Aurangzeb

Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, was the sixth Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707. Under his reign, the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, with territory spanning nearly the entirety of the Indian subcontinent. A member of the Timurid dynasty, Aurangzeb first gained recognition as a capable military commander while serving under his father, Shah Jahan.

He held posts as viceroy of the Deccan and governor of Gujarat, and jointly administered Multan and Sindh while leading expeditions into Safavid lands. When Shah Jahan named his eldest son, Dara Shikoh, as successor in 1657, Aurangzeb rejected the decision and proclaimed himself emperor in early 1658. He defeated Shikoh and the Kingdom of Marwar at the Battle of Dharmat, then secured his sovereignty with a decisive victory at Samugarh. After Shah Jahan recovered from illness, Aurangzeb declared him unfit to rule and imprisoned him in Agra Fort. He then had Dara Shikoh beheaded, presenting the head to their father.

Aurangzeb’s reign saw rapid military expansion, with many dynasties overthrown and the Mughal army becoming one of the world’s strongest. The empire surpassed Qing China as the largest economy and manufacturing power. A devout Muslim, he built numerous mosques, patronized Arabic calligraphy, and imposed the Fatawa-i Alamgiri as the empire’s principal legal code, banning activities forbidden by Islam. He suppressed local revolts but maintained good relations with foreign governments. His legacy remains complicated: he is criticized for ordering the demolition of non-Muslim schools and temples and for reimposing the jizya tax on non-Muslims, which had been suspended for a century. Some argue he abandoned the pluralism and tolerance of earlier Mughal emperors.