New
New
Year 8

The foundation of the Mughal Empire

I can explain how the Mughal Empire was founded.

New
New
Year 8

The foundation of the Mughal Empire

I can explain how the Mughal Empire was founded.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. No single power ruled over India at the start of the 16th century.
  2. The Mughals came from Central Asia and were led by Babur.
  3. The Mughals invaded India in 1525 and achieved important military victories in 1526 and 1527.
  4. The Delhi Sultanate suffered from divisions before the Mughal invasion.
  5. Many historians date the foundation of the Mughal Empire to 1526.

Keywords

  • Sultanate - a sultanate is a Muslim state or country ruled by a sultan

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

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

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

  • Nobles - nobles are people from the highest social group in some countries

Common misconception

Prior to the Mughal conquest, India was all ruled by a single state.

Multiple states ruled over India prior to Babur's successful invasion from 1525-27. In northern India this included a mix of Muslim and Hindu-led states.

During learning cycle 3, pupils could be asked to annotate the additional material to identify examples where Babur's conquest was helped by violence, by the weaknesses of his enemies, and by his own non-violent actions. This will directly support work on Task C.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of serious crime
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:empire,a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people

Correct Answer:trade,the exchange of goods

the exchange of goods

Correct Answer:Islam,the religion of Muslim people

the religion of Muslim people

Correct Answer:Sikhism,the religion of Sikh people

the religion of Sikh people

Correct Answer:Hinduism,the religion of Hindu people

the religion of Hindu people

Q2.
Where is the Indian subcontinent located?
South America
Central Asia
Correct answer: South Asia
Central America
Q3.
Put these historical empires in order, starting with the earliest.
2 - Roman Empire
3 - Mali Empire
4 - Mughal Empire
5 - British Empire
Q4.
Which centuries did the Mughal Empire exist in?
16th, 17th and 18th
Correct answer: 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th
15th, 16th, 17th and 18th
15th, 16th and 17th
Q5.
Which factors can help empires expand?
Correct answer: violence
Correct answer: trade
fashion
Correct answer: natural resources
Q6.
Put these historical figures in order of when they ruled, starting with the earliest.
2 - Genghis Khan
3 - Babur
4 - Queen Victoria
5 - Queen Elizabeth II

6 Questions

Q1.
What keyword describes taking control of something, usually by force?
Correct Answer: conquer, Conquer
Q2.
What year do many historians date the foundation of the Mughal Empire to?
1525
1527
1626
Correct answer: 1526
Q3.
Match the keyword to its correct definition.
Correct Answer:sultanate,a Muslim state or country ruled by a sultan

a Muslim state or country ruled by a sultan

Correct Answer:descendant,a person who is related to you and who lives after you

a person who is related to you and who lives after you

Correct Answer:noble,people from the highest social group in some countries

people from the highest social group in some countries

Correct Answer:sultan,the king or ruler of a Muslim state or country

the king or ruler of a Muslim state or country

Q4.
Where did the Mughals come from?
South Asia
Correct answer: Central Asia
South East Asia
Middle East
Q5.
Which group made up the majority of India’s population at the start of the 16th century?
Muslims
Correct answer: Hindus
Sikhs
Q6.
Why did some powerful groups in the Delhi Sultanate not resist the Mughal invasion?
the Delhi Sultanate did not have enough weapons
Babur promised to reward nobles who changed sides
Correct answer: some nobles disliked the way Ibrahim Lodi ruled
the Delhi Sultanate was too weak and tired from fighting other wars

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