulers—it ranged
up to 1/3rd of the gross produce. But he checked the collection of illegal ceases, and he
was liberal in granting remissions.
When the British occupied Mysore after defeating and killing Tipu in 1799, they were
surprised to find that the Mysore peasant was much more prosperous than the peasant
in British occupied Madras.

Sir John Shore, Governor-General from 1793 to 1798, wrote later that “the peasantry
of his dominions are protected and their labour encouraged and rewarded”.

He gave money for the construction of the image of goddess Sarda in the Shringeri
Temple after the latter was looted by Maratha horsemen in 1791. He regularly gave
gifts to this temple as well as several other temples.

Tipu Sultan made an effort to build a modern navy after 1796. For this purpose, two
dockyards, the models of the ships being supplied.

In1799, while fighting the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, Tipu Sultan died.
 Conquest of Mysore (Anglo–Mysore Wars)
After annexation of Bengal, the English never looked back. Now, they turned their eye
on Mysore.

Mutual conflict between the regional powers of Mysore, Nizam and Marathas gave the
English an opportunity to interfere and extend their political dominance.

This motive of the English resulted into four wars between the English and the Mysore
Kingdom known as Anglo-Mysore Wars.

In the First Anglo-Mysore war (1767-69), Mysore under Haider Ali gained some
success against the Britishers with Treaty of Madras
The Second Anglo-Mysore war (1780-1784) proved indecisive and ended with the
Treaty of Mangalore, signed between Tipu Sultan and the British East India
Company on 11 March 1784

The great advantage of the treaty to Tipu (which allowed him to claim victory) was the
psychological impact of the actual treaty on the British.

The Commissioner for the British East India Company in Madras had to go to
Mangalore, a recent reconquest of Tipu's, on the opposite coast of India, to sign the
treaty. The humiliation of the Treaty made the British determined to defeat Tipu.

The Treaty of Mangalore in Britain was seen by many as the beginning of the end of
the British East India Company.
In the Third Anglo–Mysore War (1789–1792), Tipu Sultan, invaded the nearby state
of Travancore, which was a British ally.

The war ended with the defeat of Tipu Sultan and the signing of the Treaty of
Seringapatam. According to the treaty, Tipu had to surrender half of his kingdom to
the British East India Company and its allies.

In Fourth Anglo–Mysore War (1799), the British defeated Tipu Sultan. Tipu died
while defending his capital. Nearly half of Mysore territory was divided between the
British and the Nizam.
 Kerala
At the beginning of the 18th century, Kerala was divided into a large number of feudal
chiefs and rajas.

The four most important states were those of Calicut, under the Zamorin, Chirakkal,
Cochin and Travancore.

The kingdom of Travancore rose into prominence after 1729 under King Martanda
Varma, one of the leading statesmen of the eighteenth century.

Martanda Varma organized a strong army on the western model with the help of
European officers and armed it with modern weapons. He also constructed a modern
arsenal.
He subdued the feudatories, conquered Quilon and Elayadam, and defeated the Dutch,
thus ending their political power in Kerala.

Martanda Varma used his new army to expand northwards and the boundaries of
Travancore soon extended from Kanyakumari to Cochin.

Haider Ali began his invasion of Kerala in 1766 and in the end annexed northern
Kerala up to Cochin, including the territories of the Zamorin of Calicut.

Trivandrum, the capital of Travancore, became a famous center of Sanskrit and

malyalam scholarship during the second half of the 18th century.
Rama Varma, the successor of Martanda Varma, was himself a poet, a scholar, a
musician, a renowned actor, and a man of great culture.

He conversed fluently in English, took a keen interest in European affairs.

He regularly used to read newspapers and journals published in London, Calcutta,

and Madras.
History of North Indian states in the eighteenth
century:-

[Link] of Bengal
2. Awadh
3. Rajput States
4. Punjab.
 Bengal
Taking advantage of the growing weakness of the central authority, two men
of exceptional ability, Murshid Quli Khan and Alivardi Khan, made
Bengal virtually Independent.

Even though Murshid Quli Khan was made Governor of Bengal as late as
1717, he had been its effective ruler since 1700, when he was appointed its
Dewan.

Murshid Quli Khan soon freed himself from central control though he sent
regular tribute to the Emperor. He established peace in Bengal.
 The three major uprisings during Murshid Quli Khan’s rule were:

i. By Sitaram Ray,
ii. By Udai Narayan, and
iii. By Ghulam Muhammad

Later Shujat Khan, and Najat Khan also rebelled during the Murshid Quli Khan’s
reign.

After defeating them, Murshid Quli Khan gave their zamindaris to his
favourite, Ramjivan.

