List of Mughal emperors
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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 from Timur. This page provides a brief resume of the Mughal Empire and tabulates some vital information regarding the Mughal Emperors.
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[edit] Mughal/Timurid dynasty
The Mughal dynasty was founded when Babur, a Muslim Timurid warlord hailing from Ferghana, invaded parts of northern India and defeated Ibrahim Shah Lodhi, ruler of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526. The Mughal Empire superseded the Delhi Sultanate as rulers of northern India.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 (1540-1555) during the reign of Babur's son, Humayun, saw the rise of the Afghan Suri Dynasty under Sher Shah Suri, a competent and efficient ruler in his own right. However, Sher Shah's untimely death and the military incompetence of his successors enabled Humayun to regain his throne in 1555. However, Humayun died a few months later, and was succeeded by his son, the 13-year-old Akbar.
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 depredations 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 descendant, Bahadur Shah II, the British decided to institute direct rule. They deposed the last Mughal Emperor in 1857 and exiled him to Burma, where he died in 1862. Thus came to an end the Mughal dynasty, which had contributed a momentous chapter to the history of India.
[edit] 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 Suri 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 Suri 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 Suri 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 initial reign of 1530-1540; left unified empire for his son, Akbar. |
| Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar | November 1542 | 1556-1605 | October 27, 1605 | Akbar added the most territory to the Empire and is regarded as the most illustrious ruler of the Mughal Dynasty; under him, Muslim/Hindu relations were at their highest. |
| Nuruddin Mohammed Jahangir | October 1569 | 1605-1627 | 1627 | Jahangir set the precedent for sons rebelling against their Emperor fathers. Opened first relations with the British East India Company. Sadly he was an alcoholic and his favourite wife Nur Jahan became the real power behind the throne. |
| Shahabuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan | January 5, 1592 | 1627-1658 | 1662 | Under him, Mughal art and architecture reached their zenith; constructed the Taj Mahal, Jahangir mausoleum and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. Deposed and imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. |
| Moinuddin 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 a.k.a Shah Alam 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. In 1717 he granted a Firman to the English East India Company granting them duty free trading rights for Bengal, and confirmed their position in India. |
| Rafi Ul-Darjat | Unknown | 1719 | 1719 | Little; see Bahadur Shah I. |
| Rafi Ud-Daulat a.k.a Shah Jahan II |
Unknown | 1719 | 1719 | Little; see Bahadur Shah I. |
| Nikusiyar | Unknown | 1719 | 1743 | Little; see Bahadur Shah I. |
| Mohammed Ibrahim | Unknown | 1720 | 1744 | 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 | 1770s | 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 BEIC 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. |
