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Emperor of the Mughal Empire
Former Monarchy
Imperial
Imperial Standard
Bahadur Shah II
First monarch	Babur
Last monarch	Bahadur Shah II
Style	His Imperial Majesty
Official residence	Red Fort
Monarchy started	30 April 1526
Monarchy ended	14 September 1857

The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia (mainly Northern India, North Eastern Pakistan and Bangladesh). It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled. It ended in several generations of conflicts between rival warlords.

The imperial family directly descended from two of the worlds greatest conquerors^{[citation needed]}: Genghis Khan, founder of the largest contiguous empire in the history of the world; and the Amir, Taimurlong or Tamerlane the Great. The direct ancestors of the Mughal emperors, at one point or another, directly ruled all areas from Eastern Europe to the Sea of Japan, and from the Middle East to Russian Plains. They also ruled some of the most powerful states of the medieval world such as Turkey, Persia, India and China. Their ancestors were further also credited with stabilizing the social, cultural and economic aspects of life between, Europe and Asia and opening the extensive trade route known as the Silk Road that connected various parts of the continent. Due to descent from Genghis Khan, the family was called Mughal, or mogul, persianized version of the former's clan name Mongol.The English word mogul (e.g. media mogul, business mogul) was coined by this dynasty, meaning influential or powerful, or a tycoon.^[1] From their descent from Tamerlane, also called the Amir, the family used the title of Mirza, shortened Amirzade, literally meaning 'born of the Amir'.^[2] The burial places of the Emperors illustrate their expanding empire, as the first Emperor Babur, born in Uzbekistan is buried in Afghanistan, his sons and grandsons, namely Akbar the Great and Jahangir in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively and later descendants, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb in Hindustan. The last Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar is buried in Burma.

They were also a prominent influence of literature in Urdu, Hindi, and Bengali. They have been continuously portrayed in many films, the most famous of which, multi-million dollar Mughal-e-Azam about Emperor Jahangir's love story; considered an Indian classic and epic film and also the Bollywood film Jodhaa Akbar about Emperor Akbar's (Emperor Jahangir's father) love story. Emperor Jahangir's son was the Prince Khurram who later went on to become Emperor Shah Jahan and built one of the seven Wonders of the World, the famous Taj Mahal to memorialize his love for his wife.

Map

Mughal Emperors were direct descendants of Genghis Khan and Timur and were asociated with four imperial titles: Shahanshah (ruler of rulers), Alam Panah (giver of refuge), Ghazi (Commander) and Zilillah (wrath of God).

Mughal Empire[link]

The Taj Mahal - the most famous structure in India built during Mughal Era

The Mughal Empire lasted for more than three centuries. The Mughal Empire was one of the largest centralized states in pre-modern history and was the precursor to the British Indian Empire.

The titles of the first of the six Mughal Emperors receive varying degrees of prominence in present-day Pakistan and India. Some favour Babur the pioneer and others his great-grandson, Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58), builder of the Taj Mahal and other magnificent buildings. The other two prominent rulers were Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707). Both rulers expanded the empire greatly and were able administrators. However, Akbar was known for his religious tolerance and administrative genius, whereas Aurangzeb was a just ruler but a proselytizer of orthodox Islam across the heterodox Indian landscape.

Babur[link]

Babur was the first Mughal emperor. He was born on 14 Feb 1483 in present day Uzbekistan, the eldest son of Amir Umar Shaykh Mirza, the son of Abū Saʿīd Mirza (and grandson of [Miran Shah], who was himself son of Timur) and his wife Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, daughter of Younus Khan, the ruler of Moghulistan (and great-great grandson of [abhavh Timur]], the son of Esen Buqa II, who was the great-great-great grandson of Chaghatai Khan, the second born son of Genghis Khan). Babur was known for his love of beauty in addition to his military ability. Babur concentrated on gaining control of northwestern India.He was invited to India by Daulat Khan Lodi and Rana Sanga who wanted to end the Lodi dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 at the First battle of Panipat, a town north of Delhi. In 1527 he defeated Rana Sanga, rajput rulers and allies at khanua. Babur then turned to the tasks of persuading his Central Asian followers to stay on in India and of overcoming other contenders for power, mainly the Rajputs and the Afghans. He succeeded in both tasks but died shortly thereafter on 25 December 1530 in Agra. He was later buried in Kabul.

