Medieval Indian History

The Rajput period was an era of chivalry and feudalism. The Rajputs weakened each other by constant  fighting. This allowed the foreigners (Turks) to embark on victorious campaigns using duplicity and deceit  wherever military strength failed against Rajputs. Mohammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan, the Tomar ruler of Delhi, at the battle of  Tarain in 1192  and left the Indian territories in the charge of his deputy, Qutubudin (reign - 1206 - 1210), who had  started life as a slave. Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyids and Lodis followed and this period is known as the  Sultanate. When the power of the Sultans declined, the outlying provinces once again became important  and the process of Hindu Islamic synthesis continued almost without any interruption. Babur (reign - 1526-30), the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, was the descendant of Timur as well as  Changez Khan. Ousted by his cousins, he came to India and defeated Ibrahim, the last Lodi Sultan in 1526 at  the First Battle of Panipat. There was a brief interruption to Mughal rule when Babur's son Humayun (reign -  1530-40) was ousted from Delhi, by Sher Shah, an Afghan chieftain. Sher Shah (reign - 1540-55), assumed power in the imperial capital for a short while. He is remembered as  the builder of the Grand Trunk road that spanned the distance from Peshawar to Patna and also one who  introduced major reforms in the revenue system, gratefully retained by the Mughals. It was Babur's grandson Akbar (reign - 1556-1605), who consolidated political power and extended his empire over practically the whole of north India and parts of the south. Jahangir (reign - 1605-27) who succeeded Akbar was a pleasure loving man of refined taste. Shah Jahan (1628-58) his son, ascended the throne next. Shah Jahan's fame rests on the majestic buildings he has left behind - the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid. Aurangzeb(reign - 1658-1707) was the last Mughal ruler. In western India, Shivaji (1637-80) had forged the Marathas into an efficient military machine and given them a sense of national identity . They adopted guerilla  tactics to maul the Mughals and put a severe drain on their economic resources. The contenders for political supremacy in the 17th and 18th Centuries included besides the Marathas, the Sikhs in Punjab and Hyder Ali (reign - 1721 - 1782) in Mysore. Tipu Sultan (reign - 1782 - 1799) - Hyder Ali's son and successor allied himself with the French against the British and strove to introduce the latest technical knowledge from Europe.

2 read more click on the links given below 1026 - Ghazni sacks Somnath Temple   1191 - First Battle of Tarain   1192 - Second Battle of Tarain   1206 - Qutbuddin establishes the Slave Dynasty   1221 - Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan   1232 - Foundation of the Qutub Minar   1288 - Marco Polo visits India   1290 - Jalaludin Firuz Khalji establishes the Khalji dynasty   1320 - Ghiyasuddin Tughluk founds the Tughluk dynasty   1325 - Accession of Muhammad-bin-Tughluk   1336 - Foundation of Vijayanagar (Deccan)   1398 - Timur invades India   1424 - Rise of the Bahmani dynasty (Deccan)   1451 - The Lodi dynasty established in Delhi   1469 - Birth of Guru Nanak - The Founder of Sikhism   1489 - Adil Shah dynasty at Bijapur   1498 - First voyage of Vasco da gama   1510 - Portuguese capture Goa   1526 - Establishment of the Mughul Dynasty; First Battle of Panipat   1526-1530 - Reign of Babur   1530 - Humayun succeeds Babur   1539 - Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan   1555 - Humayun recovers the throne of Delhi   1556 - Accession of Akbar   1565 - Battle of Talikota   1568 - Fall of Chittor Garh   1576 - Battle of Haldighati   1577 - Akbar troops invade Khandesh   1597 - Akbar completes his conquests   1600 - Charter to the English East India Company   1605 - Jahangir   1609 - The Dutch open a factory at Pulicat   1615 - Submission of Mewar to the Mughals   1620 - Capture of Kangra Fort   1623 - Shah Jahan revolts against Jahangir   1628 - Shah Jahan proclaimed Emperor   1636 - Aurangzeb appointed Viceroy of Deccan   1646 - Shivaji captures Torna   1658 - Coronation of Aurangzeb   1666 - Death of Shah Jahan   1689 - Execution of Sambhaji   1700 - Death of Rajaram   1707 - Death of Aurangzeb   1720 - Accession of Baji Rao Peshwa at Poona   1742 - Marathas invade Bengal   1748 - First Anglo-French war   1750 - War of the Deccan; Death of Nasir Jang   1756 - Siraj-ud-daulah captures Calcutta