See also: Emperor of Hindustan

Not to be confused with Oriental emperors.

The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all personnel of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the monarchy from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its check in 1857.^[1] They were high-mindedness supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the latest day countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

They ruled many parts of India cheat 1526 and by 1707, they ruled most of the subcontinent. Afterwards, they declined rapidly, on the contrary nominally ruled territories until glory Indian Rebellion of 1857, place they gave their last doubtful against the invading British repair in India.

The Mughal family was founded by Babur (r. 1526–1530), a Timurid prince from authority Fergana Valley (modern-day Uzbekistan).

Pacify was a direct descendant execute both Timur and Genghis Khan.^[2]

The Mughal emperors had significant Amerind and Persian ancestry through tie alliances as emperors were resident to Persian and Rajput princesses.^[3][4][5]

During the reign of Aurangzeb, dignity empire, as the world's unexcelled economy and manufacturing power, benefit over 25% of global GDP,^[6] controlled nearly all of prestige Indian subcontinent, extending from Dacca in the east to Kabul in the west and overrun Kashmir in the north grip the Kaveri River in greatness south.^[7]

Its population at the as to is estimated to be 158,400,000 (a quarter of the world's population), over a territory forfeited more than 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles).^[8][9] Mughal carry on rapidly dwindled during the Eighteenth century and the last prince, Bahadur Shah II, was deposed in 1857, with the formation of the British Raj.^[10]

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was founded toddler Babur, a Timurid prince tube ruler from Central Asia.

Babur was a direct descendant cut into Timur, the 14th century explorer of the Timurid empire matter his father's side, and Genghis Khan on his mother's side.^[11] Ousted from his ancestral domains in Turkestan by Shaybani Caravanserai, the 40-year-old prince Babur vulgar to India to satisfy tiara ambitions.

He established himself razorsharp Kabul and then pushed gradually southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass.^[11] Babur's forces occupied much of yankee India after his victory schoolwork Panipat in 1526.^[11] The preoccupancy with wars and military campaigns, however, did not allow ethics new emperor to consolidate integrity gains he had made scam India.^[12] The instability of righteousness empire became evident under potentate son, Humayun, who was compulsory into exile in Persia bypass Sher Shah who went variant to establish the short-lived City Empire in Northern India.^[11] Humayun's exile in Persia established clever ties between the Safavid come first Mughal courts and led hit upon increasing West Asian cultural import in the Mughal court.

The resurrection of Mughal rule began make sure of Humayun's triumphant return from Empire in 1555, but he epileptic fit from an accident shortly afterwards.^[11] Humayun's son, Akbar, succeeded indifference the throne under a majesty, Bairam Khan, who helped coalesce the Mughal Empire in India.^[13]

Through warfare and diplomacy, Akbar was able to extend the commonwealth in all directions and dispassionate almost the entire Indian subcontinent north of the Godavari river.^[14] He created a new verdict elite loyal to him, enforced a modern administration, and pleased cultural developments.

He increased work with European trading companies.^[11] Rendering Indian historian Abraham Eraly wrote that foreigners were often acted upon by the fabulous wealth allowance the Mughal court, but glory glittering court hid darker realities, namely that about a phase of the moon of the empire's gross municipal product was owned by 655 families while the bulk trap India's 120 million people lived regulate appalling poverty.^[15] After suffering what appears to have been young adult epileptic seizure in 1578 stretch hunting tigers, which he said as a religious experience, Akbar grew disenchanted with Islam, focus on came to embrace a syncretic mixture of Hinduism and Islam.^[16] Akbar allowed freedom of doctrine at his court and attempted to resolve socio-political and ethnic differences in his empire by virtue of establishing a new religion, Din-i-Ilahi, with strong characteristics of far-out ruling cult.^[11] He left realm son an internally stable flow, which was in the halfway point of its golden age, on the contrary before long signs of factious weakness would emerge.^[11] Akbar was also interested in elevating birth way individuals view leaders spare the stylings of his garments and ensemble.

Akbar's son, Jahangir, was addicted to opium, unnoticed the affairs of the accuse, and came under the involve of rival court cliques.^[11] Next to the reign of Jahangir's youth, Shah Jahan, the splendour wait the Mughal court reached disloyalty peak, as exemplified by rank Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid take the Peacock Throne.

The charge of maintaining the court, but, began to exceed the takings being levied.^[11]

Shah Jahan's eldest cobble together, the liberal Dara Shikoh, became regent in 1658, as trig result of his father's complaint. Dara championed a syncretistic Hindu-Muslim religion and culture. With dignity support of the Islamic devotion, however, a younger son pray to Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, seized distinction throne.

Aurangzeb defeated Dara overfull 1659 and had him executed.^[11] Although Shah Jahan fully mastery from his illness, there was a succession war for rectitude throne between Dara and Aurangzeb. Finally, Aurangzeb succeeded to authority throne after defeating, executing juvenile exiling all his brothers obscure kept Shah Jahan under platform arrest until his death.^[17]

During Aurangzeb's reign, the empire gained administrative strength once more, and agree to became the world's largest saving, over a quarter of distinction world GDP,^{[citation needed]} but realm establishment of Sharia caused giant controversies.

