NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
INDEX
1. Early Medieval India...... ….01-03
2. Delhi Sultanate...... 03-09
3. The Mughal Empire...... 09-13
4. Vijayanagara Empire...... 13-15
5. Bhakti Movement in Medieval India...... 15-18
6. The Marathas...... 18-20
7. Miscellaneous ...... 20-26
www.laexias.com https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
1. EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIA Author Book/Books Sivakasintamani Thiruthakkadevarar After the death of Harsha, India witnessed significant Kamban Tamil changes. Such as, Ramayana(ramavataram) Pataliputra permanently lost its importance as symbol Tiruttondarpuranam Sekkilar of sovereignty in India. Instead Kanyakhubja became Kalingattupparani Jayankondar symbol of sovereinty in Medieval times. Ottakuthar Moovarula For the control of Kanyakhubja three Indian kingdoms Pugalendi Nalavenba Kalladanar Kalladam waged continuous battles knowns as 'Triangular Amirthasagarar Yapperungalam Warfare'. Nannul Pavanandhi Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas participated in Buddhamitra Virasoliyam Triangular Warfare. Constant fighting weakened the Rajputs. Also, they Decentalization was on its highday in Medieval times. never united against a common enemy. Ultimately Which paved ways for feudalism and ultimately failing to prevent Muslim Invasion. shattered our political unity. In these tough times a new ruling clan Rajput Arab Conquest of Sind (712 A.D.) emerged. In 712 A.D., Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sind. He was the commander of the Umayyad kingdom. Qasim Rajput Kingdoms defeated Dahir, the ruler of Sind. The dominance of Rajputs began from the seventh Qasim organized the administration of Sind. The and eighth centuries and lasted till the Muslim people of Sind were given the status of zimmis conquest in the twelfth century. (protected subjects). In the period of Muslim aggression, the Rajputs were But the Muslims could not expand their authority the main defenders of the Hindu religion and culture. further into India due to the presence of the powerful They made war as their chief occupation. However, Pratihara kingdom in western India. trade and agriculture also prospered. Although the conquest of Sind did not lead to further They built strong forts. conquests immediately, it had resulted in the The Gurjara-Pratiharas were the earliest of the Rajput diffusion of Indian culture abroad. rulers. Many Arab travelers visited Sind. Indian medicine and Its first great leader was Harischandra and ruled with astronomy were carried to far off lands through the his capital at Bhinmal. Arabs. The Pratiharas involved themselves in a three The Indian numerals in the Arabic form went to cornered contest with the Palas of Bengal and the Europe through them. Rashtrakutas of Deccan. Later the Pratiharas became weak. Mahmud of Ghazni and his Invasions The Chauhans, the most valiant of the Rajput races, Mahmud of Ghazni (A.D. 997-1030). ruled Ajmir. Mahmud is said to have made seventeen raids into Vigraharaj was their most important king, who India. occupied Delhi. Therefore the Chauhans faced the At that time, North India was divided into a number of onslaught of the Muslims under Muhammad of Ghori. Hindu states. The Paramaras were also important Rajput rulers of On the frontier of India, there existed the Hindu Shahi this period. The most important king was Bhoja. kingdom which extended from the Punjab to Kabul.
www.laexias.com 1 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
The initial raids were against the Hindu Shahi kingdom Unlike Mahmud of Ghazni, he wanted to conquer in which its king Jayapala was defeated in 1001. India. His successor Anandapala fought against Mahmud but In 1175, Muhammad Ghori captured Multan and he was also defeated in the Battle of Waihind, near occupied whole of Sind. Peshawar in 1008. However in 1178 AD he was defeated by the ruler of As a result of his victory at Waihind, Mahmud Gujrat near Mt. Abu. extended his rule over most of the Punjab. After his defeat he changed the whole plan of The subsequent raids of Mahmud into India were operation, in 1181 AD he conquered Lahore aimed at plundering the rich temples and cities of In 1186 he attacked Punjab, and annexed it and led northern India. his invasion of the Chauhan kingdom. In 1011, he raided Nagarkot in the Punjab hills and Thaneshwar near Delhi. The Battle of Tarain (1191-1192) In 1018, Mahmud plundered the holy city of Mathura Realising their grave situation, the Hindu princes of and also attacked Kanauj. north India formed a confederacy under the His next important raid was against Gujarat. In 1024, command of Prithiviraj Chauhan. Mahmud defeated the Solanki King Bhimadeva I, and Prithviraj rose to the occasion, and defeated Ghori in plundered the famous temple of Somanatha. the battle of Tarain near Delhi in 1191 A.D. This was his last campaign in India. Mahmud died in In the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 AD, 1030 A.D. Muhammad Ghori thoroughly routed the army of Mahmud was not a mere raider and plunderer of Prithiviraj, who was captured and killed. wealth. He had built a wide empire. The second battle of Tarain was a major disaster for The Ghaznavid empire roughly included Persia, Trans- the Rajputs. oxyana, Afghanistan and Punjab. The first Muslim kingdom was thus firmly established He also patronized art and literature. Firdausi was the in India at Ajmer. poet-laureate in the court of Mahmud. He was the After his brilliant victory over Prithiviraj at Tarain, author of Shah Namah. Muhammad Ghori returned to Ghazni leaving behind Alberuni stayed in Mahmud’s court and wrote the his favourite general Qutb-uddin Aibak to make famous Kitab-i-Hind. further conquests in India. His conquest of Punjab and Multan completely In 1193, Aibak prepared the ground for another changed the political situation in India. invasion by Muhammad Ghori. He drained the resources of India by his repeated This invasion was directed against the Gahadavala raids and deprived India of her manpower. ruler Jayachandra of Kanauj. The inclusion of Punjab and Afghanistan in Ghazni’s Muhammad routed Jayachandra’s forces in the battle kingdom made the subsequent Muslim conquests of of Chandawar. India comparatively easy. Battle of Chandawara led to extension of Turkish Empire into Gangetic doab, which provided it a strong Muhammad Ghori economic base. The Ghoris started as vassals of Ghazni but became The Battles of Tarain and Chandawar contributed to independent after the death of Mahmud Ghazni. the establishment of Turkish rule in India. Taking advantage of the decline of the Ghaznavid empire, Muizzuddin Muhammad popularly known as Muhammad Ghori brought Ghazni under their control.
www.laexias.com 2 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Causes for the failure of Hindu kingdoms Qutbuddin Aibak was a slave of Muhammad Ghori, They lacked unity. who made him the Governor of his Indian possessions. The Rajput princes exhausted one another by their After the death of Ghori in 1206, Aibak declared his mutual conflicts. independence and thus founded the Slave dynasty as The military methods were out of date and inferior to well as the Delhi Sultanate. those of Muslims. He assumed the title Sultan and made Lahore his Indians continued to rely on elephants while the capital. Muslims possessed quick-moving cavalry. His rule lasted for a short period of four years. The Muslims soldiers had better organization and able Muslim writers call Aibak as Lakh Bakshor giver of leaders. Their religious zeal provided stimulus to them. lakhs because he gave liberal donations to them. Among the Hindus, the duty of fighting was confined Aibak also started the construction of Qutub Minar to a particular class, the Kshatriyas. after the name of a famous Sufi saint Khwaja Moreover, the Hindus were always on the defensive, Qutbuddin Bakthiyar Kaki. Iltutmish later completed it. which was always a weak position. Aibak died suddenly while playing chaugan(horse polo) More than anything else, it was the prevailing in 1210. sociocultural ethos of that time that created a selfcentered and regressive attitude among Indians. Iltutmish (1211-1236) Due to such attitude Indians were not aware about Iltutmish belonged to the Ilbari tribe and hence his the happening in there neighbourhood.So there dynasty was named as Ilbari dynasty. resistance/defence was always poorly organized. He was son in law of Qutubuddin Aibak. Indian feudalism was also a major reason for defeat. In 1211, Iltutmish defeated Aram Shah and confirmed his position as Sultan. 2. DELHI SULTANATE He shifted capital from Lahore to Delhi. Iltutmish annexed Sind and Multan into the Delhi The Muslim invasions into India ultimately resulted in the Sultanate. establishment of Delhi Sultanate, which existed, from A.D. He suppressed the Rajput revolts and recovered 1206 to 1526. Five different dynasties – the Slave, Khalji, Ranthampur, Jalor, Ajmir and Gwalior. Tughlaq, Sayyids and Lodis – ruled under the Delhi He received the Mansur, the letter of recognition, Sultanate. Their rule in India resulted in far-reaching from the Caliph by which he became the legal changes in society, administration and cultural life. sovereign ruler of India. He nominated his daughter Raziya as his successor. Slave Dynasty Thus,Iltutmish initiated the hereditary succession to The Slave dynasty was also called Mamluk dynasty. Delhi Sultanate. Mamluk was the Quranic term for slave. The Slave He patronized many scholars and a number Sufi saints dynasty ruled Delhi from 1206 AD to 1290 AD. came to India during his reign. In fact, three dynasties were established during He built a magnificent mosque at Ajmer. this period. They were He beautified Delhi by new buildings Qutub minar, 1. Qutbi dynasty (1206-1211) founded by Qutbuddin Hauz Shamshi, a madarsa around it was built by him. Aibak. During his time, Delhi was known as Quwwut-ul-islam 2. First Ilbari dynasty (1211- 1266) founded by Iltutmish. (centre of Islamic power). 3. Second Ilbari dynasty (1266-1290) founded by Balban.
