Ted talk 4

 Ted talk 4

Name of the speaker - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Ted talk is about The rise and fall of the Mughal Empire

In 1526, Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi faced off against Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, a prince from Central Asia. Babur had long harbored ambitions of building his own empire, but struggled to gain a foothold among the many ambitious princes in Central Asia. He turned his attention to India, where his descendants stayed and built the Mughal Empire, one of the wealthiest and most powerful states in the early modern world. Akbar consolidated Mughal power by establishing protections for peasants and embarking on military campaigns to expand Mughal territory. He also created internal cohesion by appointing members of the Hindu majority to high positions in his government, marrying a Hindu bride, and distributing translated copies of the “Mahabharata,” an ancient Indian epic poem, to his Muslim nobles.

He also hosted lively religious debates where Sunni and Shia Muslims, Hindus, Jains, Zoroastrians, and the newly arrived Portuguese Jesuit missionaries defended the merits of their respective faiths. The Mughals built architectural masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort, which housed 50,000 people and contained the magnificent gold and jewel-encrusted Peacock Throne. During its first 180 years, the Mughals had only six rulers, which contributed to the empire’s stability. After the death of the sixth emperor, Aurangzeb, in 1707, seven emperors took the throne over the next 21 years. These transitions of power reflected the larger political, economic, social, and environmental crises that plagued the empire throughout the 18th century.

In response to this turmoil, regional leaders started refusing to pay taxes and broke away from Mughal control. The British East India Company offered military support to these regional rulers, which increased the company's political influence. By the 19th century, the East India Company had massive political influence and a large standing army, which included Indian troops. When these troops revolted in 1857, the British government intervened, replacing company rule with direct colonial rule, deposing the last Mughal emperor and sending him into ex