The Mughal dynasty is a dynasty of Muslims of Turkish origin. It is sometimes spelt as Mughal or Mongol. They reigned in the Indian subcontinent from the 16th century to the mid 18th century. After this period, the Mughals started becoming powerless, and the British gradually took over. Babur, who was a Timurid prince, was the founder of this dynasty. He was a direct descendant of Timur. The first-ever king to rule over India in this dynasty was Babur. However, the entire Mughal empire started to crumble after the death of Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor. The further sections will elucidate details regarding the major Mughal rulers of India. The Mughal dynasty was the largest-ever dynasty to rule over the Indian subcontinent.

Babur 

• Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, was born on 14th February 1483. 
• He was the fifth-generation heir to Timur. He was known as one of the finest kings of the Mughal dynasty. He full name was Zahir ud-din Muhammad Babur. 
• He was the oldest among his siblings. He was the son of Umar Sheikh Mirza, who was the descendant of the Turkish-Mughal conqueror Timur. 
• The word ‘Babur’ is the Persian term for tiger. He spent most of his youth focused on capturing the capital of Timur, Samarkand. 
• Samarkand was the former capital of Timur. He captured Samarkand in 1497 but lost Fergana, his throne. He then lost Samarkand while trying to regain Fergana and finally gained back Samarkand in the year 1501. He was later defeated by Muhammad Shaybani Khan in 1501 and once again lost the city of Samarkhand. He tried to conquer it again in the year 1511 one last time, but the attempt was futile. 
• This Mughal ruler then turned his attention toward the Indian subcontinent. He launched full-blown attacks in the region of Punjab in the year 1519. By the time he died in the year 1530, he had power over the entire northern part of India from the Indus to Bengal.
• Baburnamah, the autobiography of Babur, narrates the cultured and witty adventures of his fortunes. 

Humayun 

• Humayun was the son of Babur. The name given to him during his birth was Nasir al-Din Muhammed.
•  He ruled between the years 1530-1540 and 1555-1556. Sher Shah of Sur, an Afghan soldier, led a rebellion, and Humayun lost control over India and was exiled from the country.
•  He regained Lahore, Delhi, and Agra after he took advantage of the conflicts among the successors of Sher Shah after 15 years. He was not able to enjoy this victory for long as he died in 1556. 
• The cause of his death is suspected to be an accident. It is said that he fell down the library steps in an intoxicated state. His successor was his son Akbar. 
• The tomb for Humayun was constructed in Delhi after several years of his passing. It was one of the first masterpieces of Mughal architecture. It was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1993. 

Akbar 

• Akbar was Humayun’s son who reigned India between the years 1556 and 1605. 
• He is known as one of the most extraordinary Mughal kings to rule over India.
•  When Akbar ascended the throne, he received a shrunken empire that did not extend beyond the region of Punjab.
•  He launched a series of military campaigns to enlarge his boundaries. The Rajputs were his toughest rivals.
•  The Rajputs were fierce warriors of Rajasthan. One of the downfalls of Rajputs was that there was rivalry among each other. This is one of the main reasons Akbar could defeat the Rajputs. 

Jahangir

• The Mughal reign continued with Jahangir, Akbar’s son. He was so eager to ascend the throne that he staged a revolt in 1599. 
• This proclaimed his independence even when his father, Akbar, was still on the throne. 
• Later he went on to plan an assassination of Akbar’s advisor and close friend. He took over after Akbar’s death in 1605.
•  He took exotic alcohol and opium in large amounts. He had special servants for his opium and alcohol consumption.
•  The artwork during his reign was marvellous. The miniature paintings that were produced by palace workshops were remarkable.

Shah Jahan

• Shah Jahan’s birth name is Shihab al-din Muhammed Khurram. Shah Jahan was the heir to the Mughal dynasty after his father’s demise (Jahangir). 
• He expanded the Mughal kingdom. But even today most famous for his most extraordinary creation, the Taj Mahal, which was completed in the year 1632.
•  The Taj Mahal was dedicated to his third wife, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child. This monument took over 20 years to be fully completed. 
• There was a conflict among the sons for the throne when Shah Jahan fell ill. Aurangzeb won and compromised Shah Jahan until his death in the year 1666.

Aurangzeb 

• Aurangzeb was a talented military leader and administrator. He was a powerful emperor with a serious mind.
•  He stayed away from drugs which was the downfall of many rulers before him. He expanded the Mughal empire to the widest extent possible. The reign was extended till Tanjore. 
• As this control progressed, there was more chaos in the entire empire. 
• Aurangzeb tried his best to control the uprisings, but this took a toll on the financial and military aspects of the government. Religious issues and taxes were the main cause of the uprising.
•  The Mughal kingdom was still running even after the death of Aurangzeb in the year 1707, but there were still a lot of issues to be addressed. It slowly started to crumble during the 18th century. 

Conclusion 

The Mughal kings ruled over India for over two centuries. The six major Mughal rulers were Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. The first-ever king to reign India in this dynasty was Babur. He was the founder of the Mughal dynasty and was born on 14th February 1483. He was the fifth-generation heir to Timur. Humayun was the next king of the Mughal empire, and he was the son of Babur. His real name was Nasir al-Din Muhammed. He ruled between the years 1530-1540 and 1555-1556. Akbar, Humayun’s successor, reigned between the years 1556 and 1605. He was known as one of the extraordinary Mughal kings to reign in India. The reign continued with Jahangir, Akbar’s son. He was so eager to ascend the throne that he staged a revolt in 1599. Aurangzeb was the last Mughal king; he was a talented military leader and administrator. He was a powerful emperor with a serious mind.