Babur kept the record of his life in Chagatay Turkish, the spoken language of the Timurids and the whole Turco-Mongol world at the time. Baburnama is one of the longest examples of sustained narrative prose in Chagatai Turkish. Akbar's regent, Bairam Khan, a Turcoman of eastern Anatolian and Azerbaijani origin whose father and grandfather had joined Babur's service. Bayram Khan wrote poetry in Chaghatai and Persian. His son, Abdul-Rahim Khankhanan, was fluent in Chaghatai, Hindi, and Persian and composed in all three languages. Using Babur's own text he translated the Baburnama into Persian. The Chaghatai original was last seen in the imperial library sometime between 1628 and 1638 during Jahangir's reign.

Humayun[link]

Babur’s favorite son Humayun took the reins of the empire after his father succumbed to disease at the young age of forty-seven.

In 1539, Humayun and Sher Khan met in battle in Chausa, between Varanasi and Patna. Humayun barely escaped with his own life and in the next year, in 1540, his army of 40,000 lost to the Afghan army of 15,000 of Sher Khan. A popular Pashtun Afghan General "Khulas Khan Marwat" was leading Sher Shah Suri's Army. This was the first Military Adventure of Khulas Khan Marwat and he became soon, a nightmare for Mughals.

Sher Khan's Army under the command of Khulas Khan Marwat had now become the monarch in Delhi under the name Sher Shah Suri and ruled from 1540 to 1545. Sher Shah Suri consolidated his kingdom from Punjab to Bengal (the first to enter Bengal after Ala-ud-din Khilji, more than two centuries earlier). He was credited with having organized and administered the government and military in such a way that future Mughal kings used it as their own models. He also added to the fort in Delhi (supposed site of Indraprastha), first started by Humayun, and now called the Purana Qila (Old Fort). The Masjid Qila-i-Kuhna inside the fort is a masterpiece of the period, though only parts of it have survived.

The charred remains of Sher Shah were taken to a tomb at Sasaram (in present day Bihar), midway between Varanasi and Gaya. Although rarely visited, the future great Mughal builders like Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan emulated the architecture of this tomb. The massive palace-like mausoleum is three stories and fifty meters high.,^[3] Sher Shah’s son Islam Shah held on to power until 1553 and following his death the Sur dynasty lost most of its clout due to strife and famine.

Humayun was a keen astronomer, and in fact he died due to a fall from the rooftop of Sher Shah’s Delhi palace in 1556. Thus Humayun ruled in India barely for ten years and died at the age of forty-eight, leaving behind Akbar then only thirteen-year-old as his heir. As a tribute to his father, Akbar later built the Humayun’s tomb in Delhi (completed in 1571), from red sandstone, that would become the precursor of future Mughal architecture. Akbar’s mother and Humayun’s wife Hamida Banu Begum personally supervised the building of the tomb in his birth place.

Akbar[link]

Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun whose rule was interrupted by the Afghan Sur Dynasty, which rebelled against him. It was only just before his death that Humayun was able to regain the empire and leave it to his son. In restoring and expanding Mughal rule, Akbar based his authority on the ability and loyalty of his followers, irrespective of their religion. In 1564 the jizya tax on non-Muslims was abolished, and bans on temple building and Hindu pilgrimages were lifted.

Akbar's methods of administration reinforced his power against two possible sources of challenge—the Afghan-Turkish aristocracy and the traditional interpreters of Islamic law, the ulama. He created a ranked imperial service based on ability rather than birth, whose members were obliged to serve wherever required. They were remunerated with cash rather than land and were kept away from their inherited estates, thus centralizing the imperial power base and assuring its supremacy. The military and political functions of the imperial service were separate from those of revenue collection, which was supervised by the imperial treasury. This system of administration, known as the mansabdari, was based on loyal service and cash payments and was the backbone of the Mughal Empire; its effectiveness depended on personal loyalty to the emperor and his ability and willingness to choose, remunerate, and supervise.

Akbar declared himself the final arbiter in all disputes of law derived from the Qur'an and the sharia. He backed his religious authority primarily with his authority in the state. In 1580 he also initiated a syncretic court religion called the Din-i-Ilahi (Divine Faith). In theory, the new faith was compatible with any other, provided that the devotee was loyal to the emperor. In practice, however, its ritual and content profoundly offended orthodox Muslims. The ulema found their influence undermined.

