Latest / Aurangzeb: The Emperor Who Expanded and Broke the Mughal Empire — Fexingo History / Aurangzeb's War Horses: The Cavalry That Carried an Empire
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Aurangzeb's elephants, his armies, his siege engines. But there's a four-legged workhorse of the Mughal war machine that we haven't really given its due: the horse. Luna: Horses, of course. But what's the story there? I mean, everyone knows they used horses. Lucas: Right, but the Mughal cavalry was the backbone of everything. And for Aurangzeb, locked in the Deccan for decades, the horse was both his greatest asset and his most persistent problem. The maasir i alamgiri is full of references to horse remounts, horse diseases, and the endless need for fresh mounts. Lucas: And the fatawa e alamgiri even has sections on the proper care of horses, which shows you how central they were. I mean, this is a legal compendium, and it's detailing how to treat a lame horse. That tells you something. Luna: That's wild. So what kind of horses were they actually riding? Were they all these big Arabian stallions? Lucas: Not exactly. The Mughals prized horses from Turan and Iran, the so-called tazi and yabu breeds, which were fast and sturdy. But those were expensive imports. The bulk of the cavalry, especially in the Deccan, rode local ponies, tougher and more adapted to the terrain. The Marathas, of course, made a art of using these small, hardy ponies to outmaneuver the Mughals. Lucas: And here's a key detail: the Mughal horse was not just a piece of equipment. It was a status symbol, an investment, sometimes even a form of payment. Mansabdars were expected to maintain a certain number of horses, and the quality of your mount reflected your rank. Luna: So how did Aurangzeb keep all those horses fed and watered, especially in the dry Deccan? Lucas: That was the logistical nightmare. The maasir i alamgiri mentions the constant need to move fodder and water, sometimes over huge distances. Aurangzeb's army was so vast, and the Deccan so parched, that horses would die by the thousands from thirst and disease. It was a war of attrition against the environment as much as against the Marathas. Lucas: They had a system of remounts, where fresh horses were brought from the north, but it was never enough. And the Marathas, with their light cavalry, could live off the land more easily. They didn't need the same supply train, so they could strike and vanish. That asymmetry was a huge factor in the stalemate. Luna: I remember you mentioned that in the Golconda episode, how the siege dragged on. Was that partly because of horses? Lucas: Absolutely. Before a siege, you'd have to secure grazing land for your horses. The fatawa e alamgiri actually has rulings about pasturing horses on enemy land, which was a real issue. And the Mughal cavalry was also used to block reinforcements and forage, so the horse was central to the whole strategy. Lucas: But there's a nuance. The Mughals had heavy cavalry, armored and armed with lances and bows, but they were slower. The Marathas, on the other hand, were like the light cavalry of the steppe, fast, agile, always on the move. They'd cut supplies, raid camps, and melt away. It drove Aurangzeb to distraction. Lucas: You know, when I think about the cost of those imported horses, and the difficulty of keeping them alive, I'm reminded that running this show is a bit like managing a small herd, we need a little warmth and support to keep pacing. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. Luna: Yeah, it's the little things that keep us trotting along. So, back to the horses, what actually happened to them in battle? Lucas: In a pitched battle, horses were the shock force. They'd charge, but they were also vulnerable. The fatawa e alamgiri even discusses the ethics of targeting enemy horses, which suggests it was common. And the maasir i alamgiri records that in major actions, thousands of horses could be lost in a single day, both to enemy action and to exhaustion. Lucas: And there's a tragic detail: Aurangzeb's own horses were often branded with the imperial mark, and after his death, his personal stables were found to be nearly empty, a symbol of the empire's exhaustion. Luna: That's really poignant. So the horse, in a way, tells the story of the empire's rise and fall. Lucas: Exactly. Think about Akbar's reign, when the empire was expanding and the cavalry was at its peak. By Aurangzeb's later years, the remount system was breaking down, and the horses were dying faster than they could be replaced. It's a barometer of imperial health. Lucas: And there's a fascinating letter from Aurangzeb himself, quoted in the maasir i alamgiri, where he complains about the quality of horses being sent from Kabul, saying they were more like donkeys. He was clearly frustrated by the decline. Luna: So would it be fair to say the Mughal Empire was, in part, brought down by a horse shortage? Lucas: That's a bit reductive, but there's a kernel of truth. The empire's ability to project power depended on mobility, and mobility depended on horses. When the horse supply failed, the empire's reach contracted. It's one of those hidden factors that historians sometimes overlook in favor of politics and personalities. Lucas: I think what strikes me most is the everyday reality. The maasir i alamgiri mentions horse doctors, veterinary care, even the construction of stables. It was a huge industry. And yet, we rarely think about the millions of animals that died in these campaigns. It's a sobering thought. Luna: It really is. And it makes me appreciate how much logistics shapes history. Lucas: For sure. So next time you see a Mughal miniature painting with a prancing horse, remember that behind that image is a story of endurance, cost, and sacrifice that helped build and ultimately undermine an empire. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. That was a great ride. Lucas: Glad you enjoyed it. And if you want to dig deeper into Aurangzeb's campaigns, I'd recommend reading the maasir i alamgiri, it's a treasure trove of details like this.