Empire of the Moghul

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Empire of the Moghul
Tained Throne Moghul.jpg
The cover of The Tainted Throne.

  • Raiders from the North (2009)
  • Brothers at War (2010)
  • Ruler of the World (2011)
  • The Tainted Throne (2012)
  • The Serpent's Tooth (2013)
  • Traitors in the Shadows (2015)

Author Alex Rutherford
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Historical fiction
Publisher Headline Review (UK)
Published2009–2015 (initial publication)
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
No. of books6
Website empireofthemoghul.com

Empire of the Moghul is a series of historical fiction novels written by Alex Rutherford (the pen name for Diana and Michael Preston). The series consists of six volumes covering the rise and height of the Moghul Empire in medieval India. [1] [2]

Contents

Books

BookPlace of publicationPublisherPublication year ISBN
Raiders from the North [3] LondonHeadline Review2009 978-0-755-34752-0
Brothers at War [4] LondonHeadline Review2010 978-0-755-34755-1
Ruler of the World [5] LondonHeadline Review2011 978-0-755-34758-2
The Tainted Throne [6] LondonHeadline Review2012 978-0-755-34761-2
The Serpent's Tooth [7] LondonHeadline Review2013 978-0-755-34764-3
Traitors in the Shadows [8] LondonHeadline Review2015 978-1-472-20590-2

Raiders from the North

The first book in the Empire of the Moghul series introduces Babur, a charismatic warrior and ruler of Ferghana, a kingdom north of Afghanistan, a leader determined to emulate his ancestors at all costs.

It is 1494, and the new ruler of Ferghana, twelve-year-old Babur, faces a seemingly impossible challenge. Babur is determined to equal his great ancestor, Tamburlaine, whose conquests stretched from Delhi to the Mediterranean, from wealthy Persia to the wild Volga. But he is dangerously young to inherit a crown and treasonous plots, tribal rivalries, rampaging armies and ruthlessly ambitious enemies will threaten his destiny, his kingdom, even his survival.

Brothers at War

The second novel in the series tells the thrilling story of the second great Moghul Emperor, whose fatal flaws threatened everything his dynasty had fought for.

The year is 1530, Agra, Northern India and Humayun is the newly-crowned second Moghul Emperor, is a fortunate man. His father, Babur, has bequeathed him wealth, glory and an empire which stretches a thousand miles south from the Khyber pass; he must now build on his legacy, and make the Moghuls worthy of their forebear, Tamburlaine. But, unbeknown to him, Humayun is already in grave danger. His half-brothers are plotting against him; they doubt that he has the strength, the will, the brutality needed to command the Moghul armies and lead them to still-greater glories. Perhaps they are right. Soon Humayun will be locked in a terrible battle: not only for his crown, not only for his life, but for the existence of the very empire itself.

Ruler of the World

This tells the story of the third great Moghul Emperor, Akbar, leader of a triumphant dynasty which contained the seeds of its own destruction. Ruler of a sixth of the world’s people, colossally rich and utterly ruthless, Akbar was a contemporary of Elizabeth I but infinitely more powerful. His reign began in bloodshed when he strangled his treacherous ‘milk-brother’, but it ended in glory. Akbar extended his rule over much of Asia, skillfully commanding tens of thousands of men, elephants and innovative technology, yet despite the unimaginable bloodshed which resulted his empire was based on universal religious tolerance.

However, Akbar’s homelife was more complicated. He defied family, nobles and mullahs to marry a beautiful Rajput princess, whose people he had conquered; but she hated Akbar and turned Salim, his eldest son, against him. What’s more, as any Moghul prince could inherit his father’s crown and become Emperor, his sons were brought up to be intensely competitive and suspicious of each other: to see each other as rivals for the greatest prize of all. And, as Salim grew to manhood, the relationship between father and son became tainted by rebellion and competition to be the greatest Moghul of them all.

The Tainted Throne

In 1606, Jahangir, the triumphant ruler of most of the Indian subcontinent, is doomed. No amount of wealth and ruthlessness can protect him from his sons’ desire for power at any cost. The glorious Moghul throne is worth any amount of bloodshed and betrayal; it drives son against father and brother against brother, and their acts of horrific violence are only matched by mind-boggling deceit. Once Jahangir raised troops against his own father. Now he faces a bloody battle with Khurram, the ablest of his warring sons.

Worse is to come. Just as the heirs of Timur the Great share intelligence, physical strength and utter ruthlessness, they also have a great weakness for wine and opium. Once Jahangir is tempted, his talented wife, Mehrunissa, is only too willing to take up the reins of empire. She’ll stop at nothing, not even seizing Khurram’s young sons, to keep the throne in her grip. And with Khurram and his half-brothers each still determined to be their father’s heir, the savage battle for the Moghul throne will be more ferocious than even Timur could have imagined.