Qutbuddin Aibak (1206-1210)
www.laexias.com 3 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Iltutmish was a great statesman. He introduced the Instead of expanding his kingdom, Balban paid more Arabic coinage into India and the silver tankaweighing attention to the restoration of law and order. 175 grams became a standard coin in medieval India. He established a separate military department - The silver tankaremained the basis of the modern diwan-i-arz– and reorganized the army. rupee. In the northwest, the Mongols reappeared and Balban Iltutmish created a new class of ruling elite of forty sent his son Prince Mahmud against them. However, powerful military leaders, Known as Chahalgani. the prince was killed in the battle and it was a moral He also introduced feudalistic system Iqta. blow to the Sultan. Balban died in 1287. Raziya (1236-1240) He was undoubtedly one of the main architects of the Her nomination as successor by Iltumish created Delhi Sultanate. diffrences in Chahalgani. He enhanced the power of the monarchy. She appointed an Abyssinian slave Yakuth as Master Kaiqubad was last sultan of Slave dynasty. of the Royal Horses (cavalry). Jalaluddin Khalji captured the throne of Delhi in 1290. Also, Raziya discarded the female apparel and held the court with her face unveiled. The Khalji Dynasty (1290-1320) She even went for hunting and led the army. This The founder of the Khalji dynasty was Jalaluddin Khalji. aroused resentment among the Turkish nobles. He was seventy years old when he came to power. In 1240, Razia was defeated and in a coup set up by In 1292 AD, Alauddin Khalji was made Governor of corps of Chahalgani( aterm coined by Ziauddin Barni Kara. which literally means a group of 40 nobles). In 1296 AD Alauddin Khalji treacherously murdered There ensued a struggle for supremacy between the his father-in-law Jalaluddin Khalji and usurped the Sultans and the nobles. throne of Delhi. In 1246 Balban succeeded in putting Nasiruddin Mahmud, a younger son of Iltutmish, as Sultan. Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316) He was convinced that the general prosperity of the Balban (1246-1287) nobles, intermarriages between noble families, Ghiyasuddin Balban, who was also known as Ulugh inefficient spy-system and drinking liquor were the Khan, served as Naib or regent to Sultan Nasiruddin basic reasons for the rebellions. Mahmud. Therefore, he passed four ordinances. In 1266 after the death of Nasiruddin Mahmud, o He confiscated the properties of the nobles. Balban ascended the throne. o The intelligence system was reorganized and He knew that the real threat to the monarchy was all the secret activities of the nobles were from Chahalgani (the crops of Forty) and hence monitored. abolished it. o The public sale of liquor and drugs was totally He is famous for his policy of blood and iron. stopped. He was totally against the inclusion of low born and o Social gatherings and festivities without the hindus in the nobility. permission of Sultan were forbidden. Balban introduced rigorous court discipline and new By such harsh measures, his reign was free from customs such as prostration (Sizda) and kissing the rebellions. Sultan’s feet (Paibas) to prove his superiority over the nobles. He also introduced the Persian festival of Nauroz. Reforms of Alauddin Khalji www.laexias.com 4 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Alauddin Khalji maintained a large permanent The northwestern frontier was fortified and Gazi standing army and paid them in cash from the royal Malik was appointed as the Warden to protect the treasury. frontier. He introduced the system of dagh(branding of horses) The military conquests of Alauddin Khalji include his and prepared huliya(descriptive list of soldiers). expedition against Gujarat, Mewar and the Deccan. The introduction of paying salaries in cash to the Alauddin marched to conquer Chittor. It was the soldiers led to price regulations popularly called as powerful state in Rajasthan. Market Reforms. In 1303, Alauddin stormed the Chittor fort. Raja Ratan Alauddin Khalji established four separate markets in Singh was defeated. Delhi, one for grain; another for cloth, sugar, dried The Rajput women including Rani Padmini performed fruits, butter and oil; a third for horses, slaves and jauhar. This Padmini episode was graphically cattle; and a fourth for miscellaneous commodities. mentioned in the book Padmavathwritten by Each market was under the control of a high officer Jayasi.however the same incident has not been called Shahna-i-Mandi. mentioned in the contemporary account of Amir The supply of grain was ensured by holding stocks in Kushareu who was accompanying Allauddin in the government store-houses and prices were fixed for all campaign. commodities. Alauddin Khalji’s greatest achievement was the A separate department called Diwani Riyasat was conquest of Deccan and the far south. created under an officer called Naib-i-Riyasat. This region was ruled by four important dynasties – Every merchant was registered under the Market Yadavas of Devagiri, Kakatiyas of Warangal, Hoysalas department (Diwani Riyasat). of Dwarasamudra and the Pandyas of Madurai. There were secret agents called munhiyanswho sent Malik Kafur (Eunuch) Chief commander of Alauddin reports to the Sultan regarding the functioning of Khalzi was instrumental in South Indian campaigns. these markets. He attacked and defeated Devagiri Ramachandra Violation of regulations was severely punished. Deva. Even during the famine, the same price was Malik Kafur defeated following South Indian Kings. maintained. o Kakathiyas-Prataparudra Deva Apart from market reforms, Alauddin Khalji took o Hoysalas-Veera Bhallala III important steps in the land revenue administration. o Pandyas-Veera pandya and Sundara He was the first Sultan of Delhi who ordered for the Pandya. measurement of land. Alauddin Khalji died in 1316. Land revenue was collected in cash in order to enable Although the Sultan was illiterate, he patronized the Sultan to pay the soldiers in cash. poets like Amir Khusrau and Amir Hasan. Other than this the cess of Gharai (house tax) and He also built a famous gateway known as Alai Charai (animal tax) were imposed strictly. Darwaza and constructed a new capital at Siri. His land revenue reforms provided a basis for the Ghazi Malik, the governor of Dipalpur, killed the future reforms of Sher Shah and Akbar. Sultan Khusru Shah and ascended the throne of Delhi under the title of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq in 1320. Military Campaigns Alauddin Khalji dealt Mongol issue with blood and The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414) iron policy. The founder of the Tughlaq dynasty was Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
www.laexias.com 5 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Ghiyasuddin laid the foundation for Tughlaqabad near Kublai Khan issued paper money in China. In the same Delhi. manner, Muhammad bin Tughlaq issued copper coins Ulugh Khan treacherously killed his father and at par with the value of the silver tankacoins. ascended the throne with the title Muhammad bin The goldsmiths began to forge the token coins on a Tughlaq in 1325. large scale. Soon the new coins were not accepted in the markets. Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-1351) Finally, Muhammad bin Tughlaq stopped the He is the most controversial personality of Medieval circulation of token currency and promised to Indian history. exchange silver coins for the copper coins. His novel experiments ended in miserable failures because they were all far ahead of their time. Taxation in Doab He was very tolerant in religious matters. In order to overcome financial difficulties, He maintained diplomatic relations with far off Muhammad bin Tughlaq increased the land revenue countries like Egypt, China and Iran. on the farmers of Doab (land between Ganges and He also introduced many liberal and beneficial Yamuna rivers). reforms. However, all his reforms failed. This led to rebellion in doab. However, Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the only Delhi Since doab was the backbone of food supply to Delhi Sultan who had received a comprehensive literary, so there occoured a disruption of the food supply religious and philosophical education. chain.this was further aggravated by the failure of Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta writer of Rehla visited rain. This led to a famine in Delhi. india during his reign Due to this, the entire royal camp was moved to Swarg Dwar (haridwar) for two years. Transfer of Capital Muhammad bin Tughlaq wanted to make Devagiri his Agricultural Reforms second capital so that he might be able to control However, the Sultan realized later that adequate South India better. relief measures and the promotion of agriculture In 1327, he forcefully made the transfer of royal were the real solution to the problem. household and the ulemas and Sufis from Delhi to He launched a scheme by which takkaviloans (loans Devagiri, which was rafenamed as Daulatabad. for cultivation) were given to the farmers to buy seed Many people died during the rigorous journey in the and to extend cultivation. summer. A separate department for agriculture, Diwan- i- In 1334-35 after the rebellion in Mabar, the entire Kohiwas established. empire of south including Mabar Dwar Samudra was Model farm under the state was created in an area of lost. Withthis the raison d’etre of keeping Daultabad 64 square miles for which the government spent as second capital also disappeared. seventy lakh tankas. Therefore, in between 1335-1337 AD the Sultan He also started the practice of Ijarah (renting out the permitted the people of Daultabad to return to Delhi. revenue to the higest bidder.)
