Study Guide · Chapter 11
Society, Economy, and Culture in Medieval India
Free study material · concepts, shortcuts & solved questions
- Land revenue systems: Evolved from the Sultanate's Iqta system to the more sophisticated Mughal Zabti/Dahsala system under Akbar and Todar Mal; the Jagirdari system (assignment of revenue rights, not land ownership, to nobles) was central to Mughal administration and its eventual strain contributed to 18th-century decline.
- Trade: Medieval India remained a major hub of Indo-Islamic and Indian Ocean trade; textiles (especially fine cotton and silk), indigo, saltpetre, and spices were key exports; European trading companies (Portuguese from 1498 following Vasco da Gama's arrival at Calicut, later Dutch, English, French, and Danish companies) progressively established coastal trading posts from the 16th century onward.
- Language and literature: Persian was the court language for much of the Sultanate and Mughal period; this era saw the flowering of vernacular literatures — Awadhi (Tulsidas), Braj Bhasha (Surdas), and the gradual emergence of Urdu as a distinct literary language, blending Persian, Arabic, and Khari Boli/Hindavi elements, particularly in the Deccan courts (Deccani Urdu) before flourishing later in Delhi and Lucknow.
- Art: Mughal miniature painting (a fusion of Persian and indigenous Indian styles) flourished especially under Akbar (illustrated manuscripts like the Hamzanama) and reached its naturalistic peak under Jahangir; Rajput/Pahari miniature painting schools (Mewar, Bundi, Kangra, Basohli) developed distinct regional styles often depicting religious/romantic themes (e.g., Radha-Krishna, Ragamala paintings).
- Position of women: Varied significantly by region, community, and class; practices such as purdah (seclusion) became more widespread in some communities during this period, while some royal/noble women (Razia Sultana, Nur Jahan, Ahilyabai Holkar in the later 18th century) wielded significant political power.
- European arrival: The Portuguese established their first Indian settlement at Goa (1510, under Afonso de Albuquerque) and dominated Indian Ocean trade in the 16th century; the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and English East India Company (chartered 1600) followed in the early 17th century, gradually shifting the balance of power from purely commercial trading posts toward territorial ambition by the mid-18th century — setting the stage for the "Modern India" (colonial) period.
Page 1 of 1