The Mughal emperor (Padshah) was the ultimate source of power in the empire. The source of his authority generally derived from a mixture of Timurid, Persian, and Islamic traditions. Originally, Babur first used the title to distinguish himself from the Delhi Sultanate and to continue the tradition of the Timurid House. In time, as the empire became more settled in India, and was influenced greatly by Persian culture, the emperors styled themselves in various fashions, such as Zil-e-Ilahi (Shadow of God), Zil-i-Subhani, Shahanshah, Badshah, etc, along with subsidiary titles.
The emperor held absolute control of the empire for most of its history, though towards its decline they became more of a figurehead.
The exact mechanism of Mughal succession rules is unclear, and here a mix of Islamic Caliphate laws and Timurid tradition seem to have lent credence to a Mughal succeeding to the throne, beyond a simplistic explanation of "might is right", which, nevertheless, held great importance.
Below is a list of the Mughal Emperors, generally recognized. Please note that this list is slightly disputed, for reasons mentioned above, and is liable to change pending further, credible research. As a reference, a list of Mughal pretenders is also included below (all those who claimed the throne but could not succeed).
- Babur (1526-1530)
- Humayun (1530-1540/1555-1556)
- Akbar (1556-1605)
- Jahangir (1605-1627)
- Shah Jahan (1627-1658)
- Alamgir I (1658-1707)
- Shah Alam Bahadur Shah I (1707-1712)
- Jahandar Shah (1712-1713)
- Farrukhsiyar (1713-1719)
- Rafi-ul-Darajat (1719)
- Shah Jahan II (1719)
- Muhammad Shah (1719-1748)
- Ahmad Shah (1748-1754)
- Alamgir II (1754-1759)
- Shah Jahan III (1759-1760)
- Shah Alam II (1760-1788/1788-1806)
- Jahan Shah (1788)
- Akbar II (1806-1837)
- Bahadur Shah II (1837-1857)
- Mirza Hakim (1581)
- Khusrao (1605-1606)
- Dawar Bakhsh (1627-1628)
- Shahriyar (1627-1628)
- Shah Shujah (1657-1659)
- Murad Bakhsh (1657-1658)
- Akbar (1681)
- Azam Shah (1707)
- Kam Bakhsh (1709)
- Azim-ush-Shan (1712)
- Rafi-ush-Shan (1712)
- Jahan Shah (1712)
- Nikusiyar (1719)
- Ibrahim Shah (1720)
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