THE MUGHAL EMPIRE ('In Brief' Books for Busy People Book 7)

TIMELINE 1206-1227 Reign of Genghis Khan 1370-1405 Reign of Timur 1526 First Battle of Panipat 1526-1530 Reign of Babur, first Mughal Emperor 1530-1540 Reign of Humayun, second Mughal Emperor 1540-1555 Reign of Sher Shah Suri 1555-1556 Reign of Humayun 1556-1605 Reign of Akbar, third Mughal Emperor 1605-1627 Reign of Jahangir, fourth Mughal Emperor

Although duplicity and secret deals were not the monopoly of one particular group, the British seem to have been particularly guilty in their wish to destroy the Empire and its symbol of power.

The Governor of the Company at the time was Sir Josiah Child who was often criticised for running the Company as if it was his own private business. True to form, he interfered with the delicate negotiations that were taking place in Bengal. This angered Aurangzeb and the relationship between the Mughals and the East India Company completely broke

Just as an aside, the world ‘Nawab’ became ‘Nabob’ under the British. It was then shortened to the word ‘nob’, and later crept into the English language, signifying a person of wealth and high social position. This is just one example of the many hundreds of words that have found their way into the English language as a result of the British presen

The recent film Viceroy’s House attempts

There is a view among the British, however, that the Raj was entirely beneficial to the Indian people. Many of those who voted in the 2016 Referendum, to leave the European Union, would probably endorse that opinion. Such individuals have been tempted by the idea that Britain can be ‘great’ again, that she can somehow return to those glorious days

The comparative ease with which the East India Company was able to seize power was partly due to the increasing weakness of the Emperors. However, their task was also made easier because so many small Sultanates and Kingdoms were prepared to collaborate with the British in exchange for favours and protection.

Two years later he turned his attention towards Mughal India. After conquering Kandahar in 1738, Nadir Shah swept through the Khyber Pass with his cavalry of 150,000 and easily defeated a Mughal army numbering around 1.5 million. His next move was towards Delhi, seat of the Mughal throne. He managed to capture the Mughal Emperor, Muhammad Shah, and

In August 1765, Clive secured from the Mughal Emperor another Firman granting the Company the titles of Bengal, Bihar and the Deccan. Under this new arrangement, the Company received the right to collect taxes on behalf of the Emperor. This led to corruption and aggressive heavy handedness by Company agents. Furthermore, the Company was accused of