The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan

Keene, H. G. (Henry George), 1825-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5

Word count: 483K words
Chapters: 49

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan by H. G. KeeneAuthor: Keene, H. G. (Henry George), 1825-1915,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: Sep 1, 1998

Editor's review

This book is H. G. Keene's nineteenth-century general history of the decline of the Mughal Empire, a free public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg. Its value lies in a relatively clear English narrative of the empire's political and military decline from prosperity to fall. Its moderate length makes it suitable as introductory English-language history reading and as a narrative guide for enthusiasts of South Asian history. Readers should note that the author wrote within a colonial-era British academic context, so his perspective and judgments bear the marks of his time; they should be compared with modern scholarship and not treated as the sole authority. The electronic edition is convenient for searching names and events, suitable for fragmented reading during commutes or between classes, and useful as classroom supplementary material; for in-depth research, contemporary academic works and primary sources should be added.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginner readers interested in the Mughal Empire and South Asian history who want to first grasp the general historical outline
Learners who need English history reading practice and want to build relevant vocabulary
Students preparing for South Asian history courses or writing on related topics who need supplementary materials
Readers who like free public-domain ebooks and are used to fragmented reading on electronic devices

Not a good fit for

Senior researchers expecting cutting-edge contemporary scholarship and critical historiographical analysis
In-depth readers who need extensive maps, chronologies, and detailed annotations
Readers with weak English reading foundations who may struggle with nineteenth-century English expression

Reading tips

First read the table of contents and chapter titles to establish a timeline of the empire's decline, then proceed chapter by chapter.
Take notes on key figures and events while reading, and consult maps for the corresponding regions.
Mark colonial-era biased statements first, then compare them with modern scholarship after finishing.
Use the book as English extensive reading material, setting a fixed number of chapters each day rather than forcing through it all at once.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no background in South Asian history at all?

It can serve as an introductory reader, but it requires some patience. The author narrates the empire's decline chronologically; readers should first look at the table of contents to establish a framework, then read alongside maps and a list of figures to reduce difficulty. If completely unfamiliar, it is advisable to read a modern general history introduction before starting this book.

Can the views in the book still be accepted directly today?

They should not be treated directly as definitive. The author was a nineteenth-century British scholar, and the narrative carries colonial-era perspectives and limitations. The book is suitable for understanding one early general-history narrative; readers should compare its judgments with modern academic research and distinguish factual narrative from the author's evaluations.

What practical advice is there for reading the electronic edition?

Public-domain ebooks are easy to search; use keywords to quickly locate names, battles, and treaties, and take simple notes. Because modern editorial annotations are lacking, look up unfamiliar place names and titles separately to avoid getting stuck on details and interrupting the reading.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Keene, H. G. (Henry George), 1825-1915 Author · British · 1825–1915

Henry George Keene (1825–1915) was a British scholar of Indian history. Public information about his early life and education is limited; what can be confirmed is his long-standing interest in Indian history, especially the rise and fall of the Mughal Empire and the formation of British India. Two of his works are held in the collection. The Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan takes the empire's disintegration as its narrative thread, tracing the collapse of political order and the succession of power. St. George's Cross; or, England Above All expresses national and imperial ideas from a British standpoint. His writing favours factual narrative and causal analysis in plain language, aimed at general readers and history enthusiasts, and offers a useful reference for understanding the late Mughal period and British expansion in India.