Murshid Quli Khan died in 1727, and his son-in-law Shuja-ud-din ruled Bengal till
1739. In that year, Alivardi Khan deposed and killed Shuja-ud-din’s son, Sarfaraz
Khan, and made himself the Nawab.
These three Nawabs gave Bengal a long period of peace and orderly
administration and promoted its trade and industry.

Murshid Quli Khan and the succeeding Nawabs gave equal opportunities for
employment to Hindus and Muslims.

They filled the highest civil posts and many of the military posts with
Bengalis, mostly Hindus.

In choosing revenue farmers Murshid Quli Khan gave preference to local

zamindars and mahajans (money-lenders) who were mainly Hindus.

He thus laid the foundations of a new landed aristocracy in Bengal.

The Nawabs of Bengal neglected to build a strong army and paid a heavy price for it.

For example, the army of Murshid Quli Khan consisted of only 2000 cavalry and 4000
infantry.

Alivardi Khan was constantly troubled by the repeated invasions of the Marathas and,
in the end, he had to cede a large part of Orissa to them.

And when, in 1756-67, the English East India Company declared war on Siraj-ud-
Daulah, the successor of Alivardi, the absence of a strong army contributed much to
the victory of the foreigner.

The Bengal Nawabs also failed to check the growing corruption among their
[Link] foreign companies took full advantage of this weakness to undermine
official rules and regulations and policies.
 History of Awadh:

The founder of the autonomous kingdom of Awadh was Saadat Khan

Burhan-ul-Mulk who was appointed Governor of Awadh in 1722.

He was an extremely bold, energetic, iron-willed, and intelligent person. At

the time of his appointment, many rebellious zamindars had raised their
heads everywhere in the province.

They refused to pay the land tax, organised their own private armies,
erected forts, and defied the Imperial Government.
For years Saadat Khan had to wage war upon them. He succeeded in suppressing
lawlessness and disciplining the big zamindars and thus, increasing the financial
resources of his government.

Like the Bengal Nawabs, Burhan-ul-Mulk too did not discriminate between Hindus
and 'Muslims. Many of his commanders and high officials were Hindus and he
'curbed refractory zamindars, chiefs, and nobles irrespective of their religion. His
troops were well-paid, well-armed, and Well-trained.

Before his death in 1739, Burhan-ul-Mulk had become virtually independent and
had made the province a hereditary possession.
Burhan-ul-Mulk was succeeded by his nephew Safdar Jang, who was
simultaneously appointed the wazir of the Empire in 1748 and granted in addition
the province of Allahabad.

Safdar Jang suppressed rebellious zamindars and ater, he entered into an agreement
with the Peshwa by which the Peshwa was to help the Mughal empire against Ahmad
Shah Abdali and to protect it from such internal rebels as the Indian Pathans and the
Rajput rajas.

In return the Peshwa was to be paid Rs 50 lakhs, granted the chauth of the Punjab,
Sindh, and several districts of northern India, and made the Governor of Ajmer and
Agra.

The agreement failed, however, as the Peshwa went over to Safdar Jang’s enemies at
Delhi who promised him the governorship of Awadh and Allahabad.
Safdar Jang gave a long period of peace to the people of Avadh and Allahabad before
his death in 1754.

As a matter of fact all the founders of the three autonomous kingdoms of Hyderabad,
Bengal and Awadh, namely Nizam-ul-Mulk, Murshid Quli Khan and Alivardi Khan,
and Saadat Khan and Safdar Jang, were men of high personal morality. Nearly all of
them led austere and simple lives.
 History of Rajput States:

The principal Rajput states took advantage of the growing weakness of Mughal
power to virtually free themselves from central control while at the same time
increasing their influence in the rest of the empire.

In the reigns of Farrukh Siyar and Muhammad Shah, the rulers of Amber and Marwar
were appointed governors of important Mughal provinces such as Agra, Gujarat, and
Malwa.

The internal politics of Agra, Gujarat, Malwa, etc. were often

characterized by the same type of corruption and treachery as prevailed at the Mughal
court.
The most outstanding Rajput ruler of the 18th century was Raja Sawai Jai Singh of
Amber (1681-1743).

Raja Sawai Jai Singh was a distinguished statesman, law-maker, and reformer.

Raja Sawai Jai Singh founded the city of Jaipur in the territory taken from the Jats and
made it a great seat of science and art.

Jaipur was built upon strictly scientific principles and according to a regular plan. Its
broad streets are intersected at right angles.

Jai Singh was a great astronomer. His astronomical observations were remarkably
accurate.
 The Jats
The Jats, a caste of agriculturists, lived in the region around Delhi, Agra, and
Mathura.

Repression by Mughal officials drove the Jat peasants around Mathura to revolt. They
revolted under the leadership of their Jat Zamindars in 1669 and then again in 1688.