Token Currency Rebellions There was a shortage of silver throughout the world The latter part of Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign in the fourteenth century. witnessed a spate of rebellions by the nobles and provincial governors.
www.laexias.com 6 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
The rebellion of Hasan Shah resulted in the In addition, he increased the number of slaves by establishment of the Madurai Sultanate. capturing the defeated soldiers and young persons. In 1336 the Vijayanagar kingdom was founded. When Firoz died in 1388, His successors had to face In 1347 Bahamani kingdom was established. the rebellion of the slaves created by Firoz. The governors of Oudh, Multan and Sind revolted In the following years, the Delhi Sultanate against the authority of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. disintegrated further. In Gujarat Taghi rose in revolt against the Sultan who The invasion of Taimur in 1398 in fact delivered a spent nearly three years in chasing him. deathly blow to the Tughlaq dynasty. Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s health became worse and he died in 1351. Sayyids (1414-1451) Before his departure from India, Timur appointed Firoz ShahTughlaq (1351-1388) Khizr Khan as governor of Multan. After the death of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, Firozshah He captured Delhi and founded the Sayyid dynasty in Tughlaq had the unique distinction of being chosen as 1414. sultan by the nobles. Alam Shah (1445-1451) the weakest of the Sayyid princes handed over the throne to Bahlul Lodi and Administrative Reforms of Firoz Tughlaq retired. The reign of Firoz Tughlaq was more notable for his administration. Lodis (1451-1526) He strictly followed the advice of the ulemas in The Lodis, who succeeded Sayyids, were Afghans. running the administration. Bahlul Lodi was the first Afghan ruler of India. He pleased the nobles and assured hereditary He died in 1489 and was succeeded by his son, succession to their properties. Sikandar Lodi. Thus the iqta system was not only revived but was Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517) was the greatest of the also made hereditary. three Lodi sovereigns. As per the Islamic law he levied the taxes. Sikandar Lodi transferred the capital to Agra. He was the first Sultan to impose irrigation tax (Haqq- He introduced a new land measurement scale known i-Sharab). However, at the same time he dug as Ghazz-i-Sikandari. irrigation canals and wells. He extended his empire from the Punjab to Bihar and He also developed royal factories called karkhanasin made Sultanate stronger. which thousands of slaves were employed. He was a good administrator. Roads were constructed About 300 new towns were built during his reign. The and many irrigational facilities were provided. famous among them was Firozabad near Red Fort in Despite certain laudable qualities, he was a bigot. He Delhi, now called Firoz Shah Kotla. destroyed many Hindu temples and imposed many A new department called Diwan-i-Khairatwas created restrictions on the Hindus. to take care of orphans and widows. Sikandar Lodhi is also famous for translation of As he was guided by the ulemas, he was intolerant Sanskrit work into Arabic during his regime. towards Shia Muslims and Sufis. His eldest son Ibrahim Lodi who was arrogant He treated Hindus as second grade citizens and succeeded Sikandar Lodi. imposed Jiziya. Daulat Khan Lodi, the governor of the Punjab was In this respect, he was the precursor of Sikandar Lodi insulted and disaffection between king and courtiers and Aurangazeb. became very common.
www.laexias.com 7 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Greatly displeased by the arrogance of Ibrahim, Muslim personal law or shariawas followed in civil Daulat Khan Lodi invited Babur to invade India. matters. The Hindus were governed by their own Babur marched against Delhi, defeated, and killed personal law and their cases were dispensed by the Ibrahim Lodi in the first battle of Panipat (1526). village panchayats. The department of correspondence was called Diwani Delhi Sultanate Administration Insha. All the correspondence between the ruler and Under Sultanate, a powerful and efficient the officials was dealt with by this department. administration system evolved. The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic state with its Local Administration religion Islam. The Sultans considered themselves as representatives Division Headed By of the Caliph and included the name of the Caliph in Iqtas(Provinces) Muqtis or Walis the khutbaor prayer and inscribed it on their coins. Shiqs Shiqdar Pargana(Group of Villages) Amil Iltutmish, Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firoz Tughlaq obtained mansuror letter of permission from the Muqtis had to maintain law and order and collect the Caliph. land revenue in the Iqtas. There was no clear law of succession during this The village headman was known as muqaddam or period. All the sons had equal claim to the throne. chaudhri. Iltutmish even nominated his daughter in preference The village accountant was called patwari. to his sons. However, such nominations or successions were to be Economy accepted by the nobles. The lands were classified into three categories: The Sultan was assisted by a number of officials in his Iqta Land Land assigned to Muqtis administration. Khalisa Land Land under the direct control of the The post of Naibwas the most powerful one. Sultan The Naibpractically enjoyed all the powers of the Inam Land Lands granted to religious Sultan and exercised general control over all the institutions. departments. The peasantry paid one third of their produce as land Next to him was the Wazirwho was heading the revenue, and sometimes-evenone-half of the produce. finance department called Diwani Wizarat. They led miserable lives during this period. The military department was called Diwani Ariz. It was However, Sultans like Muhammad bin Tughlaq and headed by Ariz-i-mumalik. He was responsible for Firoz Tughlaq took efforts to enhance agricultural recruiting the soldiers and administering the military production by providing irrigational facilities and by department. providing takkaviloans. He was not the commander-in-chief of the army. The They also encouraged the farmers to cultivate Sultan himself was the commander-in-chief of the superior crop like wheat instead of barley. army. Firoz encouraged the growth of horticulture. Cavalry was given importance under the Delhi During the Sultanate period, the process of Sultanate. urbanization gained momentum. Diwani Rasalatwas the department of religious affairs. The growth of trade and commerce witnessed as It was headed by chief Sadr India exported a large number of commodities to The head of the judicial department was the chief other countries. Qazi. www.laexias.com 8 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Overseas trade was under the control of Multanisand Muhammed bin Tuglaq was probably the only ruler Afghan Muslims. who included Hindus and lowborn people in the The Gujarat Marwari merchants and Muslim Bohra nobility. merchants dominated inland trade. Muhammed bin tuglaq also included Sufi in the Construction of roads and their maintenance administration. facilitated for smooth transport and communication. Sometimes Brahmins were exempted from paying Saraisor rest houses on the highways were jiziya. maintained for the convenience of the travelers. Cotton textile and silk industry flourished in this 3. THE MUGHAL EMPIRE period. Sericulture was introduced on a large scale. Babur (1526-1530) Paper industry grew and there was an extensive use Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. of paper from 14th and 15th centuries. He was related to Taimur from his father’s side and to The royal karkhanassupplied the goods needed to the Chengiz Khan through his mother. Sultan and his household. He occupied Lahore easily by defeating its governor, The system of coinage had also developed during the Daulat Khan Lodi. Delhi Sultanate. On 21 April 1526, the first Battle of Panipat took place Gold coins or dinarsbecame popular during the reign between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi, who was killed in of Alauddin Khalji after his South Indian conquests. the battle. In 1527, Babur defeated Rana Sangha of Mewar in the Social Life Battle of Khanwa. There was little change in the structure of the Hindu In 1528, Babur captured Chanderi from another society during this period. Rajput ruler Medini Rai. Traditional caste system with the Brahmins on the In 1529, Babur defeated the Afghans (Muhammad upper strata of the society was prevalent. Lodi) in the Battle of Gaghra in uttar pradesh. The subservient position of women also continued Humayun was leading the mughal troops in the and the practice of sati was widely prevalent. campaign. The seclusion of women and the wearing of Babur died at Agra in 1530. purdahbecame so common even Hindu women Babur was also a great scholar in Arabic and Persian followed it. languages. Turki was his mother tongue. During the Sultanate period, the Muslim society was He wrote his autobiography, Tuzuk-i-Baburiin Turki divided into several ethnic and racial groups. language. The Turks, Iranians, Afghans and Indian Muslims He was also a naturalist and described the flora and developed exclusively and there were no fauna of India. intermarriages between these groups. Babur was very fond of building gardens. The Muslim nobles occupied high offices and very rarely the Hindu nobles were given high position in Humayun (1530-1540) the government. Humayun means “fortune” but he remained the most The Hindus were considered zimmisor protected unfortunate ruler of the Mughal Empire. people for which they were forced to pay a tax called Humayun was thoroughly defeated by Sher Khan jiziya. ( Sher Shah Sur) in the Battle of Chausa in 1539 and Battle of Kannauj in 1540.
