The Mughal Empire
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Mughal Empire which, at its height, stretched from Bengal in the East to Gujarat in the West, and from Lahore in the North to Madras in the South. It covered the whole of present day northern India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and became famous for the Taj Mahal, the Koh-i-Noor and the Peacock Throne. In 1631 a Dutch naturalist Johannes de Laet published his account of the vast Empire, “the nobles live in indescribable luxury and extravagance, caring only to indulge themselves whilst they can, in every kind of pleasure. Their greatest magnificence is in their women’s quarters, for they marry three or four wives or sometimes more”.But were they really the opulent despots of European imagination? If so, how did they maintain such a vast territory? And to what extent was the success of the British Raj a legacy of their rule?
Guests
-
Sanjay Subrahmanyam No other episodes
Professor of Indian History and Culture at the University of Oxford - Susan Stronge
2 episodes
Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London - Chandrika Kaul
5 episodes
Lecturer in Imperial History at the University of St Andrews
Related episodes
-
The Sikh Empire
7 Apr, 2016 900 History -
The East India Company
26 Jun, 2003 380 Commerce, communications and transportation -
Ashoka the Great
5 Feb, 2015 950 History of Asia -
The Empire of Mali
29 Oct, 2015 960 History of Africa -
The Safavid Dynasty
12 Jan, 2012 950 History of Asia -
The British Empire
8 Nov, 2001 900 History -
The Arab Conquests
26 Jun, 2008 950 History of Asia -
The Mamluks
26 Sep, 2013 950 History of Asia -
Genghis Khan
1 Feb, 2007 950 History of Asia -
The Abbasid Caliphs
2 Feb, 2006 900 History -
al-Biruni
10 Jun, 2010 900 History -
The Ming Voyages
13 Oct, 2011 950 History of Asia -
The Indian Mutiny
18 Feb, 2010 950 History of Asia -
The Battle of Talas
9 Oct, 2014 950 History of Asia -
Persepolis
7 Jun, 2018 930 History of the Ancient World -
The Aztecs
27 Feb, 2003 970 History of North America -
Byzantium
19 Jul, 2001 940 History of Europe -
The Sassanid Empire
13 Dec, 2007 930 History of the Ancient World -
The British Empire’s Legacy
31 Dec, 1998 940 History of Europe -
The Observatory at Jaipur
19 Feb, 2009 520 Astronomy
Programme ID: p004y27h
Episode page: bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y27h
Auto-category: 954 (History of South Asia; India)