claim: Babur was the last Mughal emperor.
evidence: The Mughal Empire or Mogul Empire , self-designated as Gurkani -LRB- گورکانیان , Gurkaniyan , meaning `` son-in-law '' -RRB- , was an empire in the Indian subcontinent , established and ruled by a Muslim Turkic dynasty of Chagatai origin from Central Asia .. Indian subcontinent. Indian subcontinent. Muslim. Muslim. Turkic. Turkic peoples. dynasty. dynasty. Chagatai. Chagatai Khanate. The dynasty , though ethnically Turco-Mongol , was Persianate in culture , with local influences visible in its traits and customs .. dynasty. dynasty. Turco-Mongol. Turco-Mongol. Persianate. Persianate society. The Mughal empire extended over large parts of the Indian subcontinent and Afghanistan .. Indian subcontinent. Indian subcontinent. Afghanistan. Afghanistan. The empire at its peak was the second largest to have existed in the Indian subcontinent , spanning 4 million square kilometres at its zenith after the Maurya Empire which spanned 5 million square kilometres .. Indian subcontinent. Indian subcontinent. second largest to have existed in the Indian subcontinent. List of largest empires that existed in India. Maurya Empire. Maurya Empire. The beginning of the empire is conventionally dated to the victory by its founder Babur over Ibrahim Lodi , the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate , in the First Battle of Panipat -LRB- 1526 -RRB- .. First Battle of Panipat. First Battle of Panipat. Delhi. Delhi. Babur. Babur. Ibrahim Lodi. Ibrahim Lodi. Delhi Sultanate. Delhi Sultanate. The Mughal emperors were Central Asian Turco-Mongols belonging to the Timurid dynasty , who claimed direct descent from both Genghis Khan -LRB- founder of the Mongol Empire , through his son Chagatai Khan -RRB- and Timur -LRB- Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire -RRB- .. dynasty. dynasty. Chagatai. Chagatai Khanate. Turco-Mongol. Turco-Mongol. Mughal emperors. Mughal emperors. Timurid dynasty. Timurid dynasty. Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan. Mongol Empire. Mongol Empire. Chagatai Khan. Chagatai Khan. Timur. Timur. Timurid Empire. Timurid Empire. During the reign of Humayun , the successor of Babur , the empire was briefly interrupted by the Sur Empire .. Sur Empire. Sur Empire. Babur. Babur. Humayun. Humayun. The `` classic period '' of the Mughal Empire started in 1556 with the ascension of Akbar the Great to the throne .. Akbar the Great. Akbar. Under the rule of Akbar and his son Jahangir , the region enjoyed economic progress as well as religious harmony , and the monarchs were interested in local religious and cultural traditions .. Jahangir. Jahangir. Akbar was a successful warrior who also forged alliances with several Hindu Rajput kingdoms .. Rajput. Rajput. Some Rajput kingdoms continued to pose a significant threat to the Mughal dominance of northwestern India , but most of them were subdued by Akbar .. Rajput. Rajput. All Mughal emperors were Muslims ; while Akbar was Muslim most of his life , he propounded a syncretic religion in the latter part of his life called Din-i Ilahi , as recorded in historical books like Ain-i-Akbari and Dabistan-i Mazahib .. Muslim. Muslim. Mughal emperors. Mughal emperors. Din-i Ilahi. Din-i-Ilahi. Ain-i-Akbari. Ain-i-Akbari. Dabistan-i Mazahib. Dabistan-i Mazahib. The Mughal Empire did not try to intervene in the local societies during most of its existence , but rather balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices and diverse and inclusive ruling elites , leading to more systematic , centralised , and uniform rule .. Traditional and newly coherent social groups in northern and western India , such as the Marathas , the Rajputs , the Pashtuns , the Hindu Jats and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule , which , through collaboration or adversity , gave them both recognition and military experience .. Marathas. Maratha Confederacy. Rajputs. Rajputs. Pashtuns. Pashtuns. Hindu Jats. Hindu Jats. Sikhs. Khalsa. The reign of Shah Jahan , the fifth emperor , between 1628 and 1658 was the golden age of Mughal architecture .. Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan. Mughal architecture. Mughal architecture. He erected several large monuments , the best known of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra , as well as the Moti Masjid , Agra , the Red Fort , the Jama Masjid , Delhi , and the Lahore Fort .. Agra. Agra. Lahore. Lahore. Delhi. Delhi. Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal. Red Fort. Red Fort. Lahore Fort. Lahore Fort. The Mughal Empire reached the zenith of its territorial expanse during the reign of Aurangzeb and also started its terminal decline in his reign due to Maratha military resurgence under Shivaji Bhosale .. Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb. Maratha. Maratha Empire. Shivaji Bhosale. Shivaji Bhosale. During his lifetime , victories in the south expanded the Mughal Empire to more than 3.2 million square kilometres -LRB- 1.2 million square miles -RRB- , ruling over more than 150 million subjects , nearly one quarter of the world 's population at the time , with a combined GDP of over $ 90 billion .. By the mid-18th century , the Marathas had routed Mughal armies and won over several Mughal provinces from the Punjab to Bengal .. Marathas. Maratha Confederacy. Punjab. Punjab region. Bengal. Bengal. Internal dissatisfaction arose due to the weakness of the empire 's administrative and economic systems , leading to its break-up and declarations of independence of its former provinces by the Nawab of Bengal , the Nawab of Awadh , the Nizam of Hyderabad and other small states .. Bengal. Bengal. Nawab of Bengal. Nawab of Bengal. Nawab of Awadh. Nawab of Awadh. Nizam of Hyderabad. Nizam of Hyderabad. In 1739 , the Mughals were crushingly defeated in the Battle of Karnal by the forces of Nader Shah , the founder of the Afsharid dynasty in Persia , and Delhi was sacked and looted , drastically accelerating their decline .. Delhi. Delhi. dynasty. dynasty. Battle of Karnal. Battle of Karnal. Nader Shah. Nader Shah. Afsharid dynasty. Afsharid dynasty. sacked and looted. Sack of Delhi. During the following century Mughal power had become severely limited , and the last emperor , Bahadur Shah II , had authority over only the city of Shahjahanabad .. Shahjahanabad. Shahjahanabad. Bahadur Shah II. Bahadur Shah II. He issued a firman supporting the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and following the defeat was therefore tried by the British East India Company for treason , imprisoned and exiled to Rangoon .. firman. firman. Indian Rebellion of 1857. Indian Rebellion of 1857. British East India Company. British East India Company. Rangoon. Rangoon. The last remnants of the empire were formally taken over by the British , and the Government of India Act 1858 let the British Crown formally assume direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj .. Government of India Act 1858. Government of India Act 1858. British Crown. British Crown. British Raj. British Raj