List of emperors of the Mughal Empire explained

The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty, ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857.^[1] They were monarchs of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern day countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. They ruled many parts of India from 1526 and by 1707, they ruled most of the subcontinent. Afterwards, they declined rapidly, but nominally ruled territories until the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The Mughal dynasty was founded by Babur, a Timurid prince from the Fergana Valley (modern-day Uzbekistan). He was a direct descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan.^[2]

The Mughal emperors had significant Indian and Persian ancestry through marriage alliances as emperors were born to Indian and Persian princesses.^{[3] [4] [5]}

During the reign of 6th Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the empire, as the world's largest economy and manufacturing power, worth over 25% of global GDP,^[6] controlled nearly all of the Indian subcontinent, extending from Dhaka in the east to Kabul in the west and from Kashmir in the north to the Kaveri River in the south.^{[7] [8]} Its population at the time is estimated to be around 158,400,000 (a quarter of the world's total population), over a territory of more than 4 million square kilometres (1.5 million square miles).^{[9] [10]} Mughal power rapidly dwindled during the 18th century and the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, was deposed in 1857, with the establishment of the British Raj in India.

Background

Titular emperorsOver the course of the empire, there were several claimants to the Mughal throne who ascended the throne or claimed to do so but were actually never recognized.

Here are the claimants to the Mughal throne historians recognise as titular Mughal emperors.

1. Shahryar Mirza (1627–1628)
2. Dawar Baksh (1627–1628)
3. Jahangir II (1719–1720)

List of Mughal emperors

See also

• Timurid family tree
• Mughal-Mongol genealogy
• List of Mughal empresses

References

Sources

• Book: Asher . Catherine B. . India before Europe . Talbot . Cynthia . 2006 . Cambridge University Press . 0-521-80904-5 . 61303480.
• Book: Majumdar, R.C. . 1974 . The Mughul Empire . Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan . R.C. Majumdar.
• Book: Richards, John F. . The Mughal Empire . Cambridge University Press . 1995 . 978-0-521-56603-2 . John F. Richards .
  • • Book: Truschke, Audrey . Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King . . 2017 . 978-1-5036-0259-5.
• Keay, John, India, a History, 2000, HarperCollins,
• .
• – India Pakistan

Notes and References

1. Book: Schimmel, Annemarie . The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture . 2004 . Reaktion Books . 978-1-86189-185-3 . en.
2. Web site: Babur and His World: A Culture of Books . 2025-01-08 . Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art . en-US.
3. Jeroen Duindam (2015), Dynasties: A Global History of Power, 1300–1800, page 105, Cambridge University Press
4. Book: Mohammada, Malika. The Foundations of the Composite Culture in India. Akkar Books. 1 January 2007. 300. 978-8-189-83318-3.
5. Book: The Great Mughals and their India. Dirk Collier. Hay House. 2016. 15. 9789384544980.
6. "The World Economy (GDP) : Historical Statistics by Professor Angus Maddison" . World Economy. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
7. Book: Chandra , Satish . Medieval India: From Sultanate to the Mughals. 202.
8. Book: Truschke, Audrey . Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth . 2018-02-01 . Penguin Random House India Private Limited . 978-0-14-343967-7 . en.
9. Book: Richards, John F.. The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press. 978-0521251198. Gordon. Johnson. Gordon Johnson (historian). C. A.. Bayly. Christopher Alan Bayly. The New Cambridge history of India: 1.5. I. The Mughals and their Contemporaries. Cambridge. 1, 190. 1 January 2016.
10. Book: The European Union and Global Social Change. 9781135255800. 26 June 2017. Böröcz. József. 10 September 2009. Routledge .
11. Book: Allan . J. . Haig . Sir T. Wolsely . Dodwell . H. H. . Dodwell . H. H. . H. H. Dodwell . 1934 . The Cambridge Shorter History of India . Cambridge University Press . 398.