www.laexias.com 9 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Humayun lost his Kingdom and went into exile for the Land survey was carefully done. All cultivable lands next fifteen years. were classified into three classes – good, middle and In 1555 Humayun reclaimed the throne by defeating bad. Sikandar Shah Sur. His land revenue was based on the system of Patta He died in 1556 and Qabuliat. The state’s share was one third of the average Sher Shah Sur (1540-1545) produce and it was paid in cash or crop. He was the founder of the Sur dynasty. Sher Shah introduced new silver coins called “Dam” Sher Shah was a pious Muslim and generally tolerant and they were in circulation until 1835. towards other religions. Sher Shah had also improved the communications by He employed Hindus in important offices. laying important highways. He added a new city to Delhi called Purana Qila and Police was efficiently reorganized and crime was less built a mosque there. during his regime. He also built a Mausoleum at Sasaram, which is The military administration was also efficiently considered as one of the master pieces of Indian reorganized and Sher Shah borrowed many ideas like architecture. the branding of horses from Alauddin Khalji. Sher Shah patronized Malik Muhammad Jayasi who He created a network of Sarai(halting place) for wrote the famous Hindi work Padmavat during his efficient communication system. Around the sarai reign. market also grew. After Sher Shah’s death in 1545, his successors(islam Shah) ruled till 1555 when Humayun reconquered Akbar (1556-1605) India. He succeeded the throne after his father Humayun’s death. Sher Shah’s Administration In the second Battle of Panipat in 1556, Akbar The king was assisted by four important ministers: defeated Hemu and established strong control over Delhi.The Mughal troops were laid by Bairam khan. Minister Incharge of Diwan-i- Wizarat(Wazir) Revenue and Finance During the first five years of Akbar’s reign, Bairam Diwan-i-Ariz Army Khan acted as his regent. Diwan-i-Rasalat Foreign Minister Akbar’s military conquests were extensive. He Diwan-i-Insha Communications conquered northern India from Agra to Gujarat and Sher Shah’s empire was divided into forty- then from Agra to Bengal. sevensarkars. The Rajput policy of Akbar was notable. He married Chief Shiqdar(law and order) and Chief Munsif(judge) the Rajput princess, the daughter of Raja Bharamal. were the two officers in charge of the administration It was a turning point in the history of Mughals. in each sarkar. Rajputs served the Mughals for four generations. Each sarkarwas divided into several parganas. Raja Bhagawan Das and Raja Man Singh were given Shiqdar(military officer), Amin(land revenue), senior positions in the administration by Akbar. Fotedar(treasurer) Karkuns(accountants) were in One by one, all Rajput states submitted to Akbar. charge of the administration of each pargana. However, the Ranas of Mewar continued to defy The land revenue administration was well organized despite several defeats. under Sher Shah. In the Battle of Haldighati, Rana Pratap Singh was severely defeated by the Mughal army led by Man Singh in 1576.
www.laexias.com 10 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Akbar’s Rajput policy was combined with a broad By this system, Todar Mal introduced a uniform religious toleration. He abolished the pilgrim tax and system of land measurement. later the jiziya. Akbar changed land measuring unit and introduced The Rajput policy of Akbar proved to be beneficial to Gaz i Ilahi. the Mughal state as well as to the Rajputs. The revenue was fixed on the average yield of land Abul Fazal wrote a three volume history of his reign assessed based on past ten years. named as Akbarnama. Payment of revenue was made generally in cash. The land was also divided into three categories good Religious Policy of Akbar bad and middeling. it was further divided into four Various factors were responsible for his religious category mentioned below. ideas. Like, Polaz Cultivated every year o his early contacts with the sufi saints, Parauti Cultivated once in two years. Chachar Cultivted once in three or four years. o the teachings of his tutor Abdul Latif, Banjar Cultivated once in five or more years. o his marriage with Rajput women, o his association with intellectual giants like Shaikh Mubarak and his two illustrious sons Mansabdari System Abul Faizi and Abul Fazl Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system in his administration. o his ambition to establish an empire in Hindustan. Under this system every officer was assigned a rank Soon after marrying Jodh Bai of Amber, he abolished (mansab). The lowest rank was 10 and the highest the pilgrim tax and jiziya. was 5000 for the nobles. He allowed his Hindu wives to worship their own gods. The ranks were divided into two – zatand sawar. Zatmeans personal and it fixed the personal status of In later part of his life, he became a skeptical Muslim. a person. Sawarrank indicated the number of He constructed Ibadat Khana (House of worship) and cavalrymen required to maintain. invited learned scholars from all religions like Every sawarhad to maintain at least two horses. Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism to discuss in Ibadat Khana The mansab rank was not hereditary. In 1582, he promulgated a new system of faith called All appointments and promotions as well as dismissals Din Ilahior Divine Faith. It contained good points of all were directly made by the emperor. religions. Its basis was rational. It upholds no dogma. It was Jahangir (1605-1627) aimed at bridging the gulf that separated different When Akbar died, Prince Salim succeeded with the religions. title Jahangir in 1605. Akbar did not compel anyone to his new faith. Jahangir’s rule witnessed a spate of rebellions. His son Khusrau revolted but was defeated and imprisoned. He had firm belief in the idea of Sulh-i-kul(universal piece) Jahangir killed the fifth sikh guru,Guru Arjun. In 1611, Jahangir married Mehrunnisa who was Land Revenue Administration known as Nur Jahan (Light of World). Akbar made some experiments in the land revenue Mughals permanently lost Kandahar to Persians administration with the help of Raja Todar Mal. The during Jahangir's rule. land revenue system of Akbar was called Zabtior Bandobastor Dahsala system which was completed in Shah Jahan (1627-1658) 1580.
