Mughal Empire facts for kids

Empire in 1605

The Mughal Empire, (Hindi: मुग़ल साम्राज्य, Persian: دولتِ مغل) was an empire in Asia which existed from 1526 to 1858. The Mughal rule over India is called an Empire because it stretched over a large area. When it was biggest it ruled most of the Indian subcontinent, then known as Hindustan, and parts of what is now India, Afghanistan and modern Pakistan and Bangladesh, between 1526 and 1707. Worth 25% of world GDP, it was the world's largest economy and it was well known for having signalled the proto-industrialization and for its lavish architecture.

The Mughal emperors were Turk-Mongols originally. Babur of the Timurid dynasty founded the Mughal Empire (and Mughal dynasty) in 1526 and ruled until 1530. He was followed by Humayun (1530-1540) and (1555-1556), Akbar (1556-1605), Jahangir (1605-1627), Shah Jahan (1628-1658), and the Islamic Aurangzeb (1658-1707) and several other minor rulers until Bahadur Shah Zafar II(1837-1857). After the death of Aurangzeb, the rule through sharia ended and the Mughal Empire became weak. It continued until 1857-58. By that time, India came under the British Raj.

The Mughal Empire was established by able Muslim rulers who came from the present-day Uzbekistan. The Mughal rule in India saw the country being united as one single unit and being administered under one single powerful ruler. During the Mughal period, art and architecture flourished and many beautiful monuments were constructed. The rulers were skillful warriors and admirers of art as well.

The Mughals left a permanent mark on the society, culture, art and architecture of India. Their monuments, artifacts and literature show a period of great wealth and culture. Paintings in miniature style teach us about the clothing and lifestyle of the people.

Images for kids

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  Akbar holds a religious assembly of different faiths in the Ibadat Khana in Fatehpur Sikri.

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  Group portrait of Mughal rulers, from Babur to Aurangzeb, with the Mughal ancestor Timur seated in the middle. On the left: Shah Jahan, Akbar and Babur, with Abu Sa'id of Samarkand and Timur's son, Miran Shah. On the right: Aurangzeb, Jahangir and Humayun, and two of Timur's other offspring Umar Shaykh and Muhammad Sultan. Created c. 1707–12

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  The remnants of the empire in 1751

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  Horsemen of the invading Maratha Empire

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  Shah Alam II on horseback

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  Portrait of Bahadur Shah II

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  Coin of Aurangzeb, minted in Kabul, dated 1691/2

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  Miniature painting - Portrait of an Old Mughal Courtier Wearing Muslin

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  Muslim Lady Reclining or An Indian Girl with a Hookah, painted in Dacca, 18th century

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  Ruins of the Great Caravanserai in Dhaka.

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  Ghulam Hamdani Mushafi, the poet first believed to have coined the name "Urdu" around 1780 AD for a language that went by a multiplicity of names before his time.

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  Mir Taqi Mir, an Urdu poet of the 18th century Mughal Empire

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  The Taj Mahal in the 1870s

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  Badshahi Mosque, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

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  Buland Darwaza in Fatehpur Sikiri, Agra, India

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  Illustration by the 17th-century Mughal artist Ustad Mansur

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  "Alexander Visits the Sage Plato in His Mountain Cave"; illustration by the 16th-century Indian artist Basawan, in a folio from a quintet of the 13th-century Indian poet Amir Khusrau Dihlavi

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  Mughal matchlock rifle, 16th century.

See also

In Spanish: Imperio mogol para niños