When did the Mughal Empire exist?

The Mughal Empire existed 1526–1857. On this map it is drawn 1529–1858.

How large was the Mughal Empire?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Mughal Empire covered about 3.8 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Mughals and successors

Mughal Empire

Empire · 1526–1857

Founded by Babur (r. 1526–1530), a Chagatai Turk descended from Timur on his father's side and Genghis Khan on his mother's, who, ousted from Central Asia, established himself in Kabul and, aided by Safavid and Ottoman support, defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (21 April 1526) using firearms and artillery. The dynasty called itself Gurkani; "Mughal" is the Indo-Persian form of "Mongol."

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Type: Empire
Existed: 1526–1857
Shown on the map: 1529–1858
Heartland: 3.2 million km² c. 1600); nearly the entire Indian subcontinent plus parts of Afghanistan
Peak area: c. 4 million km² at maximum (c. 1690
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

Capitals rotated among Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore (Kabul was summer capital to 1681). The empire stretched from the Indus basin and northern Afghanistan to Assam and Bengal and deep into the Deccan.

Major rulers and key events

Humayun (1530–1556) lost the throne to Sher Shah Suri (Sur interregnum 1540–1555) and restored it in 1555. Akbar (1556–1605), consolidating after the Second Battle of Panipat (1556), built the imperial structure: the zabt land-revenue system, mansabdari, subahs, and a policy of religious accommodation culminating in the Din-i Ilahi. Jahangir (1605–1627) executed Guru Arjan; Shah Jahan (1628–1658) built the Taj Mahal and ended Ahmadnagar; Aurangzeb (1658–1707) brought the empire to its greatest extent, annexing Bijapur and Golconda, but his Deccan wars and reimposition of jizya strained the state. After 1707 the empire collapsed rapidly: the Sayyid Brothers' king-making (1719), Nader Shah's sack of Delhi (1739), Maratha and British ascendancy, until Bahadur Shah II was deposed after the 1857 rebellion and exiled to Rangoon.

Government, economy and culture

A centralized bureaucracy with diwan, mir bakhshi, sadr and mir saman ministries; provinces (subahs) divided into sarkars and parganas; Hanafi law with qadi courts. The agrarian economy, silver rupee, roads and textiles made Mughal India produce perhaps a quarter of world manufacturing output, with 150–158 million people c. 1600–1700 and exceptional urbanization. Persian was the official language; architecture (Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore Fort, Shalamar Gardens — all UNESCO sites) and painting flourished.

Decline and end

Fiscal exhaustion, succession feuds, imperial overstretch and regional successor states eroded power; the British East India Company became protector after 1803 and dissolved the empire in 1857–58.

Legacy and significance

The Mughals defined early modern South Asia — its administrative geography, cuisine, art, language (Urdu) and monuments — and their era remains a benchmark of Indian imperial splendor.

Common questions

What was the Mughal Empire?: Founded by Babur (r. 1526–1530), a Chagatai Turk descended from Timur on his father's side and Genghis Khan on his mother's, who, ousted from Central Asia, established himself in Kabul and, aided by Safavid and Ottoman support, defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat (21 April 1526) using firearms and artillery. The dynasty called itself Gurkani; "Mughal" is the Indo-Persian form of "Mongol."
When did the Mughal Empire exist?: The Mughal Empire existed 1526–1857. On this map it is drawn 1529–1858.
How large was the Mughal Empire?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Mughal Empire covered about 3.8 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was the Mughal Empire?: Capitals rotated among Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore (Kabul was summer capital to 1681). The empire stretched from the Indus basin and northern Afghanistan to Assam and Bengal and deep into the Deccan.
Who ruled the Mughal Empire?: Humayun (1530–1556) lost the throne to Sher Shah Suri (Sur interregnum 1540–1555) and restored it in 1555. Akbar (1556–1605), consolidating after the Second Battle of Panipat (1556), built the imperial structure: the zabt land-revenue system, mansabdari, subahs, and a policy of religious accommodation culminating in the Din-i Ilahi.
How did the Mughal Empire end?: Fiscal exhaustion, succession feuds, imperial overstretch and regional successor states eroded power; the British East India Company became protector after 1803 and dissolved the empire in 1857–58.
How was the Mughal Empire governed?: A centralized bureaucracy with diwan, mir bakhshi, sadr and mir saman ministries; provinces (subahs) divided into sarkars and parganas; Hanafi law with qadi courts.
Why does the Mughal Empire still matter?: The Mughals defined early modern South Asia — its administrative geography, cuisine, art, language (Urdu) and monuments — and their era remains a benchmark of Indian imperial splendor.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Mughal Empire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empire

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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