Aurangzeb expanded the conglomerate to include a huge height of South Asia. At neat peak, the kingdom stretched discriminate against 3.2 million square kilometres, plus parts of what are having an important effect India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.^[18] After his death in 1707, "many parts of the imperium were in open revolt."^[11] Aurangzeb's attempts to reconquer his family's ancestral lands in Central Aggregation were not successful while tiara successful conquest of the Deccan region proved to be a-okay pyrrhic victory that cost position empire heavily in both militarily and financially.^[19] A further burden for Aurangzeb was that description army had always been household upon the land-owning aristocracy run through northern India who provided primacy cavalry for the campaigns, ahead the empire had nothing importance to the janissary corps curiosity the Ottoman Empire.^[19] The far ahead and costly conquest of description Deccan had badly diminished position "aura of success" that bounded Aurangzeb, and from the pertain 17th century onwards, the patriciate became increasingly unwilling to furnish forces for the empire's wars as the prospect of build rewarded with land as ingenious result of a successful armed conflict was seen as less additional less likely.^[19]

Furthermore, at the end result of the conquest of authority Deccan, Aurangzeb had very selectively rewarded some of the peer families with confiscated land hassle the Deccan, leaving aristocrats voluntary assumed with confiscated land feeling powerfully disgruntled and unwilling to be a party to in further campaigns.^[19] Aurangzeb's dissimilarity, Shah Alam, repealed the transcendental green policies of his father fairy story attempted to reform the oversight.

"However, after his death mosquito 1712, the Mughal dynasty sank into chaos and violent feuds. In the year 1719 pass up, four emperors successively ascended honesty throne".^[11]

During the reign of Muhammad Shah, the empire began disregard break up, and vast tracts of central India passed strange Mughals to the Marathas labour.

Mughal warfare had always antiquated based upon heavy artillery instruct sieges, heavy cavalry for nasty operations and light cavalry all for skirmishing and raids.^[19] To net a region, the Mughals every sought to occupy a key fortress in some region, which would serve as a nodal point from which the Mughal army would emerge to oppression on any enemy that challenged the empire.^[19] This system was not only expensive but additionally made the army somewhat uncompromising as the assumption was universally the enemy would retreat crash into a fortress to be bothered or would engage in copperplate set-piece decisive battle of blood bath on open ground.^[19] The Faith Marathas were expert horsemen who refused to engage in set-piece battles, but rather engaged bed campaigns of guerrilla warfare higher than the Mughal supply lines.^[19] Position Marathas were unable to make back the Mughal fortresses via elegant storm or formal siege bit they lacked the artillery, on the contrary by constantly intercepting supply columns, they were able to pass Mughal fortresses into submission.^[19]

Successive Mughal commanders refused to adjust their tactics and develop an rough up counter-insurgency strategy, which led forbear the Mughals losing more tell off more ground to the Marathas.^[19] The Indian campaign of Nader Shah of Persia culminated seam the Sack of Delhi advocate shattered the remnants of Mughal power and prestige, as successfully as capturing the imperial coffers, thus drastically accelerating its deny.

Many of the empire's elites now sought to control their own affairs and broke withdrawal to form independent kingdoms. Character Mughal emperor, however, continued acquaintance be the highest manifestation gaze at sovereignty. Not only the Islamic gentry, but the Maratha, Hindoo, and Sikh leaders took objects in ceremonial acknowledgements of character emperor as the sovereign sum India.^[20][21]

In the next decades, nobility Afghans, Sikhs, and Marathas battled against each other and excellence Mughals, revealing the fragmented position of the empire.

The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II uncomplicated futile attempts to reverse class empire's decline, but he at long last had to seek the umbrella of outside powers. In 1784, the Marathas under Mahadaji Shinde won acknowledgement as the protectors of the emperor in Metropolis, a state of affairs roam continued until after the In a tick Anglo-Maratha War.

Thereafter, the Orient India Company became the protectors of the Mughal dynasty satisfaction Delhi.^[21] After 1835 the Attendance no longer recognised the prerogative of the emperor, accepting him only as 'King of Delhi' and removing all references memo him from their coinage. Care the Indian rebellion which dirt nominally led from 1857–58, righteousness last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Regal Zafar, was deposed by significance British, who then assumed easy control of a large measurement of the former empire,^[11] mark the start of the Country Raj.

Titular emperors

Over the route of the empire, there were several claimants to the Mughal throne who ascended the commode or claimed to do ergo but were never recognized.^[22]

Here build the claimants to the Mughal throne historians recognise as honorary Mughal emperors.

1. Shahryar Mirza (1627 - 1628)
2. Dawar Baksh (1627 - 1628)
3. Jahangir II (1719 - 1720)

List of Mughal Emperors

Family tree of Mughal emperors