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Apr 20, 1526
Babur
As the first emperor of the Mughal Empire, Babur created the structure by which many of the future emperors and leaders of the empire would follow. While his reign only lasted for four short years, he was still able to make an impact on the office which he was presiding. For example, in the battles that presided at the birth of this new civilization, Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat, Babur was able to show how much of a military leader he could be. -
Apr 21, 1526
First Battle of Panipat
This was the proving ground for Babur to become worthy of creating a new empire, and to cultivate the following he wanted to ensure the continuation of his dreams. The battle was between the forces of Babur and those of the Lodi Empire. Having won the battle and killed the leader of the Lodi, Babur was able to claim the emperorship that would be his until his death. -
Feb 11, 1556
Akbar
Akbar was one of the great military leaders the Mughal Empire ever saw. Under his leadership, the Mughal army was able to claim major victories over their adversaries, claiming new land and new territory as his reign continued. He was also responsible for creating many of the standardized political and educational institutions that allowed the Mughal Empire to grow intellectually in leaps and bounds that hadn’t yet been seen, and ones that would ensure the academic success of his empire. -
Jan 1, 1582
Fathullah Shirazi
Living a life as a scholar, a mechanical engineer, inventor, philosopher, astronomer, artist, and doctor, Fathullah Shirazi was able to capture many of the minds in the political sphere of the Mughal Empire. He was so well admired amongst the ruling class, that even with his family's status as a moderate social status, he was given the title of “arm of the empire”, showing how he was going to move the empire forward into a brighter future. The exact date of his birth is not known. -
Agra
The new capital city of the Mughal Empire was really just the old one. Back from 1526 to 1540 and 1555 to 1571, Agra served as the permanent capital of the Mughal Empire. Built, between 1632 and 1653, the Taj Mahal stood as the center of the city. It was constructed to serve as a tomb for Shah Jahan’s favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was here that the towering white marble structure was erected and still stands today. -
Siege of Bidar
The Siege of Bidar was a war that lasted twenty-seven days between the Mughal Empire and the Adil Shahi dynasty. The Mughals suffered light losses compared with their advisaries, mostly thanks to the new technology developed in part by the Mughals, that could project large explosive objects over a long distance. In other words, rockets and grenades. This advantage proved a strong and important advantage over their enemy in combat. -
Furrukhsiyar
As a ruler of the Mughal Empire who was very friendly with Europe, he began to allow corporations like the English East India Company to purchase products duty-free in Bengal with hopes of making him and his family rich off of bribes and other extortions. This lead to a form of a mafia family that was nicknamed the “Syed Brothers”. They were the ones whom the commonwealth people of the Indian subcontinent hated the most, as almost everyone knew they were in collusion with rich European traders. -
Muhammad Shah
After almost six years of oppressive rule by Furrukhsiyar and the Syed Brothers, Muhammad Shah was able to take back the Mughal Empire for the people, effectively cutting off any friendly relations with Europe that companies like the English East India Company would have used to their own advantage, not taking into consideration the needs or welfare of the people whom they were using to purchase tea, salts, spices, and other valued commodities that could sell for high prices back in Europe. -
Shah Alam II
Serving as the eighteenth emperor of the Mughal Empire, he oversaw one of the greatest periods of collapse of the once historic empire in comparison to any of his predecessors. Combined military losses with a failing economy that wasn’t providing for the peasantry, war split the once mighty empire apart. While it wasn’t all Shah Alam II’s fault, he didn’t have the military know-how to make up for that situation. -
Third Battle of Panipat
The Third Battle of Panipat was one that took place between the Maratha Empire and supporters of the Mughal Empire. Over the last twenty-seven years, the Maratha Empire had been taking large swaths of land and territory away from the Mughals as their economy and political infrastructure began to crumble. This was a loss that cost the Mughal Empire even more land, and depleted already scarce resources.
