Download Concerto The Safavids and the Mughals

The Safavid and The Mughal
WHAP/Napp
“The arrival of the Portuguese had less effect on India in the medium term than the
arrival, less than a quarter-century later, of an Asian power. The Mughals, variously
known as Moguls and Mongols, fought their way through narrow mountain passes into
northern India and set up a dynasty that lasted for about a quarter of a millennium. The
first ruler, in 1526, was a descendant of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. He despised
India’s way of life and compared it unfavorably with life in the lush valleys of central Asia.
Where, he asked, were the fine horses – vital to a Mughal – and the tasty meat, the grapes
and melons, the candles and chandeliers, the fresh water and the baths and the ice?
The Mughals were yet another wave of the emigrations from central Asia to more favored
parts of eastern Europe, China and India. Slaughter was part of the initial conquest, but
the Mughals’ rule, by the standards of the time, was orderly. In painting, carpetweaving,
glassmaking, architecture and other arts they made more of a mark on India than did the
early Europeans. When the emperor’s wife, named ‘The Chosen One of the Palace’ or Taj
Mahal, died in childbirth in 1631, the emperor in his grief assembled a team of 20,000
workers to build at Agra a mausoleum of white marble and red sandstone that became
known as one of the wonders of the world.
At that time the Portuguese and other Europeans held only a straggling chain of forts and
harbors along the coast of India. They had created nothing that could even sit in the
shadow of the Taj Mahal. In a sense the Europeans were traders rather than colonizers;
and the safest bays and river-mouths along the coast were more important to them than the
soils of the inland. The Dutch and the British had now largely displaced the Portuguese
from India’s attractive trading posts. In the Indonesian archipelago the three powers
jostled for control, with the Dutch the winners and the Portuguese clinging to the crumbs.”
~ A Short History of the World
1- What is the author’s thesis?
________________________________________________________________________
2- Discuss the origin of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent.
________________________________________________________________________
3- Identify several significant facts about the first Mughal ruler.
________________________________________________________________________
4- In what ways did the Mughals make more of a mark on India than the early
Europeans?
________________________________________________________________________
5- Identify several significant facts about the Taj Mahal.
________________________________________________________________________
6- Compare the Portuguese and other Europeans to the Mughals during the time
period when the Taj Mahal was built.
________________________________________________________________________
7- Why were bays and river-mouths more important to the Europeans than the soils of
the inland?
________________________________________________________________________
8- Which powers had displaced the Portuguese from India’s attractive trading posts?
________________________________________________________________________
Notes:
I. The Safavid Empire
A. Founded by Safavids, Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334)
B. Safi al-Din converted to Shi'ism and was a Persian nationalist
C. Religious brotherhood became strongermilitary and religious in 15th century
D. Many were attracted by allegiance to Ali, and “hidden imam”
E. Leadership of the Shi'a community continued with 'Imams' believed to be divinely
appointed from Prophet's Family
F. Largest sect of Shi'aTwelversbelieve twelve divinely appointed Imams
descended from Prophet in line of Ali and Hussein, led community until 9th century
G. According to Shi’a, imams led the community when twelfth imam disappeared but
will return at end of time
H. Safavid Empire dates from rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524)
I. In 1501, Safavid Shahs declared independence when Ottomans outlawed Shi'a Islam
J. Shah Ismail's most important decisions was to declare that the state religion would
be Shi’a Islamat the time, completely foreign to Iranian culture
K. Launched a vigorous campaign to convert what was then a predominantly Sunni
population by persuasion and by force
L. Sunni ulama (Islamic religious scholars) either left or were killed
M. Safavids not only persecuted Sunni Muslims, but Shi'ites with different views
Alien shrines were vandalised and Sufi mystic groups forbidden
N. Reduced the importance of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), replacing it with
pilgrimage to Shi'ite shrines
O. Early Safavid empire was effectively a theocracypowerful Shah
P. Most significant of festival was Ashura, when Shia Muslims mark the death of
HusaynAli also veneratedShi’ism – state religion
II. Background Information
