BABUR

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur was a conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent and became the first Mughal emperor. Wikipedia Born: February 14, 1483, Andijan, Uzbekistan Died: December 26, 1530, Agra Spouse: Mubarika Yusufzai Buried: 1531 Parents: Umar Shaikh Mirza II, Qutlugh Nigar Khanum Books: The Baburnama

When Babur swept down out of the valleys of Central Asia to conquer India, he was only one of a long line of such conquerors through history. However, his descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that ruled much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to impact the culture of India to this day. It seems appropriate that the founder of such a mighty dynasty would himself be descended from great bloodlines. Babur's pedigree seems to have been specifically designed for the job. On his father's side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk descended from Timur the Lame. On his mother's side, Babur was descended from Genghis Khan. Childhood: Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, nicknamed "Babur" or "Lion," was born into the Timurid royal family in Andijan, now in Uzbekistan, on February 23, 1483. His father, Umar Sheikh Mirza, was the Emir of Ferghana; his mother, Qutlaq Nigar Khanum, was the Moghuli king Yunus Khan's daughter. By the time of Babur's birth, the remaining Mongol descendants in western Central Asia had intermarried with Turkic and Persian peoples, and assimilated into local culture. They were strongly influenced by Persia (using Farsi as their official court language), and they had converted to Islam. Most favored the mystic Sufism-infused style of Sunni Islam. Babur Takes the Throne: In 1494, the Emir of Ferghana died suddenly, and 11-year-old Babur ascended his father's throne. His seat was anything but secure, however, with numerous uncles and cousins plotting to replace him. Evidently aware that a good offense is the best defense, the young emir set out to expand his holdings. By 1497, he had conquered the famous Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand. While he was thus engaged, however, his uncles and other nobles rose in rebellion back in Andijan. When Babur turned to defend his base, he once again lost control of Samarkand. The determined young emir had regained both cities by 1501, but the Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan challenged him over Samarkand, and dealt Babur's forces a crushing defeat. This marked the end of Babur's rule in what is now Uzbekistan. Exile in Afghanistan:

For three years, the homeless prince wandered Central Asia, trying to attract followers to help him retake his father's throne. Finally, in 1504, he and his small army looked to the southeast instead, marching over the snow-bound Hindu Kush mountains into Afghanistan. Babur, now 21 years old, besieged and conquered Kabul, creating a base for his new kingdom. Ever optimistic, Babur would ally himself with the rulers of Herat and Persia, and try to take back Fergana in 1510-1511. Once more, however, the Uzbeks utterly defeated the Moghul army, driving them back to Afghanistan. Thwarted, Babur began to look south once more. Invitation to Replace Lodi: In 1521, a perfect opportunity for southern expansion presented itself to Babur. The sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Ibrahim Lodi, was hated and reviled by his ordinary citizens and the nobility alike. He had shaken up the military and court ranks, installing his own followers in place of the old guard, and ruled the lower classes with an arbitrary and tyrannical style. After just four years of Lodi's rule, the Afghan nobility were so fed up with him that they invited the Timurid Babur to come to the Delhi Sultanate and depose Ibrahim Lodi. Naturally, Babur was quite happy to comply. He gathered an army, and launched a siege on Kandahar. The Kandahar Citadel, however, held out for much longer than Babur had anticipated. As the siege dragged on, however, important nobles and military men from the Delhi Sultanate such as Ibrahim Lodi's uncle, Alam Khan, and the governor of Punjab allied themselves with Babur. First Battle of Panipat: Five years after his initial invitation into the subcontinent, Babur finally launched an all-out assault on the Delhi Sultanate and Ibrahim Lodi in April of 1526. On the plains of Punjab, Babur's army of 24,000, mostly horse cavalry, rode out against Sultan Ibrahim, who had 100,000 men and 1,000 war-elephants. Although Babur appeared to be terribly outmatched, he had a far more cohesive command... and guns. Ibrahim Lodi had none. The battle that followed, now called the First Battle of Panipat, marked the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. With superior tactics and firepower, Babur crushed Lodi's army, killing the sultan and 20,000 of his men. Lodi's fall signalled the beginning of the Mughal Empire (also known as the Timurid Empire) in India. Rajput Wars: Babur had overcome his fellow Muslims in the Delhi Sultanate (and of course, most were happy to acknowledge his rule), but the mainly-Hindu Rajput princes were not so easily conquered. Unlike his ancestor, Timur, Babur was dedicated to the idea of building a permanent empire in India - he was no mere raider. He decided to build his capital at Agra. The Rajputs, however, put up a spirited defense against this new, Muslim, would-be overlord from the north. Knowing that the Mughal army was weakened after the Battle of Panipat, the princes of Rajputana gathered an army even larger than Lodi's had been, and went to war behind Rana Sangam of Mewar. In March of 1527, at the Battle of Khanwa, Babur's army managed to deal the Rajputs a huge defeat. The Rajputs were undaunted, however, and battles and skirmishes continued all over the northern and eastern sections of Babur's empire for the next several years.

