Aurangzeb

Born on November 3, 1618, in Dahod, Gujarat, Aurangzeb was the third son of Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. Renowned for his ascetic discipline, military command, and administrative rigor, he emerged victorious in the war of succession in 1658 to assume the throne as Alamgir. During his 49-year reign (1658–1707), the Mughal Empire achieved its maximum territorial expansion, spanning over 4 million square kilometers and ruling over an estimated 150 million subjects—representing nearly a quarter of global GDP. Aurangzeb compiled the monumental legal digest Fatawa-e-Alamgiri, commissioned the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore and the Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad, and spent his final two decades personally campaigning in the Deccan.