A. Ali, Husayn’s father, was murdered in 661 C.E. and his chief opponent, Muawiya,
became caliphAli's death led to schism between Sunnis and ShiasHusayn,
refused to accept Muawiya’s legitimacyHusayn killed
III. Culture
A. Artistic achievements and the prosperity of the Safavid period are best represented
by Isfahan, the capital of Shah Abbas
IV. Decline
A. With reduced threat from Ottomans, Safavid Shahs became complacent, and then
corrupt and decadentUlama became powerful-Afghans invaded
V. The Mughals
A. Mughal (or Mogul) Empire ruled most of India and Pakistan in the 16th and 17th
centuriesMuslims who ruled a country with large Hindu majority
B. But Muslims in India before MughalsMuslims arrived in 8th centuryAnd Delhi
Sultanate established at end of 12th century
C. Mughal Empire grew out of descendants of the Mongol Empire in Turkestan
D. Babur the first Mughal Emperor, descendent of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane
E. Babur moved into Afghanistan in 1504, and then moved on to India
F. Under Babur, Hinduism was tolerated and new Hindu temples were built
G. The third Emperor, Abu Akbar, is regarded as one of the great rulers of all timeBy
time of death in 1605 ruled over most of north, central, western IndiaMarried a Hindu
H. Akbar believed that all religions should be tolerated
I. Akbar also ended a tax (jizya) that had been imposed on non-Muslims
J. Akbar even proclaimed an entirely new state religion of 'God-ism' (Din-i-ilahi) - a
jumble of Islamic, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist teaching with himself as deity
K. Akbar's son, Emperor Jahangir, readopted Islam as the state religion and continued
policy of religious toleration
L. Jahangir's approach typified by development of Urdu as official languageUrdu uses
Arabic script, but Persian vocabulary and Hindi grammatical structure
M. Architectural achievements peaked between 1592 and 1666, during reign of Jahangir's
successor, Jahan
N. Shah Jahan commissioned Taj Mahalmausoleum built by Jahan for his wife Mumtaz
O. Jahan's son Aurangzeb was the last great Mughal Emperor
P. History's verdict on Aurangzeb largely depends on who's writing it; Muslim or
HinduAurangzeb ruled for nearly 50 yearsImprisoned father and older brother killed
Q. Aurangzebstrong leaderexpanded Mughal Empire to greatest size
R. Also a very observant and religious Muslim who ended the policy of religious tolerance
S. Imposed Sharia law (Islamic law) over the whole empire
T. Thousands of Hindu temples and shrines were torn down and a punitive tax on Hindu
U. Under Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire reached the peak of its military power
V. But partly because of hostility that Aurangzeb's intolerance inspired and empire had
simply become too big to be successfully governedproblems
W. Aurangzeb's extremism caused Mughal territory and creativity to dry up and Empire
went into declinerulers became puppets of British-last deposed in 1858
Complete the Graphic Organizer Below:
The Safavids:
The Mughals:
Similarities:
Differences:
Questions:
 How did the Safavids differ from the Ottomans?
 Discuss key beliefs of Shi’a.
 Why is it ironic that the Safavids eventually banned Sufism?
 Discuss the challenges facing the Mughal rulers of India.
 Discuss the reign of Akbar the Great.
 Discuss the reign of Shah Jahan.
 Discuss the reign of Aurangzeb.
 Why did the Safavid and later the Mughal empires decline?
1. The official religion of the Safavid
Empire was
(A) Sunni Islam
(B) Orthodox Christianity
(C) Shiite Islam
(D) Judaism
(E) Hinduism
2. The most successful and militarily
adept of the Safavid rulers was
(A) Akbar the Great
(B) Abbas the Great
(C) Babur the Tiger
(D) Ismail
(E) Muhammad Ali
3. The founder of the Mughal Empire
was
(A) Aurangzeb
(B) Babur
(C) Akbar
(D) Jahan
(E) Nanak
4. The most famous architectural
legacy of the Mughal Empire is
(A) The Red Fortress of Gwalior
(B) The Temple of Borobudur
(C) The Great Gate of Mumbai
(D) The Taj Mahal
(E) Gandhi’s tomb
5. Which of the following is true of
Akbar’s reign in India?
I. He completed the Mughal conquest
of India.
II. He improved India’s tax code and
legal system.
III. He pursued a policy of religious
tolerance.
IV. He promoted a new religion known
as the Divine Faith.
(A) I, II, and III
(B) II, III, and Iv
(C) I and IV only
(D) II and III only
(E) All of the above
6. What major faiths were most
prominent in South Asia’s religious
landscape during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries?
(A) Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism
(B) Christianity and Buddhism
(C) Animism, Buddhism, and
Zoroastrianism
(D) Animism, Hinduism, and
Zoroastrianism
(E) Islam, Christianity, and animism
7. In sixteenth-century India, the Delhi
Sultanate gave way to which
government?
(A) The Gupta Empire
(B) The Srivijayan Kingdom
(C) French rule
(D) The Mughal Empire
(E) British rule
Thesis: Comparative – Mughals and Safavids ______________________________________