List of Mughal emperors

The Mughal Empire was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent between the mid-16th century and the end of the 17th century. Founded in 1526, it survived nominally until 1857, when it was supplanted by the British Raj. The dynasty is sometimes referred to as the Timurid dynasty as Babur was descended (through his mother) from Timur. This page provides a brief resume of the Mughal Empire and tabulates some vital information regarding the Mughal Emperors.

Mughal/Timurid dynasty

The Mughal dynasty was founded when Babur, a Mongol warlord hailing from present-day Uzbekistan, invaded India and defeated Ibrahim Shah Lodi, ruler of Delhi, at the First battle of Panipat in 1526. The Mughal Empire superceded the Delhi Sultanate as rulers of northern India. In time, the state thus founded by Babur far exceeded the bounds of the Delhi sultanate, eventually encompassing a major portion of India and earning the appellation of Empire. A brief interregnum during the reign of Babur's son, Humayun, saw the brief rise of the Suri Dynasty under Sher Shah Suri, a competent and efficient ruler in his own right. However, Sher Shah's untimely death and the military incompetency of his descendants left opportunity for the Mughals to restore their rule; Humayun regained the throne in 1555, but died a year later.

The greatest portions of Mughal expansion was accomplished during the reign of Akbar (1556-1605). The empire was maintained as the dominant force of the present-day Indian subcontinent for a hundred years further by his successors Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. The first six emperors, who enjoyed power both ‘’de jure’’ and ‘’de facto’’, are usually referred to by just one name, a title adopted upon his accession by each Emperor. The relevant title is bolded in the list below.

Akbar initiated certain important policies, such as religious liberalism (abolition of the jizya tax), inclusion of Hindus in the affairs of the empire, and political alliance/marriage with the Hindu Rajput caste, that were innovative for his milieu; he also adopted some policies of Sher Shah Suri, such as the division of the empire into sarkars, in his administration of the empire. These policies, which undoubtedly served to maintain the power and stability of the empire, were preserved by his two immediate successors but were discarded by Aurangzeb, who pursued a policy where religious tolerance had little space. Furthermore, Aurangzeb spent nearly his entire career seeking to expand his realm into the Deccan and south India; this venture sapped the resources of the empire while provoking strong resistance from the Marathas, Sikhs, and Rajputs.

After (and as a result of) Aurangzeb's oppressive reign, the empire fell into decline. Beginning with Bahadur Shah I, the Mughal Emperors progressively declined in power and became figureheads, being initially controlled by sundry courtiers and later by various rising warlords. In the 18th century, the Empire suffered the depradations of invaders like Nadir Shah of Persia and Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan, who repeatedly sacked Delhi, the Mughal capital. The greater portion of the empire's territories in India passed to the Marathas before falling to the British. In 1803, the blind and powerless Shah Alam II formally accepted the protection of the British East India Company. There was a strange dichotomy, for the HEIC continued to rule the areas under its control as the nominal servants of the emperor, and in his name. After some rebels in the Sepoy Rebellion declared their allegiance to Shah Alam's successor, Bahadur Shah II, the British decided to institute direct rule, deposing the last Mughal and replacing the post with Emperor/Empress of India; this post, the last to declare rule of India under a single monarch, was to last until independence until 1947.

List of Mughal Emperors

Certain important particulars regarding the Mughal Emperors is tabulated below:

Emperor	Birth	Reign Period	Death	Significance
Zahiruddin Mohammed Babur	February 14, 1483	1526-1530	December 26, 1530	Founder of the Mughal Dynasty.
Nasiruddin Mohammed Humayun	March 6, 1508	1530-1540	January 1556	Reign interrupted by Sur Dynasty. Youth and inexperience at ascension led to his being regarded as a less effective ruler than usurper, Sher Shah Suri.
Sher Shah Suri	1472	1540-1545	May 1545	Deposed Humayun and led the Sur Dynasty; introduced tight, effective administration policies that would later be adopted by Akbar.
Islam Shah Suri	c.1500	1545-1554	1554	2nd and last ruler of the Sur Dynasty, with less control of the empire than his father; claims of sons Sikhandar and Adil Shah were eliminated by Humayun's restoration.
Humayun (restored)	March 6, 1508	1555-1556	January 1556	Restored rule was more unified and effective than inital reign of 1530-1540; left unified empire for his son, Akbar.
Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar	November 1542	1556-1605	October 27, 1605	Regarded as the most illustrious ruler of the Mughal Dynasty; under him, Muslim/Hindu relations were at their highest.
Noruddin Mohammed Jahangir	October 1569	1605-1627	1627	Opened first relations with the British East India Company.
Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan	January 5, 1592	1627-1658	1662	Under him, Mughal art and architecture reached their zenith; constructed the Taj Mahal.
Mohiuddin Mohammed Aurangzeb Alamgir	October 21, 1618	1658-1707	1707	Much less extravagant or tolerant of Hinduism/Sikhism than his predecessors; brought the empire to its greatest physical extent and imposed Islamic Sharia on the Mughal Empire. Extreme policies left many enemies to undermine the empire after his death.
Bahadur Shah I	October 14, 1643	1707-1712	February 1712	First of the Mughal emperors to preside over a steady and severe decline in the empire's control and power. During and after his reign, the emperor became a progressively insignificant figurehead.
Jahandar Shah	1664	1712-1713	February 1713	Little; see above.
Furrukhsiyar	1683	1713-1719	1719	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Rafi Ul-Darjat	Unknown	1719	1719	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Rafi Ud-Daulat	Unknown	1719	1719	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Nikusiyar	Unknown	1719	1719	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Mohammed Ibrahim	Unknown	1720	1720	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Mohammed Shah	1702	1719-1720, 1720-1748	1748	Suffered the invasion of Nadir Shah of Persia in 1739.
Ahmad Shah Bahadur	1725	1748-54	1754	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Alamgir II	1699	1754-1759	1759	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Shah Jahan III	Unknown	Briefly in 1759	1759	Little; see Bahadur Shah I.
Shah Alam II	1728	1759-1806	1806	Suffered the invasion of Ahmed Shah Abdali in 1761; granted the 'Nizami' of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa to the HEIC in 1765, formally accepted the protection of the HEIC in 1803.
Akbar Shah II	1760	1806-1837	1837	Little; titular figurehead under British protection
Bahadur Shah II	1775	1837-1857	1862	Deposed by the British and exiled to Burma.

See also

• Emperor of India
• List of Indian Monarchs
• Charlemagne to the Mughals