Several well known heritage sites were built during the reign of Akbar. The fort city of Fatehpur Sikri was used as the political capital of the Empire from 1571 to 1578. The numerous palaces and the grand entrances with intricate art work have been recognized as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Akbar also began construction of his own tomb at Sikandra near Agra in 1600 CE.

Jahangir[link]

Mughal Emperor Jahangir receiving his two sons, in 1605-06.

Prince Salim (b. 1569 son of Hindu Rajput princess from Amber), who would later be known as Emperor Jahangir showed signs of restlessness at the end of a long reign by his father Akbar. During the absence of his father from Agra he pronounced himself as the king and turned rebellious. Akbar was able to wrestle the throne back. Salim did not have to worry about his sibling’s aspirations to the throne. His two brothers, Murad and Daniyal, had both died early from alcoholism.

Jahangir began his era as a Mughal emperor after the death of Akbar in the year 1605. He considered his third son Prince Khurram (future Shah Jahan-born 1592 of Hindu Rajput princess Manmati), his favourite. Rana of Mewar and Prince Khurram had a standoff that resulted in a treaty acceptable to both parties. Khurram was kept busy with several campaigns in Bengal and Kashmir. Jahangir claimed the victories of Khurram – Shah Jahan as his own.

Shah Jahan[link]

the following year. The Taj Mahal, named for Arjuman Banu, who was called Mumtaz Mahal, became one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The great Jama Masjid built by him was the largest in India at the time. He renamed Delhi after himself as Shahjahanabad. The Red Fort made of red sandstone built during his reign near Jama Masjid around the same time came to be regarded as the seat of power of India itself. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the ramparts of this fort on Independence day even to this age.Shah Jahan also built or renovated forts in Delhi and in Agra. White marble chambers that served as living quarters and other halls for public audiences are examples of classic Mughal architecture. Here in Agra fort, Shah Jahan would spend eight of his last years as a prisoner of his son, Aurangzeb shuffling between the hallways of the palace, squinting at the distant silhouette of his famous Taj Mahal on the banks of River Jamuna..

Aurangzeb[link]

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb, who was given the title "Alamgir" or "world-seizer," by his father, is known for expanding the empire's frontiers and for his acceptance of Islam law. During his reign, the Mughal empire reached its greatest extent (the Bijapur and Golconda Sultanates which had been reduced to vassalage by Shah Jahan were formally annexed).

In 1679, Aurangzeb enforced the jizyah tax on Non-Muslims like Zakāt tax was enforced on Muslims. This action by the emperor, incited rebellion among Hindus and others in many parts of the empire notably the Jats, Sikhs, and Rajputs forces in the north and Maratha forces in the Deccan. The emperor managed to crush the rebellions in the north. Aurangzeb was compelled to move his headquarters to Aurangabad in the Deccan to mount a costly campaign against Maratha guerrilla fighters led by Shivaji and his successors, which lasted twenty-six years until he died in 1707 at the age of eighty-nine.

Aurangzeb, as is his father before him, is remembered as a builder-emperor. The Badshahi Masjid (Imperial Mosque) in Lahore was constructed in 1673 on his orders. It was not only the largest mosque ever built by a Mughal emperor but was at that point the largest mosque in the world. He also constructed the Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Moti Masjid inside Delhi's Red Fort was also finalized by him. He is also know for his fanatic view of islam, due to which he razed many Hindu Temples. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Kashi/Varanasi, Kesava Deo Templeof Mathura were some of the most famous temples he raze. He was of the view that royal treasury does not belong to king but common man. He did not use any of the royal treasury for him and his family. In fact, he used to write holy qur'an and earn money and his wife used to weave caps and copies of the holy quran to support his earnings.

Later Mughals[link]

Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar

When Aurangzeb died close to the age of eighty, there were seventeen legitimate claimants to the throne that included not only his sons but also his grandsons and great grandsons. After the death of the emperor two brothers fought near Agra in the same battle site that Aurangzeb had fought his brother Dara Shikoh. Prince Muazzam prevailed and killed his brother Prince Azam Shah and assumed the title Bahadur Shah I or Shah Alam I.

