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Akbar by Abdur Rahim Khan-I- Khana

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Akbar by Abdur Rahim Khan-I- Khana Mughals Babur (1526 - 1530 C.E.) ØBabur originally called as Zahiruddin Muhammed Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. ØHe was a descendent of Timur (Father’s line) & Changez Khan (mother’s line). His dynasty was called as Timurid dynasty. ØAround 1494 C.E. Babur succeeded his father Umar Sheikh Mirza as the ruler of Ferghana. ØHe won the Timurid capital of Samarkand twice but lost it instantly. Battle of Panipat ØIn 1525 C.E., Daulat Khan Lodhi, the governor of Punjab sought aid from Babur to overthrow Ibrahim Lodhi. ØIn 1526 C.E., at the historic battle ground of Panipat, Babur met the army of the last Delhi sultan Ibrahim Lodhi & decisively defeated the latter. ØIbrahim Lodhi was killed in the battle field. He was the only Delhi sultan to die in the battle field. Battle of Panipat ØThe reasons for this victory ØBest artillery & Babur had 2 important Turkish artillery experts Ustad Ali & Mustafa. ØBabur’s war tactics, particularly the Tughluma (Flanking) tactic helped him to win the war. ØThe victory of Babur in the 1st battle of Panipat laid the foundation for rule of Mughal dynasty in India. Battles ØBabur ruled for 4 years in India, but he had to fight continuously. Apart from the 1st battle of Panipat, he fought 3 other battles. Ø1527 C.E.: Babur’s army faced Rana Sanga of Mewar in the battle of Khanwa (near Agra) & defeated the latter. He acquired the title Ghazi after his victory in this war. Ø1528 C.E.: Babur defeated Medini Rai of Chanderi & conquered the Malwa region. Ø1529 C.E.: Babur fought against the Afghans in the battle of Ghagra & captured Bihar. End ØBabur wrote his autobiography Tuzuk-i-Babari in his mother tongue Turkish. It was translated into Persian during the reign of Akbar by Abdur Rahim Khan-i- Khana. ØHe died at Agra in 1530 C.E. ØHe was initially buried at Agra but later shifted to Kabul. Now the Tomb of Babur is at Kabul. Humayun (1530-1540 C.E.) ØHumayun means ‘The Fortunate’. He ascended the throne of Babur at Agra in 1530 C.E. ØDuring the first phase of his rule from 1530 C.E. to 1540 C.E., he had to face numerous struggles from his brothers Kamran, Askari, Hindal & also from the Afghans & Rajputs. ØHumayun was defeated by Sher Shah in 1539 C.E., Battle of Chausa & in 1540 C.E., Battle of Kannauj / Bilgram which made him to flee to Agra for his safety for the next 15 years. Humayun: (1555 - 1556 C.E.) ØWhen Humayun left India in 1540 C.E., he married Hamida Begum on his way to Sind. Ø1542 C.E.: Hamida Begum gave birth to Akbar in Umarkot (Amarkot), a Hindu kingdom. ØHumayun, then proceeded to Persia & stayed under the protection of the Persian ruler Shah Tahmasp. ØIn 1555 C.E., when the Sur dynasty was in shambles Humayun defeated Sikander Shah Sur & Adil Shah Sur & captured his lost kingdom. Humayun: (1555 - 1556 C.E.) ØHumayun founded a city called Din Panah. ØHumayun’s sister Gulbadan Begum wrote his biography Humayunama. ØSayyid Ali & Abdus Samad were the two great artists in the court of Humayun. ØHumayun died accidently in 1556 C.E. after he fell from the staircase of his Dinpanah library. ØHumayun wrote poetry in Persian language. Sher Shah Suri dynasty (1540 - 55 C.E.) ØSher Shah was the founder of the Sur dynasty. This was the 2nd Afghan dynasty to rule India. ØHis original name was Farid. He was the son of Hasan Khan, a Jagirdar of Sasaram. ØAfter defeating Humayun in the battle of Chausa (1539 C.E.) and battle of Kanauj or Bilgram (1540 C.E.), he took the title ‘Farid-ud-din-Shershah’ & issued coins in his name printed in Persian & Hindi. ØShershah’s coins: ØCopper coin – Dam ØSilver coin – Rupia. Sher Shah Suri dynasty (1540 - 55 C.E.) ØSher Shah was succeeded by his son Islam Shah Sur (1545 - 1554 C.E.). ØIslam Shah Sur was known for his contribution to the field of judiciary. He codified the laws. ØIslam Shah Sur was succeeded by Sikandar Shah Sur & Adil Shah Sur. ØHumayun first defeated Sikander Shah Sur in the battle of Sirhind in 1555 C.E. and recaptured Delhi. ØAkbar defeated Adil Shah Sur in the 2nd battle of Panipat (1556 C.E.), thus the Sur dynasty came to an end. ØThe commander-in-chief of Adil Shah Sur was Hemu. He led the Afghan army in the 2nd battle of Panipat. Akbar (1556-1605 C.E.) ØAkbar was crowned at the age of 13 at Kalanaur. Bairam Khan the tutor of Prince Akbar & loyal officer of Humayun became the Wakil (Regent) of the kingdom. ØBairam Khan was given the title Khan-i-Khana. ØAkbar defeated Hemu (Vikrama Jit), the commander in chief of Adil Shah Sur in the 2nd battle of Panipat, 