The Mughal Empire,
The Mughal Empire began in 1526, at the height of
their power in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they controlled most of
the Indian Subcontinent .Its population at that time has been estimated
as between 110 and 150 million, over a territory of more than 3.2 million
square kilometres.The classic period of the empire started in 1556 with the
accession of Muhammad Akbar.Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed
much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.Under the rule
of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well
as religious harmony. The Mughals also forged a strategic alliance with several
Hindu Rajput kingdoms. Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant
threat to Mughal dominance of northwestern India, but they were subdued by
Akbar.
The reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth emperor, was
the golden age of Mughal arcitecture. He erected many splendid monuments, the
most famous of which is the legendary Taj Mahal at Agra, as well as Pearl
Mosque, the Red Fort, Jama Masjid (Mosque) and Lahore Fort. The Mughal Empire
reached the zenith of its territorial expansion during the reign of Aurangzeb.
During his lifetime, victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more
than 1.25 million square miles, ruling over more than 150 million subjects,
nearly 1/4th of the world's population.
By the late 17th
century, Hindu Maratha Empire had emerged as formidable foes of the Mughals,
resulting in War of 27 years between both the forces. Following the death of
AurangzebAlamgheer in 1707, the empire
started its gradual decline, weakened by wars
of succession, agrarian crises fueling local revolts, the growth of religious
intolerance, the rise of the Maratha. After 27 years of war with the Marathas,
Mughals lost all of their territory in the Deccan region.In 1737, Maratha
forces sacked Delhi, following their victory against the Mughals in the First
Battle of Delhi. In 1739, a weakened Mughal Empire lost the Battle of Karnal,
following which the victorious forces of Nader Shah invaded and looted Delhi,
carrying away many treasures, including the Peacock Throne.A treaty signed in
1752 made Marathas the protector of the Mughal throne at Delhi. The last
Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, whose rule was restricted to the city of Delhi, was
imprisoned and exiled by the British after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
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