After the death of Bahadur Shah I, a civil war broke out. Jahandar Shah,a son of Bahadur Shah I, emerged victorious in it with the support of Zulfiqar Khan who was the most powerful noble of the time. In Deccan Saiyid Husain Ali Khan colluded with the Marathas and attacked Delhi and using trickery and intrigue seized Farrukhsiyar in the Red Fort^{[citation needed]}. The emperor was blinded and caged and later poisoned as well as stabbed to death^{[citation needed]}. However, prior to his death, Farrukhsiyar had the dubious distinction of aiding the British to have a firm foothold in India, by signing the much-coveted farman an imperial directive that would seal the future of British takeover of India.

Marathas were now constantly attacking Delhi. Of more consequence and humiliation was the plunder of Delhi by Nadir Shah. A Timur descendent, Nadir Shah usurped the throne in Persia and seized Kandahar and Kabul. He marched through Panjab and was invited by Muhammad Shah as a guest to Delhi (only because he had neither the will nor the resources to fight him). Within forty-eight hours, using a lame excuse, Nadir Shah ordered a general massacre of Delhi citizens and looted every bit of wealth they could extort out of the royalty as well as Delhi’s citizenry. Nadir Shah remained in Delhi for forty eight days and departed with millions worth of gold, jewelry and coins. Even the emperor’s bejeweled peacock throne made during Shah Jahan's reign was packed on elephants and carried away to Persia. Another prize, the Koh-I-nur diamond (Humayun’s diamond) now passed into Persian hands. Later an Afghani, Ahmad Shah Abdali started his incursions into Delhi just for the purpose of looting the capital. In a series of attacks starting in 1748 until 1761, Abdali would not only pillage and loot Delhi, he also cleaned out Mathura, Kashmir and cities in Panjab. From the east the British defeated the Nawab of Bengal and occupied the state of Bengal.

Two Mughal Emperors and Shah Alam Racinet, c. 1876

The raids by Nadir Shah and repeated incursions of Abdali resulted in quick disposal of the next two emperors Ahmad Shah and Alamgir II until in 1759 Shah Alam II ascended the throne. His reign would last several decades. However, he would preside over more loss of territory to the British. When the Nawab of Bengal lost to Robert Clive, Shah Alam II was forced to recognize Clive as a diwan (chancellor) and Bengal slipped to the British hands permanently.

In 1806 Shah Alam’s son Akbar Shah II acceded to the much diminished empire of the Mughals and ruled until 1837.He gave the title "raja" to Ram mohan roy. His son Bahadur Shah Zafar would be the last emperor of Mughals before the British deposed him in 1858 and the Mughal dynasty would officially come to an end. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Bahadur Shah II was forced to take the side of the mutineers though he had no power to affect the outcome of the events. The mutineers had outwitted his British sponsors and now the emperor neither had the troops nor the competence. He had no choice but to join the winning side. However, the success of the mutineers was soon reversed and the octogenarian (he was eighty-two years old) was relieved of his empire and deposed in 1858. The emperor was then exiled to Rangoon in Burma where he died in obscurity in 1862.

Mughal Rulers of India[link]

The Mughals[link]

Portrait	Titular Name	Personal Name	Birth	Reign	Death
	Bābur بابر	Zahir-ud-din Muhammad ظہیر الدین محمد	February 23 [O.S. February 14] 1483	30 April 1526 – 26 December 1530	January 5 [O.S. December 26, 1530] 1531 (age 47)
	Humayun ہمایوں	Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Humayun نصیر الدین محمد ہمایوں	17 March 1508	26 December 1530 – 17 May 1540	27 January 1556 (age 47)
	Sher Shah Suri شیر شاہ سوری	Farid Khan فرید خان	1486	1540–1545	May 22, 1545
	Islam Shah Suri اسلام شاہ سوری	Jalal Khan جلال خان	?	1545 – 1554	22 November 1554
	Humayun ہمایوں	Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Humayun نصیر الدین محمد ہمایوں	17 March 1508	22 February 1555 – 27 January 1556 )	27 January 1556 (age 47)
	Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya सम्राट हेमचन्द्र विक्रमादित्य	Hem Chandra हेम चंद्र	1501	October, 1556- November, 1556	5 November 1556 (aged 55)
	Akbar-e-Azam اکبر اعظم	Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar جلال الدین محمد اکبر	14 October 1542	5 November 1556 - 25 October 1605	27 October 1605 (aged 63)
	Jahangir جہانگیر	Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim نور الدین محمد سلیم	20 September 1569	15 October 1605 - 8 November 1627	8 November 1627 (aged 58)
	Shah-Jahan-e-Azam شاہ جہان اعظم	Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram شہاب الدین محمد خرم	5 January 1592	8 November 1627 - 2 August 1658	22 January 1666 (aged 74)
	Alamgir عالمگیر	Muhy-ud-din Muhammad Aurangzeb محی الدین محمداورنگزیب	4 November 1618	31 July 1658 – 3 March 1707	3 March 1707 (aged 88)

• Silver Rows signify the brief interregnum during which the Suri Dynasty and Hemu ruled Northern India respectively.