www.laexias.com 11 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Shah Jahan launched a prolonged campaign in the In fact, the destruction of the Deccan kingdoms was a northwest frontier to recover Kandahar and other political blunder on the part of Aurangazeb. ancestral lands but failed. The barrier between the Mughals and the Marathas His Deccan policy was more successful. was removed and there ensued a direct confrontation He defeated the forces of Ahmadnagar and annexed it. between them. Shah Jahan carved four Mughal provinces in the In addition, his Deccan campaigns exhausted the Deccan – Khandesh, Berar, Telangana and Daulatabad Mughal treasury. and put under the control of his son Aurangazeb. According to J.N. Sarkar, the Deccan ulcer ruined The last years of Shah Jahan’s reign were clouded by a Aurangazeb. bitter war of succession among his four sons – Dara Shikoh (crown prince), Shuja (governor of Bengal), Religious Policy Aurangazeb (governor of Deccan) and Murad Baksh Aurangazeb was a staunch and orthodox Muslim. (governor of Malwa and Gujarat). His ideal was to transform India into an Islamic state. Aurangazeb emerged victorious in this struggle and He created a separate department to enforce moral forced Shah Jahan to surrender. codes under a high-powered officer called Muhtasib. Shah Jahan died in 1666 and was buried beside his Drinking was prohibited. Cultivation and use of bhang wife’s grave in the Taj Mahal. and other drugs were banned. Aurangazeb forbade music in the Mughal court. He Aurangazeb (1658-1707) discontinued the practice of Jarokhadarshan Aurangazeb was one of the ablest of the Mughal kings. (addresing public from the balcony). His military campaigns in his first ten years of reign He also discontinued the celebration of Dasarah and were a great success. royal astronomers and astrologers were also However, he faced serious difficulties in the latter dismissed from service. part of his reign. At first, he banned the construction of new Hindu The Jats and Satnamis and the Sikhs revolted against temples and repair of old temples. Then started him. These revolts were induced by his harsh religious destroying Hindu temples. and administrative policy. The celebrated temples at Mathura and Benares were reduced to ruins. Deccan Policy of Aurangjeb He reimposed jiziya and pilgrim tax. Aurangazeb, as governor of Deccan, followed an He was an orthodox Sunni Muslim and was not aggressive Deccan policy. tolerant of other Muslim sects such as Shia. When he became the Mughal emperor, for the first He was also against the Sikhs and he executed the twenty five years, he concentrated on the northwest ninth Sikh Guru Tej Bahadur. frontier. His religious policy was responsible for turning the At that time, the Maratha ruler, Sivaji carved out an Rajputs, the jats of Mathura, the satnamis of Mewars, independent Maratha kingdom in the territories of the Marathas and Sikhs into the enemies of Mughal north and south Konkan. Empire. To contain the spread of the Marathas, Aurangazeb Therefore, Aurangazeb was held responsible for the decided to invade Bijapur and Golkonda. decline of the Mughal empire. He defeated Sikandar Shah of Bijapur and annexed his kingdom. Then, he proceeded against Golkonda and Mughal Administration eliminated the Kutb Shahi dynasty. Mughal administration is called as Persio-arabic setup in Indian environment.
www.laexias.com 12 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
The mughal empire was divided into Subas (Provinces) The greatest ruler of the Sangama dynasty was Deva which were further subdivided into Sarkar,Pargana, Raya II. But he could not win any clear victory over and Gram. the Bahmani Sultans. The state had four main departments and the four After his death, Sangama dynasty became weak. main officers of the central government were The next dynasty, Saluva dynasty founded by Saluva Occasionally a dignitary superior to the wazir and Officer Incharge of other ministers was also appointed called the Wakil. Diwan(Wazir) Revenue and Finance He acted as the deputy of the sultanate (naib). Mir bakshi Military Amil and Khakori were the special revenue officials at Mir Saman Royal Palace Pargana level. Sadr Religious donations Mansabdari was the feudalistic mechanism in Narasimha reigned only for a brief period (1486-1509). Mughals. Krishna Deva Raya (1509 – 1530) Causes for the Downfall of the Mughals Vira Narasimha founded the Tuluva dynasty. The religious and Deccan policies of Aurangazeb. The greatest of the Vijayanagar rulers, Krishna Deva The weak successors and demoralization of the Raya belonged to the Tuluva dynasty. Mughal army. The Bahamani forces were decisively defeated in the The financial difficulties due to continuous wars . battle of Diwani by Krishna Deva Raya. The neglect of the sea power by the Mughals. Then he invaded Raichur Doab and defeated the Sultan of Bijapur, Ismail Adil Shah and capture Raichur. The invasions of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali weakened the Mughal state. Krishna Deva Raya’s Orissa campaign was also successful. He defeated the Gajapathi ruler Prataparudra and conquered the whole of Telangana. 4. VIJAYANAGARA EMPIRE Four dynasties – Sangama, Saluva, Tuluva and He maintained friendly relations with the Portuguese. Aravidu – ruled Vijayanagar from A.D. 1336 to 1672. Albuquerque sent his ambassadors to Krishna Deva Raya. Vijayanagar was founded in 1336 by Harihara and Bukka of the Sangama dynasty at the initiative of saint Though a Vaishnavaite, he respected all religions. He Vidyaranya. was a great patron of literature and art and he was known as Andhra Bhoja. They founded a new city on the south bank of the Tungabhadra river. It was called Vijayanagara, Eight eminent scholars known as Ashtadiggajas were meaning city of victory. at his royal court. By 1346, they brought the whole of the Hoysala Allasani Peddanna was the greatest and he was called kingdom under their control. Andhrakavita Pitamaha. His important works include Manucharitamand Harikathasaram. Kumarakampana attacked Madurai Sultans and defeated them. As a result, the Vijayanagar Empire Pingali Suranna and Tenali Ramakrishna were other comprised the whole of South India up to important scholars. Rameswaram. Krishna Deva Raya himself authored a Telugu work, The conflict between Vijayanagar Empire and the Amukthamalyadhaand Sanskrit works, Jambavati Bahmani kingdom lasted for many years. Kalyanam and Ushaparinayam. The dispute over Raichur Doab, the region between He also built the famous Vittalaswamy and Hazara the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra and also over the Ramaswamy temples at Vijayanagar. fertile areas of Krishna-Godavari delta led to this long- He also built a new city called Nagalapuram in drawn conflict. memory of his queen Nagaladevi.
www.laexias.com 13 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
During the reign of Aliya Rama Raya, the combined Allasani Peddanna in his Manucharitam refers the forces of Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golkonda and Bidar existence of four castes – Brahmins, Kshatriyas, defeated him at the Battle of Talikotta in 1565. This Vaisyas and Sudras - in the Vijayanagar society. battle is also known as Rakkasa Thangadi. Rama Raya Foreign travelers mentions about the splendour of was imprisoned and executed. buildings and luxurious social life in the city of This battle was generally considered to mark the end Vijayanagara. of the Vijayanagar Empire. Slavery was prevalent in the society. However, the Vijayanagar kingdom existed under the The Sangama rulers were chiefly Saivaites and Aravidu dynasty for about another century. Virupaksha was their family deity. However, other Thirumala, Sri Ranga and Venkata II were the dynasties were Vaishnavites. important rulers of this dynasty. Sri vaishnavism of Ramanuja was very popular. But all The last ruler of Vijayanagar kingdom was Sri Ranga III. kings were tolerant towards other religions. Muslims were employed in the administration and Administration they were freely allowed to build mosques and The king enjoyed absolute authority in executive, worship. judicial and legislative matters. He was the highest The position of women had not improved. However, court of appeal. some of them were learned. Gangadevi, wife of The succession to the throne was on the principle of Kumarakampana authored Maduravijayam. hereditary. The attachment of dancing girls to temples(Devadasi The king was assisted by a council of ministers in his System) was in practice. day to day administration. Polygamy and Sati was prevalent. The Empire was divided into different administrative units called Mandalams, Nadus, sthalasand finally into Economic Condition gramas. According to the accounts of the foreign travelers, the The governor of Mandalam was called Mandaleswara Vijayanagar Empire was one of the wealthiest parts of or Nayak. the world at that time. Land revenue was fixed generally one sixth of the Agriculture continued to be the chief occupation of produce. the people. The Vijayanagar army was well-organized and The Vijayanagar rulers provided a stimulus to its efficient. It consisted of the cavalry, infantry, artillery further growth by providing irrigation facilities. and elephants. There were numerous industries and they were High-breed horses were procured from foreign organized into guilds. traders. Diamond mines were located in Kurnool and The top-grade officers of the army were known as Anantapur district. Nayaks or Poligars. They were granted land in lieu of The chief gold coin was called varaha. their services.These lands were called amaram. Inland, coastal and overseas trade led to the general Soldiers were usually paid in cash. prosperity. The art of shipbuilding had developed. Nobility was organized on the basis Amara- Nayaka There were a number of seaports on the Malabar system. coast, the chief being Cannanore. The chief items of exports were cotton and silk Social Life clothes, spices, rice, iron, saltpeter and sugar. The imports consisted of horses, pearls, copper, coral, mercury, China silk and velvet clothes. www.laexias.com 14 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Another famous Sufi saint was Nizamuddin Auliya Literature who belonged to the Chishti order. Sanskrit,Kannada,Telugu,Tamil languages witnessed Sufism stressed the elements of love and devotion as voluminous literature in Vijayanagara Period. effective means of the realisation of God. Official language was Sanskrit. Love of God meant love of humanity and so the Sufis Author Book/Books believed service to humanity was tantamount to Sayana Vidhyaranya Sayana Bhashya service to God. Madhava Vidhyaranya Parashara Madhaveeya Sufism emphasised self-discipline to gain knowledge Gangadevi Mahuravijayam of God. Sri Krishna Devaraya Madalasa Charita While orthodox Muslims emphasise external conduct, Jambavati Parinayam the Sufis lay stress on inner purity. Sathyavadhu Preedana Usha Parinaya According to them, one must have the guidance of a Sakala Kathamanjari pir or guru, without which spiritual development is Thimmarasu Manoharam impossible. Tenali Ramakrishna Panduranga Mahatyam Other ideas emphasised by Sufism are meditation, Ghatikacha Mahatyam tolerance, good actions, repentance for sins, Chamarasa Prabhulingaleele performance of prayers and pilgrimages, fasting, charity and suppression of passions by ascetic 5. BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN MEDIEVAL INDIA practices. The Saivaite Nayanmars and Vashnavaite Alwars preached These liberal and unorthodox features of Sufism had a the Bhakti cult under the Pallavas, Pandyas and Cholas. profound influence on medieval Bhakti Saints. However, the spread of Bhakti movement in medieval When the Sufi movement was becoming popular in India is a different kind. This medieval Bhakti movement India, about the same time the Bhakti cult was gaining was the directresult of the influence of the spread of strength among the Hindus. Islam in India. Monotheism or belief in one God, equality and goodwill of man and rejection of rituals and class Bhakti Movement divisions are the distinctive characteristics of Islam. These Adishankara Islamic ideas created a profound impact on the religious In the ninth century Sankarastarted a Hindu revivalist leaders of this period. movement giving a new orientation to Hinduism. He was born in Kaladi in Kerala. Sufism He preached Advaitaor Monism. Sufism was a liberal reform movement within Islam. He established four Mutts in four corners of the It had its origin in Persia and spread into India in the country. eleventh century. Dwaraka The first Sufi saint Shaikh Ismail of Lahore started o Puri preaching his ideas. o Badrinath The most famous of the Sufi saints of India was o Sringeri Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, who settled in Ajmer. o Follower of him are called Smarthas. Hence, Ajmer called 'Mecca of India' His disciples are His most famous philosophical work is Viveka called sufis of Chisti order. Choodamani. Another well known Sufi saint Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. His branch of Sufi saints was known as Ramanuja Charya the Sufis of the Suhrawardi Order.
