The Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was one of the great Islamic Empires that dominated Central Asia and beyond in the late medieval period, matching the territorial conquests of the other great Islamic “gunpowder” empires of the era-the Ottoman and Persian Empires.

It’s conquest of India lasted more than three centuries. The Mughals’ architectural and cultural legacy in north west India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and their ancestral roots in Persia and Central Asia remain to this day.

Descended from Central Asian warlords Genghis Khan and Timur, the first of 20 Mughal Emperors was Babur who invaded India in the early 16th century.

The militaristic Mughals were capable of great violence but for most of their reign were also tolerant of the other religions and cultures which were in a majority in their realm.

A golden age saw them become one of the world’s leading trading powers mining India’s riches and producing a quarter of the world’s textile goods. This era saw the construction of many of their greatest architectural creations which included the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Red Fort in Delhi. Then the Mughal Empire, like so many before and after them, over reached and suffered a series of invasions and occupations which resulted in the weakening and ultimate fall of their Empire.

Episodic Breakdown
Episode 1: Building an Empire 
Episode 2: The Golden Age 
Episode 3: Loot and Legacy