Aurangzeb
أورنگزيب
The World-Seizer
Born: 1618 CE, Dahod, Gujarat
Died: 1707 CE, Ahmednagar
Also known as: Muhi ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb, Alamgir, Aurangzeb Alamgir
Aurangzeb expanded the Mughal Empire to its greatest territorial extent, ruling for nearly fifty years over the largest and most populous state in the world at the time. A devout Muslim and skilled military commander, his long reign was marked by both administrative achievement and internal conflicts that would ultimately weaken the empire.
Key Accomplishments
- Expanded the Mughal Empire to its greatest territorial extent
- Ruled for nearly fifty years, the longest reign of any Mughal emperor
- Conquered the Deccan sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda
- Personally compiled a collection of Islamic legal rulings, the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri
The Full Story
Aurangzeb seized the throne in 1658 after defeating his brothers in a war of succession, imprisoning his father Shah Jahan, and executing his eldest brother Dara Shikoh. His reign of nearly fifty years, the longest of any Mughal emperor, was defined by military expansion, administrative centralization, and a reversal of the religious accommodation policies of his predecessors.
Militarily, Aurangzeb was remarkably successful. He conquered the Deccan sultanates of Bijapur and Golconda, extending the empire to its maximum extent over virtually the entire Indian subcontinent. At its peak, the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb encompassed over 150 million people and produced roughly a quarter of global economic output.
His religious policies remain the most debated aspect of his legacy. He reimposed the jizya tax on non-Muslims that Akbar had abolished, ordered the destruction of some Hindu temples, and enforced a stricter interpretation of Islamic law. Historians continue to debate whether these policies represented sincere religious conviction, political strategy to consolidate support among Muslim elites, or responses to specific political rebellions.
The long Deccan campaigns of his later reign proved a strategic quagmire. The Maratha guerrilla warfare led by Shivaji and his successors drained imperial resources and manpower. When Aurangzeb died in 1707 at the age of eighty-eight, he left behind the largest Mughal Empire in history but one weakened by overextension, fiscal strain, and regional rebellions that would lead to its rapid decline.
Notable Words
“I came alone and I go as a stranger. I do not know who I am, nor what I have been doing.”
- Attributed, from his last letter before death
Places
Connected Figures
Shah Jahan
Builder of the Taj Mahal
Father whom he imprisoned
The Mughal EmpireDara Shikoh
The Philosopher-Prince
Elder brother whom he defeated and executed
The Mughal EmpireJahanara Begum
The Most Powerful Mughal Princess
Sister who opposed his seizure of power
The Mughal EmpireAkbar
The Great Mughal
Great-grandfather whose policies he reversed
Notes
Sources
- [1]Audrey Truschke, Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King (Stanford University Press, 2017)
- [2]John F. Richards, The Mughal Empire (Cambridge University Press, 1993)
- [3]Jadunath Sarkar, History of Aurangzib (M.C. Sarkar & Sons, 1912-1924)