www.laexias.com 15 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
In the twelfth century, Ramanuja, who was born at Tulsidaswas a worshipper of Rama and composed the Sriperumbudur near modern Chennai, preached famous Ramcharitmanas, the Hindi version of Visishtadvaita. Ramayana. According to him God is Sagunabrahman He also advocated prabattimargaor path of self- Ramananda surrender to God. He was originally a follower of Ramanuja. Later he He invited the downtrodden to Vaishnavism and founded his own sect and preached his principles in made Vaishnavism popular. Hindi at Banaras and Agra. He has written Sree Bhashya. He was a worshipper of Rama. He was the first to employ the vernacular medium to Madhvacharya propagate his ideas. In the thirteenth century, Madhavafrom Udupi Simplification of worship and emancipation of people propagated Dvaitaor dualism of Jivatmaand from the traditional caste rules were his two Paramatma. important contributions to the Bhaktimovement. According to his philosophy, the world is not an He opposed the caste system and chose his disciples illusion but a reality. from all sections of society disregarding caste. God, soul, matter are unique in nature. He wrote Geeta Bhashya Kabir Das Nimbarkaand Vallabhacharyawere other preachers of Among the disciples of Ramananda, the most famous Vaishnavite Bhakti in the Telangana region. was Kabir. He was born near Banaras and abandoned by his Basavanna parents. However,a Muslim couple who were weavers His followers were known as veershaiva or brought him up by profession. lingayat Kabir’s object was to reconcile Hindus and Muslims His followers worshipped shiva in linga form. and establish harmony between the two sects. He denounced idolatry and rituals and laid great Surdas emphasis on the equality of man before God. Surdaswas the disciple of Vallabhacharya and he He emphasised the essential oneness of all religions popularized Krishna cult in north India. by describing Hindus and Muslims ‘as pots of the He wrote Sur Sagar. same clay’. He was contemporary to Tulsi Das and Akbar. He regarded devotion to god as an effective means of He is called the "Blind bard of Agra". salvation. He is regarded as the greatest of the mystic saints and his followers are called Kabirpanthis.
Mirabhai Guru Nanak Mirabaiwas a great devotee of Krishna and she He is the founder of the Sikh religion and a disciple of became popular in Rajasthan for her bhajans. Kabir. She was a princess of Sisodiya clan. He was born in Talwandi near Lahore. Her Krishna was called Giridharanagir. He denounced caste distinctions and rituals. Her bhajans infuenced Mahatma Gandhi. His conception of religion was highly practical and sternly ethical. Tulsidas
www.laexias.com 16 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
‘Abide pure amidst the impurities of the world’ was castes including those considered “untouchable” one of his famous sayings. like the Pulaiyar and the Panars. His life was dedicated to establishing harmony They were sharply critical of the Buddhists and between Hindus and Muslims. Jains and preached ardent love of Shiva or His followers were known as Sikhs. Vishnu as the path to salvation.
They drew upon the ideals of love and heroism as Chaitanya found in the Sangam literature (the earliest Hewas a well-known saint and reformer of Bengal example of Tamil literature, composed during the who popularised the Krishna cult. early centuries of the Common Era) and blended He renounced the world, became an ascetic and them with the values of bhakti. wandered all over the country preaching his ideas. He proclaimed the universal brotherhood of man and Nayanars: condemned all distinction based on religion and caste. The Nayanars were a group of 63 saints in the 6th He believed that through love and devotion, song and to 8th century who were devoted to the Hindu dance, a devotee could feel the presence of God. god Shiva in Tamil Nadu. He accepted disciples from all classes and castes and The Nayanars and Alvars went from place to his teachings are widely followed in Bengal even place composing exquisite poems in praise of the today. deities enshrined in the villages they visited, and set them to music. Gyandeva Hewas the founder of the Bhakti Movement in There were 63 Nayanars, who belonged to Maharashtra in the thirteenth century. different caste backgrounds such as potters, “ ” workers, peasants, hunters, It was called Maharashtra dharma. untouchable soldiers, Brahmanas and chiefs. He wrote a commentary on Bhagavat Gitacalled Gnaneswari. The best known among them were Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavasagar. Namadeva There are two sets of compilations of their Hepreached the gospel of love. songs – Tevaram and He opposed idol worship and priestly domination. He started Abhanga cult in Maharashtra. Alvars: Ekanatha composed many lyrics and his bhajans and Alvars were a group of 12 devotional saints in the kirtans are famous even today. 7th and the 12th centuries who were devoted to Another Bhakti saint of Maharashtra was Tukaram, a the Hindu god Shiva in Tamil Nadu. contemporary of Sivaji. He wasresponsible for There were 12 Alvars, who came from equally creating a background for Maratha nationalism. divergent backgrounds, the best known being Periyalvar, his daughter Andal, Tondaradippodi Nayanars and Alvars: Alvar and Nammalvar.
