The Mughals

HIST 100711/22/13

India and Afghanistan

• 1030 – Ghaznavids capture Lahore and plunder Northern India• Cycle of raiding from Afghanistan• 1175 – Ghurids begin systematic conquest of India• 1206 – Qutb al-Din Aybeg conquers Delhi

Mausoleum of Qutb al-Din Aybeg, Lahore, Pakistan

The Delhi Sultanate (r. 1206-1526)

• Series of five short-lived dynasties ruling from Delhi• Mamluk dynasty (1206-1290)• Khilji dynasty (1290-1320)• Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1414) – the dynasty Ibn Battuta is employed by• Sayyid dynasty (1414-1451)• Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)

Tughlaqid mausoleum, Delhi

Delhi Sultanate• Dominated by rivalry among Afghan and Turkish military elites• Little chance of a strong, centralized state• Network of Muslim and Hindu lords• Varying approaches to local populations• Destruction of Hindu temples and Buddhist shrines• Replaced with mosques• Importance of place in Hinduism and Buddhism

Qutb Minar, Delhi

Islam in India• Importation of scholars and Sufis• Mass migrations during Mongol invasions• Establish mosques, madrassas, and khanaqas• Muslim charity and equality attracts poor• Blended high culture – Turko-Persian culture with elite Hindu culture• Translation, Bengali, andUrdu• Turkic military elite and Hindu warrior castes

Qutb Minar complex, Delhi

Sufism in India• Tradition of asceticism in Hinduism (Yogis) and Buddhism• Bhakti preacher – gives up worldly life for higher knowledge• Ziyara and baraka similar to visitation of shrines and

temples• Sufis as non-denominational holy men, syncretism• Successful Sufi leads to conversion• Baba Farid al-Din Ganj-i Shakr (d. 1245) – North Indian Sufi

Festival at the shrine of Baba Farid, Pak Pattan, Pakistan

Babur (r. 1495-1530)• Timurid on father’s side• Chinggisid on mother’s side• ~1449 – Timurid Empire divided• Shaybanid Uzbeks• 1495 – Babur Emir of Ferghana Valley• 1497 & 1501 – Sieges of Samarqand• Forced south to Kabul• Builds new coalition to conquer Timurid Empire

Babur• Blood and Salt• A good Turko-Mongol ruler is a strong Turko-Mongol ruler• 1511-1512: Babur conquers territory from Ural Mountains to southern Afghanistan…• …and loses everything but Kabul!• 1526: Raids into India to rebuild army

Babur in India• Babur expands Muslim rule into India• Defeats Lodi Dynasty• Defeats Rajput Dynasties• Brings Timurid Turko-Persian culture with him• Notion of empire• Mughal Empire (r. 1526-1857)• But, it’s not Samarqand!

Akbar (r. 1556-1605)

Akbar and the Hindus• Mansabdars: officials holding land revenues• 70% Muslims born outside of India• 15% Hindus, mostly Rajputs (northern warrior class)• Akbar marries a Rajput, signals unification and social harmony, guarantees all future emperors are mix of Muslim and Hindu.

Akbar and the “Divine Faith”

• Mixture of Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Sikh, and Christian beliefs.• Strong Sufi influence• Oversaw debates of religious scholars representing different faiths, almost as a sport.• Allahu Akbar: “God is great” or “God is Akbar”?

Quiz 3

• Take a clean sheet of paper out and write your name on top of it.

• You may use your books and notes• You may use notes on your laptop, but you

should not use the internet

Quiz 3

• What should be on the final exam?• Pick one term introduced since the midterm

you think deserves to be an ID term on the final exam.

• Explain why you think this term is important enough to be included on the final exam.

• What would a good definition of the term look like?