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| − | The '''Mughal Empire''' is to be in the new game Empire total war.
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| − | They have a wide viraly of powerfull archers they also have [[War elephants]] they lack gun powder.
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| − | The '''Mughal Empire''' ([[Persian language|Persian]] and self-designation: گورکانی''{{transl|fa|Gurakâni}}'' ; {{lang-ur|مغلیہ سلطنت}}'' {{transl|ur|Muġalīah Sulṭanat}}''), was an [[Islam]]ic imperial power which ruled most of the [[Indian subcontinent]] from the early 16th to the mid-19th centuries.<ref>[http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Mughals/mughals.html "The Mughal Empire"]</ref> The Mughal Emperors were of Turko-Mongol descent, but developed a highly sophisticated mixed Persian culture. At the height of its power, around 1700, it controlled most of the [[Subcontinent]] - extending from present-day [[Bangladesh]] to [[Kashmir]] and part of what is now [[Afghanistan]]. Its population at that time has been estimated as between 110 and 130 million, over a territory of over 4 million km² (1.5 million mi²).<ref>John F Richards, [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0521566037/ The Mughal Empire], Vol I.5 of the New Cambridge History of India, Cambridge University Press, 1996</ref> Following 1725 it declined rapidly. Its decline has been variously explained as caused by wars of succession, agrarian crises fueling local revolts, the growth of religious intolerance, and British colonialism. The last [[Emperor]], [[Bahadur Shah II]], whose rule was restricted to the city of [[Delhi]], was imprisoned and exiled by the [[British Empire|British]] after the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]].
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| − | The classic period of the Empire starts with the accession of [[Akbar the Great|Jalaluddin Mohammad]], better known as Akbar the Great, in 1556, and ends with the death of [[Aurangzeb]] in 1707, although the Empire continued for another 150 years. During this period, the Empire was marked by a highly centralized administration connecting the different regions. All the significant monuments of the Mughals, their most visible legacy, date to this period.
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| − | ==Early history==
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| − | The foundation for the [[Baburids]] empire was established around the early 1500s by the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]] prince [[Babur]], when he took control of the [[Doab]] and eastern regions of [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] controlling the fertile [[Sindh]] region and the lower valley of the [[Indus River]].<ref>[http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/mongols/timurid.html The Islamic World to 1600: (The Tamarind Empire)]</ref> In 1526, Babur defeated the last of the [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi Sultans]], [[Ibrahim Lodhi|Ibrahim Shah Lodi]], at the [[First Battle of Panipat]]. Babur was invited to invade the [[Delhi Sultanate]] by [[Rana Sanga]], who thought that after defeating Ibrahim Lodhi, Babur would go back and he would become the Ruler of Delhi.<ref>Bhawan Singh Rana, 'Maharana Partap' pp.19 ISBN 8128808257</ref> To secure his newly founded kingdom, Babur then had to face the [[Rajput]] confederacy led by [[Rana Sanga]] of [[Chittor]], at the [[Battle of Khanwa]]. These early military successes of the Turks, achieved by an army much smaller than its opponents, have been attributed to their cohesion, mobility, [[horse]]-mounted archers, and use of [[artillery]].<ref>[http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/mughals/ The Islamic World to 1600: Rise of the Great Islamic Empires (The [[Baburids]] Empire)]</ref>
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| − | Babur's son [[Humayun]] succeeded him in 1530 but suffered major reversals at the hands of the [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] [[Sher Shah Suri]] and effectively lost most of the fledgling empire before it could grow beyond a minor regional state. From 1540 Humayun became a ruler in exile, reaching the Court of the [[Safavid]] ruler in 1542 while his forces still controlled some fortresses and small regions. But when the [[Afghans]] ([[Pashtuns]]) fell into disarray with the death of Sher Shah Suri, Humayun returned with a mixed army, raised more troops and managed to reconquer [[Delhi]] in 1555.
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| − | Humayun crossed the rough terrain of [[Makran]] with his wife, but left behind their infant son [[Akbar the Great|Jalaluddin]] to spare him the rigours of the journey. [[Akbar]], as Jalaluddin would be better known in his later years, was born in the [[Rajput]] town of [[Umerkot]] in [[Sindh]] where he was raised by his uncle Askari. There he became an excellent outdoorsman, horseman, and hunter, and learned the arts of war.
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| − | The resurgent Humayun then conquered the central plateau around Delhi, but months later died in an accident, leaving the realm unsettled and in war. Akbar succeeded his father on [[14 February]] 1556, while in the midst of a war against [[Sikandar Shah Suri]] for the throne of Delhi. He soon won his eighteenth victory at age 21 or 22. The rump remnant began to grow, then it grew considerably. He became known as ''Akbar'', as he was a wise ruler, set fair but steep taxes. He investigated the production in a certain area and taxed inhabitants 1/5 of their agricultural produce. He also set up an efficient bureaucracy and was tolerant of religious differences which softened the resistance by the conquered.