The seventh to ninth centuries saw the Their songs were compiled in the Divya Prabandham. emergence of new religious movements, led by Importance of the Bhakti Movement the Nayanars (saints devoted to Shiva) and Alvars (saints devoted to Vishnu) who came from all
www.laexias.com 17 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Bhakti movement provided an impetus for the In 1664, Shivaji attacked Surat, the chief port of the development of regional languages such as Hindi, Mughals and plundered it. Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, etc. This time Aurangazeb sent Raja Jai Singh who As the Bhakti saints condemned the caste system, the defeated Shivaji and Treaty of Purander was signed in lower classes were raised to a position of great 1665. importance. As part of the treaty Shivaji visited Agra in 1666 but The importance of women in society was also he was imprisoned there.But, he managed to escape increased. from prison. Bhakti movement gave to the people a simple religion, He plundered Surat for the second time in 1670. He without complicated rituals. also captured all his lost territories by his conquests. The new idea of a life of charity and service to fellow In 1674, Shivaji crowned himself at Raigarh and people developed. assumed the title Chatrapathi. Shivaji died in 1680. 6. THE MARATHAS Shivaji’s Administration The Rise of the Marathas Shivaji was also a great administrator. He was assisted Various factors contributed to the rise of Marathas in by a council of ministers called Ashtapradhan. the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Peshwa Finance and general administration The physical environment of the Maratha country Senapati Military commander shaped certain peculiar qualities among the Marathas. Amatya Accountant General The mountainous region and dense forests made Phadnavis Intelligence, posts and household affairs. them brave soldiers and adopt guerilla tactics. Sachiv Correspondence The spread of the Bhakti movement in Maharashtra Sumanta Master of ceremonies inculcated a spirit of religious unity among them. Nyayadish Justice The spiritual leaders like Tukkaram, Ramdas, Vaman Panditarao Charities and religious Pandit and Eknath fostered social unity, while Shivaji administration. conferred the political unity. Most of the administrative reforms of Shivaji were based on the practices of the Deccan sultanates. For Shivaji (1627-1680) example, Peshwa was the Persian title of Bahmani Shivaji was born at Shivneri in 1627. His father was Kingdom Shahji Bhonsle and mother Jija Bai. The revenue system of Shivaji was based on that of He inherited the jagir of Poona from his father in 1637. Malik Amber of Ahmadnagar. He conquered Raigarh, Kondana and Torna from the Lands were measured by using the measuring rod ruler of Bijapur. called Shiva Sahi kathi. He captured Javli from a Maratha chief, Chanda Rao Lands were also classified into three categories – More. This made him the master of Mavala region. paddy fields, garden lands and hilly tracks. In 1657, he attacked the Bijapur kingdom. In He reduced the powers of the existing deshmuks and retaliation, The Sultan of Bijapur sent Afzal Khan kulkarnis by appointing his own revenue officials against Shivaji. However,Shivaji killed Afzal Khan in called karkuns. 1659. Chauth and sardeshmukhi were the taxes collected in The Mughal emperor Aurangazeb sent Shaista Khan the neighbouring territories which was very against Shivaji. Shivaji killed his son and wounded controversial. Khan.
www.laexias.com 18 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Chauth was one fourth of the land revenue paid to Under this system, each Maratha chief was assigned a the Marathas in order to avoid the Maratha raids. territory, which could be administered autonomously. Sardeshmukhi was an additional levy of ten percent Chief Territory on those lands which the Marathas claimed Gaekwad Baroda hereditary rights. Bhonsle Nagpur Shivaji was a man of military genius and his army was Holkars Indore Scindias Gwalior well organized. Peshwas Poona Cavalry was supervised by havaildars. They were given fixed salaries. Balaji Baji Rao (1740-1761) There were two divisions in the Maratha cavalry – 1. Balaji Baji Rao succeeded his father Baji rao as Peshwa. bargirs, equipped and paid by the state; and 2. The Maratha king Shahu nominated Ramaraja as silahdars, maintained by the nobles. successor and died in 1749. In the infantry, the Mavli foot soldiers played an Balaji Baji Rao imprisoned King Ramaraja and took full important role. control of the Maratha kingdom. Shivaji also maintained a navy. Peshwa entered into an agreement with the Mughal The forts played an important role in the military Emperor in 1752. operations of the Marathas. By the end of his reign, According to it the Peshwa gave assurance to the Shivaji had about 240 forts. Mughal Emperor that he would protect the Mughal His rise from jagirdar to Chatrapathi was spectacular. Empire from internal and external enemies for which He unified the Marathas and remained a great enemy the Chauth of the northwest provinces and the total of the Mughal empire. revenue of the Agra and Ajmer provinces would be collected by the Marathas. The Peshwas (1713-1818) Thus, when Ahmad Shah Abdali invaded India, it Balaji Viswanath (1713-1720) became the responsibility of the Marathas to protect As Peshwa, he made his position the most important India. and powerful as well as hereditary. The Marathas fought against Ahmad Shah Abdali in He played a crucial role in the civil war ensued after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. However, they got the death of Shivaji and finally made Shahu as the defeated. Sadashiv Rao Bhau laid Maratha forces in Maratha ruler. the battle. In 1719, Balaji Viswanath got certain rights from the This battle gave a deathblow to the Maratha power. then Mughal emperor, Farukh Siyar. He recognized Shahu as the Maratha king andallowed Decline of Marathas Shahu to collect Chauth and Sardeshmukhi from the After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Marathas six Mughal provinces of the Deccan. emerged as a great power in India but they could not succeed in preventing the establishment of British power in India. The important causes for the downfall were that Baji Rao I (1720-1740) there was lack of unity among the Maratha chiefs. Baji Rao was the eldest son of Balaji Viswanath. In addition, the superiority of the British army and The Maratha power reached its zenith under him. fighting methods ultimately won. He initiated the system of confederacy among the There weak revenue system based on chauth(one Maratha chiefs. fourth of revenue claimed by Zamindar) and
www.laexias.com 19 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
sardeshmukhi (one by tenth of land revenue paid to 1351AD: Accession of Firoz Shah Tughlaq the head collector) played a role in there decline. 1398AD: Timur’s invasion of India Further after Shivaji there was a neglect of socio- cultural reform. This led to stagnation and decline of 1469AD; Birth of Guru Nanak Maratha Empire. 1494AD: Accession of Babur in Farghana
7. MISCELLANEOUS 1497AD: First expedition of Vasco da Gama to India
1526AD: First Battle of Panipat, Babur defeated Ibrahim Medival India Chronology Lodi, Foundation of Mughal dynasty by Babur
712AD: First invasion of Sindh by Mohammed-bin-Qasim 1527AD: Battle of Khanwa-Babur defeated Rana Sanga (Arabs) 1530AD: Death of Babur, Accession of Humayun
836AD:Accession of King Bhoja of Kanauji 1539AD: Battle of Chausa, Sher Shah Suri defeated 985AD:Accession of Rajaraja, the Chola ruler Humayun; Sher Shah Suri became Emperor of India
998AD: Accession of Sultan Mahmud Ghazni 1555AD: Humayun recaptured the throne of Delhi
1001AD: First invasion of India by Mahmud Ghazni who 1556AD: Second Battle of Panipat, Bairam khan regent of defeated Jaipal, the ruler of Punjab Akbar defeated Hemu (the commander of an Afghan Army) 1025AD: Destruction of Somnath Temple by Mahmud Ghazni 1556AD: Battle of Tailcoata (confederacy of successor state of Bahmani kingdom defeated Vijyanagar Kingdom) 1191AD: First battle of Tarain between Prithviraj Chauhan and Sultan MohammadGhori (was defeated) 1576AD:Battle of Haldighati, Rana Pratap was defeated by Man Singh (Mughal general) 1192AD; Second battle of Tarain, Prithviraj was defeated. 1582AD: Din-i-Ilahi founded by Akbar 1206AD: Succession of Qutubuddin Aibak 1600AD: English East India Company established 1210AD; Death of Qutubuddin Aibak 1605AD: Death of Akbar and accession of Jahangir 1221AD; Mongol invasion -Chengiz Khan invaded India 1606AD: Execution of Guru Arjun Dev,Guru Arjun Dev was 1236AD; Succession of Razia Sultana to the sovereignty of the 5th Guru of Sikhs Delhi 1615AD: Sir Thomas Roe (British representative) visits 1240AD; Death of Razia Sultana Jahangir
1296AD; Accession of AllauddinKhalji 1627AD: Birth of Sivaji, Death of Jahangir
1316AD: Death of AllauddinKhalji 1628AD: Shahjahan becomes Emperor of India
1325AD: Accession of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq 1631AD: Death of Mumtaz Mahal Shahjahan’s wife
1327AD: Capital was transferred from Delhi to Devagiri 1634AD: The English permitted to trade in Bengal (Daulatabad) byMuhammad-bin-Tughlaq 1659AD: Accession of Aurangzeb, Shahjahan imprisoned 1336AD: Foundation ofVijyanagarEmpire in the South
www.laexias.com 20 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
