Key People of the Mughal Dynasty

Bābur, who reigned from 1526 to 1530, was the founder of the Mughal dynasty. A descendant of Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and also of Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), Bābur was a charismatic leader and brilliant military strategist. Ousted from his ancestral domain in Central Asia in the early 1500s, Bābur turned to India to satisfy his appetite for conquest. From his base in Kabul (Afghanistan) he was able to secure control of the Punjab region, and in 1526 he routed the forces of Delhi sultan Ibrāhīm Lodī at the First Battle of Panipat. Bābur went on to conquer much of northern India. As an administrator he created an unusually tolerant culture, embracing Persian, Mongol, and Indian influences, and encouraged international trade. Bābur also designed magnificent gardens, was a gifted poet, and wrote a renowned autobiography, Bābur-nāmeh.

Humāyūn, son of Bābur, reigned from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to 1556. Beset by enemies, Humāyūn was defeated by an Afghan soldier of fortune, Shēr Shah of Sūr, and was expelled from India in 1540. In 1544 Humāyūn received military backing from Shah Ṭahmāsp of Iran and went on to conquer (in what is now Afghanistan) Kandahār (1545) and to seize Kabul three times from his own disloyal brother, Kāmrān, the final time being in 1550. Humāyūn briefly recovered the Mughal throne in 1555 before dying the following year. His tomb in Delhi, considered the first Mughal architectural masterpiece, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Humāyūn’s son, Akbar, is considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors, reigning from 1556 until his death in 1605. Akbar was only 13 years of age when he ascended the throne but became a gifted military strategist and administrator. By combining diplomacy, royal marriage, and outright conquest, he greatly extended the Mughal Empire. Akbar understood that to govern so vast and socially complex a kingdom required a strong, tolerant, and enlightened government. He created a system of graduated ranks for both military and governmental posts that depended on his appointment. The emperor offered attractive careers to the most capable people in the empire, who in turn gave him their loyalty. This greatly reduced the threat of generals or leaders creating their own independent states. Akbar also reformed the financial system, tax assessment and collection, and communications networks. He encouraged open exchange among the cultures that made up his empire and took an active role in blending Western and Eastern arts, particularly in painting and architecture.

Jahāngīr succeeded Akbar and reigned from 1605 until 1627. Jahāngīr continued many of his father’s traditions, including tolerance toward other religions and cultures and using diplomacy as well as war to consolidate Mughal rule. However, he often seemed more interested in indulging his fondness for alcoholic drink and opium than in ruling his kingdom. Jahāngīr is acknowledged as an unmatched patron of Mughal painting.

Shah Jahān, third son of Jahāngīr, ruled from 1628 to 1658. He is best remembered as the emperor who built the magnificent Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite queen, Mumtaz Mahal. Throughout his reign, Shah Jahān indulged his passion for building. After a series of military setbacks he transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi. The Mughal dynasty achieved its cultural zenith under his rule, particularly in architecture, literature, and the arts. However, his building programs and unwise military expeditions drained the Mughal treasury. 

Aurangzeb reigned from 1658 to 1707. Under his skilled but ruthless leadership the Mughal Empire reached its greatest size, encompassing nearly the entire Indian subcontinent. Aurangzeb spent the first part of his reign occupied with protecting his kingdom from the Persians, Central Asian Turks, and Maratha chiefs. He initially followed Akbar’s example of reconciling with defeated enemies and then placing them in his imperial service. Beginning about 1680, however, Aurangzeb’s reign underwent a change of both attitude and policy. He treated Hindus as subordinates, reinstituted a poll tax on non-Muslims, and issued increasingly puritanical laws governing public morals. These policies provoked widespread rebellions and resistance to Mughal rule and eventually contributed to the empire’s downfall.