Mughal Family Tree: Every Emperor from Babur to Bahadur Shah Zafar

Last updated: 5 November 2026

Quick answer: The Mughal family tree runs from Babur, who founded the empire in 1526, through six “Great Mughals” (Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb) to Bahadur Shah Zafar, deposed by the British in 1857. Eighteen emperors are usually counted. Every one descended from Babur in the male line, and through him from Timur and, on his mother’s side, Genghis Khan.

Most of Mughal history is family history. Brothers fought brothers, sons rebelled against fathers, and queens such as Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal shaped who ruled. This Mughal family tree traces the dynasty emperor by emperor, with the mothers and consorts who matter, and links to our deeper pages on each ruler.

List of Mughal emperors in order

Between 1540 and 1555 the empire was lost to Sher Shah Suri and his successors; Humayun won it back only months before his death. For every ruler alongside the Mughals, see our Indian Rulers Timeline.

Where did the Mughals come from?

Babur was a Timurid prince from the Fergana valley in today’s Uzbekistan. His father, Umar Shaikh Mirza, was a great-great-grandson of the conqueror Timur; his mother, Qutlugh Nigar Khanum, descended from Genghis Khan through the Chagatai khans. “Mughal” is the Persian word for Mongol, a label the dynasty itself did not much use; they called themselves Gurkani, after Timur’s title.

The Great Mughals and their queens

• Babur and Maham Begum: Maham was Humayun’s mother and Babur’s chief wife. Babur’s daughter Gulbadan Begum wrote the Humayun-nama, the only Mughal history by a woman.
• Humayun and Hamida Banu Begum: Married in exile in 1541, she gave birth to Akbar at Umerkot in 1542 while Humayun was on the run.
• Akbar and Mariam-uz-Zamani: The Rajput princess of Amber was Jahangir’s mother. See Akbar’s wives.
• Jahangir, Jagat Gosain and Nur Jahan: Jagat Gosain of Jodhpur was Shah Jahan’s mother. Nur Jahan, married in 1611, became the most powerful woman in Mughal history, issuing coins in her own name.
• Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal: Nur Jahan’s niece bore fourteen children, including Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb and Jahanara, and died in childbirth in 1631. The Taj Mahal is her tomb.
• Aurangzeb, Dilras Banu and Nawab Bai: Dilras Banu was the mother of the poet-princess Zeb-un-Nissa and of Azam Shah; Nawab Bai was the mother of Muazzam, who became Bahadur Shah I.

How Mughal brothers fought for the throne

The Mughals never adopted a fixed rule of succession. Every son of an emperor had a claim, so nearly every succession ended in war. Jahangir rebelled against Akbar; Shah Jahan rebelled against Jahangir and had his rivals killed in 1628; Aurangzeb defeated and executed his brothers Dara Shikoh and Murad Bakhsh in 1658–1661 and imprisoned his father in Agra Fort. After Aurangzeb’s death his sons fought again, at Jajau in 1707. Read how Aurangzeb died.

Who was the last Mughal emperor?

Bahadur Shah II, known by his pen name Zafar, was the last Mughal emperor. Already in his eighties, he was proclaimed leader by the rebels of 1857. When Delhi fell, he surrendered at Humayun’s Tomb. Captain William Hodson shot three princes, his sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakr, near Delhi’s Khooni Darwaza. Zafar was tried, exiled to Rangoon (Yangon) and died there on 7 November 1862.

Are there Mughal descendants today?

Several families claim descent from Bahadur Shah Zafar. The best known is Sultana Begum of Kolkata, widow of Mirza Bedar Bakht, who was described as Zafar’s great-grandson. She has lived on a small government pension; in December 2024 the Delhi High Court dismissed her petition to claim the Red Fort as having been filed far too late.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded the Mughal Empire?

Babur, after defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526.

How many Mughal emperors were there?

Eighteen are usually counted, from Babur (1526) to Bahadur Shah Zafar (1857), not counting brief pretenders.

Who were the six Great Mughals?

Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.

Who was the last Mughal emperor?

Bahadur Shah Zafar, deposed in 1857 and exiled to Rangoon, where he died in 1862.

Who was the most powerful Mughal empress?

Nur Jahan, Jahangir’s wife, who effectively ran the government in the 1620s and issued coins in her own name.

Sources and Further Reading

• John F. Richards, The Mughal Empire (The New Cambridge History of India, 1993).
• Gulbadan Begum, Humayun-nama, translated by Annette Beveridge.
• William Dalrymple, The Last Mughal (2006).
• Ruby Lal, Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan (2018).

Related: Mughal Empire History · How Did Akbar Die? · How Did Jahangir Die? · How Did Aurangzeb Die?