Timurid dynasty

Timurid dynasty
گورکانیان, Gūrkāniyān
Timurid dynasty; گورکانیان, Gūrkāniyān
Parent house	Barlas
Country	Timurid Empire; Mughal Empire;
Current region	Central Asia; Greater Iran; Indian peninsula
Founded	1370
Founder	Timur
Final ruler	Bahadur Shah II
Titles	Amir; Beg; Sheikh; Gurkani; Mirza; Sahib Qiran; Sultan; Shah; Padishah;
Traditions	Sunni Islam (Hanafi)
Dissolution	1857
Deposition	1507 (Timurid Empire); 1857 (Mughal Empire);
Cadet branches	Mughal dynasty

The Timurid dynasty, self-designated as Gurkani (Persian: گورکانیان, romanized: Gūrkāniyān), was a Sunni Muslim^[1] dynasty or clan of Turco-Mongol origin^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] descended from the warlord Timur (also known as Tamerlane). The word "Gurkani" derives from "Gurkan", a Persianized form of the Mongolian word "Kuragan" meaning "son-in-law".^[6] This was an honorific title used by the dynasty as the Timurids were in-laws of the line of Genghis Khan,^[7] founder of the Mongol Empire, as Timur had married Saray Mulk Khanum, a direct descendant of Genghis Khan. Members of the Timurid dynasty signaled the Timurid Renaissance, and they were strongly influenced by Persian culture^[2]^[8] and established two significant empires in history, the Timurid Empire (1370–1507) based in Persia and Central Asia, and the Mughal Empire (1526–1857) based in the Indian subcontinent.

Origins

The origin of the Timurid dynasty goes back to the Mongol tribe known as Barlas, who were remnants of the original Mongol army of Genghis Khan,^[2]^[9]^[10] founder of the Mongol Empire. After the Mongol conquest of Central Asia, the Barlas settled in what is today southern Kazakhstan, from Shymkent to Taraz and Almaty, which then came to be known for a time as Moghulistan – "Land of Mongols" in Persian – and intermingled to a considerable degree with the local Turkic and Turkic-speaking population, so that at the time of Timur's reign the Barlas had become thoroughly Turkicized in terms of language and habits.

Additionally, by adopting Islam, the Central Asian Turks and Mongols adopted the Persian literary and high culture^[11] which had dominated Central Asia since the early days of Islamic influence. Persian literature was instrumental in the assimilation of the Timurid elite into the Perso-Islamic courtly culture.^[12]

List of rulers

Timurid Empire

Titular name	Personal name	Reign
Timur ruled over the Chagatai Khanate with Soyurghatmïsh Khan as nominal Khan followed by Sultan Mahmud Khan. He himself adopted the Muslim Arabic title of Amir. In essence the Khanate was finished and the Timurid Empire was firmly established.
Amir امیر Timur Lang تیمور لنگ	Timur Beg Gurkani تیمور بیگ گورکانی	1370–1405
Amir امیر	Pir Muhammad bin Jahangir Mirza پیر محمد بن جہانگیر میرزا	1405–1407
Amir امیر	Khalil Sultan bin Miran Shah خلیل سلطان بن میران شاہ	1405–1409
Amir امیر	Shahrukh Mirza شاھرخ میرزا	1405–1447
Amir امیر Ulugh Beg الغ بیگ	Mirza Muhammad Tāraghay میرزا محمد طارق	1447–1449
Division of Timurid Empire

