Question

the golden age of akbar (pages 72 - 73)
who was akbar?
baburs grandson was akbar. his name means \great one.\ he ruled with great wisdom and fairness for almost 40 years.
akbar was a muslim. he believed strongly that people should be allowed to follow the religion they choose. he hired people in his government based on their ability and not their religion. both hindus and muslims worked in the government.
akbar ruled fairly. he ended the tax that hindu pilgrims had to pay. he also ended the tax that all non - muslims had to pay. to raise money, he taxed people on a percentage of the food they grew. this made it easier for peasants to pay the tax. his land policy was less wise. he gave much land to government officials. however, when they died he took it back. as a result, workers did not see any point in caring for the land.
he had a strong, well - equipped army that helped him win and keep control of more lands. his empire held about 100 million people—more than lived in all of europe at the time.
during akbars reign, many changes in culture took place. his policy of blending different cultures produced two new languages. the languages were blends of several languages. one was hindi, which is widely spoken in india today. the other was urdu. it is now the official language of pakistan. the empire became famous for its art. the best example of this art was small, highly detailed, colorful pictures called miniatures. akbar—who could not read—had a huge library of books. he served as a patron to many writers. he also sponsored the building of a new capital city.

1. what did akbar contribute to the mughal empire?

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akbars successors (pages 73 - 75)
who ruled after akbar?
after akbars death in 1605, his son jahangir, took control of the empire. during his reign, the real power was his wife, nur jahan. she plotted with one son to overthrow another son. she had a bitter political battle with the sikhs, members of a separate, nonviolent religion. that group became the target of attacks by the government.
the next ruler was shah jahan. he too chose not to follow akbars policy of religious toleration. shah jahan was a great patron of the arts and built many beautiful buildings. one was the famous taj mahal, a tomb for his wife. his ambitious building plans required high taxes, though. people suffered under his rule.
his son aurangzeb ruled for almost 50 years. he made the empire grow once again with new conquests. his rule also brought new problems. he was a devout muslim, and he punished hindus and destroyed their temples. this led to a rebellion that took part of his empire. at the same time, the sikhs won control of another part of the empire.

1. how did the mughal empire change after akbar?

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the empires decline and decay (page 77)
how did the mughal empire lose its power?
aurangzeb used up the empires resources. people did not feel loyalty to him. as the power of the state weakened, the power of local lords grew. soon there was only a patchwork of independent states. there continued to be a mughal emperor, but he was only a figurehead, not a ruler with any real power. as the mughal empire was rising and falling, western traders were building power. they arrived in india just before babur did. shah jahan let the english build trading fort in madras. aurangzeb handed them the port of bombay. this gave indias next conquerors a foothold in india.

1. who established a foothold in india?

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Explanation:

1. Akbar contributed to the Mughal Empire in multiple ways. He ruled with wisdom and fairness for almost 40 years. He was a Muslim but believed in religious tolerance, allowing people to follow their chosen religion and hiring government officials based on ability rather than religion. He ended taxes on Hindu pilgrims and non - Muslims. He had a strong army that helped expand and control the empire. His cultural policies led to the creation of new languages (Hindi and Urdu) and the empire became famous for its art (like miniatures). He also sponsored writers and the building of a new capital city.
2. After Akbar, the Mughal Empire changed. Jahangir's wife Nur Jahan plotted politically. Shah Jahan, while a patron of the arts (built the Taj Mahal), imposed high taxes. Aurangzeb made the empire grow through conquests but his religious intolerance (punishing Hindus, destroying their temples) led to rebellion. The empire started to decline as local lords' power grew and the Mughal emperor became more of a figurehead.
3. Western traders established a foothold in India. Shah Jahan let the English build a trading fort in Madras and Aurangzeb gave them the port of Bombay.

Answer:

1. Akbar contributed through wise and fair rule, religious tolerance, army - led expansion, cultural development (new languages and art), and patronage of writers and architecture.
2. After Akbar, there were political plots (Nur Jahan), high - tax art patronage (Shah Jahan), and later religious - intolerance - driven rebellion and decline (Aurangzeb).
3. Western traders (specifically the English with the help of Mughal emperors Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb).