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World history: Mughal India, 1526 to 1857
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For more than 300 years the Mughal emperors ruled much of South Asia. At its height, theirs was one of the richest empires on Earth.
Rise of the Mughals
His grandson Akbar (ruled 1556 to 1605) expanded the empire and ran it well. Akbar was a Muslim ruler of a mostly Hindu population. He was known for religious tolerance: he ended the extra tax on non-Muslims (the jizya) and invited scholars of different faiths to debate.
Wealth and culture
Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in Agra as a tomb for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631.
Aurangzeb (ruled 1658 to 1707) expanded the empire to its largest size but reintroduced the jizya, and costly wars weakened it.
Decline and the British
European traders, especially the British East India Company, gained land and influence.
The last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was linked to the 1857 rebellion. The British exiled him in 1858, ending the empire.
How was the Mughal Empire connected to Britain?
- English merchants traded with the empire for textiles and spices from the 1600s.
- As the Mughals weakened after 1707, the East India Company took more land.
- After the 1857 rebellion Britain exiled the last emperor and ruled India directly.
Answer: Trade linked them first; then British power grew as Mughal power declined, ending in 1857 to 1858.
Babur founded the Mughal Empire after Panipat (1526). Akbar (1556 to 1605): expansion and tolerance. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal. Aurangzeb (to 1707): largest extent but costly wars. Decline after 1707; the British ended the empire after 1857.
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