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 . Nasir-ud-Din Muḥammad ( 6 March 1508 -- 27 January 1556 ) better known by his regnal name , Humayun , was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire , who ruled over territory in what is now Afghanistan , Pakistan , and parts of northern India from 1531 -- 1540 and again from 1555 -- 1556 . Mirza Nur-ud-din Beig Mohammad Khan Salim , known by his imperial name Jahangir ( Persian for `` conqueror of the world '' ( 31 August 1569 -- 28 October 1627 ) ) , was the fourth Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627 . Mughal Empire . The `` classic period '' of the Mughal Empire started in 1556 with the ascension of Akbar the Great to the throne .