Death of Babur: In the autumn of 1530, Babur fell ill. His brother-in-law conspired with some of the Mughal court nobles to seize the throne after Babur's death, by-passing Humayun, Babur's eldest son and appointed heir. Humayun hurried to Agra to defend his claim to the throne, but soon fell gravely ill himself. According to legend, Babur cried out to God to spare Humayun's life, offering his own in return. Soon, the emperor once more grew weak. On January 5, 1531, Babur died at the age of just 47. Humayun, 22 years old, inherited a rickety empire, beset by internal and external enemies. Like his father, Humayun would lose power and be forced into exile, only to return and restake his claim to India. By the end of his life, he had consolidated and expanded the empire, which would reach its height under his son, Akbar the Great. Babur lived a difficult life, always battling to make a place for himself. In the end, however, he planted the seed on one of the world's great empires. Himself a devotee of poetry and gardens, Babur's descendants would raise all kinds of arts to their apogee during their long reign. The Mughal Empire lasted until 1868, when it fell to the colonial British Raj.

HUMAYUN
Baburs favorite son Humayun took the reins of the empire after his father succumbed to disease at the young age of forty-seven. Humayun lost control of his kingdom early on in his reign, but later with Persian aid, he would eventually regain an even larger one. In 1539, seeking to expand his realm, the Pashtun general Sher Khan met Humayun at the battle of Chausa; a town situated between Varanasi and Patna. Humayun was defeated and barely escaped with his own life and in the following year, 1540, his army of 40,000 was defeated by Sher Khan's Afghan army of 15,000. A popular Pashtun general, Khulas Khan Marwat, was leading Sher Khan's Army. This was the first military venture of Khulas Khan Marwat and soon he would prove nightmarish for the Mughals. Sher Khan's Army, under the command of Khulas Khan Marwat, then established a monarchy in Delhi with Sher Khan ruling under the title Sher Shah Suri; he ruled from 1540 to 1545. Sher Shah Suri consolidated his realm from Punjab to Bengal (he was the first conqueror to enter Bengal since Ala-ud-din Khilji; more than two centuries earlier). He is credited with having organized and administered the government and military in such a manner that future Mughal kings used it as their own models. He also added to the fort in Delhi (supposed site of Indraprastha), first started by Humayun, and now known as the Purana Qila (Old Fort). The Masjid Qila-i-Kuhna inside the fort is a masterpiece of the period, though only parts of it have survived. Sher Shah Suri died from a gunpowder explosion during the siege of Kalinjar fort on 22 May 1545 fighting against the Chandel Rajputs.[4][5] His charred remains were interred in a tomb at Sasaram (in present day Bihar), midway between Varanasi and Bodh Gaya. Although rarely visited, future great Mughal builders such as Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan would emulate the architecture of this tomb. The massive palace-like mausoleum stands at 37 metres

and three stories high.[6] Sher Shahs son Islam Shah held on to power until 1553 but following his death the Sur dynasty lost most of its influence due to strife and famine. Humayun was a keen astronomer. He died after falling down the stairs of his own library in 1556. Thus Humayun ruled in India for barely ten years and died at the age of forty-eight, leaving behind the then only thirteen-year-old Akbar as his heir. As a tribute to his father, Akbar later built a tomb in Humayun's honour in Delhi (completed in 1571), from red sandstone. Humayun's Tomb would become the precursor of future Mughal architecture. Akbars mother and Humayuns wife Hamida Banu Begum personally supervised the building of the tomb in his birthplace.

