India in the 16th–18th centuries
At the start of the 16th century northern India was fragmented; Ibrahim Lodi ruled the Delhi Sultanate. Babur, ruler of Kabul, defeated him at the Battle of Panipat on 21 April 1526 and founded the Baburid (Mughal) dynasty (he died in 1530). His son Humayun was beaten by Sher Khan in 1540 and went to Iran, recovering Delhi in 1555. Akbar (1556–1605) divided the state into provinces, put the tax system in order, abolished jizya on non-Muslims, brought Hindus into the administration and pursued a policy of religious tolerance. Under Shah Jahan (1628–1658) the Taj Mahal mausoleum was built at Agra. Aurangzeb (1658–1707) restored jizya and raised taxes, leading to popular uprisings. In the 18th century the empire broke up, and in 1739 Nader Shah took Delhi. Britain’s East India Company took advantage: by winning in Bengal in 1757 it gradually turned India into a colony. Under the Baburids the “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” were translated into Persian, Tulsidas and Surdas wrote, and Mirza Bedil composed poetry.
“Baburid family tree”: the class places the rulers from Babur to Aurangzeb in a chain and writes one deed for each.