The Mughals (along with Marathas)

60 topics across 6 chapters

Chapter 1

Geography, sources, and timelines (big picture)

Subcontinent geography for early-modern politics (Deccan, Indo-Gangetic plain, coasts)

Key primary sources (chronicles, farmans, bakhars) and how to read them critically

Core timeline 1526–1761: anchor events you must place correctly

Who’s who: dynasties, titles, and offices (Padshah, Subahdar, Peshwa, Sardars)

Map-and-date practice set (10 maps + 30 date-cards)

Chapter 2

Mughal Empire: foundation, governance, and society

Early Mughals: Babur → Humayun → Akbar (state formation)

2 subtopics

First Battle of Panipat (1526): causes, tactics, consequences

Humayun’s setbacks and restoration: what it shows about legitimacy and alliances

Imperial consolidation: Jahangir & Shah Jahan (court, faction, expansion)

1 subtopics

Jahangir: imperial politics, Nur Jahan, and the court as a power center

Provincial administration (subahs) and center–province relations

1 subtopics

Case study: one subah over time (pick: Bengal, Gujarat, or the Deccan)

Religion, law, and legitimacy (sulh-i kul, ulema, politics of patronage)

2 subtopics

Religious policy across reigns: continuity vs change (Akbar → Aurangzeb)

Law and institutions: sharia, custom, and imperial authority (practical examples)

Mughal military and frontier strategy (artillery, forts, logistics)

Chapter 3

Maratha polities: rise, administration, and society

Deccan background: Bahmanis → Deccan Sultanates → regional powers

Shivaji’s rise: forts, diplomacy, and early Maratha statecraft

1 subtopics

Shivaji’s early career: patrons, adversaries, and political opportunity

Post-Shivaji consolidation (Sambhaji–Rajaram–Tarabai) and survival in the Deccan wars

Peshwa era: expansion, confederacy, and administration

1 subtopics

From Shahu to the Peshwas: why the office became dominant

Revenue claims and governance: chauth, sardeshmukhi, and local power

Maratha military system: light cavalry, fort networks, and campaigning

1 subtopics

Fort network basics: capture, provisioning, command, and signaling

Chapter 4

Mughal–Maratha interaction: war, diplomacy, and political change

Mughal–Maratha conflict origins: Bijapur/Golconda, Deccan annexations, and shifting alliances

1 subtopics

Deccan annexations (1680s): end of Bijapur & Golconda and aftermath

The Deccan Wars (c. 1680–1707): strategy, key battles, and costs

2 subtopics

Operational patterns: raids, counter-raids, supply disruption (Deccan Wars toolkit)

Key moments list (memorize + explain): 5 sieges/turning points you choose

Negotiation and accommodation: treaties, farmans, and recognition of claims

1 subtopics

Treaty practice: analyze 2 agreements (terms, incentives, enforcement limits)

Maratha expansion into Mughal successor states (Malwa, Gujarat, Bundelkhand)

2 subtopics

Case study: Malwa/Gujarat—how Maratha claims reshaped local politics

Bundelkhand and the role of regional allies (why “empire” is messy)

Panipat (1761) and its regional consequences (limits of confederacy)

1 subtopics

Third Battle of Panipat (1761): coalition, logistics, and decision points

Chapter 5

Economy, culture, and everyday life (comparative)

Agrarian base and land revenue (zabt, jama, assessment, collection)

2 subtopics

Revenue vocabulary & mechanics (jama, hasil, zamindar, amil)

Village society and intermediaries: peasants, zamindars, deshmukhs/deshpandes

Trade and cities: ports, inland marts, bullion flows, merchant communities

Crafts and production: textiles, arms, artisanal organization

Court culture and patronage: literature, etiquette, festivals, language(s)

Art and architecture: Mughal monuments and Maratha built environments (comparisons)

Everyday life: caste, gender, slavery/servitude, and social mobility (case studies)

Chapter 6

Decline, transition, and historical interpretations

Mughal decline debates: fiscal strain, jagir crisis, succession, regionalization

Rise of successor states and new powers (Awadh, Bengal, Hyderabad, Sikhs)

1 subtopics

One successor-state deep dive (pick: Bengal, Awadh, or Hyderabad)

European companies in the background: why they matter (but aren’t the whole story)

1 subtopics

Company–state relations: trading privileges, military-fiscal growth, diplomacy

Synthesis project: build a 2-page comparative essay + timeline + map overlay

2 subtopics

Comparative matrix: governance, army, revenue, legitimacy (fill with examples)

Capstone oral exam: 12-question bank (answer with dates + maps + examples)