The Mughal Empire

The Mughal empire was one of the largest centralized states in the premodern world and this volume traces the history of this magnificent empire from its creation in 1526 to its breakup in 1720. Richards stresses the dynamic quality of Mughal territorial expansion, their institutional innovations in land revenue, coinage and military organization, ideological change and the relationship between the emperors and Islam. He also analyzes institutions particular to the Mughal empire, such as the jagir system, and explores Mughal India's links with the early modern world.

Reviews:

"This is a succinct, readable, and comprehensible summary of one of the most important eras in India's history....It should become the major text on Mughal history." Choice

"Richards's volume fills an important gap. Until now there has been no basic narrative, political history of the Mughal empire....Richards's approach has the virtue of integrating a great deal of the newest research into a familiar framework....His clear and concise synthesis of the new scholarship on the Mughal empire in India provides a context for the student and a point of departure for all subsequent scholarly work in the field." American Historical Review

"...a clearly written, intelligent synthesis of scholarship on a major topic of the history of the Indian subcontinent. The volume will, without doubt, become the textbook of choice for this subject." Barbara D. Metcalf, Asian Thought and Society

"...a readable, expanded narrative history of the Mughal Empire from its foundation in 1526 to the onset of its decline in the early eighteenth century. It is written and organized in the familiar Cambridge History style, and will serve as a suitable standard reference for general Mughal political history." Richard Foltz, Harvard Middle East and Islamic Review

Prizes:

Choice Outstanding Academic Books 1995