Maharana Kumbha or Rana Kumbha was the ruler of Mewar, between 1433 AD and 1468 AD. Rana Khumbha belongs to Sisodia clan of Rajput.  Maharana Kumbha was son of Rana Mokal of Mewar and his wife Sobhagya Devi. When All India was under the Rule of Muslims, The Rajput King Rana Kumbha stood and held the Hindu Flag; at that time Mewar was the only major state which was Independent.


It is said that Maharana Kumbha was the most powerful ruler, culture loving, an art of loving, an idol ruler, writer and a king who has never lost any battle.

History of Maharana Kumbha:
After being overrun by the army of Alauddin khilji at the turn of 13th century, Mewar had become insignificant. Rana Hammira is created with the casting off Muslims Yoke and establishing the second Guhila dynasty of the Chittor in 1355. Rana Hammira’s Grandson, Maharana Mokal was assassinated by the 2 borthers – Chacha and Mera in 1433. Lack of any support, however, Mera and Chacha to flee and Rana Kumbha ascended the throne of the Mewar. Rana Kumbha was ably assisted by the Ranamalla (Ranamalla) Rathore of Mandore.

In November 1442, Sultan of Malwa, Mahmud Khalji (khilji), commenced a series of attacks on the Mewar. After capturing Pangarh, Chaumuha and Machhindargarh, the Sultan camped for the rainy season. On April 26, 1443, Rana Kumbha attacked the Sultan's and he had to return in Mandu. The sultan again attacked in November 1443, and captured the kingdoms near to Mewar but didn’t attack Mewar for another 10 years. In order to commemorate his victory over the combined army of Malwa and Gujarat in 1440 AD Rana Kumbha erected Vijay stambha.

The ruler of Gujarat, Ahmad Shah and the ruler of Delhi, Muhammad Shah also cooperated with Rana Kumbha to combat the Mahmud Khalji.

Rana Kumbha was the first Hindu ruler to be given this accolade by Muslim Sultans.
The ruler of Nagaur, Firoz (Firuz) khan, died around 1453- 1454. His son shams Khan initially sought help of Maharana Kumbha against his own uncle Mujahid khan, who has usurped the throne. Shams Khan, refused to weaken his defences. Rana Kumbha angered by this and captured Khasii, Khandela Nagaur and Sakambhari in 1456.

Maharana Kumbha was able to defeat his kingdom against the attack of Qutb-Ud-din-Aibak and Mahmud Khijli and Rao Jodha.

Rana Kumbha built 32 fortresses that formed defence of the Mewar. The chief citadel of Mewar, is the fort of Kumbhalgarh, which was built by Rana Kumbha. The chief citadel of Mewar is the highest fort in Rajasthan. His achievements, however, continue to inspire successive generations.

The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), formerly romanized as the Yung-lo or Yonglo Emperor, was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China, reigning from 1402 to 1424.

Born as Zhu Di, he was originally created Prince of Yan in May 1370, with his capital at Beiping (modern Beijing). Amid the continuing struggle against the Mongols, Zhu Di consolidated his own power and eliminated rivals such as the successful general Lan Yu. He initially accepted his father's appointment of his elder brother Zhu Biao and then his teen-aged nephew Zhu Yunwen as crown prince, but when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne as the Jianwen Emperor and began executing and demoting his powerful uncles, Zhu Di found pretext for rising in rebellion against him. Assisted in large part by eunuchs mistreated by the Hongwu and Jianwen Emperors, who both favored the Confucian scholar-bureaucrats, Zhu Di survived the initial attacks on his fief and drove south, sacking Nanjing in 1402 and declaring his new era the Yongle or the time of "Perpetual Happiness".
Eager to establish his own legitimacy, Zhu Di voided the entire reign of his young nephew and established a wide-ranging effort to destroy or falsify records concerning his childhood and rebellion. This included a massive purge of the Confucian scholars in Nanjing and grants of extraordinary extralegal authority to the eunuch secret police. One favorite was Zheng He, who employed his authority to launch major voyages of exploration into the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. The difficulties in Nanjing also led the Yongle Emperor to re-establish Beiping as another (and primary) capital: Beijing. He repaired and reopened the Grand Canal and, between 1406 and 1420, directed the construction of the Forbidden City. He was also responsible for the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, considered one of the wonders of the world before its destruction by the Taiping rebels in 1856.
The Yongle Emperor died while personally campaigning against the Mongols. He is buried in the Changling Tomb, the central and largest mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty Tombs located north of Beijing.

Xerxes I of Persia (519–465 BC), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth of the king of the kings of the Achaemenid Empire. He ruled from 486 BC until his murder in 465 BC at the hands of Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard. He is notable for his invasion of Greece in 480 BC.

