World History
Rajputs were members of the approximately 12 million landowners of northern India who claimed to be descended from the Kshatriya warrior caste. The name derives from the Sanskrit term Raja-putra, or “son of the king.â€
Rajputs were particularly strong in Rajputana. However any ruler who could attain temporal status in central or northern India might be liable to claim Rajput status, since there were no defining tests of ethnicity and status.
Rajput confederacies were any of a variety of more or less loosely joined alliances aimed at offensive or defensive military actions under the command of Rajput leaders.
Rajput leaders became more prominent during periods of political upheaval, when central states were unable to maintain control over geographically remote areas and local warlords could enforce autonomy for some period.
The ruggedness of the terrain was a considerable advantage in warfare and enabled, for example, the Gurjara-Pratiharas Confederacy to maintain independence from the Arab conquest of Sind. Bhoja I (836–885) extended Rajput territory until it reached the Himalayas, Sind, and the Ganges Valley.
This empire dissolved within two centuries, at which time princes rose in what is now Rajasthan to seize their chance for power. A number of independent states flourished across northern India, including the Guhilas, whose territory was centered on Mewar; the Cauhans at Ajmer; and the Bhattis and Rachors.
This period of independence was brought to an effective end by the victory of Muhammad of Ghur over Prthviraj III at the second Battle of Tarain in 1192, after which northern India was gradually brought into the Muslim sphere of influence.
The fiercely independent Rajputs were able to use their terrain to resist absolute control, although their influence was greatly reduced as they became surrounded.
This period gave rise to the romantic conception of the noble and valiant Rajput warrior defending home and heartland against the foreign Muslim invaders. The Mughal prince Babur conquered the Rajputs in the 15th century; consequently Rajput power waned.
The Rajput romances feature such elements as wives jumping into the burning funeral pyres of their husbands and desperate attempts to obtain access to beautiful princesses cloistered in remote mountainous fortresses.
These romances reveal something of the nature of life for women and the less privileged in this northern Indian society. Artistic expression in various forms reached a high point during the Rajput confederacies.
- Sultan Muhammad Of Ghur
Sultan Muhammad of GhurThe victory of Muhammad of Ghur over the Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan III (r. 1178–92), was a turning point in the history of South Asia. Islam began to pervade the northern portion of the Indian subcontinent, in present-day...
- Akbar - Emperor Of India
Akbar - Emperor of IndiaJalal ud-din Akbar was born in 1542 to Humayun, in India, while the latter was a fugitive ruler. Akbar succeeded to a very shaky throne at age 13 but went on to enjoy a long and successful reign, becoming the greatest ruler of...
- Babur - Mughal Dynastic Founder
Babur - Mughal Dynastic FounderBabur was descended from Timerlane on his father’s side and Genghis Khan on his mother’s. Son of a petty ruler of Ferghana in Central Asia, he conquered Afghanistan, then northern India, founding the long-lived...
- Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire in India was founded by Babur, also known as Zahir-ud-din Mohammed, born in 1482 in Ferghana in Central Asia, a descendant of Timurlane. With Central Asia in turmoil in 1501, Babur fled his native Ferghana and gained the...
- History Of India
History of India. This is a good summary overview to the history of the Asian nation of India. From the site: The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture...
World History
Rajput Confederacies
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| Rajput Confederacies |
Rajputs were members of the approximately 12 million landowners of northern India who claimed to be descended from the Kshatriya warrior caste. The name derives from the Sanskrit term Raja-putra, or “son of the king.â€
Rajputs were particularly strong in Rajputana. However any ruler who could attain temporal status in central or northern India might be liable to claim Rajput status, since there were no defining tests of ethnicity and status.
Rajput confederacies were any of a variety of more or less loosely joined alliances aimed at offensive or defensive military actions under the command of Rajput leaders.
  |   |
Rajput leaders became more prominent during periods of political upheaval, when central states were unable to maintain control over geographically remote areas and local warlords could enforce autonomy for some period.
The ruggedness of the terrain was a considerable advantage in warfare and enabled, for example, the Gurjara-Pratiharas Confederacy to maintain independence from the Arab conquest of Sind. Bhoja I (836–885) extended Rajput territory until it reached the Himalayas, Sind, and the Ganges Valley.
This empire dissolved within two centuries, at which time princes rose in what is now Rajasthan to seize their chance for power. A number of independent states flourished across northern India, including the Guhilas, whose territory was centered on Mewar; the Cauhans at Ajmer; and the Bhattis and Rachors.
This period of independence was brought to an effective end by the victory of Muhammad of Ghur over Prthviraj III at the second Battle of Tarain in 1192, after which northern India was gradually brought into the Muslim sphere of influence.
The fiercely independent Rajputs were able to use their terrain to resist absolute control, although their influence was greatly reduced as they became surrounded.
This period gave rise to the romantic conception of the noble and valiant Rajput warrior defending home and heartland against the foreign Muslim invaders. The Mughal prince Babur conquered the Rajputs in the 15th century; consequently Rajput power waned.
The Rajput romances feature such elements as wives jumping into the burning funeral pyres of their husbands and desperate attempts to obtain access to beautiful princesses cloistered in remote mountainous fortresses.
These romances reveal something of the nature of life for women and the less privileged in this northern Indian society. Artistic expression in various forms reached a high point during the Rajput confederacies.
- Sultan Muhammad Of Ghur
Sultan Muhammad of GhurThe victory of Muhammad of Ghur over the Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan III (r. 1178–92), was a turning point in the history of South Asia. Islam began to pervade the northern portion of the Indian subcontinent, in present-day...
- Akbar - Emperor Of India
Akbar - Emperor of IndiaJalal ud-din Akbar was born in 1542 to Humayun, in India, while the latter was a fugitive ruler. Akbar succeeded to a very shaky throne at age 13 but went on to enjoy a long and successful reign, becoming the greatest ruler of...
- Babur - Mughal Dynastic Founder
Babur - Mughal Dynastic FounderBabur was descended from Timerlane on his father’s side and Genghis Khan on his mother’s. Son of a petty ruler of Ferghana in Central Asia, he conquered Afghanistan, then northern India, founding the long-lived...
- Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire in India was founded by Babur, also known as Zahir-ud-din Mohammed, born in 1482 in Ferghana in Central Asia, a descendant of Timurlane. With Central Asia in turmoil in 1501, Babur fled his native Ferghana and gained the...
- History Of India
History of India. This is a good summary overview to the history of the Asian nation of India. From the site: The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture...