Vibrant nation
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Vibrant nation

Queen Victoria called it the jewel in the crown of the empire, but India was a strong and vibrant nation before the British arrived. In the 18th century India had an economy to rival Britain’s, and people came from all over the world to sample its beauty and wealth.

The Mogul emperors ruled India from 1526, after their king Babur defeated Ibrahim, the sultan of Delhi, until 1858 when the last of 17 emperors, Bahadur Shah, was exiled to Burma.

Jelaleddin Mahmomet Akbar (1542-1605) was deemed to be the greatest of the Mogul emperors. Under his 49-year reign, the Moguls conquered all of Northern India and Afghanistan, extending his rule as far south as the Godavari River.

Although the Moguls were Muslims and most of their subjects were Hindu, they maintained their rule by religious tolerance and military might.

India was the world’s workshop. Its looms supplied silks, cottons and cashmere to the world’s rich, and its name was synonymous with sophistication and class.

Ultimately the Mogul empire fell victim to its own success. As India’s regions went from economic strength to strength, the Moguls were unable to quell regional rivalry and integrate India’s diverse cultures. Between 1707 and 1761 the war of words spilled over into action, and the central authority of the Moguls began to lose its grip on the nation’s economic power bases.

With this resurgence of regional identity the provinces became virtual kingdoms – increasingly independent both economically and politically.

Much of the Mogul religious unity was undone. Taxes were re-imposed on Hindus, temples were destroyed, and forced conversions to Islam were decreed.

The warring was exploited by the British who gradually increased their territorial influence. But it was the mutiny of Indian troops in 1857, dubbed ‘India’s first war of independence’, which ultimately paved the way for British control.

With commercial interests at stake, the British intervened, and after a year beat the mutineers (or patriots depending on your viewpoint) into submission. The price was a heavy one.

The British ended both the East India Company and the Mogul empire, sending the deposed Bahadur Shah to exile in Burma.

With the coming of the Raj, a British governor general was installed and India’s independence was lost.

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