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First Battle of Panipat, Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi, and founds Mughal Empire
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Battle of Khanwa, Babur conquers the combined army of the Rajput princes and takes control of much of northern India
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Babur dies, is succeeded by son Humayan
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Pashtun leader Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan, drives him into exile in Afghanistan
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Humayan travels to Persia, hosted by Safavid emperor
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July 23, 1555: Discord among Sher Shah Suri's successors allows Humayun to retake control of northern India, be restored to Mughal throne
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Humayan falls down stairs and dies, succeeded by 13-year-old son Akbar, later Akbar the Great
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Second Battle of Panipat, child Emperor Akbar's army defeats Hemu's Hindu forces
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During 1560s - 1570s Akbar consolidates Mughal rule over much of northern and central India, as well as what is now Pakistan and Bangladesh
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Akbar the Great dies, succeeded by his son Jahangir
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The British East India Company defeats Portuguese at Surat, Gujarat State and establishes the first warehouse in India
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Emperor Jahangir dies, succeeded by son Shah Jahan
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Shah Jahan orders destruction of newly-built Hindu temples, breaking with Mughal record of religious tolerance
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Shah Jahan designs and begins building Taj Mahal as a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal
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Aurangzeb imprisons his father, Shah Jahan, for the rest of his life in the Red Fort at Agra
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Aurangzeb orders construction of the Badshahi Mosque at Lahore, now in Pakistan
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During the period of 1660s till 1690s Aurangzeb expands Mughal rule to more than 3.2 million square km, including Assam, the Deccan plateau, and parts of southern India
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Establishment of British East India Company's Fort William on Ganges delta, fort and trading factory which becomes Calcutta (Kolkata)
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Death of Aurangzeb marks the end of Mughal Golden Era, beginning of slow decline; he is succeeded by son Bahadur Shah I
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Bahadur Shah I dies, succeeded by incompetent son Jahandar Shah
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Weak-willed Emperor Farrukhsiyar falls under the control of Syed brothers, two generals and king-makers who had helped depose Jahandar Shah
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Jahandar Shah is executed by agents of nephew Farrukhsiyar, who takes the Mughal throne
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Syed brothers have Emperor Farrukhsiyar blinded and strangled; his cousin Rafi ud-Darjat becomes new Mughal emperor
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Syeds kill 23-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Daulah after three months on the throne
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Nader Shah of Persia invades India, wins Battle of Karnal, loots Delhi, steals Mughal Peacock Throne
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Battle of Manipur, Mughal Army defeats Durrani invasion force from Afghanistan
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Emperor Muhammad Shah dies, succeeded by 22-year-old son Ahmad Shah Bahadur
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Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur deposed and blinded by Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk; former emperor spends rest of life in prison, dying in 1775
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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
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Emperor Shah Alam II, in alliance with Durranis, works to restore the glory of Mughal Empire
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Battle of Buxar, British East India Company defeats the combined army of Emperor Shah Alam II and the nawabs of Awadh and Bengal
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Emperor Shah Alam II dies, marking the end of effective leadership from Mughal Dynasty; he is succeeded by hapless son Akbar Shah II, who is a puppet of the British
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Akbar Shah II dies at age of 77, succeeded as a puppet ruler by son Bahadur Shah II
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Use of pork and/or beef fat on army cartridges sets off the Sepoy Mutiny or Indian Revolt
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British use Indian Revolt of 1857 as the pretext to exile last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to Rangoon, Burma; Mughal dynasty ends
