a sultanate is a Muslim state or country ruled by a sultan

an empire is a collection of territories or countries ruled by a single person or government

a person who is related to you and who lives after you is known as a descendant

if you conquer something you have taken control of it, usually by using force

nobles are people from the highest social group in some countries

The foundation of the Mughal Empire

History

Early Mughal rule

Akbar the Great

Governance and religious policy under Akbar

The Mughal empire in the 17th century

Mughal rule in India

In this unit, pupils explored how violence shaped the Mughal Empire’s expansion. They will build on this understanding in ‘The East India Company: when did Mughal authority collapse?’ by investigating the eventual decline of Mughal authority and the impact of British colonial ambitions.

In ‘Medieval West Africa: why was medieval Mali so successful?’, pupils explored how Mali’s wealth from gold and salt trade, its strong leadership under rulers like Mansa Musa, and its Islamic scholarship contributed to its prosperity. This unit considers other strong leaders, focusing on the extent to which violence and military power were key to the expansion of the Mughal Empire in India.

In this unit, pupils learn about the foundation of the Mughal Empire, early Mughal rule and the way in which this had developed by the late 17th century. They end the unit by reflecting on the role played by violence during the expansion of Mughal rule in India.

The Mughal Empire: how important was violence to the Mughal conquests in India?

political instability refers to situations where a government is not very secure or there is no clear leader in a country

someone who fights against the government or ruler in their country has rebelled

diplomacy refers to how leaders manage relationships with other rulers and countries; diplomacy can involve making agreements with rulers of other states.

exile involves being sent or kept away from your own country, usually for political reasons

to convert is to change to a new religion or belief

in Islam, a jihad is a religious struggle against evil in society; wars against non-Muslims were often declared as jihads

tolerance involves allowing people to do or believe what they want although your beliefs are different or you do not agree with them

if something is abolished, it is officially ended

a chronicle is a written record of things that happened in the past

revenue is the amount of money coming in, for example, into a government through tax or into a company

a government or country is destabilised when it begins to lose power and control

a guru is a religious leader in the Sikh religion

discrimination involves treating a person or particular group of people in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of characteristics like their race or religion

a martyr is a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs; they are often admired because of this suffering

an alliance is an agreement between two or more countries to work together

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The Mughal Empire: how important was violence to the Mughal conquests in India?

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