Mugals Dynasty

Period (A.D1526 to A.D.1707)

Mogul dynasty
Muslim dynasty that ruled most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid-18th century.
The dynasty's rulers, descended from Timur and Genghis Khan, included unusually talented rulers over the course of seven generations, and the dynasty was further distinguished by its emperors' efforts to integrate Hindus and Muslims into a united Indian state. Prominent among the Mughal rulers were the founder, Bābur (r. 1526–30); his grandson Akbar (r. 1556–1605); and Shah Jahān. Under Aurangzeb (r. 1658–1707) the empire reached its greatest extent, but his intolerance sowed the seeds for its decline. It broke up under pressure from factional rivalries, dynastic warfare, and the invasion of northern India in 1739 by Nādir Shah.

Babur
orig. Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad
born Feb. 15, 1483, principality of Fergana

died Dec. 26, 1530, Agra, India
Emperor (1526–30) and founder of the Mughal dynasty of India.

Babar

A descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur, he came from a tribe of Mongol origin but was Turkish in language and upbringing. In his youth he tried for 10 years (1494–1504) to gain control of Samarkand, Timur's old capital. Those efforts ended in his losing his own principality in Fergana (modern Uzbekistan), but he consoled himself by seizing and holding Kabul (1504). After four failed attempts, he successfully occupied Delhi (1525). Surrounded by enemy states, Bābur (the name means “Tiger”) persuaded his homesick troops to stand their ground, and over the next four years he defeated his foes. His grandson Akbar consolidated the new empire. Bābur was also a gifted poet and a lover of nature who constructed gardens wherever he went. The Bābur-nāmeh, his prose memoirs, has become a world classic of autobiography.

Humayun

Humayun

Akbar   in full Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar
born Oct. 15, 1542, Umarkot, Sind, India

died 1605, Agra
Greatest of the Mughal emperors (see Mughal dynasty) of India (r. 1556–1605).

Akbar

Akbar, whose ancestors included Timur and Genghis Khan, ascended the throne as a youth. Initially his rule extended only over the Punjab and the area around Delhi. The Rajput raja of Amber (Jaipur) acknowledged his suzerainty in 1562, and other Rajput rajas followed suit. Akbar included Rajput princes and other Hindus in the highest ranks of his government and reduced discrimination against non-Muslims. He continued his conquests, taking Gujarat in the west (1573) and Bengal in the east (annexed in 1576). Toward the end of his reign he conquered Kashmir (1586) and moved south into the Deccan. Administratively, he strengthened central power, establishing that all military officers and civil administrators were to be appointed by the emperor. He encouraged scholars, poets, painters, and musicians, making his court a centre of culture. He had Sanskrit classics translated into Persian and was enthusiastic about the European paintings presented to him by Jesuit missionaries. His reign was often portrayed as a model by later governments—strong, benevolent, tolerant, and enlightened. See also Bābur.

Jahangir
or Jehangir
born Aug. 31, 1569, Fatehpur, Sikri, India

Jahangir

died Oct. 28, 1627, en route to Lahore
Mughal emperor of India (1605–27).
Though designated heir apparent, the impatient Jahāngīr revolted in 1599; his father, Akbar, nevertheless confirmed him as his successor. Like Akbar, Jahāngīr managed diplomatic relations on the Indian subcontinent adroitly, was tolerant of non-Muslims, and was a great patron of the arts. He encouraged Persian culture in Mughal India. During the middle portion of his reign, politics were dominated by his Persian wife (Nūr Jahān), her father, and Jahāngīr's son Prince Khurram (the future Shah Jahān).

Shah jahan
 born Jan. 5, 1592, Lahore, India

died Jan. 22, 1666, Agra

Shah Jahan

Mughal emperor of India (1628–58).
During the reign of his father, Jahāngīr, he was part of the clique that dominated Mughal-dynasty politics. After Jāhangīr's death, he garnered enough support to proclaim himself emperor. His reign was notable for its successes against the Deccan states. Though attempts to reconquer lost territory almost bankrupted the empire, his reign marked the zenith of Mughal court splendour. Of his great architectural undertakings (including a fortress-palace built when he transferred the capital from Agra to Delhi), the most famous is the Taj Mahal. Though a more orthodox Muslim than his father, he was less orthodox than his son and successor, Aurangzeb, and he was relatively tolerant of his Hindu subjects.

Aurangzeb
orig. Muḥī al-Dīn Muḥammad
born Nov. 3, 1618, Dhod, Malwa, India

Aurangazeb

died March 3, 1707
Last of the great Mughal emperors of India (r. 1658–1707).
He was the third son of the emperor Shah Jahān and Mumtāz Maḥal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built. After distinguishing himself early in life with his military and administrative ability, he fought his eldest brother for the right of succession and had several other rival relatives (including a son) executed. During the first half of his reign, he proved to be a capable Muslim monarch of a mixed Hindu-Muslim empire; he was disliked for his ruthlessness but respected. From c. 1680 his devout religious side came to dominate; he excluded Hindus from public office and destroyed their temples and schools, became embroiled in fruitless warfare with the Marathas in South India, and executed the Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur (r. 1664–75), starting a Sikh-Muslim feud that has continued to the present.