Imperial Identity in the Mughal Empire: Memory and Dynastic Politics in Early Modern South and Central Asia (Library of South Asian History and Culture)

Klappentext: "Having monopolized Central Asian politics and culture for over a century, the Timurid ruling elite was forced from its ancestral homeland in Transoxiana at the turn of the sixteenth century by an invading Uzbek tribal confederation. The Timurids travelled south: establishing themselves as the new rulers of a region roughly comprising modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India, and founding what would become the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). The last survivors of the House of Timur, the Mughals drew invaluable political capital from their lineage, which was recognized for its charismatic genealogy and court culture - the features of which are examined here. By identifying Mughal loyalty to Turco-Mongol institutions and traditions, Lisa Balabanlilar here positions the Mughal dynasty at the centre of the early modern Islamic world as the direct successors of a powerful political and religious tradition."--Provided by publisher "Having monopolized Central Asian politics and culture for over a century, the Timurid ruling elite was forced from its ancestral homeland in Transoxiana at the turn of the sixteenth century by an invading Uzbek tribal confederation. The Timurids travelled south: establishing themselves as the new rulers of a region roughly comprising modern Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India, and founding what would become the Mughal Empire (1526-1857). The last survivors of the House of Timur, the Mughals drew invaluable political capital from their lineage, which was recognized for its charismatic genealogy and court culture - the features of which are examined here. By identifying Mughal loyalty to Turco-Mongol institutions and traditions, Lisa Balabanlilar here positions the Mughal dynasty at the centre of the early modern Islamic world as the direct successors of a powerful political and religious tradition."-- Provided by publisher Contents 3 Genealogy of the Timurid-Mughal Dynasty of India 4 A Note on Transliteration 14 Maps 15 Introduction 18 Prologue: Timurid Political Charisma and the Ideology of Rule 24 1 Babur and the Timurid Exile 35 2 Dynastic Memory and the Genealogical Cult 54 3 The Peripatetic Court and the Timurid-Mughal Landscape 88 4 Legitimacy, Restless Princes and the Imperial Succession 117 5 Conclusion: Imagining Kingship 157 Notes 173 Introduction 173 Prologue Timurid Political Charisma and the Ideology of Rule 174 Chapter 1 Babur and the Timurid Exile 177 Chapter 2 Dynastic Memory and the Genealogical Cult 182 Chapter 3 The Peripatetic Court and theTimurid-Mughal Landscape 192 Chapter 3 The Peripatetic Court and the Timurid-Mughal Landscape 192 Chapter 4 Legitimacy, Restless Princes and the Imperial Succession 198 Chapter 5 Conclusion: Imagining Kingship 206 Bibliography 209 Index 227 A major contribution to the history of Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent and to the study of Muslim imperial rule in the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires.