The Great Moguls. The Empire of the Mughals

India is one of the largest countries in the world, having an original culture and an interesting history. In particular, and to this day researchers are concerned with how the son of Emir Ferghana Babur, who was left without a father at the age of 12, not only fell prey to political intrigues and died, but also penetrated into India and created one of the greatest empires of Asia .

Prehistory

Before the powerful empire of the Great Moguls was formed on the territory of modern India and some adjacent states, this country was fragmented into many small principalities. They were constantly raided by neighbors-nomads. In particular, in the 5th century, the Hun tribes penetrated the territory of the Gupta state, which occupies the northwestern part of the Hindustan Peninsula and adjacent to the north of the earth. And although by the year 528 they were expelled, after their departure in India, there were no large state entities. A century later, several small principalities were united under their leadership by the charismatic and far-sighted ruler of Harsch, but after his death the new empire disintegrated, and in the 11th century Muslims under the leadership of Mahmud Ghaznavi penetrated into the territory of Hindustan and founded the Delhi Sultanate. During the 13th century, this state was able to withstand the invasion of the Mongols, but by the end of the 14th it disintegrated as a result of the invasion of the many thousands of hordes of Timur. Despite this, the largest principalities of the Delhi Sultanate existed until 1526. Their conquerors were the Great Moguls, led by Babur - Timurid, who came to India with a huge international army. His army at that time was the strongest in the region and the troops of Indian rajas could not prevent him from conquering Hindustan.

Biography of Babur

The first Great Mogul of India was born in 1483 on the territory of modern Uzbekistan, in the famous trading city of Andijan. His father was the emir of Fergana, who was the great-grandson of Tamerlane, and his mother came from the genus Chingizids. When Babnur was only 12 years old, he remained an orphan, but two years later he managed to capture Samarkand. In general, as the researchers of the biography of the founder of the empire of the Great Moguls point out, from his earliest childhood he had an exceptional desire for power, and already then he cherished the dream of becoming the head of a huge state. Triumph after the first victory did not last long, and after 4 months Babur was expelled from Samarkand by Sheibani Khan, who was three times his senior. An experienced politician did not calm down on this and achieved that the young Timurid was forced to flee with his army to Afghanistan. There fortune smiled at the young man, and he conquered Kabul. But the resentment that his patrimony-Samarkand is ruled by an alien Uzbek ruler, did not bother him, and he repeatedly made attempts to return to this city. All of them ended in failure, and realizing that there was no way back, Babur decided to conquer India and establish his new state there.

How the State of the Great Moguls was founded

In 1519, Babur made a march to North-West India, and seven years later decided to capture Delhi. In addition, he defeated the Rajput prince and founded a state centered in Agra. Thus, by 1529, the empire included the territories of East Afghanistan, Punjab and the Ganges valley up to the borders of Bengal.

The death of Babur

Death overtook the founder of the Mughal empire in 1530. After the accession to the throne of Hamayun, the empire of the Great Moguls in India lasted until 1539, when Pashtun commander Sher-shah expelled him from the country. However, after 16 years, the Moghuls were able to regain their possessions and return to Delhi. Feeling a near death, the head of state shared the empire between his four sons, appointing Hamayun as the chief among them, who was to manage Hindustan. Three other Baburids got Kandahar, Kabul and Punjab, but they were obliged to obey their elder brother.

Akbar the Great

In 1542 Hamayun had a son. He was called Akbar, and it was this grandson of Babur that was to make the empire that the Great Moguls founded, went down in history as an example of a state where there was no religious and national discrimination. He ascended the throne, almost at the same early age as his grandfather, and spent almost 20 years of his life on suppressing the riots and strengthening centralized power. As a result, by 1574, the formation of a single state with clear management systems in the field and collection of taxes was completed. Being an exceptionally intelligent person, Akbar the Great allocated land and financed the construction of not only mosques, but also Hindu temples, as well as Christian churches that missionaries were allowed to open in Goa.

Jahangir

The next ruler of the empire was the third son of Akbar the Great - Selim. Entering the throne after the death of his father, he ordered to call himself Jahangir, which in translation means "conqueror of the world." He was a short-sighted ruler, who first abolished laws relating to religious tolerance, than he set up against the Hindus and representatives of other nationalities who are not Muslims. Thus, the Great Moguls ceased to enjoy the support of the population of many regions, and were compelled from time to time to suppress revolts against their rajahs.

Shah Jahan

The last years of Jahangir's reign, who became a drug addict by the end of his life, were a dark time for the empire, which the Great Moguls founded. The fact is that a struggle for power began in the palace, in which the main wife of the padishah named Nur-Jahan took an active part. During this period, the third son of Jahangir, married to his stepmother's niece, decided to take advantage of the situation and succeeded in proclaiming himself an heir bypassing older brothers. After the death of his father, he took the throne and reigned for 31 years. During this time, the capital of the Great Mogul - Agra turned into one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. At the same time, it was he who decided in 1648 to make Delhi the capital of his state and built the Red Fort there. Thus, this city became the second capital of the empire, and it was there in 1858 that the British troops captured the last Great Mogul along with their closest relatives. Thus ended the history of the empire, which left behind a huge cultural heritage.

The capital of the Great Moguls

As already mentioned, the main city of his empire in 1528, Babur made Agra. Today it is one of the most famous tourist centers in Asia, as there are many monuments of architecture of the Mughal period. In particular, everyone knows the famous mausoleum Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife. This unique building is rightly considered one of the wonders of the world and strikes with its perfection and magnificence.

The fate of Delhi was different. In 1911, it became the residence of the Viceroy of India, and all the main departments of the colonial British government moved there from Calcutta. The next 36 years the city developed at a rapid pace, and there were areas of European development. In particular, in 1931, the opening of his new district of New Delhi, completely designed by the British, was held. In 1947, he was proclaimed the capital of the independent Republic of India and remains so to this day.

The empire of the Great Moguls lasted from the first half of the 16th to 1858 and played an important role in the fate of the peoples inhabiting India.