THEME - 9 KINGS AND CHRONICLES (MUGHAL COURT 16TH-17TH CENTURY)

• founder of the Mughal Empire
• was expelled from his homeland (Fargana) by Uzbeks
• first established himself at Kabul and then in 1526 moved further
  into the Indian subcontinent

Nasiruddin Humayun

• Babur was succeeded by Humayun as the Mughal ruler in 1530
• In 1555 Humayun defeated Sher Shah and regained his empire.

• Akbar is considered to be a great ruler of the Mughals.
• He expanded his empire up to the Hindukush Mountains and
  prevented the Uzbeks and Safavids.

• Jahangir (1605-27)
• Shajahan (1628-58)
• Aurangzeb (1658-1707)

• The institutions of an imperial structure were created in the
  16th and 17th centuries.
• effective methods of administration and taxation.
• The court was the centre of the Mughal power where political
  alliances and relationships were made and status and hierarchies
  were defined.
• The political system of the Mughals was based on a combination
  of military power with various traditions of the subcontinent

The Chronicles written during the Mughal period
are an important source to study the
Mughal Empire. They were written:

• To convey a vision of enlightened kingdom to all those who came
  under its umbrella
• To convey to those who resisted the rule of the Mughals that all
  resistance was destined to fail
• To ensure that there was an account of their rule for posterity

The titles of the chronicles were Akbar Nama, Shajahan
Nama and Alamgir Nama indicate that the history of the
empire and the court was identical with that of the emperor.

• all books in mughals were manuscripts i.e. they were handwritten.
• Kitabkhana –library, emperor’s collection of manuscript was kept
  and new manuscripts were produced

• Papermakers prepared folios of the manuscripts.
• Scribes or calligraphers copied the text
• Gilders illuminated the pages
• Painters illustrated scenes from the text
• Book binders gathered the individual folios and set them within
  ornamental covers.

• Art of handwriting is called calligraphy
• Akbar’s favourite handwritten – style was the nastaliq – a fluid
  style with long horizontal strokes
• The court was the centre of the Mughal power where political
  alliances and relationships were made and status and hierarchies
  were defined.
• Qalam (Pen) – a piece of trimmed reed carbon ink – siyahi

• Abul Fazl was the author of Akbar Nama
• He was well versed with Arabic, Persian, Greek philosophy and
  Sufism.
• Akbar, who found Abul Fazl ideally suited as an adviser and
  spokesperson for his policies
• Emperor’s objective was to free the state from the control of
  religious orthodoxy
• Abul Fazl was murdered by Bir Singh Bundela an accomplice of
  Prince Salim(Jahangir) who conspired the killing.

• The Akbar Nama is one of the important illustrated official
  histories.
• In 1589, Abul Fazl worked on the Akbar Nama for thirteen years
• The Akbar Nama is divided in to three books
• The first two are chronicles and the third is Ain-i-Akbari.

• The first volume starts from the history of mankind from Adam to
  one celestial cycle of Akbar’s life (30 years).
• The second volume closes in the forty sixth reignal year (1601)
  of Akbar.
• The Akbar Nama was written to provide detailed information of the
  political events of Akbar’s reign
• In the Ain-i-Akbari the Mughal Empire is presented as having a
  diverse population consisting of Hindus, Jainas, Buddhists and
  Muslims and a composite culture.

• Sir William Jones founded The Asiatic Society of Bengal
• The Asiatic Society of Bengal published and edited the versions of
  the Akbar Nama and Badshah Nama in the 19th century.
• The English translation of the Akbar Nama was published by
  Henry Beveridge.
• The Badshah Nama has not been translated in English completely
  till date.

• Abdul Hamid Lahori – pupil of Abul Fazlis known as the author of
  the Badshah Nama
• History of Shah Jahan,reign – modelled on the Akbar Nama
• The Badshah Nama is the official history in three volumes(daftars)
  of ten lunar years each
• The first and second daftars comprising the first two decades of
  the emperor’s rule(1627-47).
• The historian Waris chronicled third decade

• Abul Fazl describes the ideal of Sulh-i-kul(absolute peace)as the
  cornerstone of enlightend rule
• Akbar abolished the tax on pilgrimage in 1563 and jiziya in 1564
  as the two were based on religious discrimination.
• the jizya was re-imposed on non-Muslim subjects.

• capital city – the heart of mughal empire is capital city.
• the court assembled in the capital city.
• when Babur brought the Lodi capital of Agra
• Akbar during 1560s with red stone .In the 1570s ,he built a new
  capital Fatehpur Sikri
• Akbar constructed Buland Darwaza(arched gateway) to mark his
  victory in Gujarat.
• capital was shifted to Lahore in 1585
• 1648,the capital was shifted to Shajahananbad.

• The granting of titles to men of merit was an important aspect of
  mughal policy.
• Title Asaf Khan – highest minister
• title of Mirza Raja – Jai Singh and Jaswant Singh
• Khilat – robe of honour, which was a garment worn by the emperor
• Sarapa – head to foot
• Padma Murassa – the lotus blossom set with jewels
• Nazr – a small sum of money
• Peshkash – a large amount
• Thomas Roe, an English ambassador’s gift ring – was returned by
  a Asaf Khan – as it worth was merely 400 rupees.