History of India

The History of India for times preceding 1947 is inseparable from that of the history of the Indian subcontinent as a whole. The neolithic Indus Valley civilization in the 3rd millennium BCE extended over much of what is now Pakistan and the western Republic of India. The Vedic civilization until the 1st millennium BCE spread over all of northern India, from the Punjab and the Gangetic plain to Bangladesh, so that with the beginning historical period of the Middle kingdoms, northern India was dominated by the Arya, while in the south Dravidian culture was prominent. From the 10th century, Islamic empires were established in northwestern India, culminating with the Mughal era. The history of Colonial India begins in the 17th century, leading up to British control after the revolt of 1857. The independence movement resulted in a split of the British Raj into the contemporary states of the Republic of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Mughal era

In the early 16th century, descendants of Genghis Khan swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul) Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years.

Related Topics:
16th century - Genghis Khan - Khyber Pass - Mughal

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The Mughal Empire ruled most of the northern Indian subcontinent from 1526; it went into a slow decline after 1707 and was finally defeated during the War of Independence of 1857. This period marked vast social change in the subcontinent as the Hindu majority were ruled over by the Mughal emperors, some of whom liberally patronized Hindu culture, some of whom destroyed historical temples and imposed taxes on non-Muslims. During the decline of Mughal rule, which at its peak occupied an area equivalent to that of the ancient Mauryan dynasty, several smaller empires rose to fill the power vacuum or themselves were contributing factors to the decline.

Related Topics:
Mughal - 1707 - War of Independence of 1857 - Mauryan

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The Maratha confedracy

The Maratha Kingdom was founded by Shivaji in 1674 when he annexed a portion of the Bijapur Sultanate. Shivaji had declared war upon the oppressive Mughal dynasty in order for the Hindu majority of the subcontinent to once again be free of the various Islamic dynasties that had appeared over the last 600 years. By the 18th century, it had transformed itself into the Maratha Confederacy under the rule of the Peshwa. By 1760, the Empire had stretched across practically the entire subcontinent. This expansion was brought to an end by the Maratha's defeat by an Afghan army at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761. The last Peshwa, Baji Rao II, was defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War.

Related Topics:
Shivaji - 1674 - Bijapur Sultanate - Peshwa - Afghan - Third Battle of Panipat - British - Third Anglo-Maratha War

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The Kingdom of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, which was founded around 1400 CE by the Wodeyar dynasty. The rule of the Wodeyars was interrupted by Hyder Ali and his son Tippu Sultan. Under their rule Mysore fought a series of wars sometimes against the combined forces of the British and Marathas, but mostly against the British with some aid or promise of aid from the French. After the death of Tippu Sultan in the Fourth War of Mysore in 1799, the Wodeyar dynasty regained limited power as a Princely State under the British. The Kingdom of Mysore became part of the modern day, Indian state of Karnataka.

Related Topics:
Wodeyar - Hyder Ali - Tippu Sultan - British - Marathas - French - Princely State - Karnataka

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The Punjab

The Punjabi kingdom, ruled by members of the Sikh religious movement was a political entity that ruled the region of modern day Punjab. Founded by the ten Gurus of the Sikh faith, it expanded its borders during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the height of the Sikh Empire to include surrounding areas like Kashmir and Peshawar, and was later defeated by the British during the Anglo-Sikh wars.

Related Topics:
Sikh - Punjab - Ranjit Singh - Sikh Empire - Kashmir - Peshawar - Anglo-Sikh wars

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