The Later Mughals[link]

Portrait	Titular Name	Personal Name	Birth	Reign	Death	Notes
	Bahadur Shah	Qutb ud-Din Muhammad Mu'azzam	14 October 1643	19 June 1707 - 27 February 1712 (4 years, 253 days)	27 February 1712 (aged 68)	He made settlements with the Marathas and tranquilized the Rajputs.
	Jahandar Shah	Ma'az-ud-Din Jahandar Shah Bahadur	May 9, 1661	27 February 1712 - 11 February, 1713 (0 years, 350 days)	February 12, 1713 (aged 51)	Highly influenced by his Grand Vizier Zulfikar Khan.
	Farrukhsiyar	Farrukhsiyar	20 August 1685	11 January 1713 - 28 February 1719 (6 years, 48 days)	29 April 1719 (aged 33)	Granted a firman to the English East India Company in 1717 granting them duty-free trading rights for Bengal, confirming their position in India.
	Rafi-ul Darjat	Rafi-ul Darjat	November 30, 1699	28 February - 6 June 1719 (0 years, 98 days)	June 9, 1719 (aged 19)	Rise of Syed Brothers power as king makers.
	Shah Jahan II	Rafi ud-Daulah	June 1696	6 June 1719 - 19 September 1719 (0 years, 105 days)	19 September 1719 (aged 23)	----
	Neku Siyar	Nikusiyar Mohammed	1679	1719	12 April 1723 (aged 43)	----
	Mohammed Ibrahim	Mohammed Ibrahim	9 August 1703	1720	31 January 1746 (aged 42)	----
	Muhammad Shah	Roshan Akhtar Bahadur	17 August 1702	27 September 1719 - 26 April 1748 (28 years, 212 days)	26 April 1748 (aged 45)	Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Fought a long war with the Maratha Empire, losing Deccan and Malwa in the process. Delhi was sacked by the Marathas in 1737. Suffered the invasion of Nadir Shah of Persia in 1739. He was the last Mighal Emperor to possess effective control over the empire.
	Ahmad Shah Bahadur	Ahmad Shah Bahadur	23 December 1725	26 April 1748- 2 June 1754 (6 years, 37 days)	1 January 1775 (aged 49)	Mughal forces massacred by the Maratha during the Battle of Sikandarabad
	Alamgir II	Aziz-ud-din	June 6, 1699	2 June 1754 - 29 November 1759 (5 years, 180 days)	November 29, 1759 (aged 60)	Domination of Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk
	Shah Jahan III	Muhi-ul-millat		10 December 1759 - 10 October 1760	1772	consolidation of the Nizam of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, during the Battle of Buxar.
	Shah Alam II	Ali Gauhar	25 June 1728	24 December 1759 - 19 November 1806 (46 years, 330 days)	19 November 1806 (aged 78)	Installed as the puppet ruler on the Mughal throne by Mahadji Sindhia of the Maratha Empire.[4] In 1803, Shah Alam II became a pensioner of the British East India Company, after the British captured Delhi following their victory in the Second Anglo-Maratha War[5].
	Akbar Shah II	Mirza Akbar	22 April 1760	19 November 1806-28 September 1837	28 September 1837 (age 77)	Titular figurehead under British protection.
	Bahadur Shah II	Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar	24 October 1775	28 September 1837 – 14 September 1857 (19 years, 351 days)	7 November 1862	Last Mughal Emperor. Deposed by the British and exiled to Burma after the Indian Rebellion of 1857

Mughal family[link]

Genealogy of the Mughal Dynasty

The Mughal Emperors practiced polygamy.^[6] Besides their wives, they also had a number of concubines in their harem, who produced children. This makes it difficult to identify all the offspring of each emperor. The principal offspring of each emperor are provided in the chart below.