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Rise and fall of the Mughal Empire                                              Module - II

                                                                                                 Military History of
                                                                                                   Medieval  India


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                          RISE AND FALL OF THE                                                  Note

                                MUGHAL EMPIRE





               In the previous lesson you learnt that Babur had laid the foundation of the Mughal
               Empire by capturing major portion of Northern India. He was a great military leader.
               Who employed innovative tactics and use of gun powder to build a formidable Army.
               Fighting in India required adaptation to the new environment which had mountains,
               forests, marshlands and built up area. Hence it demanded new tactics and diversification
               and combined arms approach. The Mughals easily adapted to this environment and
               were prepared to guard against their newly built empire in India.

               Babur's successors Humanyun, Akbar, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb made great efforts to
               not only consolidate their empire but also to expand its borders. They had exceptional
               military as well as administrative skills. In this lesson, let us find out more about the
               Mughal rule in India.

                       Objectives


               After studing this lesson you will be able to:
                    explain the Mansabdari System during Akbar's rule;

                    explain the nature of war in Second Battle of Panipat;
                    highlight the experiences of Akbar's army in battle of Haldighati and

                    identify the causes of decline of the Mughals.

                8.1 The Mansabdari System


               Mansabdari was a system first introduced by Akbar for military administration with
               the objective of sustaining his army. It was a system originally borrowed from Central
               Asia but in the Indian context Akbar included Indian Muslims, Rajputs and Afghans as
               well. The system served as the basis for maintaining Mughal military and civil
               administration. In this system every man in the Mughal State who was employed above
               the position of a common soldier (or messenger) became a mansab.




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                MILITARY HISTORY                                                                                49
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