The Mughal empire reached its height under the rule of the six so-called Great Mughals. Enthusiastic patrons of the arts and technology, and prolific military campaigners, these emperors had a profound effect on the development of Mughal culture.

Babur (reigned 1526-1530) established the empire and accumulated enormous wealth. His son Humayun initially expanded the empire but by 1540 had lost Hindustan to the Afghan Surs. In 1555 he used some of the remaining Mughal wealth to buy help to regain his throne, and retook Delhi.

Akbar (reigned 1556-1605) was only 13 when he inherited the now unstable empire. He regained lands and consolidated his position by pursuing an aggressive policy of territorial expansion. His son Jahangir (reigned 1605-1627) inherited a stable, extremely wealthy empire, and further consolidated the gains made by his father.

By the 1650s, under the reign of Shah Jahan (1628-1658), the empire was possibly the greatest in the world. However, he struggled to bring all South Asia under Mughal control. He also failed to stem the rivalry of his own sons, which led ultimately to his overthrow in 1658 by Awrangzib. Awrangzib (reigned 1658-1707) further expanded the empire in the early years of his reign. However, years of war on several fronts, and his own religious intolerance depleted the wealth of the Mughals and led ultimately to the decline of their powers.