History of India: Medieval India · UPPCS (Uttar Pradesh)

What the official syllabus says

UPPCS Preliminary Examination, Paper I: General Studies-I:

History of India and Indian National Movement.
History of India & Indian National Movement: In History emphasis should be on broad understanding social, economic and political aspects of Indian History. In the Indian National Movement, the candidates are expected to have synoptic view of nature and character of the freedom movement, growth of nationalism and attainment of Independence.
Note: Candidates are expected to have general awareness about the above subjects with special reference to Uttar Pradesh.

Topics in detail

Medieval India runs from the Turkish conquests to the decline of the Mughals. Learn rulers in sequence, but give as much time to administration, the revenue system, society, religion (Bhakti and Sufi movements) and architecture, which are the social and economic aspects the syllabus stresses.

Arab and Turkish invasions

Arab conquest of Sindh (712)
Mahmud of Ghazni's raids, including Mathura and Kannauj
Muhammad Ghori: battles of Tarain (1191, 1192); battle of Chandawar (1194, near Firozabad) against Jaichand of the Gahadavalas
Reasons for the defeat of the Rajput kingdoms

The Delhi Sultanate

Mamluk (Slave) dynasty: Qutbuddin Aibak, Iltutmish (iqta system, coins), Razia, Balban (theory of kingship)
Khaljis: Alauddin Khalji's conquests, market reforms, revenue and military reforms
Tughlaqs: Muhammad bin Tughlaq's experiments (transfer of capital, token currency), Firoz Shah Tughlaq's public works
Timur's invasion (1398); Sayyids and Lodis; Sikandar Lodi's founding of Agra (1504); Ibrahim Lodi
Administration: iqta, central ministries, revenue; architecture of the Sultanate
Society, economy, towns and trade under the Sultanate

Regional kingdoms

The Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur: Malik Sarwar, Ibrahim Shah Sharqi; Jaunpur as a centre of learning; the Atala Masjid
Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms: rulers, administration (nayankara, amaram), Krishnadeva Raya, Hampi
Bengal, Gujarat, Malwa, Kashmir (Zain-ul-Abidin) and the Rajput states of Mewar and Marwar

Bhakti and Sufi movements

Origins of Bhakti in the south: Alvars and Nayanars; Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva
North Indian saints: Ramananda, Kabir (Varanasi, Maghar), Ravidas, Tulsidas, Surdas, Vallabhacharya, Chaitanya and Vrindavan, Mirabai, Guru Nanak
Sufi orders: Chishti (Muinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Auliya, Salim Chishti of Fatehpur Sikri), Suhrawardi, Qadiri, Naqshbandi
Impact on society, language and literature (Awadhi and Braj Bhasha)

The Mughal empire

Babur: first battle of Panipat (1526), Khanwa (1527), Ghaghra (1529)
Humayun and Sher Shah Suri: battles of Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540); Sher Shah's administration, revenue, roads and the rupiya
Akbar: conquests, Rajput policy, mansabdari system, Todar Mal's revenue system (zabt, dahsala), sulh-i-kul, Ibadat Khana and Din-i-Ilahi, Fatehpur Sikri
Jahangir, Shah Jahan (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort additions) and Aurangzeb: policies and wars
Mughal administration: central, provincial (subahs of Agra, Awadh and Allahabad in the Uttar Pradesh region), jagirdari
Mughal art and culture: architecture, painting, music, Persian literature
Economy: agriculture, crafts, internal and foreign trade, European trading companies

Marathas and the decline of the Mughals

Shivaji: administration, ashtapradhan, chauth and sardeshmukhi
The Peshwas and Maratha expansion; the third battle of Panipat (1761)
Later Mughals; Nadir Shah's (1739) and Ahmad Shah Abdali's invasions
Successor states: Awadh (Saadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk, Safdar Jang, Shuja-ud-Daula), Rohilkhand (Rohillas), Bengal, Hyderabad; the Jats of Bharatpur
Rise of the Sikhs: the Gurus, Banda Bahadur, misls, Ranjit Singh

Overlaps

Medieval architecture, painting and music are on Indian Culture; Jaunpur, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri and Awadh appear again on Uttar Pradesh: History and Culture.