Transoxiana	Khurasan/Herat/Fars/Iraq-e-Ajam
Abdal-Latif Mirza میرزا عبداللطیف Padarkush (Father Killer) 1449–1450	Ala al-Dawla Mirza علاء الدولہ میرزا بن بایسنقر ? Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza میرزا ابوالقاسم بابر بن بایسنقر 1449–1457 Sultan Muhammad سلطان محمد ابن بایسنقر 1447–1451
Abdullah Mirza میرزا عبد اللہ 1450–1451	Abul-Qasim Babur Mirza میرزا ابوالقاسم بابر بن بایسنقر 1451–1457
	Mirza Shah Mahmud میرزا شاہ محمود 1457
	Ibrahim Sultan ابراھیم میرزا 1457–1459
Abu Sa'id Mirza ابو سعید میرزا (Although Abu Sa'id Mirza re-united most of the Timurid heartland in Central Asia with the help of Uzbek Chief, Abul-Khayr Khan (grandfather of Muhammad Shayabani Khan), he agreed to divide Iran with the Black Sheep Turkomen under Jahan Shah, but the White Sheep Turkomen under Uzun Hassan defeated and killed first Jahan Shah and then Abu Sa'id. After Abu Sa'id's death another era of fragmentation follows.) 1451–1469
**Transoxiana is divided	Sultan Husayn Bayqara سلطان حسین میرزا بایقرا 1469 1st reign
	Yadgar Muhammad Mirza میرزا یادگار محمد 1470 (6 weeks)
	Sultan Husayn Bayqara سلطان حسین میرزا بایقرا 1470–1506 2nd reign
	Badi' al-Zaman Mirza بدیع الزمان میرزا 1506–1507 Muzaffar Husayn Mirza مظفر حسین میرزا 1506–1507
	Uzbeks under Muhammad Shayabak Khan Conquer Herat

Abu Sa'id's sons divided Transoxiana upon his death, into Samarkand, Bukhara, Hissar, Balkh, Kabul and Farghana.

Samarkand	Bukhara	Hissar	Farghana	Balkh	Kabul
Sultan Ahmad Mirza سلطان احمد میرزا 1469–1494			Umar Shaikh Mirza II عمر شیخ میرزا ثانی 1469–1494	Sultan Mahmud Mirza سلطان محمود میرزا 1469–1495	Ulugh Beg Mirza II میرزا الغ بیگ 1469 – 1502
Sultan Baysonqor Mirza bin Mahmud Mirza بایسنقر میرزا بن محمود میرزا 1495–1497	Sultan Ali bin Mahmud Mirza سلطان علی بن محمود میرزا 1495–1500	Sultan Masud Mirza bin Mahmud Mirza سلطان مسعود بن محمود میرزا 1495 – ?	Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur ظہیر الدین محمد بابر 1494–1497	Khusrau Shah خسرو شاہ (Usurper) ? – 1504	Mukim Beg Arghun مقیم ارغون (Usurper) ? – 1504
Uzbeks under Muhammad Shayabak Khan محمد شایبک خان ازبک 1500–1501			Jahangir Mirza II جہانگیر میرزا (puppet of Sultan Ahmed Tambol) 1497 – 1503	Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur ظہیر الدین محمد بابر 1504–1504
Uzbeks under Muhammad Shayabak Khan محمد شایبک خان ازبک 1503–1504					Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur ظہیر الدین محمد بابر 1504–1511
Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur ظہیر الدین محمد بابر (Never till his conquest of India were the dominions of Babur as extensive as at this period. Like his grandfather Abu Sa'id Mirza, he managed to re-unite the Timurid heartland in Central Asia with the help of Shah of Iran, Ismail I. His dominions stretched from the Caspian Sea and the Ural Mountains to the farthest limits of Ghazni and comprehended Kabul and Ghazni;Kunduz and Hissar; Samarkand and Bukhara; Farghana; Tashkent and Seiram) 1511–1512
Uzbeks under Ubaydullah Sultan عبید اللہ سلطان re-conquer Transoxiana and Balkh 1512					Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur ظہیر الدین محمد بابر 1512–1530
Timurid Empire in Central Asia becomes extinct under the Khanate of Bukhara of the Uzbeks. However, Timurid dynasty moves on to conquer India under the leadership of Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur in 1526 C.E. and established the Timurid dynasty of India.

