The Mughal Empire
It is not my intention to build a "real" page on the Mughal Empire; that would be a task for interested historians. I do hope to provide links to sites that carry historical information on the last of the great Indian empires.
The Moghuls in Indian History and Culture
The Indian subcontinent saw a period of prosperity, political stability, as well as an extraordinary flowering of culture under the first six Mughal emperors, collectively called the Great Mughals. Many enduring symbols of Indian culture date from the Mughal period. The empire, founded in 1526 by Babur, was at its peak in the later half of the 16th century through the first half of the 17th century-- both in terms of its military-political influence in the region, as well as its influence on the artistic and cultural life of India. Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, was considered to be the greatest of the Mughals. The decline of the empire began with the sixth emperor, Aurangzeb, whose repressive zeal is said to have weakened the foundations of the empire. The empire nevertheless survived until the mid-nineteenth century under a succession of increasingly ineffectual and decadent rulers, and ended in 1857 with the expulsion to Burma (by the British) of the refined but weak Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal.
Humayun's Place in History
Humayun's place in history is overshadowed by the achievements of his father, Babur, the founder of the dynasty, as well as by those of Humayun's own son, Akbar, the Grand Mughal. Babur, the founding Mughal, was a Central Asian by birth, and was a descendent of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan. The word mughal is a Persian variation of the word mongol and clearly chosen by Babur to emphasize his ancestry. Babur was a clever military strategist, and a literate ruler. Baburnama, Babur's memoir, is a historically significant document, as well as an Indian classic of the Mughal era. Humayun ascended to the throne in 1530, but was dethroned and driven out of India by the invading Afghan prince Sher Shah. Humayun managed to reclaim the Mughal throne in 1540, only to die a year later in an unusual accident in which he fell down the steps of his library. Ironically, the Persian root of the name Humayun means the lucky. You may find additional introductory material on the Mughals at the following sites.
A Brief history of
the Mughals, as per a Canadian college course A
Brief History of the Mughals (Govt of India)
A Portrait Gallery Collected From the Web
Babur,
The Founding Mughal
Humayun,
The Second Emperor
Akbar,
the Third Emperor
Shah-Jehan,
the Fifth Emperor
The Taj
Mahal (Shah-Jehan)
My very own ( M.
Zafri Humayun)