AD 1526-1757

In AD 1526, Babur, ruler of Ferghana, a small principality in central Asia, invaded northern India. At the Battle of Panipat he defeated Sikandar Lodi and took Delhi and Agra, establishing the Mughal empire. Babur's grandson Akbar (reigned 1556-1605) extended Mughal rule across northern India, Gujarat, Bengal and parts of modern Afghanistan and Pakistan. At its height the Mughal empire covered almost the whole of South Asia and brought a new cultural unity and new forms of government to the area. However, the empire, won through warfare, was not always peaceful or stable. This eventually took its toll and although the Mughal empire survived until 1858, it went into decline after the death of Awrangzib in 1707, when it began to be threatened by the Mahrattas of central India, and by increasing British influence.

During this period Europeans arrived in India looking for trading opportunities. The most successful of these was the British East India Company, founded under royal charter in 1599. It built warehouses and trading centres around India that grew into urban developments. The Company protected these settlements with militia, and became a powerful and wealthy force in South Asia. In 1757 the ruler of Bengal was defeated at the Battle of Plassey with the help of the Company, and a puppet king installed on the throne. This act marked the start of serious British involvement in the economics and politics of South Asia.