Question

How do we classify the sources of medieval history

Answer 1

Answer:

Al biruni’s India

Ziyauddin barani-Fatwa e jahandari and other writings.

Firdausi- Shahnama

Amir khusrao’s books

Baburnama

Humayun nama

Akbarnama including ain e akbari,writings of badaoni if you want to discover the darker side of his empire,poems of keshav and brajbhasha poetry,Unofficial histories.The Tuhfa-i-Akbari Shahi (Tarikh-i-Shershahi) of Abbas Khan Sarwani provides details of the life and works of Shershah. Abdul Qadir Badauni’s Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh is not dedicated to Akbar as Badauni was very critical of the ‘innovations’ of Akbar.

Jahangirnama,Mu tammad khan’s iqbalnama e jahangiri, and kamgar hussaini’s work on jahangir.

Shahjahan nama, histories written by his nobles and the sources of jahangir’s period which continue into shahjahan period can be read execept Jahangir nama.Various sufi commentries or prem akhiyans written.Muhammad Qasim Uindu Shah Astrabadi’s Tarikh-i-Firishtah, deals with the history of the Sultans of the Deccan. Padshanama of Abdul Hamid Lahori is a biographical account of Shahjahan from his childhood to 1649. It is rated as the first-rate authority on the reign of Shahjahan. Besides this biography, Muhammad Amir Khan Qazyni and Muhammad Waris, a pupil of Lahori also wrote two biographies with the name Padshahnama. Of these two, the first one gives an account of the first 10 years and the other the last ten years’ rule of Shahjahan.

Aurangzeb

Inayat Khan, a high official of Shahjahan also wrote Shajahannama and another Shahjahannama was written by Muhamad Sadiq Khan. This covers the historical events from the death of Jahangir to the accession of Aurangzeb. Muhammad Saki Mustaid Khan was the author of Maasir-e-Alamgiri. This was written after the death of Aurangzeb with the help of state records. Mirza Muhammad Qazim was the author of Alamgimama. This is a good detailed history of the first ten years of Aurangzeb’s reign.

Muhammad Hashim Khafi Khan’s Muntakhab-ul-Lubab Muhammad Shahi is a voluminous history from the Muslim conquest of India up to the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah. Besides these histories written in Persian, adminis­trative and accountancy manuals, statistical tables, Firmanas, Mishans or Parwanas, letters and dictionaries also serve useful purpose as primary source material. A number of books based on primary sources written in the last seventy-five years provide useful insights into the different reigns of the Mughal rulers. Further, the contemporaneous Portuguese, Dutch, English and French records and accounts provide useful information of the various aspects of Indian life.

Memoirs, travelogues, letters of the Jesuit fathers, and factory records come under the above category. Antorio Monserette, a Jesuit in his commentary published in 1597 written in Portuguese, provides a graphic account of the court of Akbar. William Hawkins’ work graphically describes Jahangir’s court. Sir Thomas Roe’s embassy (1615-1619) of Jahangir’s time offers political and economic information. Similarly, the Dutch factor, Pelsaert’s account, the travels of Peter Mundy, and Fray Sebastian Manrique, the travels of Francois Bernier and Storia do Mogor of Niccolo Manucci also throw very useful light on the contemporary Indian society.

Gave thanks

Explanation:

Answer 2

Explanation:

In Official records: Official records have been found relating to the history of the Turko-Afghan and the Mughal rule in the India. These are obviously the most valuable and reliable source materials for the said period. But due to lack of proper upkeep and several other reasons much of them did not reach us.

Contemporary writings: It is possible to gather so many information from the writings of the contemporary chroniclers. The famous Arab scholar Al Beruni wrote chronicle called ‘An Enquiry into India’. It dealt with the affairs of India when Sultan Mahmud invaded India. Another important work called Tabaqut-i-Nasiri was written by Minhaj-ud-din Siraj. It narrates the story of Muslim India up to sixties of the thirteenth century. Similarly Ziauddin Barauni in his work Tarik-i-Firoj-Shahi took up the story from where Minhaj-ud-din ends (from the reign of Balban to that of Firuz Shah Tughlug). Other contemporary chronicles include the works of Amir Khashru, Fatuah-i-Firoz Shahi, by the Sultan himself and Fatuah-us-Salatin by lsami. Regarding the source materials of the Mughal period the most remarkable works are the Akbarnama and Ain-i-Akbari by Abdul Fazal. Besides, Khafi Khan’s Muntakhab­-ul-lubab, Badauni’s Muntakhab-ul-towarikh, Nizamuddin Ahmed’s Tabqaut-i-Akbari have proved to be worthy source materials for different phases of Mughal rule.

Biographies and Memoirs: In the Sultanate period Firoz Shah Tughluq wrote his biographies called Fatuhat-i-Firoz Sahi. Sultan Mahmud and Timur had their own biographies. And Chand Bardoi became famous for his lyrical balard called ‘Prithviraj Raso’. The most important memories and biographies of the Mughal India are the memoirs of Babar and Jahangir and biographical sketch of Humayun by Gulbadan Begum.

Accounts of foreign travellers: The earliest African traveler who visited Muslim India was Ibn Batutah. His Rehala on travels furnishes us with details of the various aspects of the Tughluq-sahi period. Another important traveler was Abdur Razzaq who left us valuable information about the Vijaynagar Kingdom. Among others were Nikola Kanti (Italian), Nikitin (Russian), Payer (Portuguese), etc.

Coins and Inscriptions: During the period Of the Sultanate and the Mughal India various kings of coins were introduced by the Sultans, and the Mughal Emperors. The standard of the metals used and also from the engrave on them it is quite possible to understand the economic condition of the time. Besides, these contain evidences relating to the year of accession, the extent of the dominions of the Sultan and his relations with the neighboring powers, etc.