170 THE MEDIEVAL WORLD 171

See also: Muhammad receives the divine revelation 78–81 ■ The founding of Baghdad 86–93 ■ The fall of Granada 128–29 ■ The fall of Constantinople 138–41 ■ The founding of the Safavid dynasty, Persia 198

ROYALTY IS A REMEDY Support and survival himself was often on the move, maintained the political traveling with his court and harem unity of his sprawling realm by in well-appointed tents. FOR THE SPIRIT OF building an administration capable Another unifying factor was the of expansion as new territories spread of Islam, together with its were incorporated. He created a arts and culture; however, Akbar REBELLION network of highly paid nobles who believed in religious freedom and served as provincial governors, or allowed the empire’s non-Muslim THE CONQUESTS OF AKBAR THE GREAT (1556) were employed as commanders of populations, which included a large field armies or as part of the central Hindu majority, to live by their own military—the backbone of the faiths, laws, and customs. empire. He also recruited talented men from across India (and Persia), Interaction with Persia both Muslim and Hindu, into his , the founder of the Mughal government, remunerating them dynasty, and , Akbar’s Akbar While in exile in Persia, Akbar’s father, Humayun, develops IN CONTEXT with money or land. father, had developed diplomatic, close ties with the Safavid court, who help him recover some Akbar was just 13 years old FOCUS of his territories in India. This system rewarded cultural, and political links with individual merit and loyalty, but another Islamic empire in the region, when he inherited the Mughal Islamic empires kept the administration from Safavid Persia, which stimulated throne, and initially ruled under a regent, , becoming too centralized—a Mughal interest in Persian fine arts BEFORE who assisted him in forcibly 1501 The Safavid dynasty Akbar wins the Second Battle of and the distinct advantage in an empire such as miniature painting and unifying India’s collection unites Persia; they make Shi’a Mughal dynasty goes on to becomes the dominant that was difficult to hold together the “art of the book.” Akbar set up of regional kingdoms into a Islam the state religion, and power on the Indian subcontinent. from a single center. The emperor studios to produce illustrated books single, centralized political suppress all other religions in the cities of system within which the and other forms of Islam. and Lahore (now in Pakistan), and emperor was the supreme Persian architects and artisans source of authority. 1526 At the first Battle of Persian artists and were brought to India to design Under Akbar, the dynasty Panipat, Babur, a descendant Akbar strengthens the cultural, commercial, and scholars are lured to India and construct palaces, forts, became an artistic as well as of Mongol rulers Timur and political bonds between by the Mughal mosques, and public buildings, military power. Painting and Genghis Khan, conquers Persia and India. court’s brilliance. including Humayun’s tomb literature blossomed under and founds the . in Delhi. This domed structure the emperor’s patronage— although he himself was 1540 Babur’s successor, inspired major architectural innovations, and a unique Persian- illiterate, he acquired a library Humayun, rapidly loses much of 24,000 books. His capital at influenced building style developed of the empire and is exiled. Persian culture influences northern Indian literary, architectural, Fatehpur Sikri also became a across the Indian subcontinent. and artistic traditions, resulting in a distinctive Mughal style. center for religiou