Mughal Empire

Emperor	Birth	Reign Period	Death	Notes
Babur	1483	1526–1530	1530	Was a direct descendant of Genghis Khan through his mother and was descendant of Timur through his father. Founded the Mughal Empire after his victories at the First Battle of Panipat and the Battle of Khanwa.
Humayun	1508	1530–1540	1556	Reign interrupted by Sur Empire. Youth and inexperience at ascension led to his being regarded as a less effective ruler than a usurper, Sher Shah Suri.
Sher Shah Suri	1486	1540–1545	1545	Deposed Humayun and led the Sur Empire.
Islam Shah Suri	1507	1545–1554	1554	Second and last ruler of the Sur Empire, claims of sons Sikandar and Adil Shah were eliminated by Humayun's restoration.
Humayun	1508	1555–1556	1556	Restored rule was more unified and effective than the initial reign of 1530–1540; left a unified empire for his son, Akbar.
Akbar	1542	1556–1605	1605	He and Bairam Khan defeated Hemu during the Second Battle of Panipat and later won famous victories during the Siege of Chittorgarh and the Siege of Ranthambore; He greatly expanded the Empire and is regarded as the most illustrious ruler of the Mughal Empire as he set up the empire's various institutions; He married Mariam-uz-Zamani, a Rajput princess who became the mother to his successor Jahangir. One of his most famous construction marvels was the Lahore Fort and Agra Fort.^[13]
Jahangir	1569	1605–1627	1627	Jahangir set the precedent for sons rebelling against their emperor fathers. Opened first relations with the British East India Company.
Shah Jahan	1592	1628–1658	1666	Under him, Mughal art and architecture reached their zenith; constructed the Taj Mahal, Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Jahangir mausoleum, and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore. Deposed by his son Aurangzeb.
Aurangzeb	1618	1658–1707	1707	He reinterpreted Islamic law and presented the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri; he captured the diamond mines of the Sultanate of Golconda; he spent the major part of his last 27 years in the war with the Maratha rebels; at its zenith, his conquests expanded the empire to its greatest extent; the over-stretched empire was controlled by Mansabdars, and faced challenges after his death. He is known to have transcribed copies of the Qur'an using his styles of calligraphy.
Bahadur Shah I	1643	1707–1712	1712	First of the Mughal emperors to preside over an empire ravaged by uncontrollable revolts. After his reign, the empire went into steady decline due to the lack of leadership qualities among his immediate successors.
Jahandar Shah	1661	1712–1713	1713	The son of Bahadur Shah I, he was an unpopular incompetent titular figurehead; he attained the throne after his father's death by his victory in battle over his brother, who was killed.
Farrukhsiyar	1685	1713–1719	1719	His reign marked the ascendancy of the manipulative Syed Brothers, execution of the rebellious Banda. In 1717 he granted a Firman to the English East India Company granting them duty-free trading rights in Bengal. The Firman was repudiated by the notable Murshid Quli Khan the Mughal appointed ruler of Bengal.
Rafi Ul-Darjat	1699	1719	1719
Rafi Ud-Daulat	1696	1719	1719
Nikusiyar	c. 1679	1719	1723
Muhammad Ibrahim	1703	1720	1746
Muhammad Shah	1702	1719–1720, 1720–1748	1748	Got rid of the Syed Brothers. Tried to counter the emergence of the Marathas but his empire disintegrated. Suffered the invasion of Nadir-Shah of Persia in 1739.^[14]
Ahmad Shah Bahadur	1725	1748–54	1775
Alamgir II	1699	1754–1759	1759	He was murdered according to by the Vizier Imad-ul-Mulk and Maratha associate Sadashivrao Bhau.
Shah Jahan III	1711	1759-1760	1772	Was ordained to the imperial throne as a result of the intricacies in Delhi with the help of Imad-ul-Mulk. He was later deposed by Maratha Sardars.^[15]^{[full citation needed]}^[16]
Shah Alam II	1728	1759–1806	1806	He was proclaimed as Mughal Emperor by the Marathas.^[15] Later, he was again recognized as the Mughal Emperor by Ahmad Shah Durrani after the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761.^[17] 1764 saw the defeat of the combined forces of Mughal Emperor, Nawab of Oudh and Nawab of Bengal and Bihar at the hand of East India Company at the Battle of Buxar. Following this defeat, Shah Alam II left Delhi for Allahabad, ending hostilities with the Treaty of Allahabad (1765). Shah Alam II was reinstated to the throne of Delhi in 1772 by Mahadaji Shinde under the protection of the Marathas.^[18] He was a de jure emperor. During his reign in 1793 British East India company abolished Nizamat (Mughal suzerainty) and took control of the former Mughal province of Bengal marking the beginning of British reign in parts of Eastern India officially.
Akbar Shah II	1760	1806–1837	1837	He became a British pensioner after the defeat of the Marathas in the Third Anglo-Maratha war who was until then the protector of the Mughal throne. Under the East India company's protection, his imperial name was removed from official coinage after a brief dispute with the British East India Company.
Bahadur Shah II	1775	1837–1857	1862	The last Mughal emperor was deposed in 1858 by the British East India Company and exiled to Burma following the War of 1857 after the fall of Delhi to the company troops. His death marks the end of the Mughal dynasty but not of the family.

