It is one of the recorded wording of Akbar, that ‚¬Ëœa monarch should be ever intent on conquest, otherwise, his enemies rise in arms against him. ‚¬„¢Excuses for war and conquest are easily invented by their promoters; but though in this case, Akbar‚¬„¢s aim was merely to extend his dominions, his contention had more justification than most such pretexts. For it is certain that had he sat still at Agra, content with what he had won already, he would have been continually embroiled in wars of defence. He was always having to deal with rebellions in one direction or another: there were always other claimants to his throne. The Mughals were descendants of two great lineages of rulers. From their mother‚¬„¢s side, they were descendants of Genghis Khan (died 1227). From their father‚¬„¢s side, they were the successors of Timur (died 1404). Akbar was one of them. Akbar was 13 years old when he became emperor. Akbar (1556-1570) became independent of the regent Bairam Khan and other members of his domestic staff. Military campaigns were launched against the neighbouring kingdoms of Malwa and Gondwana. Abul Fazl wrote a three-volume history of Akbar‚¬„¢s reign, titled Akbar Nama. The first volume dealt with Akbar‚¬„¢s ancestors. The second volume recorded the events of Akbar‚¬„¢s reign. The third volume is the Ain-i Akbari. It deals with Akbar‚¬„¢s administration, household, army, revenues and the geography of his empire. It also provides rich details about the traditions and culture of the people living in India. Important PointsBABUR 1526-15301526 - defeated Ibrahim Lodi and his Afghan supporters at Panipat. 1527 - defeated Rana Sanga, Rajput ruler. 1528 - defeated the Rajputs at Chanderi; Established control over Agra and Delhi before his death. HUMAYUN 1530-15401555-1556 Humayun divided his inheritance. Sher Khan defeated Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kanauj (1540), forcing him to flee to Iran. He recaptured Delhi in 1555 but died the next year after an accident in this building. AKBAR 1556-1605Akbar (1556-1570) after military campaigns against Malwa and Gondwana. 1570-1585- military campaigns in Gujarat, in the east in Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. 1585-1605- Campaigns were launched in the north-west. In the last years of his reign, Akbar was distracted by the rebellion of Prince Salim (Emperor Jahangir). Jahangir 1605-1627Military campaigns started by Akbar continued. The Sisodiya ruler of Mewar, Amar Singh, accepted Mughal service. Prince Khurram, the future Emperor Shah Jahan, rebelled in the last years of his reign. Shah Jahan 1627-1658Mughal campaigns continued in the Deccan under Shah Jahan. In 1632 Ahmadnagar was finally annexed and the Bijapur forces sued for peace. In 1657-1658, there was conflict amongst Shah Jahan‚¬„¢s sons. Aurangzeb was victorious. Shah Jahan was imprisoned for the rest of his life in Agra. Aurangzeb 1658-1707In the north-east, the Ahoms were defeated in 1663. Campaigns against the Maratha chieftain Shivaji were initially successful. From 1698 Aurangzeb managed campaigns in the Deccan against the Marathas who started guerrilla warfare. His death was followed by a succession conflict amongst his sons.