Mogul Empire

Mogul Empire, Muslim empire in northern India (1526–1857), founded by Babur, who invaded India from Afghanistan. His son Humayun was defeated by the Afghan Sher Shah Sur, but Mogul power was restored by Akbar (1556–1605), who established centralized government throughout Afghanistan and northern and central India. The Mogul “golden age” was in the reign of Shah Jehan (1628–58). During this time, the Taj Mahal, the Pearl Mosque of Agra, and many of Delhi's finest buildings were erected. In the 1700s, the rising power of the Hindu Mahratetas weakened the empire. In 1857 the British deposed the last Mogul emperor, Bahadur Shah II.

See also: Akbar.