Family Tree

Timurid Dynasty

Timurid Empire
Timurid Empire of Farghana
Timurid Empire of Kabul
Timurid Empire of Herat
Timurid Empire of Samarkand
Timurid Empire of Transoxiana
Timurid Empire of Hissar
Timurid Empire of Khurasan
Mughal Empire

Timur
r. 1370–1405

Jahangir

Umar-Shaykh

Miran-Shah

Shah-Rukh
r. 1407–1447

Muhammad-Sultan

Pir-Muhammad
r. 1405–1407

Bayqara

Khalil-Sultan
r. 1405–1409

Muhammad

Ulugh-Beg I
r. 1447–1449

Ibrahim-Sultan

Baysunghur

Muhammad-Juki

Mansur

Abu Sa'id
r. 1451–1469
r. 1459–1469

Abd al-Latif
r. 1449–1450

Abd Allah
r. 1450–1451

Ala al-Dawla
r. 1447–1448

Sultan-Muhammad
r. 1449–1451

Abu'l-Qasim Babur
r. 1449–1449,
1451–1457
r. 1447–1457

Husayn-Bayqara
r. 1469–1470,
1470–1506

Sultan-Ahmad
r. 1469–1494

Sultan-Mahmud
r. 1469–1495
r. 1494–1495

Umar-Shaykh II
r. 1469–1494

Ulugh-Beg II
r. 1469–1502

Ibrahim
r. 1457–1459

Yadegar-Muhammad
r. 1470–1470

Shah-Mahmud
r. 1457–1457

Badi' al-Zaman
r. 1506–1507

Muzaffar-Husayn
r. 1506–1507

Sultan-Masud
r. 1495–1497

Sultan-Baysunghur
r. 1495–1497
r. 1497–1499

Sultan-Ali
r. 1497–1500

Babur
r. 1494–1497
r. 1497–1497,
1511–1512
r. 1504–1526
r. 1526–1530

Jahangir II
r. 1497–1504

Abd ar-Razaq
r. 1502–1504

Humayun
r. 1530–1540,
1554–1556

Akbar I
r. 1556–1605

Jahangir
r. 1605–1627

Shah-Jahan I
r. 1628–1658

Shahryar
r. 1627–1628

Shah-Shuja
r. 1657–1659

Aurangzeb
r. 1658–1707

Bahadur Shah I
r. 1707–1712

Muhammad-Azam Shah
r. 1707–1707

Muhammad-Akbar

Muhammad-Kam-Bakhsh

Jahandar Shah
r. 1712–1713

Azim-ush-Shan
r. 1712–1712

Rafi-ush-Shan

Khujista-Akhtar

Nikusiyar
r. 1719–1719

Muhi us-Sunnat

Alamgir II
r. 1754–1759

Farrukhsiyar
r. 1713–1719

Shah-Jahan II
r. 1719–1719

Rafi ud-Darajat
r. 1719–1719

Muhammad-Ibrahim
r. 1720–1720

Muhammad Shah
r. 1719–1748

Shah-Jahan III
r. 1759–1760

Shah-Alam II
r. 1759–1806

Ahmad Shah
r. 1748–1754

Akbar II
r. 1806–1837

Shah-Jahan IV
r. 1788–1788

Bahadur Shah II
r. 1837–1857

References and notes

^ Maria E. Subtelny, Timurids in Transition: Turko-Persian Politics and Acculturation in Medieval Persia, Vol. 7, (Brill, 2007), 201.
^ ^a ^b ^c B.F. Manz, "Tīmūr Lang", in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Online Edition, 2006
^ Encyclopædia Britannica, "Timurid Dynasty", Online Academic Edition, 2007. (Quotation: "Turkic dynasty descended from the conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), renowned for its brilliant revival of artistic and intellectual life in Iran and Central Asia. ... Trading and artistic communities were brought into the capital city of Herat, where a library was founded, and the capital became the centre of a renewed and artistically brilliant Persian culture.")
^ "Timurids". The Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth ed.). New York City: Columbia University. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
