We’ve seen a ton of empires already… none have been this wealthy. None have had a larger military. The Mughal Empire moved in and took control of Northern India in 1526 when Babur led the Mughals over the Delhi Sultanate. The Mughals are another Empire worth your study time. They cover a myriad of issues and last into the 1800s until they were officially taken down by the British. There’s a ton of Big Idea topics here like the Religious Tolerance of Akbar the Great (which translates to The Great The Great… he’s literally twice as great as anyone we talk about all year), the rule of a Muslim minority over a Hindu majority, wealth accumulation with the help of the Zamindars, the rise of an entirely new religion: SIKHISM, the arrival of the West… it goes on and on. These are the Mughals:

1. Land Grant from Babur (Earliest surviving Mughal Document), 1527
2.
3. Akbar’s Letter to King Philip II of Spain (original is hard to find… so here’s an article about it), 1582
4.
5. Letter from Mughal Emperor Jahangir to English King James II, 1617

1. Battle of Panipat, from the Illustrations of the Memoirs of Babur, Late 1500s

2. Akbar holds a religious ceremony at his House of Worship (featuring discussions with followers of other faiths, including Christian Jesuits), Mughal Miniature, 1605

3. Taj Mahal (Crown of the Palace), Mughal Mausoleum from 1653

4. Group portrait of the Mughal Rulers from Babur (the founder) to Aurangzeb, c. 1700

5. Inlaid Box for the Portuguese Market, c. 1600

1. The Mughals come in hot by taking down the DELHI SULTANATE at the Battle of Panipat… How were they able to do it?!? GUNPOWDER!!!
2. The Mughals are Sunni Muslims ruling over a Hindu majority. This brings with it challenges related to the clash of religions and cultures that will come to dominate the rest of Indian history.
3. The Mughals are one of, if not THE, richest empires in this period. I mean… check out the Taj Majal. That’s some monumental architecture.
4. Akbar the Great (literally The Great The Great) is notorious for his religious tolerance… when we get to 5.1 (The Enlightenment) Voltaire and Rousseau will DREAM of rulers with the Religious Tolerance of my man Akbar.
5. Not everyone loved the Mughals. I mean Akbar was nice, but his descendents didn’t all follow his lead. So, there is some resistance like the Marathas.