Detailed List of Mughal Emperors
The Mughal Emperors ruled the Mughal Empire mainly in India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In India, they ruled most of its sub-continent from 1526 to the year 1700. Soon, their decline started while they only ruled a few territories nominally till the 1850s. Babur, a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan, was the founder of the Mughal Empire. This article will discuss the list of Mughal emperors of India and know more about their origin, Mughal hierarchy, and their involvement in the Mughal Empire. The below list will focus on providing information of Mughal emperors in order.
List Of All Great Mughal Emperors
Babur:
Topping the list of Mughal emperors, Babur was born in what is now Uzbekistan on 14th February 1483. In India, he was the founder of the Mughal Empire. Babur meant lion and was derived from the language of Persia. From his father’s side, he was a successor of Timur, and he belonged to the succession of Genghis Khan from the mother’s side. Babur ascended his father’s throne at the early age of 11 after the passing away of his father. He took over the famous Silk Road but lost it after a few years. By the age of 21, Babur conquered Kabul and made it his base kingdom. He first launched a war against Ibrahim Lodi in the year 1526, which is known as the First Battle of Panipat. Babur overcame the Rajput at the Battle of Khandwa in the year 1527. Babur fell sick and passed away at the age of 47 on 5th January 1531. His son, Humayun, took over the Empire after his father's death at the age of 22.
Humayun:
In the list of Mughal rulers, born on 27th January 1508, Humayun was the son of Babur, who took over the Mughal Empire after the demise of his father in the year 1531. He also earned several enemies like Sher Khan of Bihar and Bahadur Shah of Gujarat during his reign. Sher Khan finally expelled him. Humayun was an explorer and the successor of Babur. However, he did not have the same political knowledge or military ability as his father. He had to face many problems before getting his father’s throne as Mahdi Khwaja, Babur’s brother in law was also aiming towards the throne. In 1555, Humayun captured Lahore. During the same year, he also recovered Agra and Delhi by defeating Sikander Suri. Humayun died on January 26th in the year 1556. He appointed his son, Akbar as his successor. He was buried grandly, and his tomb remains in Delhi.
Akbar:
In the list of Mughal rulers, Akbar was Humayun’s son who ruled over India from 1556 to 1605 for 26 years. The Mughals helped India to flourish. The Mughal rule brought rich culture and many ethical changes to India. Akbar was famous for his ruling techniques, and the most crucial forte was the formulation of the centralised federal government. In addition, Akbar had tolerance for all religions.
Along with being a dedicated ruler, he was also a great patron of culture and art. He was married to a Rajput princess Jodha for whom he also constructed a temple in the palace. Akbar believed that all religions are the same. At the age of 63, during the year 1605, Akbar passed away. His burial was done in a very dignified way in the Grand Fort. His reign had a huge impact on the course of Indian history. The Mughal Empire expandedin size as well as wealth under Akbar. In the list of all great Mughal emperors, Akbar is one of the powerful rulers.
Jahangir:
After Akbar’s death, Jahangir was his only son who survived and took over the throne at the age of 34 in 1604. Jahangir was known to be a great man but lacked the administrative skills of his father. He fell in love with the widow of one of his Mughal Officers and named her Noor Jahan, which meant light of the world. He fought many wars that gave him victory, but soon his army got fed up and started to lose interest in Jahangir’s orders. Jahangir increased commerce under his reign. Indian liquor was gaining much popularity in foreign markets. By 1622 the Uzbeks and Persians were jeopardisingJahangir’s rule. Due to all the chaos, Jahangir went into depression, and the medicines did not work on him. On November 7th, 1627, Jahangir passed away, and his son Shah Jahan took over his throne on 28th November in the same year.
Shah Jahan:
Shah Jahan is considered to be the best Mughal Emperor in the list of Mughal emperors in India. His father, Jahangir, gave him the title of ‘Shah Jahan Bahadur’ early. Shah Jahan originated the Taj Mahal, where his wife, Mumtaz, was later buried. He also built the Moti Masjid in Pakistan, Jama Masjid in Delhi, and the Agra fort. He had exceptional achievements. Shah Jahan was dedicated to his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, all through his life, and they had fourteen kids together. Unfortunately, she passed away at the age of 40 while giving birth to the fourteenth child. Shah Jahan was highly affected by her death. Shah Jahan fell highly sick in 1666 and soon passed away. His body has been buried in the Taj Mahal alongside his wife, Mumtaz. His reign is rightly referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Mughal Architecture.
Aurangzeb:
Aurangzeb had to go through a lot of struggles before ascending the throne in 1659. Aurangzeb’s reign went on for almost 50 years, where he was devoted entirely to wars all over India. The decline of the Mughal Empire started due to the short-sightedness and bigotry of his policies. Aurangzeb was a great scholar of Islam. He built the Moti Masjid in Delhi at the Red Fort and Bibi Ka Maqbara for Rabaud Durani’s tomb. In 1707, Aurangzeb died, and the successors were weak even to handle the Empire.
The last illustrious king of the Mughal reign was Aurangzeb. The emperors after Aurangzeb are referred to as Later Mughals that includes Bahadur Shah I, Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi ud- Darajat, Muhammad Shah Rangile. After Muhammad Shah, the ascendants of the Mughal Empire were only the nominal rulers of the empire. The nominal rulers were Ahmed Shah, Alamgir, Shah Alam ll, Akbar ll, and Bahadur Shah ll. This is the list of Mughal rulers that you must know. Also, you can go through the Mughal emperors and major events that took place during their reign.
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FAQs on Great Mughal Emperors of India
1. When did the Mughal Empire start to decline?
Soon after the passing of Aurangzeb, the Mughals started to face decline. As the Mughals got weaker, the Europeans got an opportunity to expand in India. The narrow religious policies that Aurangzeb imposed led to a significant decline of the Mughals.
2. What happened in the first battle of Panipat?
The first battle of Panipat commenced as Babur started a war opposite Ibrahim Lodi in the year 1526. The fight took place in north India and denoted the start of the Mughal Empire and where the Delhi Sultanate ended. The first battle of Panipat is the first battle that involved firearms and field artillery that was also introduced by the Mughals during the war.
3. Contribution of Mughal Empire in Art and Architecture
Mughal Dynasty ruled from 16th to 18th century, and during this time, they have had some great developments in architectural styles. The architecture of tombs and forts saw a resemblance to Islam. Indian as well as Persian styles were also infused to create the masterpieces with utmost precision. The palaces in which the rulers stayed were the perfect example of the craftsmanship of Indo Persian culture. The Paintings of the Mughal Era are from Persian Literature and Hindu mythology, with subjects like royalty and events being portrayed through art. Literature also received a boom in the Mughal era. Different languages like Hindi, Persian, Bengali came up and gave rise to various literature. Overall, the Mughal period has had a huge impact on India's rich literary, cultural, and architectural history. The Mughal dynasty list will help you understand the Mughal rulers who contributed to Art and Architecture.
4. Which era is known as the golden age era of Mughal rule?
Shah Jahan’s reign is considered the golden age era of the Mughal Empire, which went on from January 1628 to July 1658 as the country witnessed peace during this period. He was the 5th ruler of the Mughal Empire. There were almost none or less threats from the foreigners. Shah Jahan worked very hard towards the welfare of the people and helped construct canals, roads, etc. During his reign, trade flourished. There was a lot of progress in science, including mathematics, medicine, et cetera. He also contributed a lot to the architecture. His famous architectural constructions include the Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Shalimar Garden, and many more. Due to all of the above reasons, his reign is considered the Golden Age. You can go through the list of Mughal emperors in India to know, who ruled during the golden era.