1556 C.E. ØAround 1560 C.E., Akbar issued a Farman dismissing Bairam Khan from his office & started to take the power in his own hands. Though Bairam Khan rebelled initially he was forced to submit within 6 months. ØBairam Khan was assassinated by an Afghan at Patan near Ahmedabad on his way to Mecca. Akbar (1556-1605 C.E.) ØAkbar brought up Bairam’s son Abdur Rahim as his own son who was later conferred the title Khan-i-Khana. ØThe Kachhawaha ruler, Raja Bharmal of Amber voluntarily married his daughter Harkha Bai to Akbar. ØDuring the siege of Chittur fort the Sisodiya ruler Rana Udai Singh retired to the hills leaving the fort incharge of his generals Jaimal & Patta. They both fought valiantly but were massacred along with other 30000 Rajput warriors by the Mughals. ØIn honor of the Brave Jaimal & Patta, Akbar ordered to erect 2 stone statues of these warriors seated on elephants outside the chief gate of the fort of Agra. ØBattle of Haldighati 1576: Maharana Pratap Continued.. ØAkbar built the famous Buland Darwaza at his newly founded city of Fatehpur Sikri in order to commemorate his victory over Gujarat. ØHe abolished Pilgrim tax in 1563 C.E. & Jaziya in 1564 C.E. Ø1575 C.E.: he established the Ibadat Khana for religious discussions in which Hindus were represented by Devi & Purushottam, Zorastrians by Dastur Maharji, Jains by Hari Vijay Suri (Akbar bestowed on him the title Jagat Guru), Christians were represented by Father Antony Monsorette., ØAkbar was the first Indian ruler to organize Haj pilgrimage at the state expense. Religion Ø1579 C.E.: Akbar proclaimed his famous Mahzarnama (infallibility decree) which made him Mustahid Imam-i- Adil (Final interpreter of Islamic laws) & Sultan-i-Adil (the just ruler). Ø1582 C.E.: he founded Tauhid-i-Illahi (divine monotheism) which was later called as Din-i-Illahi. It is considered more as a Sufi order than as a religion. ØBirbal’s original name was Mahesh Das. ØRalph Flitch, an English merchant visited Akbar’s court. ØSheikh Salim Chisti Navratnas ØBirbal ØAbul Fazal ØFaizi ØTodarmal ØMan Singh ØMulla Do Pyaza ØBhagwan Das ØTansen ØAbdur Rahim Khan-i-Khana Important Facts ØAkbar prohibited slavery & sati system. He legalized widow remarriage. For marriage he fixed age of 14 years for girls & 16 years for boys. ØAbul Fazl was killed by Vir Singh Bundela on the command of Mughal prince Salim (Jahangir). ØFor some time Akbar transferred his capital to Lahore, then shifted it back to Agra. ØHe constructed the Agra fort & Lahore fort. ØHe began to build his own tomb at Sikandara, which was later completed by Jahangir. ØHe died after an attack of dysentery & was buried in 1605 C.E. at Sikandara near Agra. Administration of Mughals ØThe Mansabdari system was introduced by Akbar. It was a military-cum-civil bureaucracy, in which ‘Mansabs were assigned as civilian government officers and military commanders. ØThere were two ranks, Zat- fixed the status and standing in the administrative hierarchy. Sawar- fixed the number of troopers held by the mansabdar. ØMan Singh (who introduced Raag Malhar) & Mirza Aziz Koka had the highest rank. ØDagh system: or branding of horses was strictly enforced. ØAkbar introduced the Dahsala system of revenue collection. Jahangir (1605 C.E. –27 C.E.) ØJahangir (conquerer of the world) initially revolted against Akbar in 1599 C.E. but was pardoned, later he was crowned at Agra in 1605 C.E. ØJahangir’s original name was Salim. ØEstablished a Zanzir-i-Adalat at Agra fort for the seekers of royals justice. ØCaptain Hawkins visited his court. ØSir Thomas Roe (1615 C.E. – 1618 C.E.) ambassador of James I, obtained Imperial Farman from Jahangir to start a factory at Surat. ØJahangir was a great scholar, had knowledge of History, Geography, Natural Science & Arts. He himself was an accomplished painter. Jahangir (1605 C.E. –27 C.E.) ØPrince Khurram (Shah Jahan) supported by his father-in- law, Asaf Khan rebelled against Jahangir. His rebellion was put down. Later he was pardoned by Jahangir. ØHe had the 5th Sikh guru Arjun Dev executed for the latter’s support to Jahangir’s son Khusrau. ØGuru Hargobind was imprisoned in the fort of Gwalior for his refusal to pay the fine. ØJahangir’s military general, Mahabat Khan rebelled against him. His rebellion too was crushed but he was saved by the diplomatic efforts of Nur Jahan(Mihar –un –Nisa). Ø1615 C.E.: Mughal-Mewar peace treaty was signed. Rana Amar Singh of Mewar accepted Mughals sovereignty. Continued.. ØNur Jahan built Itimad-ud-Daula’s tomb at Agra. ØJahangir built Moti Masjid & his own mausoleum at Lahore. ØMiniature painting developed under the patronage of Jahangir.
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