Babur

Reign: 1526 – 1531
Life: 1483–1531

He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother, respectively. Babur ascended the throne of Fergana in its capital, Akhsikath, in 1494 at the age of twelve and faced rebellion. He conquered Samarkand two years later, only to lose Fergana soon after. In 1501, his attempt to recapture both regions failed when the Uzbek prince Muhammad Shaybani defeated him and founded the Khanate of Bukhara. In 1504, he conquered Kabul, which was under the putative rule of Abd ur-Razaq Mirza, the infant heir of Ulugh Beg II. Babur formed a partnership with the Safavid emperor Ismail I and reconquered parts of Turkestan, including Samarkand, only to again lose it and the other newly conquered lands to the Shaybanids.

During Babur's reign, Henry VIII of England ruled England, Suleiman the Magnificent ruled Ottoman Empire, and James V of Scotland ruled Scotland.

Want to learn more? Further reading

The Baburnama by Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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The Baburnama

Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur

Babur's own memoir, one of history's great autobiographies, from Ferghana to Hindustan.

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