2. India before the Times of Shivaji Maharaj

• (1) The Queen of Gondvana — Rani Durgavati
• (2) The son of Udaysingh — Maharana Pratap
• (3) The founder of Mughal dynasty — Babur
• (4) The first Sultan of the Bahamani kingdom — Hasan Gangu
• (5) The fighting force established by Guru Gobindsingh — Khalsa Dal

• (1) Sultan Mahmud, Qutubuddin Aibak, Muhammad Ghuri, Babur — Babur (He founded the Mughal power; the others belong to the earlier period of invasions and the Delhi Sultanate).
• (2) Adilshahi, Nizamshahi, Sultanate, Baridshahi — Sultanate (The other three are the fragmented states of the Bahamani Kingdom).
• (3) Akbar, Humayun, Shershah, Aurangzeb — Shershah (He belonged to the Sur dynasty, whereas the rest are Mughal Emperors).

During the reign of Sultan Muhammad-bin-Tughluque of Delhi, there were many revolts in the South against his central power. Taking advantage of this instability, two brothers from the South, Harihar and Bukka, founded the kingdom of Vijaynagar in 1336 CE. Meanwhile, a group of rebellious Sardars in the Deccan defeated the Sultan's army under the leadership of Hasan Gangu, which led to the establishment of the Bahamani kingdom in 1347 CE.

Mahmud Gawan was the Chief Wazir of the Bahamani kingdom and a good administrator. He brought discipline to the army and started paying the soldiers their salaries in cash instead of through land grants. He also introduced many reforms in the land revenue system and opened a madarsa at Bidar for Arabic and Persian studies.

While Aurangzeb ruled, the Ahoms had a prolonged struggle with the Mughals. The Ahoms united under the leadership of Gadadharsinha, and Commander Lachit Borphukan gave an intense battle. Because the Ahoms effectively used the guerilla technique in their conflict against the Mughals, it became impossible for the Mughals to create a strong base in Assam.

Krishnadevaraya ascended the throne of Vijaynagar in 1509 CE. He was a great conqueror who annexed Vijaywada and Rajmahendri and defeated the combined forces of the Bahamani Sultans led by Mahmud Shah. Under his rule, the Vijaynagar kingdom expanded from Cuttack in the east to Goa in the west. He was also a scholar who wrote the Telugu compendium on polity, 'Amuktamalyada'.

Chandbibi was the capable daughter of Husain Nizamshah of Ahmadnagar. When the Mughal army attacked and laid siege to the Ahmadnagar fort in 1595 CE, she bravely defended it. Unfortunately, internal strife and factionism among the Sardars in the Nizamshahi kingdom resulted in her murder, allowing the Mughals to capture the fort.

Born into the Chandel Rajput dynasty, Rani Durgavati became the queen of Gondvana after her marriage. She was an excellent administrator. Following her husband's death, she fearlessly fought against Emperor Akbar to protect her kingdom. Her struggle is significant in medieval history because she laid down her life in battle but never surrendered.

After the death of Mahmud Gawan, factionism and conflicts increased among the Bahamani Sardars. The ongoing conflicts with the Vijaynagar kingdom also weakened the empire, causing provincial Governors to act more independently. Consequently, the Bahamani kingdom disintegrated into five small powers: Imadshahi, Baridshahi, Adilshahi, Nizamshahi, and Qutubshahi.

Following the first Battle of Panipat, Rana Sanga brought all Rajput kings together to fight against Babur at Khanua. Although Rana Sanga presented a united front, Babur’s effective use of artillery and his reserved force played a decisive role, resulting in the defeat of Rana Sanga's army.

After ascending the throne of Mewad, Maharana Pratap continued a relentless struggle for his kingdom's existence against the mighty Mughal Emperor Akbar. He fought till the very end to maintain his independence and never surrendered, making him immortal in history for his remarkable qualities of valour, courage, self-respect, and sacrifice.

Guru Teghbahaddar, the ninth Guru of the Sikhs, strongly protested against Emperor Aurangzeb's policy of religious intolerance. Because of this strong opposition, Aurangzeb imprisoned him and subsequently beheaded him in 1675 CE.

While Akbar secured the cooperation of the Rajputs through a liberal policy, Aurangzeb failed to maintain this harmony. After the death of Rana Jaswantsingh of Marwad, Aurangzeb annexed his kingdom to the Mughal Empire. In response, Durgadas Rathod crowned Jaswantsingh’s minor son Ajitsingh as King and fought a prolonged struggle against the Mughals for the existence of Marwad.