Jats’ revolts were crushed, but the area remained disturbed. After the death of
Aurangzeb, they created disturbances all around Delhi. Though originally a peasant
uprising, the Jat revolt, led by zamindars, soon became predatory.

Jats plundered all, the rich and the poor, the jagirdars and the peasants, the Hindus
and the Muslims.
The Jat state of Bharatpur was set up by Churaman and Badan Singh.

The Jat power reached its highest glory under Suraj Mal, who ruled from 1756 to
1763 and who was an extremely able administrator and soldier and a very wise
statesman.

Suraj Mal extended his authority over a large area, which extended from the Ganga
in the East to Chambal in the South, the Subah of Agra in the West to the Subah of
Delhi in the North. His state included among others the districts of Agra, Mathura,
Meerut, and Aligarh.

After the death of Suraj Mal in 1763, the Jat state declined and was split up among
petty zamindars most of whom lived by plunder.
 Bangash and Rohelas
Muhammad Khan Bangash, an Afghan , established his control over the
territory around Farrukhabad, between what are now Aligarh and Kanpur, during
the reigns of Farrukh Siyar and Muhammad Shah.

Similarly, during the breakdown of administration following Nadir Shah's

invasion, Ali Muhammad Khan carved out a separate principality, known as
Rohilkhand, at the foothills of the Himalayas between the Ganga in the
south and the Kumaon hills in the north with its capital first at Aolan in
Bareilly and later at Rampur.

The Rohelas clashed constantly with Avadh, Delhi, and the Jats.
 The Sikhs
Founded at the end of the 15th century by Guru Nanak, the Sikh religion spread
among the Jat peasantry and other lower castes of Punjab.

The transformation of the Sikhs into a militant, fighting community was begun by
Guru Hargobind (1606-1645).

It was, however, under the leadership of Guru Gobind Singh (1664-1708), the tenth
and the last Guru of the Sikhs, that Sikhs became a political and military force.

From 1699 onwards, Guru Gobind Singh waged constant war against the armies of
Aurangzeb and the hill rajas.
After Aurangzeb's death Guru Gobind Singh joined Bahadur Shah's camp as a noble of
the rank of 5,000 Jat at and 5,000 sawar and accompanied him to the Deccan where
he was treacherously murdered by one of his Pathan employees.

After Guru Gobind Singh's death, the institution of Guruship came to an end and the
leadership of the Sikhs passed to his trusted disciple Banda Singh, who is more
widely known as Banda Bahadur.

Banda rallied together the Sikh peasants of the Punjab and carried on a vigorous
though unequal struggle against the Mughal army for eight years. He was captured in
1715 and put to death.

Banda Bahadur’s death gave a set-back to the territorial ambitions of the Sikhs and
their power declined
 History of Punjab:
At the end of the eighteenth century, Ranjit Singh, chief of the Sukerchakia Misls, rose
to prominence. A strong and courageous soldier, an efficient administrator, and a
skillful diplomat, he was a born leader of men.

He captured Lahore in 1799 and Amritsar in 1802. He soon brought all Sikh chiefs
west of the Sutlej under his control and established his own kingdom in the Punjab.
Later, he conquered Kashmir, Peshawar, and Multan.

Ranjit Singh built up a powerful, disciplined, and well-equipped army along European
lines with the help of European instructors. His new army was not confined to the
Sikhs. He also recruited Gurkhas, Biharis, Oriyas, Pathans, Dogras, and Punjabi
Muslims
He set up modern factories to manufacture cannon at Lahore and employed Muslim
gunners to man them.

It is said that he possessed the second best army in Asia, the first being the army of the
English East India Company.

Ranjit Singh had great capacity for choosing his ministers and officials. His court was
studded with outstanding men. He was tolerant and liberal in religious matters.

He patronized not only Sikh but also Muslim and Hindu holy men. Many of his
important ministers and commanders were Muslims and Hindus

The most prominent and trusted of his ministers was Fakir Azizuddin, while his
finance minister was Dewan Dina Nath.
When the British forbade Ranjit Singh in 1809 to cross the Sutlej and took the Sikh
states east of the river under their protection, he kept quiet for he realised that his
strength was no match for the British.

Treaty of Amritsar, (April 25, 1809), pact concluded between Charles T. Metcalfe,
representing the British East India Company, and Ranjit Singh, head of the Sikh
kingdom of Punjab.

Thus by his diplomatic realism and military strength he temporarily saved his kingdom
from English encroachment.

But he did not remove the foreign threat, he only left it for his successors. And so, after
his death, when his kingdom was torn by an intense internal struggle for power, the
English moved in and conquered it.
SOCIOLOGY