The Mughal Empire

1. The Mughal Empire By Shelby Garde and Mary Ellen Eisenberg

2. The Mughal Empire brought out better treatment of women. • Many men in the government came to their wives for political advice. • There were aristocratic women who were able to read and write. • Women and men were not treated like equals, but they were closer to equality than anyone had been before. Social Society: Gender Roles

3. In the 700’s, the Muslim tribes carved northwestern India into small kingdoms. • The Invaders descended from Muslim Turks and Afghans. • They called themselves Mughals, which means “Mongols”. Social

4. The first Emperor was an 11-year old Babur, a brilliant general who, with a troop of 12,000 men, won against a group of 100,000 men. • His grandson succeeded the throne after him, his name was Akbar. • He was a genius in cultural blending, and was very open to different religious ideas. • Akbar’s son, Jahangir took the throne after him. • He left political tasks up to his wife, who was an excellent decision maker. Social: Family

5. Most of the Leaders in the Mughal Empire were very tolerant of different religions, and were open to new ideas. • Exceptfor Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan’s successor was very strict when enforcing Islamic laws. • He tried to erase all the gains that Hindus had made. • He taxed non-Muslims • He wouldn’t build anyone who was not Islamic a temple for a place of worship. Political

6. All of the leaders of the Mughal empire were very good military leaders. • Their first official leader, Babur, was extremely skilled. • When he rose to power, he was only 11 years old. • Within 2 years, he had defeated two large armies. • Akbar turned potential enemies into allies, which gave him military power and political wisdom, and helped to unify the land. Political cont.

7. The first Mughals migrated from central Asia. • Once they established the Mughal empire, military leaders began to expand the territory. • They conquered new lands, and the growth of the Mughals was greatly increasing. • The empire expanded more and more with every new leader. Interactions

8. When Akbar came into power, he was a genius in cultural blending. • He had many wives and let them all practice their own beliefs. • Abolished taxes on Hindu pilgrims and non-Muslims. • He even hired a Spanish Jesuit tutor his son. Culture: Religion

9. Under the rule of Akbar, the arts began to flourish • Book illustrations became very popular • Under his rein, buildings were massive but graceful structures with stone work that shows Hindu themes • He was very tolerant of his people’s ideas and beliefs Culture: Arts

10. One of the leaders of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan, had a wife named MumtazMahal. • After her death, he wanted a shrine to be built in her memory. • He wanted it to be, “as beautiful as se was beautiful.” • This tomb is still standing today, and is named the TajMahal. Culture: Architecture

11. A new leader, Aurangzeb, tried to erase all Hindu gains, and enforced Islamic laws. • Banned construction of new temple, so they had no place of worship. • Wasn’t tolerant of different religions. • Appointed people to watch over his subjects, and made sure that they prayed at the appointed times. Cuture: Religion

12. While Shah Jahan was ruling, he built so many gardens, monuments, and forts that his empire was suffering. • Farmers were lacking tools, roads, and ways to irrigate their crops. • When Akbar was ruling, he had taken away taxes from non-Muslims, and Aurangzeb put those taxes back on them. • He then doubled the taxes of all Hindus. Economic Systems