Religious tensions in the Mughal Empire
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the impact of Aurangzeb's religious policies on support for the Mughal Empire.
Key learning points
- Mughal emperors, including Aurangzeb, were Muslims.
- Mughal emperors traditionally showed tolerance towards non-Muslims.
- Aurangzeb reintroduced the jizya and even destroyed Hindu temples.
- Hindu and Sikh groups rebelled against the Mughals during Aurangzeb's reign.
- A growing number of non-Muslims served as Mughal officials during Aurangzeb's reign.
Keywords
Tolerance - tolerance involves allowing people to do or believe what they want although your beliefs are different or you do not agree with them
Gurdwara - a gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship
Jizya - the jizya was a tax which non-Muslims had to pay in Muslim-ruled countries
Discrimination - 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
Guru - a guru is a religious leader in the Sikh religion
Common misconception
Aurangzeb was completely intolerant towards and alienated all non-Muslims.
Aurangzeb continued to support non-Muslim places of worship and to promote non-Muslim officials in the empire, leading to increased numbers of Hindus and Sikhs serving the Mughal Empire by the end of his reign.
Teacher tip
Tell pupils that in the mid- to late-18th century, Britain conquered India. Many British historians at the time and afterwards argued Aurangzeb was intolerant and very cruel to non-Muslims. Ask pupils why the British may have wanted to portray Aurangzeb in this way.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The East India Company was primarily concerned with the trade in __________.
Q2.The East India Company encountered trading rivalry with European powers such as the Dutch and the .
Q3.The East India Company's factories were mainly positioned __________.
Q4.The Mughal emperor Jahangir agreed to the East India Company setting up a factory in .
Q5.The East India used military force to attempt to take control of the area of __________.
Q6.How successful was Child's War for the East India Company?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Aurangzeb was a devout __________.
Q2.During Aurangzeb's reign, fifteen temples were destroyed.
Q3.Aurangzeb faced considerable resistance from __________.
Q4.In which part of India did the Hindu Jat rebellions take place?
Q5.By the end of Aurangzeb's reign, % of generals and officials were non-Muslims.
Q6.Aurangzeb supported the construction of both temples and .
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Religious tensions in the Mughal Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: Religious tensions in the Mughal Empire, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the The East India Company: when did Mughal authority collapse? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.