10-11: The Last Mughal

In this episode of the Islamic History Podcast, we explore the Umayyad Caliphate’s growing instability during 121–122 AH. From failed Byzantine campaigns to major rebellions in Iraq and North Africa, the empire's reliance on Syrian troops reaches a breaking point. 

Despite fleeting military victories, internal cracks deepen in the Umayyad Caliphate as unjust taxes, tribal rivalries, and the rise of the Mawali set the stage for the empire’s inevitable downfall. 

Kicked out of India, Humayun roams the desert as a nomad, accompanied by his young pregnant wife, his court poets, and his library camels. Sher Shah has taken his throne and the Mughal Empire seems as though it will end soon after it had begun. But Humayun does not give up, he se ...  Show more

February 24, 1739. The Persian leader Nader Shah wins a decisive victory in India at the Battle of Karnal. The fallout from the battle shatters the Mughal Empire, leaving the sub-continent vulnerable to later domination by colonial powers. Support the show! Join Into History for ...  Show more

In this first episode of this bonus series, we hear about Timur's devastating raid of northern India, and then follow his descendant Babur through his adventurous early years.  For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: William Dalrymple, The Anarc ...  Show more

With their father in very bad health and rumours of his death swirling around the empire, Shah Jahan’s four sons decide it is their time to take his place. Only one has been chosen by Shah Jahan… The accomplished oldest son Dara Shukoh. However the war of succession has begun, an ...  Show more