Mughal Empire
1526–1857 empire in South Asia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mughal Empire (Urdu: مغلیہ سلطنت, Persian: دولتِ مغل)[lower-alpha 2] was a Muslim empire, in South Asia which existed from 1526 to 1858.[13] When it was biggest it ruled most of the subcontinent, including what is now Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.[14] Between 1526 and 1707, It contributed to 24% of the world's GDP[15] It was the world's largest economy and was known for its architecture.[16][17]
Mughal Empire | |
---|---|
1526–1858 | |
Capital |
|
Official languages | |
Religion | Sunni Islam (Official) |
Government | Monarchy |
Emperor[lower-alpha 1] | |
• 1526–1530 (first) | Babur |
• 1837–1857 (last) | Bahadur Shah II |
Vakil-i-Mutlaq | |
• 1526–1540 (first) | Mir Khalifa |
• 1795–1818 (last) | Daulat Rao Sindhia |
Grand Vizier | |
• 1526–1540 (first) | Mir Khalifa |
• 1775–1797 (last) | Asaf-ud-Daula |
Establishment | |
• Founding | 1526 |
• Fall | 1858 |
Area | |
1690[7][8] | 4,000,000 km2 (1,500,000 sq mi) |
Population | |
• 1595 | 125,000,000[9] |
• 1700 | 158,000,000[10] |
The Mughal emperors were Turk-Mongols in origin.[18] Though they later settled in South Asia and adapted to the local culture.[13][19][20] Babur of the Timurid dynasty founded the Mughal Empire (and Mughal dynasty) in 1526 and ruled until 1530. He was followed by Humayun (1530-1540) and (1555-1556), Akbar (1556-1605), Jahangir (1605-1627), Shah Jahan (1628-1658), and Aurangzeb (1658-1707) and several other minor rulers until Bahadur Shah Zafar II (1837-1857). After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire became weak. It continued until 1857-58. By that time, South Asia had become under the British Raj.
The Mughal Empire was established by Muslim rulers who came from the present-day Uzbekistan after defeating the Delhi sultanate. The Mughal rule in South Asia saw the region into a united Indian state.[21] which was administered under a single ruler. This hadn't happened since the Delhi Sultanate, Guptas and Mauryans. During the Mughal period, art and architecture became important.[22]