Emperor of Hindustan Babur

Born Zahir al-Din Muhammad in 1483, Babur was a Timurid prince from Central Asia who became ruler of Farghana while still a boy. After years of struggle for power in places including Samarkand and Kabul, he turned toward northern India and laid the foundations of Mughal rule there.

His victory over Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 is usually seen as the beginning of the Mughal Empire. He ruled only a few years in Hindustan before his death in 1530, but his conquests shaped the course of South Asian history and prepared the way for the great Mughal emperors who followed, including his son Humayun.

Babur is remembered not only as a military leader but also as a gifted writer. The Baburnama, his memoir, is admired for its clear, lively observations of people, politics, nature, and everyday life, making him one of the most humanly vivid rulers of the early modern world.