Spreading of Islam is culminated during Mughal era


The Mughal Empire was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent between the mid-16th century and the early 18th century. Founded in 1526, it officially survived until 1858, when it was supplanted by the British Raj. The dynasty is sometimes referred to as the Timurid dynasty as Babur was descended from Timur. the English word Mogul (derived from Mughal) means a powerful person. The Mughals were a remarkable dynasty, and at their peak they produced a successive set of capable rulers.

The Mughal dynasty was founded when Babur, hailing from Ferghana (Modern Uzbekistan), invaded parts of northern India. Babur a Turk, was related to the great Mongol conqueror, Chengiz Khan and the Turkish invader Timur. The increasing power of the Uzbeks of Central Asia, was a cause for Babur to want to leave his country. The Delhi Sultanate around this time existed merely in name, and the political scene was in total disarray. The Sultan in power was Ibrahim Lodi, but the nobles commanded a major portion of power. The entire system was very unstable, and finally it cracked. Daulat Khan, a powerful noble who was dissatisfied with Ibrahim Lodi actually requested Babur to come and invade India. Babur had long cherished a desire to conquer India, and he immediately grabbed the opportunity. He first conquered Afghanistan and then descended into India. His campaigns though initially faced some hiccups, turned out very successful and he captured a large section of North Western India. He then proceeded to Delhi where he fought the last remaining Sultanate ruler, Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat. Ibrahim Lodi possessed a much larger army, but Babur had greater amount of weapons and artillery as well as superb strategy and leadership. In just half a day, he defeated the Sultan and captured Delhi and its surrounding areas. The victory over Ibrahim Lodi however had only a nominal value, for the Sultanate was not a very powerful force in the country. Babur had to face many challenges from various Afghan, Turkish and native Indian rulers before finally he was able to assert his authority over a fairly large area, establishing the foundation of the Mughal empire. In the brief four years that he ruled he set the stage for the great empire. The Mughal empire would be an important part of Indian history for the next two hundred years, before its disintegration would pave the way for the rise of the British in India.



Timeline of Mughal India:

  • April 21, 1526: First Battle of Panipat, Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi, and founds Mughal Empire
  • March 17, 1527: Battle of Khanwa, Babur conquers combined army of the Rajput princes and takes control of much of northern India
  • Dec. 26, 1530: Babur dies, is succeeded by son Humayan
  • July 11, 1543: Pashtun leader Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan, drives him into exile inAfghanistan
  • 1554: Humayan travels to Persia, hosted by Safavid emperor
  • July 23, 1555: Discord among Sher Shah Suri's successors allows Humayun to retake control of northern India, be restored to Mughal throne
  • Jan. 17, 1556: Humayan falls down stairs and dies, succeeded by 13-year-old son Akbar, later Akbar the Great
  • Nov. 5, 1556: Second Battle of Panipat, child Emperor Akbar's army defeats Hemu's Hindu forces
  • 1560s - 1570s: Akbar consolidates Mughal rule over much of northern and central India, as well as what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh
  • Oct. 27, 1605: Akbar the Great dies, succeeded by his son Jahangir
  • 1613: The British East India Company defeats Portuguese at Surat, Gujarat State and establishes first warehouse in India
  • 1615: Britain sends first ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, to Mughal court
  • 1620s: Mughal art reaches high point under Jahangir's rule
  • 1627: Emperor Jahangir dies, succeeded by son Shah Jahan
  • 1632: Shah Jahan orders destruction of newly-built Hindu temples, breaking with Mughal record of religious tolerance
  • 1632: Shah Jahan designs and begins building Taj Mahal as tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal
  • 1644: British East India Company builds Fort St. George in Madras (now Chennai), southeast coastal India
  • 1658: Aurangzeb imprisons his father, Shah Jahan, for the rest of his life in the Red Fort at Agra
  • 1660s-1690s: Aurangzeb expands Mughal rule to more than 3.2 million square km, including Assam, the Deccan plateau, and parts of southern India
  • 1671: Aurangzeb orders construction of the Badshahi Mosque at Lahore, now in Pakistan
  • 1696: Establishment of British East India Company's Fort William on Ganges delta, fort and trading factory which becomes Calcutta (Kolkata)
  • March 3, 1707: Death of Aurangzeb marks end of Mughal Golden Era, beginning of slow decline; he is succeeded by son Bahadur Shah I
  • Feb. 27, 1712: Bahadur Shah I dies, succeeded by incompetent son Jahandar Shah
  • Feb. 11, 1713: Jahandar Shah is executed by agents of nephew Farrukhsiyar, who takes Mughal throne
  • 1713 - 1719: Weak-willed Emperor Farrukhsiyar falls under control of Syed brothers, two generals and king-makers who had helped depose Jahandar Shah
  • Feb. 28, 1719: Syed brothers have Emperor Farrukhsiyar blinded and strangled; his cousin Rafi ud-Darjat becomes new Mughal emperor
  • June 13, 1719: 19-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Darjat is murdered at Agra after just three months on throne; Syeds appoint brother Rafi ud-Daulah to succeed him
  • Sept. 19, 1719: Syeds kill 23-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Daulah after three months on throne
  • Sept. 27, 1719: Syed brothers place 17-year-old Muhammad Shah on Mughal throne, rule in his name until 1720
  • Oct. 9, 1720: Emperor Muhammad Shah orders Syed Hussain Ali Khan killed at Fatehpur Sikri
  • Oct. 12, 1722: Emperor Muhammad Shah has Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha poisoned to death, takes power in his own right
  • 1728 - 1763: Mughal-Maratha Wars; Marathas seize Gujarat and Malwa, raid Delhi
  • Feb. 13, 1739: Nader Shah of Persia invades India, wins Battle of Karnal, loots Delhi, steals Mughal Peacock Throne
  • March 11, 1748: Battle of Manipur, Mughal Army defeats Durrani invasion force from Afghanistan
  • Apr. 26, 1748: Emperor Muhammad Shah dies, succeeded by 22-year-old son Ahmad Shah Bahadur
  • May, 1754: Battle of Sikandarabad, Marathas defeat Mughal Imperial Army, kill 15,000 Mughal troops
  • June 2, 1754: Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur deposed and blinded by Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk; former emperor spends rest of life in prison, dying in 1775
  • June 3, 1754: Imad-ul-Mulk appoints Alamgir II, the 55-year-old second son of Jahandar Shah, as the new Mughal Emperor
  • 1756: British make lurid charges about imprisonment and death of 123 British and Anglo-Indian troops by Bengali captors in Black Hole of Calcutta; story likely fabricated
  • Nov. 29, 1759: Imad-ul-Mulk and Maratha ruler Sadshivrao Bhau conspire to murder Alamgir II, place Aurangzeb's grandson Shah Jahan III on Mughal throne
  • Oct. 10, 1760: Shah Jahan III deposed after less than a year, but survives until 1772; succeeded by Alamgir II's son, Shah Alam II
  • Oct. 1760 - 1806: Emperor Shah Alam II, in alliance with Durranis, works to restore glory of Mughal Empire
  • Oct. 23, 1764: Battle of Buxar, British East India Company defeats combined army of Emperor Shah Alam II and the nawabs of Awadh and Bengal
  • Nov. 19, 1806: Emperor Shah Alam II dies, marking end of effective leadership from Mughal Dynasty; he is succeeded by hapless son Akbar Shah II, who is puppet of the British
  • Sept. 28, 1837: Akbar Shah II dies at age of 77, succeeded as puppet ruler by son Bahadur Shah II
  • 1857: Use of pork and/or beef fat on army cartridges sets off "Sepoy Mutiny" or Indian Revolt
  • 1858: British use Indian Revolt of 1857 as pretext to exile last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to Rangoon, Burma; Mughal dynasty ends.



Babur (1526-1530)
Humayun (1508-1556)
Akbar (1556-1605)
Jahangir (1605 –1627)
Shabuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan
Aurangzeb