Faith, Power and Splendour: The World of the Mughals

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the political rise, imperial governance, religious accommodation, cultural and architectural achievements, and ultimate decline of the Mughal Empire from 1526 to 1858.

Koh-i-Noor

A historic diamond whose transfer among Mughal, Persian, Afghan, Sikh, and British rulers tracked the shifting fortunes of conquest and political sovereignty in South Asia.

Babur (1483–1530)

A Central Asian prince from Fergana and descendant of Timur and Chinggis Khan who defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 to establish Mughal rule in northern India.

Battle of Panipat (1526)

The decisive military conflict in 1526 in which Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, laying the foundation of the Mughal Empire.

Humayun

Babur's son who lost the empire to the Afghan ruler Sher Shah Sur in 1540, reclaimed Delhi in 1555 with Safavid support, and died later that year.

Sher Shah Sur

The Afghan ruler who defeated Humayun in 1540 and briefly established Sur dynasty control over northern India before the Mughal restoration in 1555.

Akbar the Great (r. 1556–1605)

The third Mughal emperor who expanded the realm from Gujarat to Bengal and Kabul through military conquest, strategic marriage alliances with Rajputs, and administrative innovation.

Siege of Chittor (1568)

A major 1568 military campaign by Akbar against a prominent Rajput fortress that concluded with intense devastation and mass executions.

Rajputs

Warrior and ruling elites of northern and western India whom Akbar integrated into the imperial hierarchy through matrimonial alliances and high military appointments.

Mansab

An official imperial rank in the Mughal administrative system that established an officeholder's social status, salary, and military troop-maintenance quotas.

Mansabdar

A military or administrative official who held an imperial mansab rank and served the emperor in exchange for cash salaries or revenue rights.

Jagir

A temporary assignment of the right to collect land revenue from a designated area, granted to mansabdars in lieu of a cash salary rather than conveying ownership of the soil.

Zamindars

Local landholders in rural India who possessed hereditary rights over agricultural land and acted as revenue-collecting intermediaries between farmers and the imperial state.

War of Succession (1657–1658)

The struggle for the Mughal throne triggered by Shah Jahan's illness, in which Aurangzeb defeated his brothers, executed Dara Shukoh, and imprisoned Shah Jahan in Agra Fort.

Dara Shukoh

Shah Jahan's eldest son and favored successor, known for his mystical studies, who was defeated and executed in 1659 by his younger brother Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707)

The sixth Mughal emperor who expanded the empire to its maximum territorial extent in the Deccan, placed stricter emphasis on Sunni Islamic law, and reinstated the jizya tax in 1679.

Guru Nanak (1469–1539)

The founder of Sikhism who taught devotion to one God, honest work, sharing, and selfless service while rejecting caste hierarchies, empty rituals, and exclusive claims to truth.

Langar

The communal kitchen established by Guru Nanak at Kartarpur, open to individuals of all castes and backgrounds for shared, egalitarian meals.

Adi Granth

The foundational scripture of Sikhism compiled in 1604 by Guru Arjan, containing devotional hymns by Sikh Gurus and other poet-saints.

Sulh-i Kul

The governing ideal of 'peace with all' promoted by Akbar, which sought to maintain civil harmony across diverse faiths and placed the emperor above competing religious authorities.

Jizya

A poll tax traditionally assessed on non-Muslim subjects; abolished by Akbar in 1564 to foster non-Muslim inclusion and reimposed by Aurangzeb in 1679.

Pilgrimage Tax

A levy previously imposed on Hindu pilgrims visiting sacred sites, which Akbar abolished in 1563 as part of his early policies of religious accommodation.

Ibadat Khana (House of Worship)

The theological debate hall founded by Akbar at Fatehpur Sikri where scholars of Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism gathered for interfaith dialogue.

Razmnama

The Persian translation ('Book of War') of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, commissioned by Akbar to make South Asian epic traditions accessible to Persian readers.

Chandar Bhan Brahman (d. 1663)

A Hindu scholar, poet, and Persian-language secretary (munshi) who served Shah Jahan and authored an instructional letter to his son on learning, accounting, and courtly service.

