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Dec 31, 1526
Foundation of Mughal Empire in India
The First Battle of Panipat (1526), between the Mughal Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur against the Delhi Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, resulting in a Mughal victory.
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of India. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother. -
Period: Dec 31, 1526 to Dec 31, 1530
Babur's Reign
The first Mughal emperor, Babur, dies in India and is succeeded by his son, Humayun -
Dec 31, 1530
Humayun ascends
The first Mughal emperor, Babur, dies in India and is succeeded by his son, Humayun. -
Period: Dec 31, 1530 to Dec 31, 1556
Humayun's rule
1543: Humayun, driven west into Afghanistan by Sher Shah, loses his family's new inheritance in . 1555: Civil war within India enables Humayun to win a battle at Sirhind and recover the Mughal throne -
Dec 31, 1556
Akbar ascends
Akbar was an artisan, warrior, artist, armorer, blacksmith, carpenter, emperor, general, inventor, animal trainer (reputedly keeping thousands of hunting cheetahs during his reign and training many himself), lacemaker, technologist and theologian. His most lasting contributions were to the arts. He initiated a large collection of literature, including the Akbar-nama and the Ain-i-Akbari, and incorporated art from around the world into the Mughal collections. -
Period: Dec 31, 1556 to
Akbar's rule
Akbar, widely considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors, was only 14 when he ascended the throne in Delhi, following the death of his father Humayun.
He founded his own religious cult, the Din-i-Ilahi or the "Divine Faith"; however, it amounted only to a form of personality cult for Akbar, and quickly dissolved after his death leaving his wife behind. -
Jahangir Ascends
In 1600, when Akbar was away from the capital on an expedition, Salim broke into an open rebellion, and declared himself Emperor. Akbar had to hastily return to Agra and restore order. There was a time when Akbar thought of putting his eldest grandson Khusrau Mirza on the throne instead of Salim. Prince Salim forcefully succeeded to the throne in 1605, eight days after his father's death. Salim ascended to the throne with the title of Nur-ud-din Muhammad Jahangir Badshah Ghazi. -
Period: to
Jahangir's Rule
Jahangir is most famous for his golden "chain of justice." The chain was setup as a link between his people and Jahangir himself. Standing outside the castle of Agra with sixty bells, anyone was capable of pulling the chain and having a personal hearing from Jahangir himself. Jahangir's rule was characterized by the same religious tolerance as his father Akbar, with the exception of his hostility with the Sikhs, which was forged so early on in his rule. -
Shah Jahan ascends
While young, he was a favourite of his legendary grandfather Akbar the great. He is also called Shahjahan The Magnificent. He is considered to be one of the greatest Mughals and his reign has been called the Golden Age of Mughals. -
Period: to
Shah Jahan's rule
Shah Jahan was the founder of Shahjahanabad, now known as 'Old Delhi'. The important buildings of Shah Jahan were the Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas in the fort of Delhi, the Jama Masjid, the Moti Masjid and the Taj. -
Taj Mahal
Shah Jahan left behind a grand legacy of structures constructed during his reign. He was a patron of architecture. His most famous building was the Taj Mahal, now a wonder of the world, which he built out of love for Mumtaz Mahal. Its structure was drawn with great care and architects from all over the world were called for this purpose. The building took twenty years to complete and was constructed entirely from the white marble. -
Aurangzeb ascends
With Shuja and Murad disposed of, and confining his father Shah Jahan confined in Agra, Aurangzeb pursued Dara, chasing him across the north-western bounds of the empire. Having secured his position, Aurangzeb kept an already weakening Shah Jahan under house arrest at the Agra Fort. Shah Jahan died in 1666. -
Period: to
Aurangzeb's Rule
He was a conservative Muslim and strictly interpreted the Qur'an, banning music, dance, and most forms of art. He oppressed non-Muslims and was engaged in near-constant warfare during his reign. Emperor Aurangzeb's exchequer raised a record £100 million in annual revenue through various sources like taxes, customs and land revenue, et al. from 24 provinces. A pound sterling was exchanged at 10 rupees then. -
Bahadur Shah II ascend's - Last Mughal emperor
Bahadur Shah Zafar who succeeded his father, was not Akbar Shah Saani’s choice as his successor. Akbar Shah was, in fact, under great pressure by one of his queens, Mumtaz Begum to declare her son Mirza Jahangir as the successor. Akbar Shah would have probably accepted this demand but Mirza Jahangir had fallen afoul of the British and they would have none of this. -
Period: to
Bahadur Shah Zafar's rule
A political figurehead, he was completely controlled by the British East India Company, who found it convenient to maintain the fiction of Mughal rule. He was an old man of 82 at the time of the Indian Mutiny (1857–58) but, implicated by a rebel proclamation, he was convicted of complicity and exiled to Rangoon for life.
