The Rise And Fall Of The Mughal Empire

The Battle of 1526 and the Birth of the Mughal Empire

In 1526, in what is now Northern India, Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi faced off against a prince from Central Asia, Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur. The Sultan brought his war elephants to battle, but the explosions of Babur’s cannons and muskets startled the elephants, causing them to trample the Sultan’s own army. Babur, who had long harbored ambitions of building his own empire, turned his attention to India. Despite his struggles to gain a foothold among the many ambitious princes in Central Asia, his descendants stayed in India and built the Mughal Empire, one of the wealthiest and most powerful states in the early modern world, home to nearly a quarter of the global population.

Legacy of Babur and the Rise of Akbar

Babur died just four years after that fateful battle, but his own memoirs and the work of his descendants immortalized him in colorful fashion. His daughter, Gulbadan, recalled in her memoir how Babur, having recently given up drinking, filled a newly constructed pool with lemonade rather than wine. His grandson, Akbar, commissioned exquisite miniature paintings of Babur’s stories. It was Akbar who consolidated Mughal power. He established protections for peasants, which in turn increased their productivity generated more tax revenue, and embarked on military campaigns to expand Mughal territory.

Akbar’s Conquests and Religious Tolerance

Akbar rewarded princes who swore allegiance to him, while he made brutal examples of those who resisted, killing them and many of their subjects. His conquests opened access to port cities on the Indian Ocean, which connected the Mughals to Arab, Chinese, Ottoman, and European traders, bringing in incalculable wealth, including silver and new crops from the Americas. As the Muslim ruler of a diverse, multiethnic empire, Akbar worked to create internal cohesion by appointing members of the Hindu majority to high positions in his government, marrying a Hindu bride, and distributing translated copies of the “Mahabharata,” an ancient Indian epic poem, to his Muslim nobles.

Architectural Achievements and the Rule of Nur Jahan

The Mughals built architectural masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, a palace three kilometers around, that housed 50,000 people and contained the magnificent gold and jewel-encrusted Peacock Throne. Just the throne took seven years to construct. During its first 180 years, the Mughals had only six rulers, which contributed to the empire’s stability. When the fourth emperor, Jahangir, struggled with alcohol and opioid addiction, his wife, Nur Jahan, took the reins as co-ruler. When a traitorous general captured her husband in an attempted coup, she negotiated his release and rallied the army to stop the rebellion.

The Decline of the Mughal Empire

Following the death of the sixth emperor, Aurangzeb, in 1707, seven emperors took the throne over the next 21 years. These frequent transitions of power reflected the larger political, economic, social, and environmental crises that plagued the empire throughout the 18th century. In response to this turmoil, regional leaders started refusing to pay taxes and broke away from Mughal control. The British East India Company offered military support to these regional rulers, which in turn increased the company’s political influence, enabling it to eventually take direct control of Bengal, one of the wealthiest regions in India.

The End of the Mughal Empire

By the 19th century, the East India Company had massive political influence and a large standing army, which included Indian troops. When these troops revolted in 1857, aiming to force out the British and restore Mughal influence, the British government intervened, replacing company rule with direct colonial rule, deposing the last Mughal emperor, and sending him into exile. And so, over three centuries after its founding, the Mughal Empire came to an end.