The Serpent’s Tooth

The new Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan reigns over a colossally wealthy empire of 100 million souls. Yet to gain his throne he has followed the savage ‘throne or coffin’ traditions of his ancestors – descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamburlaine. Ever since the Moghuls took India, brother has fought brother and sons their fathers for the prize and Shah Jahan has been no exception.

As his reign dawns, now is the time for Shah Jahan to secure his throne by crushing his enemies. Instead, devastated by the death of his beautiful wife Mumtaz, he becomes obsessed with building an epic monument to their perfect love – the Taj Mahal. His overwhelming grief isolates him from his sons and he does not see the rivalries, indeed hatreds, building between them. When he falls ill, civil war breaks out – ruthless, murderous and uncontrollable and the foundations of the empire itself shake.

Traitors in the Shadows

A new emperor, Aurangzeb, sits on India’s glittering Peacock Throne – the throne he seized from his father while the old emperor still lived. He has paid for it with blood: during the brutal civil war he hunted down and killed his brothers. Now he must return the Moghul Empire to the true path and achieve new glory. But the exercise of great power is isolating. With enemies everywhere, who should he trust? Certainly not his sons. He must rely on himself and the knowledge that there are more ways to subdue a man than on the battlefield. But as the years pass memories haunt him – memories of a father who never loved him and a mother who lies in the Taj Mahal; of murdered brothers and of sons and daughters locked in sunless prisons. He tells himself that everything he has done has been necessary – moral, even.

Adaptations

Television

The Empire is an Indian television adaptation of the books created by Nikkhil Advani for Disney+ Hotstar. [9] The first season of the series adapts first volume of the novel series and stars Kunal Kapoor, Drashti Dhami, Shabana Azmi, and Dino Morea among others. The first season debuted on 27 August 2021 on Disney+ Hotstar and Hotstar globally. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humayun</span> Mughal emperor during 1530–1540 and 1555–1556

Nasir al-Din Muhammad, commonly known by his regnal name Humayun, was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to his death in 1556. At the time of his death, the Mughal Empire spanned almost one million square kilometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jahangir</span> Mughal emperor from 1605 to 1627

Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim, known by his imperial name Jahangir, was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 till his death in 1627.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Jahan</span> Mughal emperor from 1628 to 1658

Mirza Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram, also known as Shah Jahan I, was the fifth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1628 until 1658. During his reign, the Mughals reached the peak of their architectural and cultural achievements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nur Jahan</span> Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire

Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamran Mirza</span> Shahzada of the Mughal Empire

Kamran Mirza was the second son of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire and the first Mughal Emperor. Kamran Mirza was born in Kabul to Babur's wife Gulrukh Begum. He was half-brother to Babur's eldest son Humayun, who would go on and inherit the Mughal throne, but he was full-brother to Babur's third son, Askari. A divan written in Persian and Chagatai is attributed to him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shahryar Mirza</span> De-facto Mughal Emperor

Shahryar Mirza was the fifth and youngest son of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. At the end of Jahangir's life and after his death, Shahryar made an attempt to become emperor, planning, supported and conspiracy by his one in influence and all-powerful stepmother Nur Jahan, who was also his mother-in-law. The succession was contested, though Shahryar exercised power, based in Lahore, from 7 November 1627 to 19 January 1628, but like his father, he allowed Nur Jahan to run the affairs and consolidate his reign, but she did not succeed, and he was defeated and was killed at the orders of his brother Khurram, better known as Shah Jahan once he took the throne. Shahryar would have been the fifth Mughal Emperor, but is usually not counted in the list of Mughal Emperors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khusrau Mirza</span> Mughal prince (1587–1622)

Khusrau Mirza was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum. The young prince displayed exceptional skills and wisdom and had the privilege to be groomed by the Mughal Emperor (Akbar) himself for the throne of the Mughal Empire. He turned out to be the most capable and qualified son of Jahangir but was befallen by an unfortunate destiny. Being Jahangir's eldest son, he was the heir-apparent to his father but Jahangir favoured his son Khurram Mirza as he held an animosity against Khusrau.

The Great Moghuls is a 1990 Channel 4 documentary series covering the dramatic story of the rise of the Moghul Empire (1526–1857) of India. Over six generations, from father to son, the Great Moghuls captured, consolidated and profoundly influenced control of the sub-continent of India. The six-part series was written and presented by Bamber Gascoigne based upon his 1971 book of the same name. It was produced and directed by Douglas Rae and filmed on location in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagat Gosain</span> Empress Consort of Mughal Emperor Jahangir

Manavati Bai, also spelled Manvati Bai,, better known by her title, Jagat Gosain, was the second wife and the empress consort of the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir and the mother of his successor, Shah Jahan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parviz Mirza</span> Shahzada of the Mughal Dynasty

Parviz Mirza was the second son of Mughal emperor Jahangir from his wife, Sahib Jamal. His daughter, Nadira Banu Begum, later became the wife of Dara Shikoh.

