Medieval Indian History MCQs

Notes:
Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who ascended Delhi’s throne on March 23, 1351, introduced four taxes based on Islamic law: kharaj (land tax), khams (one-fifth of spoils of war), jizya (tax on non-Muslims), and zakat (2% on property). The kharaj, or land tax, was the precursor to the first irrigation tax, equalling one tenth of the land produce. This first irrigation tax marked a significant shift in the economic policy of the Sultanate and had a lasting impact on Indian agriculture.

Notes:
Guru Ram Das, the fourth Guru of Sikhism, was gifted the “Palace of Amritsar” by Mughal Emperor Akbar. This was a significant event in his reign as Guru from 1574 to 1581. The “Palace of Amritsar,” later became the Golden Temple, representing the holiest shrine in Sikhism. Akbar’s gifting of the palace manifests his respect for the Sikh community and its leaders.

Notes:
Battle of Haldighati took place in 1576 between Rana of Mewar Maharana Pratap and Akbar forces led by Man Singh. It was a decisive victory for Akbar’s chieftain Man Singh. Abul Fazal called this war as “Battle of Khamnaur”.

Notes:
Malik Ambar (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a Siddi military leader in the Deccan region of India. He was the ruler of Ahmednagar. He humbled the might of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur and raised the low status of the Nizam Shah.

Notes:
It was during the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb maximum number of books on classical music and Persian music were written. He himself was a player of veena and patronized music.

Notes:
Pathan Sultan Sher Shah Suri (1540 – 1545) measured and classified the land in terms of the produce and introduced Kabuliyat and Patta as instruments of settlement. During Akbar’s time, Todarmal made some reforms to that system and the whole empire was divided into Suba, Sarkar, Pargana and Mahal.

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Fatawa-i-Alamgiri is a sharia based compilation on statecraft, general ethics, military strategy, economic policy, justice and punishment. It was done at the behest of Aurangzeb.

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The Aravidu dynasty ruler, Sriranga III was the last ruler of the Vijayanagar empire, whose reign period was from 1642 AD to 1678 AD.

Notes:
In 1689 AD, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured, tortured, and executed Chhatrapati Shivaji’s son, Sambhaji. Chhatrapati Shivaji was the founder of the Maratha Empire in Deccan.

Notes:
The ruling period of Firoz Shah Tughlaq over the Sultanate of Delhi was from 1351-1388 AD. He was the son of a Hindu princess of Dipalpur.