The Mughal Empire had emperors.
Abu ` l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad ( 15 October 1542 -- 27 October 1605 ) , popularly known as Akbar I ( [ əkbər ] , literally `` the great '' ) and later Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal emperor , who reigned from 1556 to 1605 . Abu ' l Muzaffar Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad ( 3 November 1618 -- 3 March 1707 ) , commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his regnal title Alamgir ( `` He who seizes the universe '' ) , was the sixth , and widely considered the last effective Mughal Emperor . Mughal Empire . The Mughal emperors were Central Asian Turco-Mongols belonging to the Timurid dynasty , who claimed direct descent from both Genghis Khan ( founder of the Mongol Empire , through his son Chagatai Khan ) and Timur ( Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire ) .