A Short History of the Mughal Empire

Michael Fisher

The Mughal Empire dominated India politically, culturally, socially, economically and environmentally, from its foundation by Babur, a Central Asian adventurer, in 1526 to the final trial and exile of the last emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar at the hands of the British in 1858. Throughout the empire's three centuries of rise, preeminence and decline, it remained a dynamic and complex entity within and against which diverse peoples and interests conflicted. The empire's significance continues to be controversial among scholars and politicians with fresh and exciting new insights, theories and interpretations being put forward in recent years. This book engages students and general readers with a clear, lively and informed narrative of the core political events, the struggles and interactions of key individuals, groups and cultures, and of the contending historiographical arguments surrounding the Mughal Empire.

Three centuries of the Mughal Empire in one short book

Introduction1. From Central Asia into the Alien Land of India2. Establishment of the Mughal Indian Empire3. Efflorescence of the Imperial Court4. Building up the Empire5. Expanding the Frontiers and Facing Challenges6. Hollowing Out the Imperial System7. Vestiges of Imperium8. Contested Meanings of the Mughal EmpireConclusionBibliography