The Mughals — rise and consolidation
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Flip to reveal answersWhen and where did Babur win the battle that founded the Mughal Empire?
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Question
When and where did Babur win the battle that founded the Mughal Empire?
Answer
First Battle of Panipat, 1526 — Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi.
Question
What key military advantage did Babur have at Panipat?
Answer
Gunpowder weapons (matchlock guns and cannon) plus the Ottoman-style tactic of chaining carts together as a defensive barrier, which Lodi's much larger but old-fashioned army could not break.
Question
What happened to Humayun's control of the empire after 1530?
Answer
He lost almost all of it to the Afghan noble Sher Shah Suri, who defeated him in 1540 and forced him into 15 years of exile in Persia before he retook Delhi in 1555.
Question
Define mansabdari system.
Answer
Akbar's ranking system that graded nobles and officials by numbered military/administrative rank (mansab), tying salary and duties to that rank rather than to hereditary land ownership.
Question
Define sulh-i-kul.
Answer
Akbar's policy of 'universal peace' — religious tolerance and inclusion of Hindus and other faiths at court and in government.
Question
What tax did Akbar abolish, and what did Aurangzeb do to it later?
Answer
Akbar abolished the jizya (a tax on non-Muslims) in 1564. Aurangzeb reimposed it in 1679.
Question
At its greatest territorial extent, whose reign was that, and roughly when?
Answer
Aurangzeb's reign (1658-1707) — the empire reached its largest size after his Deccan campaigns, especially by the 1690s.
Question
Why is Akbar's reign (1556-1605) usually seen as the empire's true consolidation?
Answer
He combined military conquest with administrative reform (mansabdari) and religious inclusion (sulh-i-kul), building a stable system that outlasted him, not just a bigger map.
Question
Give one argument that Aurangzeb's reign weakened the empire despite its size.
Answer
Reimposing the jizya and favouring orthodox Sunni policy alienated Hindu, Rajput and Shia groups, feeding resentment and revolts (e.g. among the Marathas and Rajputs) that drained the treasury and strained control.
Question
Give one argument that Aurangzeb's reign should be judged a success.
Answer
He extended Mughal rule to its largest-ever size, incorporating the Deccan sultanates, and ruled for nearly 50 years without the empire collapsing in his lifetime.
Question
What does 'consolidation' mean in the context of an empire like the Mughals?
Answer
Making conquered territory stable and governable long-term through administration, loyalty-building and legitimacy — not just holding land by force.
Question
Order these events: Aurangzeb reimposes jizya; Babur wins Panipat; Humayun retakes Delhi; Akbar becomes emperor.
Answer
1. Babur wins Panipat (1526) -> 2. Humayun retakes Delhi (1555) -> 3. Akbar becomes emperor (1556) -> 4. Aurangzeb reimposes jizya (1679).
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Topic 12.2 hub
The Mughal Empire and the British East India Company (1526–1858)
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