Ruqaiya Sultan Begum was the first wife and one of the chief consorts of the third Mughal emperor, Akbar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salima Sultan Begum</span> Empress consort of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1539–1613)

Salima Sultan Begum was the third wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Akbar, and the granddaughter of Babur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khanzada Begum</span> Elder sister of Emperor Babur

Khanzada Begum was a Timurid princess and the eldest daughter of Umar Shaikh Mirza II, the amir of Ferghana. She was also the elder sister of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire. She and her brother remained deeply attached to each other all their lives, a period during which the family progressed from ruling a tiny and obscure principality in Central Asia to ruling a large portion of the Indian subcontinent. Babur conferred on his sister, the honorable title of Padshah Begum and she was the first lady of his Empire after his death.

Kandahari Begum was the first wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and the mother of his first child, Princess Parhez Banu Begum.

<i>The Empire</i> (Indian TV series) Indian period drama web series

The Empire is an Indian period drama television series created by Nikkhil Advani and directed by Mitakshara Kumar based on the novel series Empire of the Moghul by Alex Rutherford for Disney+ Hotstar. The series was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 27 August 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious policy of the Mughals after Akbar</span> Religious policy of the Mughal emperors after Akbar

The Mughal Empire, which was established following the defeat of Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 at the First Battle of Panipat and consolidated over the time with expansionist policy of its rulers, derived its strength from its nobility which was hypergamous and included the Indian muslims, Turks, Afghans, and even Hindu Rajputs and Khatris. The Mughal rulers were successful in reigning over a long period of time over the vast area of the subcontinent because of their administrative and religious policy, which provided for the cohesion among various sects and creeds. Both Babur and Humayun were busy throughout their regnal years in wars and conquest apart from suppression of revolt and couldn't devote enough time for the administration and policies formulation. It was Akbar during whose reign the religious policy of the Mughals were formulated. The later Mughals followed Akbar but violation of his policy went unabated many a times leading to the complete downfall of the theory of "divine religion" propounded by Akbar during the regnal years of Aurangzeb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the Mughal Empire</span> Foreign relations of the Mughal Empire

The foreign relations of the Mughal Empire were characterized by competition with the Persian Empire to the west, the Marathas and others to the south, and the British to the east. Steps were taken by successive Mughal rulers to secure the western frontiers of India. The Khyber Pass along the Kabul- Qandahar route was the natural defence for India, and their foreign policy revolved around securing these outposts, as also balancing the rise of powerful empires in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mughal conquest of Mewar</span> Mughal expedition of Mewar under Shah Jahan in 1615

The Mughal conquest of Mewar was a military campaign led by Shah Jahan under the command of Emperor Jahangir in 1615. After a year of attrition warfare, Rana Amar Singh I surrendered conditionally to the Mughal forces, transforming Mewar into a vassal state of the Mughal Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Jahan Lodi</span> Afghan noble

Pir Khan, known by the name Khan Jahan Lodi, was an ethnic Afghan who served as a noble of the Mughal Empire. Entering the Mughal service during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar, he enjoyed a meteoric rise under emperor Jahangir, becoming one of the empire's highest ranking nobles. Khan Jahan Lodi was the leading example of Afghan recruitment during Jahangir's reign, as Jahangir attempted to conciliate this group that was hitherto hostile to Mughal rule. Khan Jahan Lodi fell out of imperial favour with the accession of Shah Jahan and rebelled against the ruler, resulting in his capture and execution in the early 1630s. His rebellion was a major event of Shah Jahan's early rule. During his lifetime, Khan Jahan Lodi sponsored the Tarikh-i-Khan-Jahani, a written ethno-history of the Afghans which was highly influential on subsequent works about the topic.

References

  1. "EMPIRE OF THE MOGHUL". US Macmillan. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  2. "Empire of the Moghul Series by Alex Rutherford". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. "Raiders from the North (Empire of the Moghul, #1)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. "Brothers At War (Empire of the Moghul, #2)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  5. "Ruler of the World (Empire of the Moghul, #3)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  6. "The Tainted Throne (Empire of the Moghul, #4)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. "The Serpent's Tooth (Empire of the Moghul, #5)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  8. "Traitors in the Shadows (Empire of the Moghul, #6)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. Bhowal, Tiasa (5 September 2018). "Dia Mirza, Shabana Azmi And Ronit Roy To Be Part Of TV Series Moghuls. Details Inside". NDTV. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  10. Ramachandran, Naman (7 August 2021). "Disney Plus Hotstar Reveals First Trailer for Moghul Era Epic Series 'The Empire' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2021.