AKBAR
Abu l-Fath Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam, was the third Mughal Emperor. Wikipedia Born: October 14, 1542, Umerkot, Pakistan Died: October 27, 1605, Fatehpur Sikri Full name: Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar I Spouse: Mariam-uz-Zamani (m. 15621605) Parents: Humayun, Hamida Banu Begum Children: Jahangir, Prince Daniyal, Prince Murad, Daniyal Akbar's Early Life: Akbar was born to the second Mughal Emperor Humayan and his teenaged bride Hamida Banu Begum on October 14, 1542 in Sindh, now inPakistan. Although his ancestors included bothGenghis Khan and Timur (Tamerlane), the family was on the run after losing Babur's newlyestablished empire. Humayan would not regain northern India until 1555. With his parents in exile in Persia, little Akbar was raised by an uncle in Afghanistan, with help from a series of nursemaids. He practiced key skills like hunting, but never learned to read (perhaps due to a learning disability?). Nonetheless, throughout his life, Akbar had texts on philosophy, history, religion, science and other topics read to him, and could recite long passages of what he had heard from memory. Akbar Takes Power: In 1555, Humayan died just months after retaking Delhi. Akbar ascended the Mughal throne at the age of 13, and became Shahanshah ("King of Kings"). His regent was Bayram Khan, his childhood guardian and an outstanding warrior/statesman. The young emperor almost immediately lost Delhi once more to the Hindu leader Hemu. However, in November of 1556, Generals Bayram Khan and Khan Zaman I defeated Hemu's much larger army at the Second Battle of Panipat. Hemu himself was shot through the eye as he rode into battle atop an elephant; the Mughal army captured and executed him.

When he came of age at 18, Akbar dismissed the increasingly overbearing Bayram Khan and took direct control of the empire and army. Bayram was ordered to make the hajj to Mecca; instead, he started a rebellion against Akbar. The young emperor's forces defeated Bayram's rebels at Jalandhar, in the Punjab; rather than executing the rebel leader, Akbar mercifully allowed his former regent another chance to go to Mecca. This time, Bayram Khan went. Intrigue and Further Expansion: Although he was out from under Bayram Khan's control, Akbar still faced challenges to his authority from within the palace. The son of his nursemaid, a man called Adham Khan, killed another adviser in the palace after the victim discovered that Adham was embezzling tax funds. Enraged both by the murder and by the betrayal of his trust, Akbar had Adham Khan thrown from the parapets of the castle. From that point forward, Akbar was in control of his court and country, rather than being a tool of palace intrigues. The young emperor set out on an aggressive policy of military expansion, both for geo-strategic reasons and as a way to get troublesome warrior/advisers away from the capital. In the following years, the Mughal army would conquer much of northern India (including what is now Pakistan) and Afghanistan. Akbar's Governing Style: In order to control his vast empire, Akbar instituted a highly efficient bureaucracy. He appointed mansabars, or military governors, over the various regions; these governors answered directly to him. As a result, he was able to fuse the individual fiefdoms of India into a unified empire that would survive until 1868. Akbar was personally courageous, willing to lead the charge in battle. He enjoyed taming wild cheetahs and elephants, as well. This courage and selfconfidence allowed Akbar to initiate novel policies in government, and to stand by them over objections from more conservative advisers and courtiers. Matters of Faith and Marriage: From an early age, Akbar was raised in a tolerant milieu. Although his family was Sunni, two of his childhood tutors were Persian Shias. As an emperor, Akbar made the Sufi concept of Sulh-eKuhl, or "peace to all," a founding principle of his law. Akbar displayed remarkable respect for his Hindu subjects and their faith. His first marriage in 1562 was to Jodha Bai or Harkha Bai, who was a Rajput princess from Amber. As with the families of his later Hindu wives, her father and brothers joined Akbar's court as advisers, equal in rank to his Muslim courtiers. In total, Akbar had 36 wives of various ethnic and religious backgrounds. Probably even more importantly to his ordinary subjects, Akbar in 1563 repealed a special tax placed on Hindu pilgrims who visited sacred sites, and in 1564 completely repealed the jizya, or yearly tax on non-Muslims. What he lost in revenue by these acts, he more than regained in good-will from the Hindu majority of his subjects. Even beyond the practical realities of ruling

