Lesson Notes THE MUGHALS (16th to 17th Century)
Q1. Name the first six emperors of the Mughal empire.
A1. Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangzeb.
Q2. Why did the Mughals emphasise their Timurid and not their Mongol descent?
A2. The Mughals did not like being linked to their Mongol descent because Genghis Khan’s
memory was associated with the massacre of countless people and was also linked with
the Uzbegs, their competitors.
On the other hand, they took pride in their Timurid descent because their great ancestor
Timur had captured Delhi in 1398.
Q3. Who was Babur? Why did he come to India?
A3. Babur was the ruler of Kabul. In 1526, Daulat Khan Lodi, the governor of Punjab, and
Rana Sanga, the ruler of Mewar invited Babur to invade India and fight the Delhi Sultan,
Ibrahim Lodi. They thought that Babur would invade, defeat Ibrahim Lodi and leave
India with his loot.
On 21st April 1526, Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the first Battle of Panipat. He
captured Delhi and Agra and soon became the first Mughal emperor in India.
Q4. Describe the Mughal traditions of succession.
A4. The Mughals did not believe in the rule of primogeniture inheritance which means the
right of succession belonged to the eldest son.
Instead, they followed the Mughal and Timurid custom of coparcenary inheritance. It is
a division of the inheritance amongst all the sons.
Q5. Who were the mothers of Jahangir and Shah Jahan?
A5. The mother of Jahangir was a Kachhwaha princess, daughter of the Rajput ruler of
Amber (modern - day Jaipur).
The mother of Shah Jahan was a Rathor princess, daughter of the Rajput ruler of Marwar
(Jodhpur).
Q6. Give an account of the Mughal relations with other rulers.
A6. Mughal rulers campaigned constantly against rulers who refused to accept their
authority. They became powerful only when many other rulers joined them voluntarily.
The Rajputs, for example, married their daughters into Mughal families and received
high positions.
But many like the Sisodiya Rajputs resisted the Mughals. However, after their defeat,
they were honourably treated and their lands (watan) were returned.
The careful balance between defeating opponent kings and chieftains enabled the
Mughals to expand their kingdoms.
Q7. Why was it important for the Mughal emperors to recruit mansabdars from diverse
backgrounds and not just Turanis and Iranis?
A7. When the Mughal empire expanded greatly, the emperors recruited mansabdars from
diverse backgrounds like Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas, Turanis (Turks), Iranis and other
groups. They did this as they did not want to risk the possibility of a rebellion by people
of same backgrounds if they felt humiliated or disregarded.
Q8. Describe the Mansabdari system.
A8. The term mansabdar refers to an individual who holds a mansab, a position or rank.
It was a grading system used by the Mughals to fix (i) rank, (ii) salary and (iii) military
responsibilities of a mansabdar.
• Rank and salary were determined by a numerical value called zat. The higher the zat,
the more prestigious was the noble’s position in court and the larger his salary.
• The mansabdar had military responsibilities. He had to maintain a specified number of
sawar or cavalrymen.
• Mansabdars received their salaries as revenue assignments called jagirs (territories).
• But most mansabdars did not actually reside in or administer their jagirs. They only had
rights to the revenue of their assignments which was collected for them by their servants
while the mansabdars themselves served in some other part of the country.
Q9. What was the role of a zamindar in the Mughal administration?
A9. In the Mughal administration, a zamindar was a village headman or a chieftain who
operated as an intermediary between the ruler and the peasants. He held the
responsibility of revenue collection from the peasants.
Q10. What was ‘Zabt’?
A10. Akbar’s revenue minister, Todar Mal, carried out a careful survey of crop yields,
prices and areas cultivated for a ten-year period, 1570-1580. Based on this data,
tax was fixed on each crop in cash.
Each province was divided into revenue circles with its own schedule of revenue
rates for individual crops.
This revenue system was known as zabt.
Q11. Write a few lines about Sulh-i-Kul.
A11. Debates with religious scholars of different faiths made Akbar realise that some of their
teachings created divisions and disharmony amongst his subjects.
This led Akbar to the idea of Sulh-i-Kul or ‘Universal Peace’. It was a principle of
governance based on the idea of tolerance which did not discriminate people on grounds
of religion. It focused on common ethics taught by all religions like honesty, justice and
peace.
Q12. Describe Akbar Nama and Ain-i Akbari.
A12. Akbar ordered one of his close friends and courtiers, Abul Fazl, to write a history of his
reign. Abul Fazl wrote a three-volume history of Akbar’s reign titled, Akbar Nama.
• The first volume dealt with Akbar’s ancestors.
• The second volume recorded the events of Akbar’s reign.
• The third volume is the Ain-i Akbari.
It deals with Akbar’s administration, household, army; the revenues and geography of
his empire. It also provides rich details about the traditions and culture of the people
living in India. The most interesting aspect about the Ain-i Akbari is its rich statistical
details about things like crops, yields, prices, wages and revenues.
