Was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan through his mother and was descendant of Timur through his father. Founded the Mughal Empire after his victories at the Battle of Panipat (1526) and the Battle of Khanwa.
Humayun
Mar 6, 1508
1530–1540
Jan 1556
Reign interrupted by Suri Dynasty. Youth and inexperience at ascension led to his being regarded as a less effective ruler than usurper, Sher Shah Suri.
Sher Shah Suri
1472
1540–1545
May 1545
Deposed Humayun and led the Suri Dynasty.
Islam Shah Suri
c.1500
1545–1554
1554
2nd and last ruler of the Suri Dynasty, claims of sons Sikandar and Adil Shah were eliminated by Humayun's restoration.
Humayun
Mar 6, 1508
1555–1556
Jan 1556
Restored rule was more unified and effective than initial reign of 1530–1540; left unified empire for his son, Akbar.
Akbar
Nov 14, 1542
1556–1605
Oct 27, 1605
He and Bairam Khan defeated Hemu during the Second Battle of Panipat and later won famous victories during the Siege of Chittorgarh and the Siege of Ranthambore;
He greatly expanded the Empire and is regarded as the most illustrious
ruler of the Mughal Empire as he set up the empire's various
institutions; he married Mariam-uz-Zamani, a Rajput princess. One of his most famous construction marvels was the Lahore Fort.
Jahangir
Oct 1569
1605–1627
1627
Jahangir set the precedent for sons rebelling against their emperor fathers. Opened first relations with the British East India Company. Reportedly was an alcoholic, and his wife Empress Noor Jahan became the real power behind the throne and competently ruled in his place.
Shah Jahan
Jan 5, 1592
1627–1658
1666
Under him, Mughal art and architecture reached their zenith; constructed the Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Jahangir mausoleum, and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. Deposed by his son Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb
Oct 21, 1618
1658–1707
Mar 3, 1707
He reinterpreted Islamic law and presented the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri; he captured the diamond mines of the Sultanate of Golconda; he spent the major part of his last 27 years
in the war with the Maratha rebels; at its zenith, his conquests
expanded the empire to its greatest extent; the over-stretched empire
was controlled by Mansabdars, and faced challenges after his death. He is known to have transcribed copies of the Qur'an using his own styles of calligraphy. He died during a campaign against the ravaging Marathas in the Deccan.
Bahadur Shah I
Oct 14, 1643
1707–1712
Feb 1712
First of the Mughal emperors to preside over an empire ravaged by
uncontrollable revolts. After his reign, the empire went into steady
decline due to the lack of leadership qualities among his immediate
successors.
Jahandar Shah
1664
1712–1713
Feb 1713
Was an unpopular incompetent titular figurehead;
Furrukhsiyar
1683
1713–1719
1719
His reign marked the ascendancy of the manipulative Syed Brothers, execution of the rebellious Banda. In 1717 he granted a Firman to the English East India Company granting them duty-free trading rights in Bengal. The Firman was repudiated by the notable Murshid Quli Khan the Mughal appointed ruler of Bengal.
Rafi Ul-Darjat
Unknown
1719
1719
Rafi Ud-Daulat
Unknown
1719
1719
Nikusiyar
Unknown
1719
1743
Muhammad Ibrahim
Unknown
1720
1744
Muhammad Shah
1702
1719–1720, 1720–1748
1748
Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Tried to counter the emergence of the Marathas but his empire disintegrated. Suffered the invasion of Nadir-Shah of Persia in 1739.
Ahmad Shah Bahadur
1725
1748–54
1775
Alamgir II
1699
1754–1759
1759
He was murdered according by the Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk and Maratha associate Sadashivrao Bhau.
Shah Jahan III
Unknown
In 1759
1772
Was ordained to the imperial throne by Sadashivrao Bhau. Shah Jahan III was overthrown after the Third Battle of Panipat by Prince Mirza Jawan Bakht.
Shah Alam II
1728
1759–1806
1806
Was nominated as the Mughal Emperor by Ahmad Shah Durrani after the Third Battle of Panipat
in 1761. 1764 saw the defeat of the combined forces of Mughal Emperor,
Nawab of Oudh & Nawab of Bengal and Bihar at the hand of East India
Company at the Battle of Buxar. Following this defeat, Shah Alam II left Delhi for Allahabad, ending hostilities with the Treaty of Allahabad (1765). Shah Alam II was reinstated to the throne of Delhi in 1772 by Mahadaji Shinde under the protection of the Marathas. He was a de jure
emperor. In 1793 British East India company abolished Nizamat (Mughal
suzerainty) and took control of the former Mughal province of Bengal
marking the beginning of British reign in part of Eastern India
officially.
Akbar Shah II
1760
1806–1837
1837
He became a British pensioner after the defeat of the Maratha's in
the third Anglo-Maratha war who were till then the protector of the
Mughal throne. Under East India company's protection, his imperial name
was removed from the official coinage after a brief dispute with the British East India Company;
Bahadur Shah II
1775
1837–1857
1862
The last Mughal emperor was deposed in 1858 by the British East India company and exiled to Burma following the War of 1857 after the fall of Delhi to the company troops. End of Mughal dynasty.
