# List of Mughal grand viziers

The Grand Vizier of Hindustan (Hindustani: Vazir-ul-Mamlikat-i-Hindustan) was the highest ranking minister in the Mughal Empire and the chief adviser to the emperor himself. The position acted as the de facto head of government of the Mughal Empire and had responsibility for leading the ministers of the Empire. This is the list of grand viziers (vazīr-e azam) of the Mughal Empire.

## History

The seniormost official under the Mughals, or the Prime Minister, held different titles such as Vakil, Vakil-us-Sultanat, Wazir, Diwan, Diwan-i-Ala and Diwan Wazir under different Mughal emperors. Under Babur and Humayun, the institution of the wazirat was not fully developed owing to a lack of an entrenched nobility and political upheaval. Nonetheless, individuals under both rulers did rise to positions equivalent to the position of prime minister and under Humayun reforms were first attempted to clarify the roles of Vakil and Wazir.
In the early years of Akbar's reign, the position of prime minister was first officially held by Bairam Khan as Vakil-us-Sultanat, and he exercised considerable influence over the emperor. Over time the power of the Vakil gradually declined, and during the reign of his successor Jahangir the role of Wazir replaced the Vakil as the most important officer in government. Mughal wazirs were specifically appointed from the ahl-i-qalam(men of the pen) as distinct from the ahl-i-saif(men of the sword). With the abolishment of the post of Wakil, the post was divided into the two offices of Wazir and Mir Bakhshi, where the chief Wazir was the head of the finance department, while the Mir Bakhshi was the head of the military department. These two offices were made jointly responsible for the administration by a system of signatures and counter-signatures. Until the death of Aurangzeb, the post of Wazir was never a threat to the monarchy as the Wazir could not act too independently. However, after the death of Aurangzeb, the pre-mughal tradition in India of the Wazir being the premier noble at the court and leading counsellor of the king apart from being the head of the financial administration had been re-established.

## List of grand viziers

| Name | Term of office | Term of office | Notable events | Emperor |
| Amir Nizamuddin Khalifa | 21 April 1526 | 17 May 1540 | 1st Battle of Panipat Battle of Khanwa | Babur (1526 – 1530) & Humayun (1530 – 1540) |
| Qaracha Khan | 1540 | ? | He was a governor of Qandahar and Humayun appoint him as Grand-Vizier of the Mughal State. | Humayun (1530 – 1556) |
| Bairam Khan | 1556 | March/April 1560 | | Akbar-i-Azam اکبر اعظم (1556-1605) |
| Munim Khan | 1560 | 1561 | | Akbar-i-Azam اکبر اعظم (1556-1605) |
| Ataga Khan | November 1561 | 16 May 1562 | He was assassinated by Adham Khan | Akbar-i-Azam اکبر اعظم (1556-1605) |
| Muzaffar Khan Turbati | 1575 | 1579 | No Vakil was appointed after his appointment to governorship in Bengal from 1579 until 1589 | Akbar-i-Azam اکبر اعظم (1556-1605) |
| Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak | 1579 | 22 August 1602 | | Akbar-i-Azam اکبر اعظم (1556-1605) |
| Sharif Khan | 1605 | 1611 | | Jahangir جہانگیر (1605-1627) |
| Mirza Ghias Beg | 1611 | 1622 | | Jahangir جہانگیر (1605-1627) |
| Abu'l-Hasan Asaf Khan | 1622 | 1627/28 | | Jahangir جہانگیر (1605-1627) |
| Shaikh Ilam-ud-Din Ansari | 1627 | 1628 (less than a year) | | Shah Jahan شاہ جہان (1628-1658) |
| Azam Khan | 1628 | 1628 | | Shah Jahan شاہ جہان (1628-1658) |
| Afzal Khan Shirazi | 1628 | 1639 | | Shah Jahan شاہ جہان (1628-1658) |
| Islam Khan Mashadi | 1639 | 1645 | | Shah Jahan شاہ جہان (1628-1658) |
| Sadullah Khan | 1645 | 1656 | Taj Mahal completed | Shah Jahan شاہ جہان (1628-1658) |
| Mir Jumla | 1656 | 1657 | | Alamgir I عالمگیر (1658-1707) |
| Jafar Khan | 1657 | 1658 | | Alamgir I عالمگیر (1658-1707) |
| Fazil Khan | 1658 | 1663 | | Alamgir I عالمگیر (1658-1707) |
| Jafar Khan | 1663 | 1670 | | Alamgir I عالمگیر (1658-1707) |
| Asad Khan | 1675 | 1707 | Mughal–Maratha Wars Anglo-Mughal War | Alamgir I عالمگیر (1658-1707) |
| Mun'im Khan Khan-i-Khanan | 1707 | 1711 | | Bahadur Shah I بہادر شاہ (1707-1712) |
| Hidayatullah Khan Kashmiri | 1711 | 1713 | | Jahandar Shah جہاندار شاہ (1712-1713) |
| Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung | 1712 | 1713 | | Jahandar Shah جہاندار شاہ (1712-1713) |
| Mir Rustam Ali Khan | 1710 | 1737 | | Farrukhsiyar فرخ سیر (1713–1719) |
| Qutb-ul-Mulk Abdullah Khan Barha | 1713 | 1720 | Mughal throne occupied by a series of puppet rulers under the Syed brothers. | Farrukhsiyar فرخ سیر (1713–1719) |
| Muhammad Amin Khan Turani | 1720 | 1721 | | Muhammad Shah محمد شاہ (1719-1748) |
| Mir Qamar-ud-Din Khan Asaf Jah I | 1721 | 1723 | | Muhammad Shah محمد شاہ (1719-1748) |
| Roshan-ud-Daulah Zafar Khan | 1724 | 1733 | | Muhammad Shah محمد شاہ (1719-1748) |
| Mir Fazil Qamar-ud-Din Khan | 1733 | 1748 | Battle of Bhopal Nader Shah's invasion of Mughal Empire Battle of Karnal First invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Battle of Manupur (1748) | Muhammad Shah محمد شاہ (1719-1748) |
| Safdar Jang | 1748 | 1753 | Second invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Third invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani Battle of Lahore (1752) | Ahmad Shah Bahadur احمد شاہ بہادر (1748-1754) |
| Intizam-ud-Daulah | 1753 | 1754 | | Ahmad Shah Bahadur احمد شاہ بہادر (1748-1754) |
| Imad-ul-Mulk Feroze Jung | 1754 | 1760 | Black Hole of Calcutta Battle of Plassey | Alamgir II عالمگیر دوم (1754-1759) |
| (de-facto wazir-i-azam Shuja ud-Daulah) (Original shahjada-wazir-i-azam Mirza Jawan Bakht) | 1760 1760 | 1775 1784 | Third Battle of Panipat Battle of Buxar Treaty of Allahabad | Shah Alam II شاہ عالم دوم (1760-1806) |
| Najaf Quli Khan | 1772 | 1791 | | Shah Alam II شاہ عالم دوم (1760-1806) |