Humayun

Title & tenure

2nd Mughal Emperor (1530–1540, 1555–1556)

In office: 1530 – 1556

Predecessor:

Babur

Successor:

Akbar

Biography

Humayun inherited a newly founded, still-unstable empire from his father Babur at age 22, and spent much of his reign defending it against rival Afghan and Mughal claimants rather than consolidating it.

Achievements

• Restored Mughal rule after 15 years of exile, laying the groundwork for the empire's golden age under his son Akbar
• Spent his exile at the Safavid Persian court, which deepened Persian cultural and artistic influence on the later Mughal court

Key events

• Defeated by the Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri at the Battle of Chausa (1539) and again at Kannauj (1540), forcing him into 15 years of exile in Persia and Afghanistan
• Recaptured Delhi in 1555 with Safavid Persian military support, restoring Mughal rule just a year before his death

Legacy

Though his own reign was defined more by loss than conquest, Humayun's survival and eventual return preserved the Mughal line, and the Persian artists and scholars he brought back with him shaped Mughal art for generations.

How it ended

Died in 1556 after falling down the stairs of his library in Delhi, only months after reclaiming his throne; succeeded by his 13-year-old son Akbar.