^ Encyclopædia Britannica article: "Consolidation & expansion of the Indo-Timurids", Online Edition, 2007.
^ A History of the Muslim World Since 1260: The Making of a Global Community, by Vernon Egger, p. 193
^ ""The Man Behind the Mosque"". Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
^ Maria Subtelny, Timurids in Transition, p. 40: "Nevertheless, in the complex process of transition, members of the Timurid dynasty and their Persian Mongol supporters became acculturate by the surrounding Persianate millieu adopting Persian cultural models and tastes and acting as patrons of Persian culture, painting, architecture and music." p. 41: "The last members of the dynasty, notably Sultan-Abu Sa'id and Sultan-Husain, in fact came to be regarded as ideal Perso-Islamic rulers who develoted as much attention to agricultural development as they did to fostering Persianate court culture."
^ "Timur". Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth ed.). 2005.
^ "Consolidation & expansion of the Indo-Timurids". Encyclopædia Britannica. 12 January 2024.
^ B. Spuler (2006). "Central Asia in the Mongol and Timurid periods". Encyclopædia Iranica. Like his father, Olōğ Beg was entirely integrated into the Persian Islamic cultural circles, and during his reign Persian predominated as the language of high culture, a status that it retained in the region of Samarqand until the Russian revolution 1917 [...] Ḥoseyn Bāyqarā encouraged the development of Persian literature and literary talent in every way possible
^ David J. Roxburgh (2005). The Persian Album, 1400–1600: From Dispersal to Collection. Yale University Press. p. 130. Persian literature, especially poetry, occupied a central in the process of assimilation of Timurid elite to the Perso-Islamicate courtly culture, and so it is not surprising to find Baysanghur commissioned a new edition of Firdawsi's Shanama.
^ Klingelhofer, William G. (1988). "The Jahangiri Mahal of the Agra Fort: Expression and Experience in Early Mughal Architecture". Muqarnas. 5: 153–169. doi:10.2307/1523115. ISSN 0732-2992. JSTOR 1523115.
^ S. N. Sen (2006). History Modern India. New Age International. pp. 11–13, 41–43. ISBN 978-81-224-1774-6.
^ ^a ^b Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707–1813, p. 140
^ S.R. Sharma (1999). Mughal Empire in India: A Systematic Study Including Source Material. Vol. 3. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 765. ISBN 9788171568192.
^ S.R. Sharma (1999). Mughal Empire in India: A Systematic Study Including Source Material. Vol. 3. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 767. ISBN 9788171568192.
^ N. G. Rathod, The Great Maratha Mahadaji Scindia, (Sarup & Sons, 1994), 8:[1]