South Asia and the Mogul Empire

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key rulers, practices, events, and foreign interactions during the Mogul Dynasty in South Asia.

Bābur

1st Mogul ruler and founder of the Mogul dynasty who conquered areas in South Asia by using artillery.

Akbar

Grandson of Bābur who took the throne at age 14, died in 1605, and brought a long period of peace, prosperity, progress, and religious tolerance to the empire.

Jahangir

Son of Akbar who fell under the political influence of his wife, Nur Jahān.

Nur Jahān

Wife of Jahangir who gained political authority, served as the only female ruler, and arranged a marriage for her niece to Shah Jahān.

Shāh Jahān

3rd son of Akbar who ruled from 1628 to 1658, failed to deal with growing domestic problems, emptied the treasury, and built the Taj Mahal.

Aurangzeb

Son of Shāh Jahān who put his brother to death, imprisoned his father, expanded the empire to its greatest size, practiced religious intolerance, and forbade suttee.

Suttee

A Hindu practice of cremating a widow on her husband's funeral pyre, which was forbidden by Aurangzeb.

Taj Mahal

A structure built during Mogul rule that reflected Persian and Indian influence, took 20 years to finish, and caused an increase in taxes.

Akbar style

An artistic style combining Persian and Indian motifs, where Hindu artists worked under Persian masters.

Sir Robert Clive

An aggressive British military genius who restricted French expansion in India and led British forces to control Bengal.

Battle of Plassey (1757)

A 1757 battle where Sir Robert Clive led a British army of 3,000 to victory over a Mogul army ten times its size, establishing British control in Bengal.

East India Company

A British trading company whose officials gained authority to collect taxes in Calcutta from the Mogul court.