List of Mughal Emperors in India (1526- 1857)

Emperor

Reign

Description

Babur

1526-1530

He was direct descendant of Genghis Khan through Timur and also founder of Mughal Empire in Indian subcontinent after victories at Battle of Panipat and Battle of Khanwa.

Humayun

I- 1153-1540

II- 1555-1556

His reign was interrupted by Sher Shah Suri, who defeated and established Suri Dynasty.

Restored rule was more effective than initial and left unified empire to son, Akbar

Akbar

1556-1605

He along with Bairam Khan defeated Hemu during Second Battle of Panipat and won famous victories during seiges in Chittorgarh and Rathambore. He abolished Jizyah tax, imposed on Hindus.

Jahangir

1605-1627

Opened the relations with East India Company.

Shah Jahan

1628-1658

Mughal art and architecture reached zenith under him.

He constructed Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort and so forth and ded under captivity of son Aurangzeb.

Aurangzeb

1658- 1707

He reinterpreted the Islamic law and also presented the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri.

Captured the diamond mines of Sultanate of Golconda and spend major part of his last 27 years in war with Maratha and expanded the empire.

Bahadur Shah I

1707-1712

He is also known as Muazzam or Shah Alam I. Empire went on to decline due to lack of leadership and he releases Shahuji, elder son of Shivaji.

Jahandar Shah

1712-1713

Was unpopular and incompetent leader.

Farrukshiyar

1713-1719

Ascendancy of manipulative Syed Brothers and granted farman to English East India Company by grant of duty free trading rights for Bengal.

Rafi- Ul- Darjat

1719

He was proclaimed Badshah by the Syed Brothers.

Muhammad Ibrahim

1720

He attempted to seize the throne at behest of Syed Brothers to dispose Muhammad Shah.

Muhammad Shah (also known as Rangeela)

1720-1748

He got ride of syed brothers and countered the emergency of Marathas and also lost huge tracts of Deccan and Malwa in the process. Suffered invasion of Nadir Shah.

Ahmad Shah Bahadur

1748-1754

He was son of Muhammad Shah and his minister Safdarjung was responsible for Mughal Civil war and defeated Sikandarabad by Maratha Condederacy.

Alamgir II

1754-1759

He was murdered by conspiracy of Imad- ul-Mulk and also Mararha associate Sadashivrao Bhau.

Shah Jahan III

1759-1760

He was overthrown after Third Battle of Panipat by Prince Mirza Jawan.

Shah Alam II

1760-1806

He fought against British East India Company during Battle of Buxar and also reformed the army and known to be last effective Mughal ruler.

Akbar Shah II

1806-1837

Designated Mir Fateh Ali Khan Talpur as new Nawab of Sindh. His imperial name was removed from official coinage after dispute with East India Company.

Bahadur Shah II

1837-1857

Last Mughal emperor and was deposed by British following 1857 Revolt.

Mughal Empire

From the latter half of the 16th century, the Mughals expanded their empire from Agra and Delhi, going on to control all of the subcontinents in the 17th century. Ruling a vast territory as the Indian subcontinent involving such a diverse group of people and cultures, was a very difficult task in medieval times. The Mughal Empire was in one of its best states during the 17th century. Prosperity in commercial and economic activities was evident during this period. 

Mughal Empire

Table of Content

  • Who were the Mughals?
  • List of Mughal Emperors in India (1526- 1857)
  • Mughal Military Campaigns
  • Mughal Tradition of Succession
  • Mansabdars and Jagirdars
  • Akbar’s Policies
  • Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century and After
  • Decline of the Mughal Dynasty

Similar Reads

Who were the Mughals?

...

List of Mughal Emperors in India (1526- 1857)

Mughals were the descendants of two great lineages of rulers: Genghis Khan a Mongol ruler from their mother’s side, and Successors of Timur from their father’s side. Mughals proudly claimed Timurid ancestry because Timur captured Delhi in 1398....

Mughal Military Campaigns

...

Mughal Tradition of Succession

Babur was the first Mughal emperor who succeeded the throne of Ferghana in the year 1494 when was only 12 years old, forced to leave his ancestral throne due to a Mongol invasion. He seized Kabul in 1504 and in 1526 he defeated the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, at Panipat-captured Delhi and Agra....

Mughal Relations with Other Rulers

Mughals didn’t believed in the rule of primogeniture, in which the eldest son inherited his son’s estate. They followed the Mughal and Timurid custom of coparcenary inheritance, which is the division of the inheritance amongst all sons....

Mansabdars and Jagirdars

The rulers who refused to accept the authority of the Mughals were constantly campaigned against. As the Mughals became powerful, many rulers like Rajputs joined in voluntarily. Many Rajputs married their daughters to Mughals and received high positions. Some Rajputs resisted as well....

Zabt and Zamindars

The empire expanded to include many regions and a diverse group of people was recruited from Turkish, Iranian, Indian Muslims, Afghans, Rajputs, Marathas, and others. Some joined as mansabdars. Mansabdars refers to an individual who holds a mansab, meaning a position or rank-grading system used by Mughals to rate – Rank, Salary, and Military responsibilities....

Akbar’s Policies

The main source of income for Mughal Rulers was a tax on the produce of the peasantry. Some of these taxes were paid by peasants via rural elites, termed as zamindars. Each province was divided into revenue circles with its own schedule of revenue rates for the individual crops. This revenue system was called Zabt....

Mughal Empire in the Seventeenth Century and After

Abul Fazl discussed the administration laid down by Akbar in Akbar Nama. In its volume the Ain-i-Akbari, the empire was divided into provinces called subas, governed by a subadar who carried out both political and military functions....

Decline of the Mughal Dynasty

The Mughal imperial structure is frequently dated to 1600, to Akbar’s reign, which lasted until 1720, shortly after the death of the empire’s last significant monarch, Aurangzeb, during whose reign the empire also reached its greatest geographical extent. The empire lost a significant area as a result of the Maratha Empire’s conquests, which were absorbed as a puppet state, and this continued throughout the East India Company’s tenure in India. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British Raj legally dissolved the empire....

Sample Questions and Answers on Mughal Emperors

During Aurangzeb’s reign, there was a crisis of the Mughal empire. The farmers were poor as a result of the high levies he imposed. At the same time, the quality of the Mughal rule was steadily deteriorating. Later emperors demonstrated little inclination to governor invest in agriculture, technology, or the military. Some emperors even prohibited economic development, believing that the wealthy would mobilize armies of their own. Local leaders eventually rebelled and declared themselves independent of the central government, hastening the empire’s demise....

FAQs on Mughal Empire

Humza Nama and Tuti Nama were made during the rule of which Mughal King?...

Contact Us