The Mughals
The Mughals were the undisputed masters of the subcontinent through the 16th and 17th centuries. Their empire was one of only three periods in history during which the subcontinent has come under a sustained, unified rule. (The other to pull off this feat were the Maurya’s and the British) The first Mughal emperor, Babur, used the traditional route to invade: from Central Asia. Haven took Kabul he conquered Delhi in 1526. The dynasty he founded endured for more than three centuries. The other great Mughal emperors included Akbar (1656-1605), Shah Jahan (1627-58) and Aurangzeb (1758-17-7). Because they were Muslims, the Mughals remain a source of a great period in Pakistan. While the most piece of Mughals architecture, The Taj Mahal in India, you can see many beautiful examples in Lahore. The Badshahi Mosque, the Lahore Fort and Jahangir’s Tomb all combine the Mughals skill for working on a grand scale and making great use of arches, domes, carving and towers.
While the Mughals are today most often celebrated for their artistic legacy, they were also excellent administrators who concentrated power in the central government. Their sophisticated bureaucratic system becomes particularly highly developed under the Akbar. He appointed officials based on merit rather than family rank. He also prevented the establishment of rival power bases by paying loyal in cash rather than land. While many of the Mughal rulers were hostile to their Hindu subjects, Akbar took a different view. He saw that the number of Hindus in India was too significant to subjugate. Instead, he integrated them into his empire and allowed Hindus to reach senior government and military positions.
Like imperial powers before and after them, the Mughals become overstretched. By the time of Aurangzeb’s death, their empire had become so large. It was mostly ungovernable. Slowly but steadily, the Mughals power ebbed away. Their administrative systems were weakened by debilitating and very violent succession struggles and court decadence.
In the province, local power brokers seized their opportunity and complained of Muslim domination and too many taxes, mounted a series of armed rebellions. Faced with these challenges, the Mughals increasingly became rulers only in name. The Mughal Empire existed right up until 1857 when the British deposed the 19th and last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah ii.