Rajput History Archive > Dynasty
Mughal Dynasty
The Turco-Mongol imperial dynasty that ruled Northern and Central India from 1526 to 1857 CE, defined by monumental architectural patronages and centuries of deep diplomatic, matrimonial, and military entanglements with the Rajput kingdoms.
Detailed Historical Chronicle
1. Origins & The Foundation at Khanwa (1526–1527 CE) The Mughal Dynasty, tracing paternal descent from Timur and maternal lineage from Genghis Khan, emerged in Central Asia before founding an empire in North India under Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad Babur.
After capturing Delhi from the Lodi Sultans at Panipat in 1526 CE, Babur faced his greatest existential threat: the grand Rajput Confederacy assembled under Maharana Sangram Singh I (Rana Sanga) of Mewar. The confederacy united the foremost royal houses of Rajasthan, Prithviraj Kachwaha of Amber, Rao Ganga of Marwar, Hasan Khan Mewati, Medini Rai of Chanderi, and Rawal Udai Singh of Dungarpur.
At the Battle of Khanwa (1527 CE), Babur utilized Ottoman field artillery (*topkhana*) and matchlock rifle carts (*tulghuma*) to counter the overwhelming Rajput cavalry. Although wounded Rana Sanga was evacuated from the field, Khanwa broke the unified Rajput advance on Delhi and established the Mughal imperial presence in India.
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2. Akbar's Rajput Policy: The Diplomatic Matrix Following the interregnum of Sher Shah Suri, Akbar the Great (reigned 1556–1605 CE) recognized that coercive conquest alone could never subdue the Rajput warrior class. In 1562 CE, Akbar concluded a historic diplomatic and matrimonial alliance with Raja Bharmal of Amber (Jaipur).
Akbar's Rajput policy rested on four strategic pillars:
1. Dignified Integration: Rajput princes were not treated as defeated vassals but as imperial peers, granted high military *mansabs* (ranks of 5,000 and 7,000) and governorships of critical provinces like Kabul, Bengal, and the Deccan.
2. Religious Autonomy: Akbar abolished the discriminatory *Jizya* and pilgrimage taxes, prohibited forced conversions, and permitted Hindu worship and construction of grand temples (such as Govind Dev Ji temple in Vrindavan built by Raja Man Singh).
3. Internal Sovereignty: Rajput states retained absolute internal administration over their ancestral lands (*watan jagirs*), which could not be confiscated or transferred.
4. Matrimonial Alliances: Royal alliances connected the imperial Mughal line with Rajput families. Akbar's consort Mariam-uz-Zamani (Harkha Bai of Amber) gave birth to the future emperor Jahangir, and Marwar princess Jagat Gosain gave birth to Shah Jahan.
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3. The Clashes of Sovereignty: Mewar & Marwar While Amber, Bikaner, and Bundi entered the imperial alliance, other houses chose uncompromising resistance:
The Siege of Chittorgarh (1567–1568 CE) When Maharana Udai Singh II refused imperial submission, Akbar laid siege to Chittorgarh Citadel with heavy mining guns and sabats. Under commanders Jaimal Rathore of Merta and Patta Chundawat of Kelwa, the garrison resisted for four months. Following Jaimal's injury and the third historic Jauhar of Chittorgarh, the Rajput warriors rode out in saffron robes for the final Shaka.
The Battle of Haldighati (1576 CE) In June 1576 CE, Akbar dispatched an imperial army led by Kunwar Man Singh of Amber to confront Maharana Pratap in the narrow defiles of Haldighati. Pratap's cavalry vanguard smashed the Mughal front line, and Pratap engaged Man Singh's elephant before sustaining severe injuries. Pratap's subsequent guerrilla campaign across the Aravalli hills, culminating in the decisive victory at Dewair (1582 CE), permanently preserved Mewar's sovereign identity.
Rao Chandrasen of Marwar Simultaneously in Western Rajasthan, Rao Chandrasen of Jodhpur defied Akbar at the Nagaur Durbar (1570 CE) and conducted two decades of hit-and-run warfare from Siwana, pioneering the desert mountain guerrilla tactics later mirrored across Rajasthan and the Deccan.
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4. The Reversal under Aurangzeb & The 30 Years' War The fragile equilibrium established under Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan collapsed with the ascension of Aurangzeb Alamgir (reigned 1658–1707 CE). Aurangzeb re-imposed the Jizya tax in 1679 CE, demolished prominent regional temples, and attempted to annex Marwar upon the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh I.
This triggered the Rajput Rebellion (1679–1709 CE):
- Veer Durgadas Rathore of Marwar rescued the infant heir Ajit Singh and forged a united military front with Maharana Raj Singh I of Mewar.
- Maharana Raj Singh sent his celebrated diplomatic letter rebuking Aurangzeb's bigotry and routed Mughal armies in the Desuri Pass.
- For thirty years, the combined Rathore-Sisodia forces drained imperial finances, tied down elite Mughal divisions, and shattered the prestige of the Mughal army.
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