The eastern half of Chaghatai’s old realm had been called Moghulistan since the mid 14th century (see chapter 3). The people who lived there were called Moghuls or Chaghatais. In English, Moghul is sometimes written Mughal, and that name is used for a dynasty that ruled in northern India for almost four centuries.
The founder of this dynasty was Zahirrudin Babur (1483-1530), a Timurid who also had family ties to Chinggis. From his base in Fergana, a region in what is now Uzbekistan, he wanted to reestablish Tamerlane’s old
Empire. The Uzbeks and the Persians, however, controlled most of those lands at the beginning of the 16th century, so Babur decided instead to invade northern India (sometimes called Hindustan), just as Tamerlane had. After his victories, Babur used his ancestor’s previous conquests to justify his rule.
CONNECTIONS >>>>>>>>>>>>
Many Names
Around 1460, a group of rebel Uzbeks left their ruler and joined up with nomads from what had been the Blue Horde of Kazakhstan. Together they formed a small khanate and were called Kazakhs. In later centuries, Russians gave them a new name, calling them Kyrgyz (also spelled Kirghiz). Today, both names can be seen in the geography of Central Asia, in the nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Both countries have a population that combines descendants of the Turko-Mongols with ethnic Russians.
Babur’s Mughal Dynasty thrived, thanks to the gold and silver of northern India. His successor created an empire that covered two-thirds of modern India, as well as parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Through the 17th century, the Mughal leaders considered themselves Central Asians, not Indians. They treasured their ties to Tamerlane, and the first rulers of the dynasty honored their Mongol heritage. They often noted in official records that they followed the rules and customs of Chinggis Khan.
World History
