[3] This antagonism was furthered by Bahadur Shah's favorable reception of the Afghan princes of the Lodi dynasty (rules of the Delhi Sultanate) who had offended the Mughal Empire.
[10] Having abandoned his pursuit, Humayun encamped at Khambhat where an old aboriginal woman warned him of an upcoming night attack by 5,000–6,000 members of the Koli and Gowar tribes.
[15] Before he could resume his pursuit of Bahadur Shah, he received news that the eastern provinces of the Mughal Empire were revolting under Sher Khan Afghan and that the imperial garrisons in Malwa were being challenged by the local chieftains.
[15] No sooner had Humayun turned to attend to these matters, a counter was launched with Bahadur Shah's officers reclaiming the towns of Surat, Bharuch, and Khambhat.
[33] Mirza Aziz Koka was appointed as the viceroy for a second time and defeated the combined forces of Sultan Muzaffar III, Jam of Navanagar, Daulat Khan Ghori of Junagadh, and the Kathi Loma Khuman in the battle of Bhuchar Mori.
[41] However, on account of Qulij Khan being called to Punjab and Sultan Muzaffar Shah III's son, Prince Bahadur, leading an insurrection around Ahmedabad, Jahangir sent Raja Vikramajit to Gujarat as his next viceroy.
[41] He was succeeded by Shaikh Farid-i-Bukhari (honored with the title of Murtaza Khan), a scholar and a military commander, who was responsible for constructing the fort of Kadi, a town in the Mehsana district.
[42] Mirza Aziz Koka was appointed as the viceroy for a fourth time but was asked to rule through his son Jahangir Quli Khan as his deputy; they subdued the rebellions and protests of the nobles of the former Sultanate and of the Hindu chiefs[43] and successfully averted an invasion by Malik Ambar from Daulatabad in the south.
[49] Shah Jahan rebelled against his father, Jahangir, in 1622–1623[50] and he was replaced by Prince Dawar Bakhsh (also known as Sultan Bulaqi)[51] whose imperial forces recovered Bharuch and Surat.
[58] Azam Khan is said to have brought order to the province by subduing the Chunvalis Kolis in the northeast and the Kathi tribes near Dhandhuka terrorizing them by the destruction of their crops and their plantations.
[59] Through the Jam Lakhaji of Nawanagar, he set an example with regards to the collection of tribute from the Rajput chiefs of Saurashtra, who defied imperial authority and disobeyed the viceroys.
[60] Mirza Isa Tarkhan, who was appointed the next viceroy,[61] carried out financial reforms by introducing bhagvatai or the "share system of levying revenue in kind.
[65] Thereafter, Prince Dara Shukoh was appointed viceroy of Gujarat whose deputy Ghairat Khan (Baqir Beg) brought along an imperial decree that partially restored the Jain temple of Chintamani back to Shantidas.
[73] He forgave Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Jodhpur and appointed him as the viceroy of Gujarat in reward for deserting Prince Dara Shikoh before the battle of Deorai.
[74] Qutb-ud-din Khan served as acting viceroy after Maharaja Jaswant Singh and temporarily annexed Navanagar (renamed to Islamnagar) into the Mughal Empire.
[76] Edicts issued by Aurangzeb include a ban of the cultivation of the poppy plant and the appointment of a censor of public morals to enforce the laws of Islam and a prohibition of intoxicants (distilled spirits, bhang, etc.).
[78] On the other hand, Aurangzeb required Hindu merchants to keep their shops open on the auspicious days of pancham, amvas, and the ekadashi; moreover, he prohibited Hindus from celebrating certain Diwali and Holi customs.
[90] He contained a revolt of Shia Muslims (Momnas and Matias who were members of the Imam Shahi sect) in 1691[91] and undertook a campaign against the Khachars and other Kathi tribes wherein he attacked the fort of Than and destroyed the ancient temple of the Sun.
[98] In 1706, the Marathas, under the command of Dhanaji Jadhav, invaded Gujarat reaching as far as Bharuch and defeating the imperial forces at Ratanpur[98] and at Baba Piara ghat.
[103] Aurangzeb's death led to another civil war (Battle of Jajau), which resulted in the victory of Prince Muhammad Muazzam who ascended to the Mughal throne as Bahadur Shah I.
[108] Shahamat Khan requested and received an allowance of one lakh rupees per month to amass and maintain military forces and artillery to mitigate the danger of Maratha raids of the province.
[109] Subsequently, Daud Khan Panni was appointed the viceroy of Gujarat in October 1713 overseeing the province at the time of the communal riots that broke out during the Holi festival in 1714.
[128] Despite considerable efforts, a failed alliance with Peshwa Baji Rao I, and a successful assassination of Pilaji Gaekwad,[129] Abhaysingh was unable to suppress the Maratha invasions and influence.
[134][135] Emblematic of the political anarchy and the waning power of the Mughal Empire, Momin Khan forged an alliance with Rangoji and Damaji Gaekwad agreeing to highly punitive terms to drive out Ratansingh.
[143] Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur appointed Vakhatsingh, brother of Maharaja Abhaysingh, as the next viceroy of Gujarat in May 1748[144] but he never officially took the position given the precarious political situation of the province.
[155] Gujarati merchants developed a triangular trade network supplying Indian textiles to Aceh, Indonesia, pepper to the Red Sea (Aden, Yemen), and bullion back to Gujarat.
[157] Wealthy, high-status entrepreneurs emerged in Surat, such as Vrij Vora, who, in the 1630s, was the leading merchant in a cartel that monopolized Dutch supplies of cloves and other spices.
[161] Cotton textiles—specifically, calicoes—were produced at Bharuch, Navsari, and Vadodara[162] and became one of the two principal commodities that were exported by the British East India Company until the end of the reign of Shah Jahan.
[167] The saltpeter trade with the British and the Dutch was relatively modest, consisting of between 200 and 300 tons per year, initially but was later expanded with the discovery of resources in Bihar.
[169] Akbar favored the illustration of historical events and religious epics, Jahangir had an inclination towards wild life paintings, and Shah Jahan was more interested in architecture.