Timeline of the Mughal Empire

Timeline of the Mughal Empire 

 

Year	Event
1526	First Battle of Panipat took place, fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi. And Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi.
1527	Battle of Khanwa took place, Babur conquers the combined army of the Rajput princes ( control over northern India).
1530	Babur died, and his son Humayan succeded to the throne.
1543	Pashtun leader Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan, drives him into exile in Afghanistan.
1555	Humayun restored the Mughal throne.
1556	The second battle of Panipat fought between Akbar and Hemu. And Akbar defeated Hemu. Humayan died.
	Akbar Conquest of non-Rajput states :
1561	Akbar conquest of Malwa
1563	Abolition of Pilgrim Tax
1564	Abolition of Jizya
1564	Akbar Conquest of Garhkatanga and Gondwana
1572-73	Akbar Conquest of Gujarat (built Buland Darwaja at Fatehpur Sikri).
1574-76	Akbar Conquest of Bihar and Bengal
	Akbar conquest of Rajput states
1576	one by one they were subjugated and submitted to Akbar.
	Conquest of North-west frontier
1581	Akbar conquest of Kabul
1591	Akbar conquest of Sind.
1595	Akbar conquest of Qandahar.
1596	Akbar conquest of Baluchistan and extending his (Akbar) empire to the 'Scientific frontier'.
1605:	Akbar died, and his son Jahangir was succeeded to the throne.
1613	British East India Company defeats Portuguese at Surat, Gujarat State and establishes the first warehouse in India.
1615	Britain first ambassador Sir Thomas Roe visited the Mughal court for the first time.
1620	Jahangir's rule
1627	Jahangir died, and his son Shah Jahan was succeeded to the throne.
1632:	Hindu temples were destroyed (orders given by Shah Jahan).
1632:	Shah Jahan designs and begins building Taj Mahal (a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal).
British East India Company builds Fort St. George in Madras (now Chennai)
1658:	Aurangzeb imprisons his father (Shah Jahan) in the Red Fort at Agra.
1660-1690:	Aurangzeb expands Mughal rule to more than 3.2 million square km, including Assam, the Deccan plateau, and parts of southern India.
1696:	British East India Company established of Fort William on Ganges delta, fort and trading factory.
1707:	Death of Aurangzeb (end of Mughal Golden Era) his son Bahadur Shah I succeeded to the throne.
1712:	Bahadur Shah I died, his son Jahandar Shah succeeded to the throne.

Indian History - The Great Mughals

Mughal Empire was founded by Babur (1526-1530) after the battle of Panipat. Babur succeeded to the throne of Ferghana in 1494 when he was only 12 years old.  In 1526 he defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, at Panipat and captured Delhi and Agra.

The Mughals were descendants of two great race of rulers. such as:

1.Genghis Khan (died 1227), ruler of the Mongol tribes, China and Central Asia (mother’s side).

2. Timur (died 1404), successors of the ruler of Iran, Iraq and modern-day Turkey (father’s side).

Mughals did not like to be called themselves as Mughal or Mongol. Because Genghis Khan’s associated with the massacre of innumerable people. It was also linked with the Uzbeks, their Mongol competitors.

Mughals were proud of their Timurid ancestry, their great ancestor had captured Delhi in 1398. In the 16th century, they expanded their kingdom from Agra to Delhi. Later on, during the 17th century, they controlled nearly all of the subcontinent. Mughal rulers campaigned constantly against rulers who refused to accept their authority. But as the Mughals became powerful many other rulers also joined them voluntarily. The Rajput’s are a good example. Many of them married their daughters into Mughal families and received high positions.

Rajput’s were honourably treated by the Mughals, given their lands (Watan) back as assignments (Watan jagir). The Mughals were very careful with the balance in between defeating but not humiliating their opponents.

Mansabdars and Jagirdars :

When their empire expanded to the different regions Mughals recruited various bodies of people. From a small nucleus of Turkish nobles (Taranis), they expanded to include Iranians, Indian Muslims, Afghans, Rajput’s, Marathas and other groups. Those who joined Mughal service were enrolled as Mansabdars.

The term Mansabdar refers to an individual who holds a Mansab, meaning a position or rank. It was a grading system used by the Mughals to fix (1) Rank, (2) Salary and (3) Military responsibilities.

Rank and the salary was determined by a numerical value called Zat. Higher the Zat, the more prestigious was the noble’s position in court and the larger his salary.

The Mansabdar’s military responsibilities required to maintain a specified number of sawar or cavalrymen. The Mansabdar brought his cavalrymen for review, their horses branded and received money as salary.

Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue i.e. called as jagirs (like iqtas). Most Mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs. They only had rights to the revenue of their assignments which was collected by themselves.

Important Fact:

Babur (1526-30 CE), Emperor of Hindustan.

• Founder of Mughal Empire.
• At the age of 12, he became the Sultan of Farghana (Afghanistan).
• He established himself first in Kabul (1504).
• He was invited to fight against Ibrahim Lodhi by Daulat Khan Lodhi (Governor of Punjab).
• Babur's soldiers were very strong and superior.
• Method of warfare - Rumi (Ottoman) or Tulguma system of warfare.

Humayun (c.1530-1556CE)

• Eldest son of Babur. Humayun means fortune.
• His the first confrontation with Sher Khan at Chunar (1532).
• Conquest of Malwa and Gujarat (immediate loss 1535-36)

 

Fact check : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empire