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| − | [[Jahangir]], the son of [[Baburids]] Emperor Akbar ruled the empire from 1605–1627. In October 1627, [[Shah Jahan]], son of [[Baburids]] Emperor Jahangir succeeded to the throne, where he inherited a vast and rich empire in [[India]]. At mid-century this was perhaps the greatest empire in the world. Shah Jahan commissioned the famous [[Taj Mahal]] (1630–1653) in [[Agra]] as a tomb for his wife [[Mumtaz Mahal]], who died giving birth to their 14th child. By 1700 the empire reached its peak with major parts of present day India, except for the North eastern states, the [[Sikhism|Sikh]] lands in the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], the lands of the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]], areas in the south and most of [[Afghanistan]] under its domain, under the leadership of [[Aurangzeb Alamgir]]. Aurangzeb was the last of what are now referred to as the Great Turk kings.
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| − | The Turks are known to have established a culinary culture in [[India]] with food influences from [[Europe]], the [[Middle East]] and [[China]].
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| − | == Language ==
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| − | The language of the Mughals was originally [[Chagatai]], but [[Farsi]], Persian, was adopted as the language of the court. It was the language of the Muslim elite in India and in the Ottoman Empire (which later adopted [[Ottoman Turkish]] as its official language). Later, the [[Urdu]] language, a mix of Farsi and the Indian language spoken in Delhi, developed. Note that this is also the origin of [[Hindi]], which technically developed as a separate language later. For a long while, an alternative name for Urdu was Hindustani, although this term has fallen into disuse. The main differences between Urdu and Hindi are that Standard Urdu is conventionally written in [[Nastaliq script|Nastaliq calligraphy style]] of the [[Perso-Arabic script]] and draws vocabulary more heavily from Persian and Arabic than Hindi,<ref name="Language in India-Bringing Order to Linguistic Diversity: Language Planning in the British Raj">{{cite web|url = http://www.languageinindia.com/oct2001/punjab1.html| title = Bringing Order to Linguistic Diversity: Language Planning in the British Raj|publisher = Language in India|accessdate = 2008-05-20}}</ref>, while Standard Hindi is conventionally written in [[Devanāgarī]] and draws vocabulary from [[Sanskrit]] comparatively<ref name="Sikmirza">{{cite web|url = http://www.geocities.com/sikmirza/arabic/hindustani.html| title = A Brief Hindi - Urdu FAQ|publisher = sikmirza|accessdate = 2008-05-20}}</ref> more heavily.<ref name="Random House Dictionary-Urdu">{{cite web|url = http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/urdu| title = Urdu|publisher = Random House Unabridged Dictionary|accessdate = 2008-05-20}}</ref> The Urdu language borrowed aspects of Persio-Turkic formation, and mimicked various characteristics of [[Persian]], [[Chaghatai language|Chagatai]], and [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. [[Urdu]] was adopted as a National Language of [[Pakistan]], despite the fact that the language was not spoken in that region. [[Urdu]] is also spoken by sections of [[Afghanistan]] and Indian [[Muslim]]s, and recognized as one of India's official languages by the [[Indian Constitution]].
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| − | == Religion ==
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| − | The official State religion of the Mughal Empire was [[Islam]], with the preference to the [[jurisprudence]] of the [[Hanafi]] [[Madh'hab|Madhab]] (Mazhab). The government tended to support Islamic institutions.
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| − | Before the reign of the Emperor [[Akbar]], non-Muslims were obliged to pay the [[Jizya]] tax in exchange of being free of recruitment to the military, signifying their status as [[Dhimmis]]. The tax was reintroduced by [[Aurangzeb]].
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| − | After the [[invasion]] of [[Persia]] by the [[Mongol Empire]], a regional Turko-Perso-Mongol dynasty formed. Just as the eastern Mongol dynasties inter-married with locals and adopted the local religion of [[Buddhism]] and the [[Chinese culture]], this group adopted the local religion of [[Islam]] and the [[Persian culture]]. The first Mughal King, Babur, established the Mughal dynasty in the [[Indian Subcontinent]]. Upon invading this region, the Mughals starting with Emperor [[Akbar]] inter-married with the local Hindu tribes and Persian settlers creating a dynasty of combined [[Turko-Persian tradition|Turko-Persian]], [[Mongols|Mongolian]] and Hindu [[Rajput]] backgrounds. King Babur and his descendants did this to create peace among the different religions in the region. In accordance to Islamic values, Babur focused on setting a good example for the Mughal Dynasty by emphasizing religious tolerance.
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