1665AD: Sivaji imprisoned by Aurangzeb 6. AthnasiusNiketin from Russia
1666AD: Death of Shahjahan Period of Travel: 1470-1474 AD
1675AD: Executionof Guru Teg Bahadur, Guru Teg Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Mohammad III Bahmani Bahadur was the ninth Guru of Sikhs 7. Bartholomu Diaz-Italian boat man 1680AD: Death of Sivaji Period of Travel: 1503-1508 AD 1707AD: Death of Aurangzeb Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Deccan 1708AD: Death of Guru GovindSingh, GuruGovind Singh 8. Eduardo Barbosa-Portuguese was 10th Guru of Sikhs Period of Travel: 1516-1518 AD 1739AD: Nadir Shah invaded India Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Krishna Dev Ray (Vijay 1757AD: Battle of Plassey, Establishment of British Nagar) political rule in India 9. Domingo’s Paes—Portuguese 1761AD: Third battle of Panipat, Maratha were defeated by Ahmed Shah Abdali Period of Travel: 1520-1522 AD
Foreign Travellers who came to India in Medieval Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Krishna Dev Ray (Vijay Period Nagar)
1. Marco Polo from Italy 10. Nuniz-Portuguese Merchant of Home
Period of Travel: 1288-1292 AD Period of Travel: 1535-1537 AD
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Pandya Kingdom Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Achyut Dev Ray (Vijay Nagar) 2. Ibn-e-Batuta from Morocco 11. Anthony Monserrate Portuguese Priest Period of Travel: 1333-1342 AD Period of Travel: 1578-1582 AD Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Mohammad Bin Tughlaq Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Akbar 3. Nicoloi Conti from Italy 12. Ralph Fisch (First English traveller) Period of Travel: 1420-1422 AD Period of Travel: 1585-1591 AD Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Dev Ray I (Vijay Nagar) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Akbar 4. Tsang Hi from China 13. CeaserFredriseh (Portuguese traveller) Period of Travel: 1421-1431 AD Period of Travel: 16th Century Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jalaluddin of Bengal Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Vijay Nagar 5. AbdurRazzak-Ambassador from Iran 14. John Linscoten (Dutch) Period of Travel: 1442-1443 AD Period of Travel: 16th Century Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Dev Ray II (Vijay Nagar) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Vijay Nagar
www.laexias.com 21 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
15. Lama Taranath (TibetianBauddha) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir
Period of Travel: 16th Century 25. Francisco Paelsert (Dutch)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Eastern India Period of Travel: 1620-1627 AD
16. Captain Hawkins (English traveller) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir
Period of Travel: 1608-1613 AD 26. Pietra Della Velle (Italy)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1622-1660 AD
17. William Fisch (English traveller) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir
Period of Travel: 1608-1612 AD 27. John Loyatt (Dutch)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1626-1633 AD
18. John Jurdan (Portuguese) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Shahjahan
Period of Travel: 1608-1617 AD 28. John Fryer (English)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1627-1681 AD
19. NicholosDoughton (English Navy Officer) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Shahjahan
Period of Travel: 1608-1615 AD 29. Peter Mundy (Italy)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1630-1634 AD
20. NicholosWithurgton (English traveller) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Shahjahan
Period of Travel: 1612-1616 AD 30. Tavernier (French Jeweller)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1641-1687 AD
21. Thomas Coryat (English traveller) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Shahjahan & Aurangzeb
Period of Travel: 1612-1617 AD 31. Manucci (Italy)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1656-1687 AD
22. Sir Thomas Roe (English Ambassador) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Aurangzeb
Period of Travel: 1615-1619 AD 32. Bernier (French Doctor)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1658-1668 AD
23. Pal Canning (English traveller) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Aurangzeb
Period of Travel: 1615-1625 33. Jean Thevnot (France)
Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Jahangir Period of Travel: 1666-1668 AD
24. Edward Terry (English Priest) Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Aurangzeb
Period of Travel: 1616-1619 AD 34. GammillyCareri (Italy)
www.laexias.com 22 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Period of Travel: 1695-1697 AD and the human soul Under Reign (Ruler or Dynasty): Bijapur prevalent at the time 2. He preached "Dvaita" List of Saints and Teachers of the Bhakti Movement or dualism, where the divinity was separate from Saints and teachers of Contribution the human conscience the Bhakti Movement Ramanada (15th 1. Founder of Sant- Shankara (788 - 820 1. Integrated the essence century) parampara (literally, the AD) of Buddhism in Hindu tradition of bhakti saints) thought and interpreted in north India the ancient Vedic religion 2. Disciple(s): 2 poetess- 2. Consolidated the saints and 10 poet-saints doctrine of Advaita including Kabir, Ravidas, Vedanta BhagatPipa, Sukhanand 3. Literary works: Gyan- Ramanuja (1017-1137 1. Exponents of the Sri lila and Yog-cintamani A.D) Vaishnavism tradition (Hindi),Vaisnava Mata within Hinduism Bhajabhaskara and 2. Literary Ramarcanapaddhati works: Traditionally 9 (Sanskrit) Sanskrit texts, including VedarthaSangraham, Sri Kabir (1440-1510 AD) 1. Disciple of Ramananda Bhashyam, Gita Bhashyam 2. He believed in formless 3. Propagator God. of Vishishtadvaita 3. He was the first to Vedanta or qualified reconcile Hinduism and monism Islam.
Basava (12th Century) 1. Founder of the Guru Nanak Dev 1. Founder of Sikhism Lingayats (1469-1538 AD) religion 2. Literary 2. Opposes idol worship works: VachanaSahitya in and caste system, and Kannada Language taught worship of one 3. Propagator of God through prayer and shakthiVisishtadvaita meditation.
Madhva (1238-1319 1. Broke away from the Purandara (15th 1. One of the chief AD) doctrine of unity of God century) founding-proponents of
www.laexias.com 23 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
the South Indian classical honour of Krishna. music (Carnatic Music). Haridas (1478-1573 1. A great musician saint 2. He is often quoted AD) who sang the glories of as Karnataka Lord Vishnu SangeetaPitamaha
Tulasidas (1532-1623 1. Depicted Rama as the DaduDayal (1544-1603 1. Disciple of Kabir AD) incarnation AD) 2. He was a supporter of 2. Wrote Ramcharitmanas Hindu-Muslim unity
3. His followers were Namdeva (1270-1309 1. Disciple of called DaduPanthis AD) VishobaKhechar
2. He was a devotee of Chaitanya (1468-1533 1. Founder of modern Vittoba (Vishnu) AD) Vaishnavism in Bengal
2. Popularized Kirtan Jnanesvar (1275-1296 1. Wrote "Jnaneswari", a AD) commentary on the Shankaradeva (1499- 1. Spread the Bhakti cult Bhagavad-Gita 1569 AD) in Assam Eknath 1. Wrote commentary Vallabhacharya (1479- 1. Exponent of Krishna on verses of the 1531 AD) cult Bhagavad-Gita
2. He worshipped Krishna 2. Devotee of Vithoba under the title "Srinathji" Tukaram 1. Contemporary of Surdas (1483-1563 AD) 1. Disciple of Maratha king Shivaji Vallabhacharya 2. Devotee of Vithal 2. Showed intense 3. He founded the Varkau devotion to Radha and sect Krishna 4. His teachings are 3. Regarded as contained in Abhangas. the outstanding devotional poet Ram Das 1. Author of Dasabodh in Brajbhasha 2. His teachings inspired Mirabai (1498-1563 1. Staunch devotee of Shivaji to establish an AD) Lord Krishna independent kingdom in Maharashtra. 2. Composed number of songs and poems in
www.laexias.com 24 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
Religious Cults and Movements of Medieval India 16th Century AD Sikh Guru Nanak Movement Foundation Movements Founders
1190 AD Chishti Muinuddin 16th Century AD Hari Chaitanya Movement Chishti KirtanMandal (Sufi) i
1250 AD SuharavardiSi BahauddinZachari 16th Century AD Roshania MianBajid Ansari lsila (Sufi) a Movement
14th Century AD Firdausia Cult SerfuddinYahya 16th Century AD Pushti Marg Ballabhacharya (Sufi)
16th Century AD Barkari Sect Eknath
15th Century AD Dharmadasi Saint Kabir Das Cult 17th Century AD NaqshBandiSilsil KhwajaBakiVill a ah
15th Century AD Mahadevi Sayyad movement Mohammad th Mahadi 17 Century AD Dharkari Sect Ram Das
Some Important terms and their meanings- 15th Century AD Shattari Cult Abdulla Sattari (Sufi) Gana Is used for a group that has many members. Shamans are men and women who claim magical and healing powers, as well as an ability to communicate with the other world. 1500 AD Qadiri a Sheikh Abdul Silsila Qadir Samantas- They collected revenue from theland and used this to maintain soldiers and horses, and provide equipment for warfare. 16th Century AD Nipakh DaduDayal Movement Kammakaras- landless agricultural laborers
Sanskrit texts use the term kula to designate families and jati for the larger network of kinfolk.The term vamsha is used for lineage.
www.laexias.com 25 https://elearn.laex.in NCERT GIST OF MEDIEVAL HISTORY
www.laexias.com 26 https://elearn.laex.in