The Mughal Empire
Melvyn Bragg discusses the achievements of the Mughal Emperors, examines how they maintained their vast territory and how much the British Raj owed to them.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Mughal Empire which, at its height, stretched from Bengal聽in the East to聽Gujarat in the West, and from Lahore in the North to Madras in the South.聽 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.聽 In 1631 a Dutch naturalist Johannes de Laet published his account of the vast Empire, 鈥渢he nobles live in indescribable luxury and extravagance, caring only to indulge themselves whilst they can, in every kind of pleasure.聽 Their greatest magnificence is in their women鈥檚 quarters, for they marry three or four wives or sometimes more鈥.But were they really the opulent despots of European imagination?聽 If so, how did they maintain such a vast territory?聽 And to what extent was the success of the British Raj a legacy of their rule? With Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Professor of Indian History and Culture at the University of Oxford; Susan Stronge, Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Imperial History at the University of St Andrews.
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 26 Feb 2004 09:00麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4
- Thu 26 Feb 2004 21:30麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4
Featured in...
18th Century—In Our Time
Browse the 18th Century era within the In Our Time archive.
17th Century—In Our Time
Browse the 17th Century era within the In Our Time archive.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
If you鈥檙e new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.
Arts and Ideas podcast
Download the best of Radio 3's Free Thinking programme.
Podcast
-
In Our Time
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.