an enormous, predominantly Hindu empire with just a small band Muslim elite, however, Akbar himself had an open and curious mind on questions of religion. As he mentioned to Philip II of Spain in his letter, cited above, he loved to meet with learned men and women of all faiths to discuss theology and philosophy. From the female Jain guru Champa to Portuguese Jesuit priests, Akbar wanted to hear from them all. Foreign Relations: the coast, he became aware of the new Portuguese presence there. Although the initial Portuguese approach to India had been "all guns blazing," they soon realized that they were no match militarily for the Mughal Empire on land. The two powers made treaties, under which the Portuguese were allowed to maintain their coastal forts, in exchange for which the promised not to harass Mughal ships that set out from the west coast carrying pilgrims to Arabia for the hajj. Interestingly, Akbar even formed an alliance with the Catholic Portuguese to punish the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the Arabian Peninsula at that time. The Ottomans were concerned that the huge numbers of pilgrims flooding in to Mecca and Medina each year from the Mughal Empire were overwhelming the resources of the holy cities, so the Ottoman sultanrather firmly requested that Akbar quit sending people on the hajj. Outraged, Akbar asked his Portuguese allies to attack the Ottoman navy which was blockading the Arabian Peninsula. Unfortunately for him, the Portuguese fleet was completely routed off of Yemen. This signaled the end of the Mughal/Portuguese alliance. Akbar maintained more enduring relations with other empires, however. Despite the Mughal capture of Kandahar from the Persian Safavid Empire in 1595, for example, those two dynasties had cordial diplomatic ties throughout Akbar's rule. The Mughal Empire was such a rich and important potential trading partner that various European monarchs sent emissaries to Akbar, as well, including Elizabeth I of England and Henry IV of France. Akbar's Death: In October of 1605, the 63-year-old Emperor Akbar suffered a serious bout of dysentery. After being sick for three weeks, he passed away at the end of that month. The emperor was buried in a beautiful mausoleum in the royal city of Agra. The Legacy of Akbar the Great: Akbar's legacy of religious toleration, firm but fair central control and liberal tax policies that gave commoners a chance to prosper established a precedent in India that can be traced forward in the thinking of later figures such as Mohandas Gandhi. His love of art led to the fusion of Indian and Central Asian/Persian styles that came to symbolize the height of Mughal achievement, in forms as varied as miniature painting and grandiose architecture. This lovely fusion would reach its absolute apex under Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, who designed and had built the world-famous Taj Mahal.

Perhaps most of all, Akbar the Great showed the rulers of all nations everywhere that tolerance is not weakness, and open-mindedness is not the same thing as indecisiveness. As a result, he is honored more than four centuries after his death as one of the greatest rulersin human history.

JAHANGIR
Prince Salim (b. 1569 son of a Hindu Rajput princess from Amber), who would later be known as Emperor Jahangir showed signs of restlessness towards the end of the long reign of his father Akbar. During the absence of his father from Agra he pronounced himself king and turned rebellious. Akbar, however, was able to wrestle the throne back. Due to the early deaths of his two brothers, Murad and Daniyal from alcoholism, Salim had no reason to concern himself about his siblings' aspirations to the throne. Jahangir finally began his era as Mughal emperor after the death of Akbar in the year 1605. He considered his third son Prince Khurram (the future Shah Jahan, born 1592 to Hindu Rajput princess Manmati), his favourite. In 1615, a standoff between Prince Khurram and The Rana of Mewar resulted in a treaty acceptable to both parties. Khurram was also kept busy with several campaigns in Bengal and Kashmir. Jahangir claimed Khurram's victories of this period as his own.

SHAH JAHAN
The Taj Mahal, named for Arjumand Banu, who was called Mumtaz Mahal, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The great Jama Masjid built by him was the largest in India at the time. He renamed Delhi after himself as Shahjahanabad. The Red Fort made of red sandstone built during his reign near Jama Masjid around the same time came to be regarded as the seat of power of India itself. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the ramparts of this fort on Independence day even to this age.Shah Jahan also built or renovated forts in Delhi and in Agra. White marble chambers that served as living quarters and other halls for public audiences are examples of classic Mughal architecture. Here in Agra fort, Shah Jahan would spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his son, Aurangzeb shuffling between the hallways of the palace, squinting at the distant silhouette of his famous Taj Mahal on the banks of River Jamuna..

AURANGZEB
Abul Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Mohammad Aurangzeb, commonly known as Aurangzeb and by his imperial title Alamgir, was the sixth Mughal Emperor and ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent. Wikipedia Born: November 4, 1618, Dahod Died: March 3, 1707, Ahmednagar Spouse: Dilras Banu Begum (m. 1637) Buried: Khuldabad Parents: Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal Siblings: Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Roshanara Begum, Murad Baksh

Aurangzeb's Early Life: Aurangzeb was born on November 4, 1618, the third son of Prince Khurram (who would become Emperor Shah Jahan) and the Persian princess Arjumand Bano Begam. His mother is more commonly known as Mumtaz Mahal, "Beloved Jewel of the Palace." She later inspired Shah Jahan to build the Taj Mahal. During Aurangzeb's childhood, however, Mughal politics made life difficult for the family. Succession did not necessarily fall to the eldest son; instead, the sons built armies and competed militarily for the throne. Prince Khurram was the favorite to become the next emperor, and his father bestowed the title Shah Jahan Bahadur or "Brave King of the World" on the young man. In 1622, however, when Aurangzeb was four years old, Prince Khurram learned that his stepmother was supporting a younger brother's claim to the throne. The prince revolted against his father, but was defeated after four years. Aurangzeb and a brother were sent to their grandfather's court as hostages. When Shah Jahan's father died in 1627, the rebel prince became Emperor of the Mughal Empire. The nine-year-old Aurangzeb was reunited with his parents at Agra in 1628. The young Aurangzeb studied statecraft and military tactics, the Quran and languages, in preparation for his future role. Shah Jahan, however, favored his first son Dara Shikoh, and believed that he had the potential to become the next Mughal emperor. Aurangzeb, Military Leader: The 15-year-old Aurangzeb proved his courage in 1633. All of Shah Jahan's court was arrayed in a pavilion, watching an elephant fight, when one of the elephants ran out of control. As it thundered towards the royal family, everyone scattered - except Aurangzeb, who ran forward and headed off the furious pachyderm. This act of near-suicidal bravery raised Aurangzeb's status in the family. The following year, the teenager got command of an army of 10,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry; he soon was dispatched to put down the Bundela rebellion. When he was 18, the young prince was appointed viceroy of the Deccan region, south of the Mughal heartland. When Aurangzeb's sister died in a fire in 1644, he took three weeks to return home to Agra rather than rushing back immediately. Shah Jahan was so angry about his tardiness that he stripped Aurangzeb of the Viceroyalty of Deccan. Relations between the two deteriorated the following year, and Aurangzeb was banished from court. He bitterly accused the emperor of favoring Dara Shikoh. Shah Jahan needed all of his sons in order to run his huge empire, however, so in 1646, he appointed Aurangzeb Governor of Gujarat. The following year, the 28-year-old Aurangzeb also took up the governorships of Balkh (Afghanistan) and Badakhshan (Tajikistan) on the empire's vulnerable northern flank. Although Aurangzeb had a lot of success in extending Mughal rule north and westward, in 1652, he failed to take the city of Kandahar (Afghanistan) from the Safavids. His father again recalled him to the capital. Aurangzeb would not languish in Agra for long, though - that same year, he was sent south to govern the Deccan once more. Aurangzeb Fights for the Throne In late 1657, Shah Jahan became ill. His beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, had died in 1631, and Shah Jahan never really got over her loss. As his condition worsened, his four sons by Mumtaz began to fight for the Peacock Throne.

