Mughal Events

Heiring Grievances mughal.1 · dlc011

In 1835, British agents insisted that … … recognize … … as … heir, despite the …'s wish to name Mirza Salim, … sickly eighth son, as heir apparent. Elements within the court have urged … to contest the decision one last time.

"Look at you!" thundered the courtier, exasperated. "Look at this place! Hundreds of years of power and glory rest here! The blood of Timur courses through your veins! Yet here you sit, meek, and let some agent in Calcutta name your own succession! Are you not an emperor? Great men must do great things!"

Mughal 2 mughal.2 · dlc011

Mughal 3 mughal.3 · dlc011

An Appeal to Interlopers mughal.4 · dlc011

Delays in the passage of … have caused immense frustration within the court. It is possible to ask for the intercession of … for aid, but that would essentially mean ceding more lawmaking powers to ….

The …'s agent simply stood right there, saying nothing at all while saying everything that needed to be said. … … kept nervously eyeing him while holding the contentious decree in … hands. It would be so simple to ask him a single request! It would cost … nothing—but … knew it would cost the empire everything.

Pressing for a Stipend mughal.5 · dlc011

Theoretically, … still controls a number of lucrative territories that can be taxed, but in practice it scarcely has any influence beyond the confines of Delhi. The only way to increase revenues is, much to the embarrassment of the court, to request a higher stipend from …'s coffers. It may be a trifle for …, but it a serious sum for ….

"Taxes!" … … laughed, "Taxes!" … rocked on … throne, chuckling for a moment more. … waved at the marble walls around …. "What have we got to tax? Stones?" … shook … head. "No, things here turn to dust, not gold. We need to look elsewhere." … gestured for a scribe. It was time to debase … before … again.

The … India Society mughal.6 · dlc011

Reformers from … have expressed an interest in our affairs, …'s treatment of us, and the welfare of India more broadly. Engaging with them could get us support in …, but if they are active here they may foster some radical thoughts among our intellectuals.

The … man shifted nervously, ill at ease under the marble vaults of the audience hall. "I have traveled the breadth of India, …," he began, "and have found that the magnitude of inequity, the sheer callousness of …'s rule"—…'s smile faltered—"calls for the utmost cooperation and support from every willing member of … society to aid the cause of Reform and Emancipation in India." … … studied the figure before …. He could very well be a potent ally, but it was quite possible he'd simply stir up passions in … with his reformist talk and make matters worse for the government. Was this … man worth the risk?

The Peacock Throne Flies the Coop mughal.7 · dlc011

Through politicking, intrigue, and intervention from on high, … has won its freedom from …. … is awhirl with festivities, celebrating … …'s rule.

"Sir, look! Goodness and faith, fidelity and love, have all returned to this blessed land!" cried the aspiring poet. An old man in the audience smiled weakly as the youth bounded through his composition. It was all well and good that … was free, but he knew the realm was still far from safe. Fathers and sons were at each other's throats, brother fought brother, and unity was undermined across India. Still, he mused, shifting on the cushions as the bard continued to drone, despite this ominous air, doomsday had not come, and the last trumpet hadn't sounded. Who knew who held the reins of the final catastrophe, after all? Better to celebrate what joys there were now than to worry about all that.