Reading Group Discussion Guide

1. Soon after the establishment of the Moghul Empire, in the Europe of the day ‘Moghul’ became a synonym for immense wealth. In the 1920s it was applied to the powerful, opulent film magnates of Hollywood and also to major industrialists. If we know the name ‘Moghul’ so well, why don’t most of us know much about the history behind it? Who were the Moghuls and why did they matter?

2. What makes Babur bounce back from every set-back? How much is down to:

a. a desire to live up to the deeds of his ancestors, Genghis Khan and Timur (Tamburlaine)?
b. a wish not to die feeling a failure as his father did?
c. his own character?
d. a sense of destiny, however derived?

3. What effect does telling the story through a single point of view – Babur’s - have? How might our perceptions be altered if we had multiple points of view?

4. One of the pleasures in reading books about distant lands and different times is what we find out about peoples’ lives – a key element in which is food and drink. What do we learn about these topics from this book? How much does the food described differ from the Indian food we eat in Indian restaurants in the UK? How much of this is due to the fact that ingredients such as the chilli, the potato, the pineapple, the papaya (pawpaw) had not yet reached India via Europe from the Americas? How surprising is it that wine cultivation and drinking was so prevalent?

5. Why do you think Babur and Baburi are such good friends? What is it about their personalities and their histories that makes them so well suited to each other?

6. Babur wrote in his memoirs of the great influence on him of both his mother and grandmother, for example he called the latter ‘intelligent and a great planner’. What if anything does the book tell us of the role of women in the Moghul society at this time?

7. This is the first book in a series about a ruling dynasty. In Moghul times, dynasties were bolstered by the concept of hereditary rule. But why do dynasties persist in modern societies (e.g. the Nehru/Gandhi dynasty in India, the Bhuttos in Pakistan, the Bushes and the Kennedys in the United States)? How might it feel to be the child of a dynasty?

8. How does Babur change through the book and why?

9. This is, in part, a story of kingdoms along the great caravan routes of the Silk Road. How far do you think travel and trade had an influence on the culture of Babur and his contemporaries?

10. There were no printed books in Central Asia at this time – only laborious manuscript copies. How far do you think this influenced the way and extent information was transmitted?

11. Why do you think Babur kept a diary and then turned his writings into a memoir – the first autobiography in Islamic literature and still in print today? What motives impel people to write diaries? What does it say about how they see themselves? How much can we trust diaries as factual records? How much do factors such as self-justification, real or selective memory loss influence them?

12. In the historical note at the back of the book the authors reveal they used some composite characters e.g. Baisangar as well as historical ones. Why do you think they did so:

a. so the main character has someone to confide in and thus reveal his thoughts to us?
b. to avoid a multiplicity and confusion of subsidiary characters?
c. to carry the story onward?

13. What might be the main difficulties when writing an historical novel and looking at the sources?

a. getting beneath the skin of the main characters using the available material which might be scanty and having to imagine their thoughts and feelings etc.?
b. deciding what events to include and which to exclude?
c. deciding the kind of dialogue? (The authors did not use archaic language but also tried to avoid anything too modern in terms of similes, metaphors and modes of expression.)
d. having to immerse oneself in the culture of the time and working out how far to judge motivation and character against that background rather than that of today?
e. While knowing the historical ending, avoiding this foreknowledge dominating the action and dissipating the tension?

Discussion questions for EMPIRE OF THE MOGHUL: BROTHERS AT WAR

1. Soon after the establishment of the Moghul Empire, in the Europe of the day ‘Moghul’ became a synonym for immense wealth. In the 1920s it was applied to the powerful, opulent film magnates of Hollywood and also to major industrialists. If we know the name ‘Moghul’ so well, why don’t most of us know much about the history behind it? Who were the Moghuls and why did they matter?

2. What makes Humayun persist in his quest to recover his empire? How much is down to:

1. a wish to live up to the expectations of his father Babur, the first Moghul emperor?
2. his own character?
3. a sense of destiny?

3. What effect does telling the story through a single point of view - Humayun’s - have? How might our perceptions be altered if we had multiple points of view?

4. Humayun believed in astrology and in messages from the stars as well as being a student of astronomy. How did these interests affect his actions and the course of his life?

5. Humayun’s marriage to Hamida was a pivotal event in his life. What do you think of their relationship? What was her impact on his story?

6. In addition to Hamida, Khanzada and Gulbadan were strong influences on Humayun. To what effect? What if anything does the book tell us of the role of women in Moghul society at this time?

7. Humayun’s father Babur made him promise as he lay dying to do nothing against his half-brothers however much they might deserve it. Humayun struggled valiantly to keep the promise. Would he have been a better ruler if a less likeable character if he had ignored it?

8. This is the second book in a series about a ruling dynasty. In Moghul times dynasties were bolstered by the concept of hereditary rule. In the UK we still have an hereditary monarchy and political dynasties persist in modern societies (e.g. the Nehru/Gandhi dynasty in India, the Bhuttos in Pakistan, the Bushes and the Kennedys in the United States) Why? How might it feel to be the child of a dynasty?

9. How does Humayun change through the book and why?

10.  Humayun became addicted to opium and alcohol for part of his life. Do you think there is such a thing as an addictive personality and if so was Humayun one and in what way?

11.  What might be the main difficulties when writing an historical novel and looking at the sources?

1. getting beneath the skin of the main characters using the available material which might be scanty and having to imagine their thoughts and feelings etc.?
2. deciding what events to include and which to exclude?
3. deciding the kind of dialogue? (Alex does not use archaic language but also tries to avoid anything too modern in terms of similes, metaphors and modes of expression.)
4. having to immerse oneself in the culture of the time and working out how far to judge motivation and character against that background rather than that of today?
5. While knowing the historical ending, avoiding this foreknowledge dominating the action and dissipating the tension?

14. Alex Rutherford is the pen name for a husband and wife. What might the difficulties be in writing with someone else and in particular one’s partner in life as well as in work?

More About the Books - www.empireofthemoghul.co.uk

About Alex Rutherford

Read an Extract

Reading Group Discussion Guide

Reader Reviews

Click here to buy the book