Important Topics From Medieval History- Overview, Regional Kingdoms

The history of India is an important subject asked in various national-level competitive exams such as SSC, UPSC, RRB, etc. For the most effective preparations for these exams, aspirants must go through all topics related to history as mentioned in the respective syllabus. We have covered all important topics from medieval history of India in this guide to help our readers in their preparations.

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Important Topics From Medieval History: Overview

Indian history is one such subject that contributes several questions in the general awareness section of the competitive exams. For these exams, Indian history is broadly classified into three topics:

Ancient Indian History
Medieval Indian History
Modern Indian History

Aspirants need to have a thorough understanding of all these three topics. In this guide, we have covered all important topics from medieval history of India, such as different empires and kingdoms, to make it easy for our readers.

Medieval Indian history includes the period between the 8th century and the 18th century. It mainly covers the following topics:

Early Medieval Period (C.600-1200 CE)

Tripartite struggle: It describes the struggle between the 8th century and the 10th century for the resources of the rich Gangetic Doab and the town of Kannauj. The kingdoms involved in this struggle were Palas of Bengal, Gurjaara Pratiharas of Malwa, and Rashtrakutas of South.
Rajputs: These include

Pratihars: Nagabhtta II, Mihir Bhoj, 6
Parmars: Raja Bhoj
Solankis/Chaulikyas Maharashtra: Mulraj I, Mulraj II
Chauhans Rajasthan Delhi and Punjab: Prithviraj Chauhan

Pallav: The founder of this South Indian dynasty was Singh Vishnu, who had his capital at Kanchi. The two famous kings in the Pallava dynasty were Mahedravarman & Narsimhavarman.
Cholas: Two important kings of the Chola dynasty were Raj Raja I and Rajendra Chola. King Raj Raja I built the Brihadeswara temple in Tanjore, which was the first granite temple in India.
Islam: Islam came to south India through Arab traders. Muhammad Bin Qasim attacked India in 711-712. Arabs ruled Sindh after the attacks for almost 300 yrs.
Turks: Mahmood Ghazni first attacked in 1000 AD and invaded India 17 times. The most famous attack was 1025 A.D. at Somnath Temple.

The Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526 AD)

Mahmood Ghazni’s last attack was in 1206 against Jats, but he was killed while going back to Afghanistan. As he didn’t have any son, his death resulted in a scramble for supremacy among Qutbuddin Aibak, Tajuddin Yalduz, and Nasiruddin Qubacha. This assumption of sovereign powers by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1206 was regarded as the foundation of the Sultanate of Delhi and the first ruling dynasty of the sultanate. During that period, the king was known as Sultan, but Sultans were sovereign rulers.

Five dynasties that ruled during this period were

1. Ilbari: 1206-90 Qutub-ud-din Aibak (Turkish)

2. Khalji: 1290-1320 Jalaluddin Khalji (Turkish)

3. Tughlaq: 1320-1413 Ghiyas-ud-din Tuglaq (Turkish)

4. Saiyid: 1414-51 Khizr Khan (Descent disputed)

5. Lodis: 1451-1526. Bahlul Lodi was first Afghan ruler and Ibrahim Lodhi was last king

Regional Kingdoms

Vijayanagara Empire (1336 -1646 Ad) and Bahmani Kingdoms (C.1347- 1525 Ce) were two kingdoms that emerged in the Deccan region during Mohammed Bin Tughlaq’s rule. Vijayanagar was a Hindu kingdom while Bahmani Kings were Muslim, and both empires fought against each other for over two centuries. Two famous battles of that time were the Battle of Talikota and the Battle of Bannihatti.

Bhakti And Sufi Movement

Bhakti as a mass movement originated between the 6th and 8th centuries, led by Alwars Saints (Vishnaivaite Sects) and Nayanars Saints (Shaivaite Sects). It originated in the Andhra Pradesh & Tamil Nadu regions. It comprised both male and female saints but did not follow Vedic rituals, ceremonies, and sacrifices. It helped simplify religion and brought the masses closer.

Mughal Period (1526-40 And 1555-1857)

From the 16th century to the 19th century, the Mughal Empire ruled over a large portion of India, with their imperial power waning in the 18th century as a result of the British invasion.

Mughal Emperor Babur (c. 1504 CE) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India, who first established himself in Kabul before crossing the Khyber Pass to enter India from Afghanistan.

The Battle of Panipat is considered to be one of the most important battles in Indian history, and it was fought between Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi. It broke the back of Lodhi power and brought under Babur’s control the entire region up to Delhi and Agra. He also took possession of the valuable treasures that Ibrahim Lodhi had hidden in Agra for safekeeping.

Following Babur, other Mughal emperors who ruled in India included Humayun, Akbar, Sher Shah Suri, Aurangzeb, and Jahangir.

Maratha State (1674-1720) And Maratha Confederacy (1720-1818)

Marathas: Shivaji Maharaj established an independent Maratha kingdom in Raigad. He defeated the Mughals at Salher (1672) and gained the title of Maharaja Chhatrapati at Raigad Fort in 1674. His son Sambhaji also stood against Mughals but was killed by them in 1689.
Peshwas: Peshwas rose under Shahu’s reign. First Peshwa was Balaji Vishwanath (1713-1818). After him came Baji Rao. After Shivaji, he was a master of guerrilla warfare. The Marathas’ expansion was halted, and the empire fragmented after Ahmad Shah Durrani’s defeat at Panipat 3.

The Maratha Empire and the British East India Company fought three territorial wars. The Maratha Empire fell to the British after their third war, the third Anglo-Martha war.

Conclusion

We have covered all important topics from medieval history of India in this guide to help you prepare for competitive exams. We advise aspirants to read NCERT and other reference books extensively and practice mock tests and previous year’s sample papers to master these topics.

FAQs:

What are the important topics from medieval history of India that I should prepare for the competitive exams?

We have covered all important topics from medieval history of India in this guide. Main topics include
· Early Medieval Period
· The Delhi Sultanate
· Regional Kingdoms
· Bhakti And Sufi Movement
· Mughal Period
· Maratha State and Maratha Confederacy

Which books should I refer to cover important topics from medieval history?

To cover all of the important topics from medieval history of India, you must refer to NCERT books along with other reference books, such as History of Medieval India – Volume II J.L. Mehta, etc.

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