The Mughals Establish an Empire in India timeline

Period: Jan 1, 1526 to Jan 1, 1530

Babur

Inherited a kingdom at 11 years old; driven out by his elders; built an army and reclaimed land; strong yet sensitive; brilliant general

Period: Dec 31, 1530 to Jan 1, 1556

Humayan

Babur's incompitent son who lost most of the land Babur had gained; introduced miniatures into the Mughal culture

Period: Dec 31, 1556 to Jan 1, 1605

Akbar

‘great one’; Babur’s grandson; firmly defended religious freedoms; allowed social mobility; taxed based on income; gave land grants to bureaucrats; equppied his army with heavy artillery; welcomed influences from conquered lands; established large library

Jan 10, 1594

Babur comes to power

Babur comes to power at 11 years old

Period: Dec 31, 1605 to Jan 1, 1628

Jahangir and Nur Jahan

Jahangir: Akbar’s don; weak ruler, left most of the state affairs to his wife
Nur Jahan: Jahangir’s wife; held real power in India from 1611 to 1622; talented women

Period: Dec 31, 1628 to Feb 5, 1658

Shah Jahan

Akbar’s grandson; killed possible rivals in order to come to power; had passion for architecture and Mumtaz Mahal (wife); build Taj Mahal, Red Fort at Delhi, and the peacock throne; overtaxed the people in order to pay for his projects

Jan 1, 1631

Death of Mumtaz Mahal

Death of Mumtaz Mahal; Shah Jahan's beloved wife dies at the age of 34 giving birth to her 14th child

Jan 1, 1652

Completion of Taj Mahal

Completion of Tak Mahal, memorial built by Shah Jahal for his beloved wofe Mumtaz Muhal; strained Mughal's government funds/resources; considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world

Jan 1, 1657

Shah Jahal falls ill

Shah Jahal falls ill adn his sons scrample for the throne; Aurangzeb kills his oldest brother and imprisons his father in order to gain the throne

Period: Dec 31, 1658 to Jan 1, 1707

Aurangzeb

Shah Jahan’s third son who won the civil war that broke out in the Mughal Empire after Shah Jahan fell ill; master at military strategy and an impressive empire builder; rigidly followed and enforced Islamic law; tried to erase all gains Hindus had made socially under his father’s rule, destroying Hindu temples and placing high taxes on the Hindus; this caused a rebellion from the Rajaputs, which was never fully put out by the Mughals; had drained the empire of all of its resources