Munshi

A secretary or scribe in the Mughal administration expected to demonstrate mastery of literacy, accounting, refined penmanship, discretion, and moral character.

Guru Arjan

The fifth Sikh Guru who compiled the Adi Granth in 1604 and was executed in 1606 under Emperor Jahangir following perceived religious influence and contact with Prince Khusrau.

Guru Hargobind

The sixth Sikh Guru who organized armed military defense for the Sikh community following the execution of his father, Guru Arjan.

Guru Tegh Bahadur

The ninth Sikh Guru executed in 1675 under Aurangzeb, remembered in Sikh tradition as a martyr who gave his life defending religious freedom.

Khalsa

The collective body of initiated Sikhs instituted by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, defined by shared religious discipline, distinctive identity, and organized martial defense.

Guru Gobind Singh

The tenth Sikh Guru who founded the Khalsa in 1699, solidifying Sikh religious organization, identity, and active resistance against imperial oppression.

Miniature Painting

Small, highly detailed paintings on paper created for albums or manuscript illumination, synthesizing Persian, South Asian, and European artistic techniques.

Abu'l Hasan

A leading court painter under Emperor Jahangir who was awarded the title Nadir al-Zaman ('Wonder of the Age') and specialized in symbolic and imperial allegorical portraits.

Jahangir Embracing Shah Abbas

A celebrated miniature painting by Abu'l Hasan (c. 1618) depicting Jahangir and the Safavid ruler embracing atop a globe flanked by a lion and a lamb, symbolizing universal harmony.

Govardhan

A Hindu painter active across the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan, celebrated for observant portraits of rulers, courtiers, holy men, and commoners.

Peacock Throne

The lavish, gemstone-studded imperial throne commissioned by Shah Jahan in the 17th century to proclaim supreme authority and imperial splendor.

Taj Mahal

The white marble funerary complex in Agra commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1632 for his late wife Mumtaz Mahal, completed over two decades by roughly 20,000 artisans.

Ahmad Lahori

The chief architect appointed by Shah Jahan to design and oversee the construction of the Taj Mahal funerary complex.

Shahjahanabad

The walled imperial capital founded at Delhi in 1639 by Shah Jahan, centered around the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid, and major planned streets like Chandni Chowk.

Jahanara Begum

The eldest daughter of Shah Jahan who financed architectural works and urban infrastructure in Shahjahanabad, notably designing the Chandni Chowk bazaar square.

Palampore

A decorative chintz bedcover or textile panel produced using mordants, resists, and dyes, heavily manufactured in India for global trade networks.

Nadir Shah

The ruler of Iran who routed the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah in 1739, ransacked Delhi, and carried away the Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Sepoy

An Indian soldier employed and drilled under European officers within the private armed forces of the British East India Company.

Battle of Plassey (1757)

The battle in which East India Company forces led by Robert Clive overthrew Siraj ud-Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal, initiating British political control in northeastern India.

Diwani (1765)

The imperial grant conceded by Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II to the East India Company in 1765, conferring civil revenue-collection authority over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839)

The founder of the Sikh Empire who captured Lahore in 1801, established a sovereign Punjabi kingdom, and acquired the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shah Shuja in 1813.

Treaty of Lahore (1849)

The agreement concluding the Second Anglo-Sikh War through which the East India Company annexed Punjab and compelled Maharaja Duleep Singh to surrender the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

Maharaja Duleep Singh

The last Sikh ruler of Punjab who was forced at age ten to sign away his sovereignty and forfeit the Koh-i-Noor diamond following the 1849 British annexation.

Rebellion of 1857

A widespread military and civil uprising that erupted at Meerut among Company sepoys, culminating in the formal abolition of the Mughal dynasty and the inception of direct British Crown rule.

Bahadur Shah Zafar

The twentieth and final Mughal emperor (r. 1837–1857), who served as the titular leader of the 1857 uprising before being tried, deposed, and exiled to Burma by British forces.