A Muslim dynasty of mixed Mongol and Turkish descent, which invaded India in 1526, expanded over most of the subcontinent except the extreme south, and ruled in strength until the early 18th century. The first emperor was Babur (1483–1530). He was succeeded by a line of remarkable emperors: Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb. They created a strong administration for the rapidly growing empire, and the official attitude of conciliation towards the majority Hindu population encouraged religious harmony. Culturally, the introduction of the Persian language and Persian artistic styles led to a distinctive Indo-Muslim style in miniature painting and architecture, the legacy remaining today in the tombs and palaces of Delhi, and Agra, and several other cities of India and Pakistan.

Internal and external pressure accelerated the weakening of central power during the 18th century. Rival court factions undermined the position of less capable rulers, allowing provincial governors to seize local power. The abandonment of conciliatory religious policies encouraged a resurgence of Hindu power, notably among the Marathas. Hostile invasions from central Asia revealed the hollowness of the dynasty’s claim to all-India hegemony, so that by 1803, when Delhi fell to the East India Company, all real power had already been lost. For another half-century they enjoyed a ‘twilight era’ as nominal ‘kings of Delhi’, dependent on British goodwill, but in 1857 the last Mogul king was exiled and the title abolished.