Download WHAP Student Copy The Safavid and the Mughal

The Safavid and The Mughal
WHAP/Napp
Objective: To identify and describe significant
characteristics of the Safavids and Mughals
Do Now: List facts about Islamic rule in diverse lands
Cues:
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 ___________
C. Over the centuries, this religious brotherhood became stronger and became
a military group as well as a ________ one in the 15th century
D. Many were attracted by allegiance to Ali, and to the “hidden imam”
E. Leadership of the Shi'a community continued with 'Imams' believed to be
divinely appointed from the Prophet's __________
F. Largest sect of Shi'a Islam is known as The Twelvers, because of belief that
twelve divinely appointed Imams descended from the ________ in the line of
Ali and Hussein, led the community until the 9th century C.E.
G. According to the Shi’a, imams led the community until 9th century C.E.
when the twelfth imam disappeared will return at the _____ of time
H. The Safavid Empire dates from the rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524)
I. In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the ___________
outlawed Shi'a Islam in their territory
J. Shah Ismail's most important decisions was to declare that the state
religion would Shi’a Islamat the time, completely foreign to Iranian _______
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 _______
M. Safavids not only persecuted Sunni Muslims, but Shi'ites with different
views Alien shrines were vandalised and Sufi mystic groups __________
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 ______
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 that led to the great schism between
Sunnis and ShiasHusayn, refused to accept Muawiya’s legitimacy and
fighting between the two resultedHusayn _______
III. Culture
A. Artistic achievements and the prosperity of the Safavid period are best
represented by Isfahan, the _______ 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
Summaries:
Cues:
V. The Mughals
A. Mughal (or Mogul) Empire ruled most of ______ and Pakistan in the 16th and
17th centuriesMuslims who ruled a country with a 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 _______ Empire who were living
in Turkestan in the 15th century
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 _____ rulers of all
time, regardless of countryBy the time of his death in 1605 he ruled over most of
north, central, and western IndiaEven married a Hindu princess
H. Akbar believed that all religions should be ________, and that a ruler's duty
was to treat all believers equally, whatever their belief
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 the policy of religious toleration
L. Jahangir's approach was typified by the development of Urdu as the official
language of EmpireUrdu uses an _______ script, but Persian vocabulary and
Hindi grammatical structure
M. The architectural achievements of the Mughals peaked between 1592 and 1666,
during the reign of Jahangir's successor, Jahan
N. Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahala mausoleum built by Jahan for his
wife Mumtaz and it has come to symbolize the _____ between two people
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He came to the throne after
imprisoning his father and having his older brother killed
Q. Aurangzeb was a strong leader, whose conquests expanded the Mughal Empire
to its greatest size
R. Also a very observant and religious Muslim who ______ the policy of religious
tolerance followed by earlier emperors
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 subjects was re-imposed
U. Under Aurangzeb, the Mughal empire reached the peak of its military power,
but the rule was unstable
V. Partly because of the hostility that Aurangzeb's intolerance and _________
inspired in the population, but also because the empire had simply become to big to
be successfully governed
W. Aurangzeb's extremism caused Mughal territory and creativity to dry up and
Empire went into declinerulers became puppets of _______-last deposed in 1858
Summaries:
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
5. Which of the following is true of
Empire was
Akbar’s reign in India?
(A) Sunni Islam
I. He completed the Mughal conquest
(B) Orthodox Christianity
of India.
(C) Shiite Islam
II. He improved India’s tax code and
(D) Judaism
legal system.
(E) Hinduism
III. He pursued a policy of religious
tolerance.
2. The most successful and militarily
IV. He promoted a new religion known
adept of the Safavid rulers was
as the Divine Faith.
(A) Akbar the Great
(A) I, II, and III
(B) Abbas the Great
(B) II, III, and Iv
(C) Babur the Tiger
(C) I and IV only
(D) Ismail
(D) II and III only
(E) Muhammad Ali
(E) All of the above
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
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
Excerpt from sscnet.ucla.edu
The four sons of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, all laid claim to the throne when their
father fell seriously ill in 1658. Each had considerable administrative experience and
military skills, each commanded a considerable military force, and each had a loyal
following. Dara Shikoh (1615-58), the eldest son, was resident at Shah Jahan's court as the
designated heir; Shuja was Governor of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa; Aurangzeb governed
the Deccan; and Murad was Governor of Gujarat and Malwa. Dara's forces were defeated
by Aurangzeb, who occupied the imperial capital of Agra; and Aurangzeb took his own
father prisoner. Shuja's army was routed in battle; and Murad was lured into a false
agreement and taken prisoner. Dara eventually collected together another force, suffered
defeat as before, and once again he fled; but soon he was betrayed by one of his allies, and
handed over to his brother. Accused of idolatry and apostasy from Islam, Dara was
condemned to death, and the sentence was carried out on the night of 30 August 1659, one
year after Aurangzeb took over the Fort at Agra and assumed the throne. Aurangzeb
delivered the head of his brother to their father…
A considerable part of Aurangzeb's energies were consumed in keeping his numerous
opponents at bay, and he had to deal with the Rajputs, the disloyalty of his son Akbar, and
the Sikhs, whose leader, Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh, was killed at Aurangzeb's command
when he refused to convert to Islam. Neither could Aurangzeb forgive the Sikhs for having
supported his brother and principal rival, Dara. The most effective opposition to his rule,
however, came from the Marathas, whose chief, Shivaji, could not be contained. Only
Shivaji's premature death at the age of 53, in 1680, appeared to offer the Mughal Emperor
some relief, but that very year the Rajputs of Jodhpur and Mewar forged an alliance
against Aurangzeb and declared themselves free from his sovereignty…
Towards the end of his reign, Aurangzeb's empire began to disintegrate, a process which
would be considerably accelerated in the years after his death, when "successor states"
came into existence. Aurangzeb's harsh treatment of Hindus, and the reversal of the liberal
religious policies of his predecessors, particularly Akbar, have been cited as principal
reasons for the disintegration of his empire. More likely, the peasantry was bled to death,
and the system of political alliances established by Akbar was allowed to go to seed. The
empire had become far too large and unwieldy, and Aurangzeb did not have enough
trustworthy men at his command to be able to manage the more far-flung parts of the
empire…
Shortly after the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire ceased to be an effective force in
the political life of India, but it was not until 1857-58, when the Indian Rebellion was
crushed and the Emperor Bahadur Shah was put on trial for sedition and treason, that the
Mughal Empire was formally rendered extinct.
Thesis Statement: Comparative: The Safavid Empire and the Mughal Empire
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