Mughal artillery

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Mughal artillery included a variety of cannons, rockets, and mines employed by the Mughal Empire. This gunpowder technology played an important role in the formation and expansion of the empire. In the opening lines of Abul Fazl's famous text Ain-i-Akbari, he claims that "except for the Mediterranean/Ottoman territories (Rumistan), in no other place was gunpowder artillery available in such abundance as in the Mughal Empire."[1] Thereby subtly referring to the superiority of the empire's artillery[2] over the Safavids and Shaibanids. During the reign of the first three Timurid rulers of India—Babur, Humayun, and Akbar—gunpowder artillery had "emerged as an important equipage of war, contributing significantly to the establishment of a highly centralized state structure under Akbar and to the consolidation of Mughal rule in the conquered territories."[1]

Mughal commanders such as Mir Jumla II was noted for their shared traits of Asian lords for their fondness for cannon artilleries, and how he is willing to employ European engineers such as crews of a vessel named Ter Schelling.[3]

  1. ^ a b Khan, Iqtidar Alam (2009). "Nature of Gunpowder Artillery in India during the Sixteenth Century – a Reappraisal of the Impact of European Gunnery". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 9 (1). Cambridge University Press: 27–34. doi:10.1017/S1356186300015911 – via Cambridge Core.
  2. ^ Athar Ali, M (1971). "Presidential Address". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 33. Indian History Congress: 175–188. JSTOR 44145330 – via JSTOR.
  3. ^ Francisco Bethencourt & Cátia A.P. Antunes (2022, p. 116)