SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON 4 THE MUGHAL EMPIRE Grade: 7 [ ] Define the terms:-

1. Jagir: areas assigned to a mansabdar 2. Karkhana: A manufacturing institution under state supervision during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods.

II. Fill in the blanks:- 3. Jahangir’s wife name was Mehrunnisa. 4. Akbar introduced the mansabdari system. 5. The mansabdari system introduced by Akbar was a system that dealt with military administration. 6. The land revenue system that developed during the reign of Akbar was called Jagir 7. Shahjahan is best known for his Deccan and foreign policies. 8. Humayun sought help of Persian king Shah Tahmasp (Safvid) to conquer Delhi and Agra. 9. Akbar defeated Hemu the wazir of the Sur dynasty in the second battle of Panipat. 10. Aurangzeb captured the last of the Shia states Bijapur and Golconda. 11. Captain William Hawkins visited the court of Jahangir in 1615. 12. Jalaluddin Akbar was only thirteen years old at the time of Humayun’s death.

III. Match the following:- COLUMN A COLUMN B 1. Mansabdar 5 a. Protected the laws of the shari’at 2. Diwani kul 4 b. Looked after the military 3. qazi-ul-quzzat 1 c. Officers of the Mughal army. 4. Mir bakshi 3 d. Head of juduciary 5. Sadr-us sudur 2 e. Responsible for revenue and finance.

IV. Answer the following:

1. Name the six main rulers of the Mughal Dynasty. Ans. Babur – Humayun – Akbar – Jahangir – Shahjahan – Aurangzeb.

2. Akbarnama and Ain-I – Akbari are autobiographies of which ruler? Ans. Akbar

3. Who encouraged Babur to attack India? Ans. The unstable political condition in Indian and invitation from Daulat Khan Lodhi encouraged him to attack India. 4. Which Mughal Ruler brought almost whole of India under his control? Ans. Akbar

5. Where was the first English trading post established in India. Ans. Surat

6. Which Mughal ruler developed the idea of Sulh – I – kul or universal peace? Ans. Akbar 7. Write a note on Mughal administration. Ans: Division of Provinces: Akbar divide the whole territory into twelve provinces, which were called subas.

Land Revenue Administration: With the help of Raja Todar Mal, Akbar experimented on the land revenue administration, which was completed in 1580.The land revenue system was called Zabti or Bandobast system or Dahsala System. The revenue was fixed on the average yield of land measured on the basis of previous ten years. The land was divided into four categories

1. Polaj (cultivated every year) 2. Parauti (once in two years) 3. Chachar (once in three or four years) 4. Banjar (once in five or more years). Payment of revenue was made generally in cash.

Mansabdari System: Akbar introduced the Mansabdari system in his administration. Under this system every officer was assigned a rank (Mansab). The ranks were divided into two – Zat and Sawar. Zat means personal and it fixed the personal status of a person. Every sawar had to maintain at least two horses.

8. Explain Akbar’s religious policy.

Ans: In 1575, Akbar built Ibadat Khana (House of worship) at his new capital Fatepur Sikri and invited scholars from all religions like Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. He realized that the difference b/w people were created by religious bigots for their own interests. This led him to develop the idea of SULH-I-KUL or universal peace which was secular in outlook and did not discriminate between the people of different religion. It focused on peace, honesty and justice.

9. How was the rule of Aurangzeb different from that of his predecessors? Ans: * Aurangzeb was very different from his predecessors. All his Mughal ancestors were not very religious. Most Mughal kings had Hindu wives, even Aurangzeb had one but the difference was that while all his predecessors were Muslims none of them were Islamic. * Under Aurangzeb’s rule the borders of the Mughal Empire spread out farther than ever before.

HOT QUESTION:- 7. Trace the origins of Mughals. Ans. The name Mughal or Moghul is a corruption of the Persian word for Mongol, the Central Asian tribe after whom Mongolia is named. The Mughals originated in Central Asia, and were descended from the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan and Timur (Tamburlaine), the great conqueror of Asia. They were immensely proud of their pedigree, and it was the memory of Timur's raids on India in the fourteenth century that spurred Babur on to invade.

8. Who was Akbar’s regent? What role did he play in the politics of the time? Ans. Akbar's regent is Bairam Khan. He was an aggressive general who was determined to restore Mughal authority in India. During politics he fought for Akbar's kingdom and helped to restore peace and happiness In Mughal Empire. Bairam Khan was a great commander and it was because of him that Akbar could defeat Hemu and capture the throne of Delhi and Agra.

9. List out the causes of the decline of the Mughal Empire:  Wars of Succession: The Mughals did not follow any law of succession like the law of primogeniture.  Aurangzeb's Policies.  Weak Successors of Aurangzeb.  Empty Treasury, as all expense was made on salaries and goods.  Nadir Shah’s Invasions weakened the Mughal power  Size of the Empire and Challenge from Regional Powers.