The Muslim conqueror Mohammed Ghori invaded India in 1206. He left one of his slaves to be the Sultan of Delhi, thus starting the so-called Slave Sultanate. The Turk and later Afghan dynasties opened up north India to profitable overland trade with Europe and Central Asia.

From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, another golden age followed under the Mughals, descendants of Genghis Khan. Akbar, one of the most tolerant Mughal rulers, encouraged painting, music and literature, which reflected the mixture of the many cultures in India. Akbar's grandson, Shah Jehan, built the milk-white Taj Mahal in loving memory of his queen, Mumtaz Mahal.

Stories of India's great wealth were legendary in Europe and many countries wanted to open up a direct trade route by sea. In 1498, the Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, made the first voyage round Africa to India. The Dutch, English, French and Danes quickly followed.

Gradually, the Mughal Empire became too weak to stop the foreigners exploiting its lack of power and becoming rich on Indian trade.

“In the English-speaking World”