On April 20, 1526, Babur, the first Mughal emperor, defeated and killed Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, head of the Lodi dynasty that had held power in northern India since 1451. For most of the next three centuries, the Mughals wielded enormous political power in India and ushered in a period of tremendous economic prosperity and artistic creativity. Their culturally diverse court included Muslim elites as well as many Rajputs, who were Hindu kings and noblemen. Mughal rule came to an end in 1858, when the British exiled the last emperor from India.
The pinnacle of Mughal power and wealth occurred under the father-to-son lineage of emperors Akbar (reigned 1556-1605), Jahangir (reigned 1605-27), and Shah Jahan (reigned 1627-58), who were keen patrons of the arts. Under Akbar, finely illustrated manuscripts were the focus of production in his royal workshops, but under his son and grandson compilations of paintings and calligraphy displayed in albums were the favored medium of artistic expression.