Mughal Empire · 1658-1707

Aurangzeb, Shivaji and the Deccan wars

Under Aurangzeb the Mughal Empire reached its greatest size, yet the Maratha leader Shivaji built a kingdom of hill forts that the emperor could never defeat. Students compare two famous rivals and ask why the biggest empire was also overstretched.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
50 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1650 to AD 1715
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Under Aurangzeb the Mughal Empire reached its greatest size, yet the Maratha leader Shivaji built a kingdom of hill forts that the emperor could never defeat. Students compare two famous rivals and ask why the biggest empire was also overstretched.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Describe the conflict between Aurangzeb and the Marathas under Shivaji.
  • Explain why the Mughal Empire was at its largest, but overstretched, by 1707.
  • Compare different views of Aurangzeb and Shivaji.
2

Explore the map

15 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1650

The largest Mughal Empire

Open the map in 1650, then drag the slider to 1700. What happened to the Deccan sultanates in between?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1674

Fortress country

Zoom in on Raigad in the Western Ghats, where Shivaji was crowned in 1674. Why were these steep hills perfect for forts?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1715

The Marathas rise

Drag the slider to 1715. Which new power appears in western India, only eight years after Aurangzeb's death?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

15 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Aurangzeb fought his own brothers for the throne. Why were Mughal successions so often violent?
  2. Shivaji fought from hill forts with fast cavalry. Why was that so hard for a big army to defeat?
  3. Aurangzeb lived simply and was deeply religious, but some of his policies divided his subjects. How should historians judge him?
  4. The Mughal Empire was largest under Aurangzeb, yet began to break apart soon after. How can an empire be at its biggest and weakest at the same time?
  5. Why do people in India still argue about Aurangzeb and celebrate Shivaji today?
4

Game round

10 min

Play Rule History as Akbar, Aurangzeb's great-grandfather. Let students take turns ruling. Then compare: Akbar won Rajput allies through "peace with all". What might Akbar have done about the Marathas?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.