Shah Jahan favored Dara, the eldest son, but many Muslims considered him too worldly and irreligious. Shuja, the second son, was a complete hedonist, who used his position as Governor of Bengal as a platform for acquiring beautiful women and wine. Aurangzeb, a much more committed Muslim than either of the elder brothers, saw his chance to rally the faithful behind his own banner. Aurangzeb craftily recruited his younger brother Murad, convincing him that together they could remove Dara and Shuja, and place Murad on the throne. Aurangzeb disavowed any plans to rule himself, claiming that his only ambition was to make the hajj to Mecca. Later in 1658, as the combined armies of Murad and Aurangzeb moved north toward the capital, Shah Jahan recovered his health. Dara, who had crowned himself regent, stepped aside. The three younger brothers refused to believe that Shah Jahan was well, though, and converged on Agra, where they defeated Dara's army. Dara fled north, but was betrayed by a Baluchi chieftain and brought back to Agra in June of 1659. Aurangzeb had him executed for apostasy from Islam, and presented the head to their father. Shuja also fled to Arakan (Burma), and was executed there. Meanwhile, Aurangzeb had his former ally Murad executed on trumped-up murder charges in 1661. In addition to disposing of all of his rival brothers, the new Mughal Emperor placed his father under house arrest in Agra Fort. Shah Jahan lived there for eight years, until 1666. He spent most of his time in bed, gazing out the window at the Taj Mahal. The Reign of Aurangzeb: Aurangzeb's 48-year reign is often cited as a "Golden Age" of the Mughal Empire, but it was rife with trouble and rebellions. Although Mughal rulers from Akbar the Great through Shah Jahan practiced a remarkable degree of religious tolerance and were great patrons of the arts, Aurangzeb reversed both of these policies. He practiced a much more orthodox, even fundamentalist version of Islam, going so far as to outlaw music and other performances in 1668. Both Muslims and Hindus were forbidden to sing, play musical instruments or to dance - a serious damper on the traditions of both faiths in India. Aurangzeb also ordered the destruction of Hindu temples, although the exact number is not known. Estimates range from under 100 to tens of thousands. In addition, he ordered the enslavement of Christian missionaries. Aurangzeb expanded Mughal rule both north and south, but his constant military campaigns and religious intolerance rankled many of his subjects. He did not hesitate to torture and kill prisoners of war, political prisoners, and anyone he considered unIslamic. To make matters worse, the empire became over-extended, and Aurangzeb imposed ever-higher taxes in order to pay for his wars. The Mughal army was never able to completely quash Hindu resistance in the Deccan, and theSikhs of the northern Punjab rose up against Aurangzeb repeatedly throughout his reign. Perhaps most worryingly for the Mughal emperor, he relied heavily on Rajput warriors, who by this time formed the backbone of his southern army, and were faithful Hindus. Although they were displeased with his policies, they did not abandon Aurangzeb during his lifetime, but they revolted against his son as soon as the emperor died. Perhaps the most disastrous revolt of all was the Pashtun Rebellion of 1672-74. The founder of the Mughal Dynasty, Babur, came from Afghanistan to conquer India, and the family had always relied upon the fierce Pashtun tribesmen of Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan to secure the

northern borderlands. Charges that a Mughal governor was molesting tribal women sparked a revolt among the Pashtuns, which led to a complete break-down of control over the northern tier of the empire and its critical trade routes. The Death of Aurangzeb: On February 20, 1707, the 88-year-old Aurangzeb died in central India. He left an empire stretched to the breaking point and riddled with rebellions. Under his son, Bahadur Shah I, the Mughal Dynasty began its long, slow decline into oblivion, which finally ended when the British sent the last emperor into exile in 1858, and established the British Raj in India. Aurangzeb's Legacy Emperor Aurangzeb is considered to be the last of the "Great Mughals." However, his ruthlessness, treachery and intolerance surely contributed to the weakening of the once-great empire. Perhaps Aurangzeb's early experiences of being held hostage by his grandfather, and being constantly overlooked by his father warped the young prince's personality. Certainly, the lack of a specified line of succession cannot have made family life particularly easy. The brothers must have grown up knowing that one day they would have to fight one another for power. In any case, Aurangzeb was a fearless man who knew what he had to do in order to survive. Unfortunately, his choices left the Mughal Empire itself far less able to fend off foreign imperialism in the end.