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Feb 27, 1526
Start of Mughal Empire
Mughal conqueror Babur defeats the Sultan of Delhi and captures the Koh-i-noor diamond. -
Period: Feb 27, 1526 to
Mughal Empire
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May 27, 1529
Babur Occupies Dehli
Occupying Delhi, by 1529 he founds the Indian Mughal Empire, consolidated by his grandson Akbar. -
Sep 21, 1556
Akbar Take Power
Grandson of Babur becomes third Mughal Emperor at age 13. Disestablishes Islam as state religion and declares himself impartial ruler of Hindus and Muslims; encourages art, culture, religious tolerance. -
Nov 22, 1565
Mughal Faces Defeat
Muslim forces defeat and completely destroy the city of Vijayanagara. -
Apr 8, 1569
Akbar Defeats Rajput
Akbar captures fortress of Ranthambor, ending Rajput independence -
Akbar Rules Half of India
Akbar expands his empire. -
Jahangir Takes Power
Akbar the Great dies at age 63. His son Jahangir succeeds him as fourth Mughal Emperor. -
Britain Allowed Trade Rights
Mughals grant Britain right to trade and establish factories in exchange for English navy's protection of the Mughal Empire, which faces Portuguese sea power. -
Period: to
Sivaji's Rule
Life of Sivaji, valiant general and tolerant founder of Hindu Maratha Empire, emancipates large areas confiscated by Muslims, returning them to Hindu control. First Indian ruler to build a major naval force. -
Shah Jahan Starves His People
Millions starve to death as Shah Jahan, fifth Mughal Emperor, empties the royal treasury to buy jewels for his "Peacock Throne." -
Taj Mahal is Completed
Shah Jahan completes Taj Mahal in Agra beside Yamuna River. Its construction has taken 20,000 laborers 15 years, at a total cost equivalence of US$25 million. -
Aurangzeb Comes to Power
Zealous Muslim Aurangzeb becomes Mughal Emperor. His discriminatory policies toward Hindus, Marathas and the Deccan kingdoms contribute to the dissolution of the Mughal Empire by 1750. -
The Start of the Sikh-Muslim Feud
Aurangzeb executes Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur, beginning the Sikh-Muslim feud that continues to this day. -
Aurangzeb Demolishes Temples
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb demolishes all temples in Mathura, said to number 1,000. (During their reign, Muslim rulers destroy roughly 60,000 Hindu temples throughout India, constructing mosques on 3,000 sites.) -
British Rule Bengal
British defeat the weak Mughal Emperor to become rulers of Bengal, richest province of India. -
Opium in Bengal
British East India Company obtains monopoly on the production and sale of opium in Bengal. -
Charles Cornwallis Defeats
Britain's Cornwallis defeats Tipu Sahib, Sultan of Mysore and most powerful ruler in South India, main bulwark of resistance to British expansion in India. -
Warren Hastings Impeached
British Parliament impeaches Warren Hastings, Governor General of Bengal for misconduct. -
Britain Formalizes Emigration
Britain formalizes emigration of Indian indentured laborers to supply cheap labor under a system more morally acceptable to British Christian society than slavery, illegal in the British Empire since 1833. -
First Indian Revolution Ends
First Indian Revolution, called the Sepoy Mutiny, ends in a few months with the fall of Delhi and Lucknow. -
Queen Victoria Becomes Empress of India
British Queen Victoria (1819-1901), head of Church of England, is proclaimed Empress of India (1876-1901). -
Indian Opinion in British Government
A group of middle-class intellectuals in India, some of them British, found the Indian National Congress to be a voice of Indian opinion to the British government. This was the origin of the later Congress Party. -
Demand for Complete Indian Independence
Nationalist leader, Marathi scholar Bal Bangadhar Tilak (1857-1920) initiates Ganesha Visarjana and Sivaji festivals to fan Indian nationalism. He is first to demand complete independence, Purna Svaraj, from Britain. -
No Indian Immigration
US government excludes Indian citizens from immigration. Restriction stands until 1965.
