From the 8th to 16h centuries C.E., Muslim invaders repeatedly attacked the Indian subcontinent. These conquerors, originally Arab and Persian but later Turkish, gradually expanded their control until by 1500 all but the southernmost edge of India was under Muslim rule. How did these Muslim forces conquer such a large area of land? Why were the powerful India kingdoms unable to defend against these incursions? Why were Muslim rulers so persistent in their aims? What were the consequences of Muslim rule in India? In the 7th century Arab Muslim conquerors had swept the world, reaching as far as North Africa and Afghanistan from their humble start on the Arabian Peninsula. However, the Northwest entrance to the subcontinent of India was perilous and cold, making a land invasion from Afghanistan near impossible. Furthermore, the Caliphs had been stopped in their advance by Carthaginians and Berbers in Africa, making them unwilling to commit forces to the eastern empire which had been mostly subdued. Thus no major land invasion would be launched for several decades. Despite this, individual Muslim merchants hailing from the Persian gulf initiated several naval expeditions, raiding and looting towns on the west coast of India. They made no territorial gains, however, and desired only plunder. (Jackson 4.) The conquest of India was executed mostly through the strategical genius of a few key individuals, as well as technological advantages on the side of the Muslims and petty
Islam’s massive growth in size can be credited to the constant battles and war with surrounding areas. The Muslims were determined to share
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Islam spread from its beginnings in Arabia to cover the entire Middle East and parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. As (Document 8) shows, by the year 750, Islam stretched from Eastern Persia in the Middle East, all the way to the westernmost edges of Spain and North Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Islam expanded so rapidly because of its techniques on conquering unstable areas and converting people to Islam, preventing setbacks and obstructions. Islam had three main reasons for its eminent prosperity. The way that Muslims treated the conquered people allowed for peace throughout the empire. Tolerance, combined with the military power, a disciplined army, and an overall appealing religion of Islam, provided the template that allowed the empire to expand to encompass an enormous amount of area.
The Islamic civilization grew to become such a large empire by making smart decisions and being peaceful and not violet. The civilization thrived and gained more land to expand their empire.
The Mughal Empire ruled most of India and Pakistan in the 16th and 17th centuries. The empire Islam in South Asia, and caused the spread of Muslim arts and culture as well as faith. The Mughals were Muslims who ruled a country with a large
Mecca, the city where Islam was founded, was the meeting point of three large trading routes that lead to the Silk Road(Doc A). When these traders went through this town they saw wealth and prosperity. They took note of the religion and spread the word of the town. It wasn’t long before the whole Arabian Peninsula had heard about the religion. This helped unify the Arabian peninsula which let the next factor of military conquest even take place.
Islamic civilization was spread using a variety of useful techniques, ranging from extreme violence, to the use of peaceful doctrine. Without these practices and methods, the spread of Islam would not be as profound as it has shown to be, especially from 632 to 750 CE. Islamic civilization spread to encompass such an extensive empire through the “way of the sword”, use pre-existing roads, ruthless fighting techniques, and the way of salvation and religious doctrine. One of the biggest methods that were used to spread Islam was the way of the sword, and other practices of intimidation. When new lands were taken over by Islam, Muslims gave a few options.
The Mughal Empire: Zahir al-Din, also known as Babur, was a Chagatai Turk that, unlike the Ottoman and Safavids, was just a soldier of fortune not fighting on behalf of Islam. He wanted to use his fortune to transform a glorious central Asian empire. Although, he did not succeed at that goal he then focused on India. Babur took Delhi in 1526. He did not like the land that he had conquered, it was a hot and humid climate but, Babur decided to stay. By the time of his death he had embraced most of the Indian subcontinent. The height of the Mughal power and influence came from Babur’s grandson Akbar. He gained power in Gujarat and Bengal, destroyed the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar in order to later expand in southern India. He was a thoughtful man who tolerated the religious differences in
Islam also has diffused through Expansion. The greatest Expansion of Islam in India first occurred in 711. Seventeen year old Muhammad bin Qasim was appointed to lead his army of 6,000 soldiers to the far eastern side of Persia, Makran. As he made his way into India there was little
The invasions, and attempted conquest of Alexander caused dislocations in the northwest, which aided Chandragupta Maurya to build his empire in northern India by allowing Chandragupta to pursue a long drawn out strategy of acquiring the least contented and most vulnerable of the Nandas’ client states while accurately encircling and conclusively dominating Magadba. Chandragupta’s grandson Ashoka managed to govern his large and diverse empire by possibly stealing the crown from his father; his grandfather resigned to join an ascetic religious order, the Jains. Ashoka’s military troops drove the Mauryan Empire further
Throughout the years many historians have compilated and examined why Indian people were so desperate to gain back their independence from the British Empire during their rule over India, from 1612 to 1947. The reasoning can most definitely be found as the British discriminated against Indian people as they believe that they were inferior; it is no surprise that Indian people fought so hard for their independence. Throughout the British Raj, they placed and put forward unbelievably racist acts and laws which discriminated against Indian people. Which of course led to Indians to rebel against the British rule and which the British reacted with causing massacres. Explaining the nationalistic many India’s felt during the British Raj.
The Ottoman and Mughal empires were two of the greatest and most successful empires to ever form in history. However, they both had some similarities as well as differences. Both empires went through tough periods of time, but at some point they also went through times of growth and prosperity. Although the Ottoman and Mughal Empire both did not force conversions into Islam, the Ottoman’s development relied on their tough military force, while the decline of the Mughal Empire was caused by Aurangzeb’s policy of religious persecution and high taxes.
Have you ever wondered how early empires grew so big and were successful? The Muslims expanded their civilization in many ways, which is important because they wanted to spread their religion and expand the empire. The early Islamic Empire expanded by conquering other lands, making people feel comfortable in the territory, as well as keeping their army strong and their citizens loyal.
The Muslim Empire grew to encompass a wide range of territory. Their empire included India, Greece, and Rome in addition to many other places. The Muslims were much more advanced than other nations because of their tolerance of other cultures. This enabled them to adopt many of the developments and innovations of the people whose land they conquered. They were able to attain intelligence at the highest level of the time from a specific area they conquered whose main focus of study was that field.
Turkish people known as the Mughals extended their authority and their empire to much of the subcontinent.
This makes sense when first looked at, but the “imperial overstretch” argument ignores the fact that as late as the 18th century, India was the second wealthiest society in the world. In 1526, Babur is said to have invaded India with 12,000 cavalrymen, but by the time of Shah Jahan, the imperial military reached 300,000 soldiers, of whom 200,000 were armed cavalrymen. The only way that the Mughals could support so massive a military was with an equally massive military budget. According to the economic historian Angus Maddison, India had been the largest economy in the world until it was surpassed in size by China, circa 1500, and between 1500 and 1700, the subcontinent still accounted for a full 25 percent of total world economic output.