Timeline of Indias Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire stretched across most of northern and central India, and what is now Pakistan, from 1526 to 1857, when the British exiled the last Mughal emperor. Together, the Muslim Mughal rulers and their predominantly Hindu subjects created a golden age in Indian history, full of art, scientific achievement, and stunning architecture. Later in the Mughal period, however, the emperors faced increasing encroachment by the French and the British, which ended with the fall of the Mughal Empire in 1857. Timeline of Mughal India April 21, 1526: First Battle of Panipat, Babur defeats Ibrahim Lodhi, Sultan of Delhi, and founds Mughal EmpireMarch 17, 1527: Battle of Khanwa, Babur conquers the combined army of the Rajput princes and takes control of much of northern IndiaDec. 26, 1530: Babur dies, is succeeded by son HumayanJuly 11, 1543: Pashtun leader Sher Shah Suri defeats Humayan, drives him into exile in Afghanistan1554: Humayan travels to Persia, hosted by Safavid emperorJuly 23, 1555: Discord among Sher Shah Suris successors allows Humayun to retake control of northern India, be restored to Mughal throneJan. 17, 1556: Humayan falls down stairs and dies, succeeded by 13-year-old son Akbar, later Akbar the GreatNov. 5, 1556: Second Battle of Panipat, child Emperor Akbars army defeats Hemus Hindu forces1560s - 1570s: Akbar consolidates Mughal rule over much of northern and central India, as well as what is now Pakistan and BangladeshOct. 27, 1605: Akbar the Great dies, succeeded by his son Jahangir1613: The British East India Company defeats Portuguese at Surat, Gujarat State and establishes the  first warehouse in India1615: Britain sends the first ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, to Mughal court1620s: Mughal art reaches a high point under Jahangirs rule1627: Emperor Jahangir dies, succeeded by son Shah Jahan1632: Shah Jahan orders destruction of newly-built Hindu temples, breaking with Mughal record of religious tolerance1632: Shah Jahan designs and begins building Taj Mahal as a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal1644: British East India Company builds Fort St. George in Madras (now Chennai), southeast coastal India1658: Aurangzeb imprisons his father, Shah Jahan, for the rest of his life in the Red Fort at Agra1660s-1690s: Aurangzeb expands Mughal rule to more than 3.2 million square km, including Assam, the Deccan plateau, and parts of southern India1671: Aurangzeb orders construction of the Badshahi Mosque at Lahore, now in Pakistan1696: Establishment of British East India Comp anys Fort William on Ganges delta, fort and trading factory which becomes Calcutta (Kolkata)March 3, 1707: Death of Aurangzeb marks the end of Mughal Golden Era, beginning of slow decline; he is succeeded by son Bahadur Shah IFeb. 27, 1712: Bahadur Shah I dies, succeeded by incompetent son Jahandar ShahFeb. 11, 1713: Jahandar Shah is executed by agents of nephew Farrukhsiyar, who takes the Mughal throne1713 - 1719: Weak-willed Emperor Farrukhsiyar falls under the control of Syed brothers, two generals and king-makers who had helped depose Jahandar ShahFeb. 28, 1719: Syed brothers have Emperor Farrukhsiyar blinded and strangled; his cousin Rafi ud-Darjat becomes new Mughal emperorJune 13, 1719: 19-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Darjat is murdered at Agra after just three months on the throne; Syeds appoint brother Rafi ud-Daulah to succeed himSept. 19, 1719: Syeds kill 23-year-old Emperor Rafi ud-Daulah after three months on the throneSept. 27, 1719: Syed brothers place 17-year-old Muhamma d Shah on Mughal throne and rule in his name until 1720Oct. 9, 1720: Emperor Muhammad Shah orders Syed Hussain Ali Khan killed at Fatehpur SikriOct. 12, 1722: Emperor Muhammad Shah has Syed Hassan Ali Khan Barha poisoned to death, takes power in his own right1728 - 1763: Mughal-Maratha Wars; Marathas seize Gujarat and Malwa, raid DelhiFeb. 13, 1739: Nader Shah of Persia invades India, wins Battle of Karnal, loots Delhi, steals Mughal Peacock ThroneMarch 11, 1748: Battle of Manipur, Mughal Army defeats Durrani invasion force from AfghanistanApr. 26, 1748: Emperor Muhammad Shah dies, succeeded by 22-year-old son Ahmad Shah BahadurMay  1754: Battle of Sikandarabad, Marathas defeat Mughal Imperial Army, kill 15,000 Mughal troopsJune 2, 1754: Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur deposed and blinded by Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk; former emperor spends rest of life in prison, dying in 1775June 3, 1754: Imad-ul-Mulk appoints Alamgir II, the 55-year-old second son of Jahandar Shah, as the new Mughal Empero r1756: 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 fabricatedNov. 29, 1759: Imad-ul-Mulk and Maratha ruler Sadashivrao Bhau conspire to murder Alamgir II, place Aurangzebs grandson Shah Jahan III on Mughal throneOct. 10, 1760: Shah Jahan III deposed after less than a year, but survives until 1772; succeeded by Alamgir IIs son, Shah Alam IIOct. 1760 - 1806: Emperor Shah Alam II, in alliance with Durranis, works to restore the glory of Mughal EmpireOct. 23, 1764: Battle of Buxar, British East India Company defeats the combined army of Emperor Shah Alam II and the nawabs of Awadh and BengalNov. 19, 1806: 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 BritishSept. 28, 1837: Akbar Shah II dies at age of 77, succeeded as a puppet ruler by son Bahadur Shah II1857: Use of po rk and/or beef fat on army cartridges sets off the Sepoy Mutiny or Indian Revolt1858: British use Indian Revolt of 1857 as the pretext to exile last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II, to Rangoon, Burma; Mughal dynasty ends