MUGHAL EMPIRE: ORIGIN, LOCATION, CHARACTERISTICS, ECONOMY - HISTORY - 2025

The Mughal Empire was a Muslim empire that existed in the Indian subcontinent from the year 1526; dominated the region for around 300 years. It was ruled by a dynasty established by Turkic-Mongols with roots in the central part of the Asian continent. During its splendor, it was a vast and efficient empire.

During their golden age, the Mughals dominated almost the entire Indian subcontinent, and extended their rule to part of Afghanistan. The Empire is considered the second largest to have dominated the region of India; It became the most economically powerful country on Earth during the planet's industrial age.

Mughal-dominated territory

It is one of the most important empires that existed in India and its capacity is often compared to the Ottoman and Persian empires thanks to its dominance of gunpowder.

Origin

Babur

The Mughal dynasty was founded by a Turkish-Mongolian prince named Babur. He was a descendant of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and the Turkish-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane. Babur was expelled from Central Asia, so he decided to find a new place to establish his empire.

He established his new base in Kabul, Afghanistan; from there he began to conquer territory until taking over the entire Punjabi region of India. In 1526 he began to invade other areas controlled by Hindu emperors, ending the existence of two local empires during his conquest.

In 1529 Babur advanced to other regions of Afghanistan and expanded Mughal control there. Although he died in 1530, his four years of conquest caused his Empire to expand from all of northern India to western Afghanistan.

Babur's son Humayun was not a great emperor. He lost control of the Empire to various attacks by rebel invaders, which cost the Mughal dynasty several areas of control. However, Humayun's son became the most important emperor of the Mughal dynasty.

Akbar

Akbar, Babur's grandson, ended Hindus' control of the Empire and established a new chain of command in the new Mughal region. He is regarded as the emperor who truly consolidated the existence of the Mughals and emphasized control over the Indian region.

Unlike his predecessors, Akbar did not exclude the Hindus from his Empire. Residents of India were invited to join the government, and were also offered to join the Mughal army.

Akbar's policies across the board (military, civil, economic, and political) were the main reasons why the Empire managed to survive efficiently for more than a century.

The Mughal Empire was characterized by the centrality of power, since having a competent emperor was a necessary asset for the proper functioning of the Empire. Akbar enabled the development and growth of the Mughals during his tenure as emperor.

Location

During its most important stage of growth, the Empire controlled a large amount of territory. This allowed it to become the most powerful domain in the economic sphere that the Indian region had had up to that time.

The territorial growth of the Empire was linked entirely to its economic power. As time passed, the Mughals seized more territory in the Indian region.

In 1707, the year that marks the peak of Mughal power, the Empire controlled the entire territory ranging from a little further south of Jinji to the Himalayan mountains to the north. The expansion also allowed territorial control to the east and west, which caused the Empire to dominate a part of Afghanistan.

General characteristics

Culture

From its origins, the Mughal Empire was characterized by the unification of diverse cultures under the same flag. Although they dominated the territory of India, the Hindu culture was not lost with the Mughal conquest.

It is even considered that the Hindu culturally evolved after the acquisition of control of the region by the Mughals. The Empire brought a number of new cultures to the inhabitants of the region, and the Hindus adopted aspects of Persian and Arab culture.

The Mughal Empire is responsible for the creation of Urdu, a language that emerged as a result of the mixture of cultures.

Military capability

The military might of the Empire was one of the main reasons why the territorial control of India was not so complicated. Back then many local governments (particularly sultanates) had a large number of soldiers, but not the ability to use gunpowder in their battles.

The Turkish-Mongols did possess this ability, thanks to having obtained the knowledge of Ottoman engineers and inventors. For this reason, Babur was able to decisively end local governments during the first years of conquest.

In addition, other rulers (such as Akbar) took military policies that allowed the subsequent development of the use of military formations based on firearms.

The Mughals were renowned for their use of gunpowder to make rockets and grenades, tools that they used in various battles to kill their enemies and Hindu war elephants.

Art

The Empire had a fairly extensive artistic growth, particularly during Akbar's reign. The emperor established a large number of bookstores and cultural centers throughout the Mughal territory, allowing his subjects to learn and develop their own ideas.

In some funeral structures the creation of Christian paintings was allowed for believers of the Catholic religion.

In addition, the son of Akbar (who was also an emperor) turned the Mughal Empire into a region with a tremendous artistic boom. During his rule, various artistic pieces were created that went down in the history of India, such as pieces of jade.

From 1500 onwards, the creation of works of art referring to the life of the emperor, as well as animals, flowers and diverse landscapes, was promoted.

Administration

The greatest exponent of administrative organization during the Mughal Empire came with the seizure of power by Akbar. He divided the government into four different departments, assigning a minister to each.

Each minister fulfilled a specific function. One was responsible for finances, another was responsible for payments to soldiers and civilians, another acted as prime minister of society, and the last represented legislative and religious authority.

Additionally, the Empire was divided into 15 provinces. Each had its own regional authorities and a different source of money, but all of these regions were supervised by the emperor. Furthermore, the separation of powers was clearly marked.

Economy

The main source of income for the Mughal Empire was tilling the land. Emperor Akbar established an economic system that consisted of calculating the price of products and everything that was grown on average for 10 years; a third of this income belonged to the State.

However, this system was entirely dependent on the productivity of the land. In other words, income and taxes were adjusted as the regions were more or less productive.

The administrative division of each region meant that regions with a similar level of productivity were grouped together, making it easier to calculate taxes in a total way using this system.

Each person who owned a growing region received a special title from the state. This title guaranteed the ability to cultivate, as long as the person paid due taxes to the government.

In turn, there were various types of permits that the empire guaranteed. Each permit represented a different form of payment.

In some cases, other tax systems applied. It was possible that the payment was calculated according to the amount of feed available for sale after planting or, in other cases, by dividing the grain available.

Religion

One of the most important factors of the Mughal Empire was the tolerance that existed for the presence of various religions. The emperors were always originally from Central Asia with Turkish-Mongolian roots, which culturally made them have the Muslim as their main religion.

However, the Mughals took over India, a region where Hindu predominated as the main religion of all inhabitants.

The Mughal emperors allowed their new subjects to practice Hinduism, which guaranteed all the inhabitants of the Empire the freedom to believe in the gods of their choosing.

This is emphasized by the fact that the Mughals allowed people of other religious beliefs to serve in government positions. This type of attitude was very rare for the time, since religious unification was considered important worldwide.

When Akbar came to power a new religious system was adopted that revolved around belief in God, regardless of its form.

Akbar was responsible for allowing the open practice of Christianity and many other religions, naming himself as a deity, but accepting all kinds of beliefs.

References

1. The Mughal Empire: Rulers, Characteristics & Hindu Influence, J. Whittemore, (nd). Taken from study.com
2. Mughal Dynasty, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
3. India - The Reign of Akbar The Great, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
4. Mughal Empire (1500s, 1600s), BBC Religions, 2009. Taken from bbc.co.uk
5. Mughal Empire, The New World Encyclopedia, (nd). Taken from newworldencyclopedia.org
6. Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, Ministry of External Affairs of India, 2013. Taken from mea.gov.in