Life-Rise to power

Immediately after seizing the kingship, Darius I of Persia (son of Hystaspes) married Atossa (daughter of Cyrus the Great). They were both descendants of Achaemenes from different Achaemenid lines. Marrying a daughter of Cyrus strengthened Darius's position as king. Darius was an active emperor, busy with building programs in Persepolis, Susa, Egypt, and elsewhere. Toward the end of his reign he moved to punish Athens, but a new revolt in Egypt (probably led by the Persian satrap or governor) had to be suppressed. Under Persian law, the Achaemenian kings were required to choose a successor before setting out on such serious expeditions. Upon his decision to leave (487–486 BC), Darius prepared his tomb at Naqsh-e Rostam and appointed Xerxes, his eldest son by Atossa, as his successor. Darius's failing health then prevented him from leading the campaigns and he died in October 486 BC.



Xerxes was crowned and succeeded his father in October–December 486 BC when he was about 36 years old. The transition of power to Xerxes was smooth due again in part to the great authority of Atossa and his accession of royal power was not challenged by any person at court or in the Achaemenian family, or any subject nation.

In 465 BC, Xerxes was murdered by Artabanus, the commander of the royal bodyguard and the most powerful official in the Persian court (Hazarapat/commander of thousand). Although Artabanus bore the same name as the famed uncle of Xerxes, a Hyrcanian, his rise to prominence was due to his popularity in religious quarters of the court and harem intrigues. He put his seven sons in key positions and had a plan to dethrone the Achaemenids


Timur (died 18 February 1405), historically known as Tamerlane ("Timur the Lame"), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia.

Born into the Barlas confederation in Transoxiana during the 1320s or 1330s, Timur gained control of the Western Chagatai Khanateby 1370. From that base, he led military campaigns across Western, South and Central Asia and emerged as the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world after defeating the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire and the declining Delhi Sultanate. From these conquests he founded the Timurid Empire, although it fragmented shortly after his death.
Timur is considered the last of the great nomadic conquerors of the Eurasian Steppe, and his empire set the stage for the rise of the more structured and lasting Gunpowder Empires in the 1500s and 1600s.



Timur envisioned the restoration of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan. "In his formal correspondence Temur continued throughout his life as the restorer of Chinggisid rights. He even justified his Iranian, Mamluk and Ottoman campaigns as a re-imposition of legitimate Mongol control over lands taken by usurpers". As a means of legitimating his conquests, Timur relied on Islamic symbols and language, referring to himself as the "Sword of Islam" and patronizing educational and religious institutions. He converted nearly all the Borjigin leaders to Islam during his lifetime. "Temur, a non-Chinggisid, tried to build a double legitimacy based on his role as both guardian and restorer of the Mongol Empire." Timur also decisively defeated the Christian Knights Hospitaller at Smyrna, styling himself a ghazi. By the end of his reign, Timur had gained complete control over all the remnants of the Chagatai Khanate, Ilkhanate, and Golden Horde and even attempted to restore the Yuan dynasty.

Timur's armies were inclusively multi-ethnic and were feared throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe,sizable parts of which were laid waste by his campaigns.[8] Scholars estimate that his military campaigns caused the deaths of 17 million people, amounting to about 5% of the world population.

He was the grandfather of the renowned Timurid sultan, astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Beg, who ruled Central Asia from 1411 to 1449, and the great-great-great-grandfather of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire, which ruled parts of South Asia for over three centuries, from 1526 until 1857. Timur is also recognized as a great patron of art and architecture, as he interacted with Muslim intellectuals such as Ibn Khaldun and Hafiz-i Abru.

Udai Singh II was the founder of the city of Udaipur in present day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar Dynasty. Maharana Udai Singh II was the fourth son of Maharana Sangram Singh or Rana Sanga and Rani Karnavati, Princess of Bundi.

Maharana Udai Singh son of Rana Sanga is famous in the Rajputana history for the two reasons; firstly for being the father of the brave son of Mewar, Rana Pratap and second, for gifting picturesque city of Udaipur to the whole world.



After the death of Rana Sanga, his enemies also tried to kill Udai Singh II who was the small child at that time. Udai Singh II was rescued by his nurse Panna Dhai who replaced him with her own son and lost her son’s life for the safety of the young prince. After, when he ascended the throne, Maharana Udai singh was attacked by Akbar. At this time, he left already Chittor 9 years ago, ending up Udaipur, giving Mewar its new Capital

The most romantic city and city of lakes ‘Udaipur’ was named after its founder, who then made it his own Capital even before that Chittor was sacked by Akbar. When Mughal forces attack Chittor, then the capital of Mewar, Rana Udai Singh II and his royal family already had left for Gogunda, making it a temporary capital until the Udai Singh II shifted to Udaipur, making this the new capital of Mewar. After weakening of the Mughals, Rajput king recaptured Mewar but failed to win over the Chittor. Thus by this way Udaipur was saved from the Mughals influences.

Maharana Udai Singh II died in 1572 in Gogunda. Before the death of Rana Udai Singh II, he nominated his 4th son Jagmal as his successor under the influence of his queen and his Son’s mother Rani Bhattiyani. After the death of Maharaja Udai Singh, nobles of Mewar prevented Jagmal from succeeding and placed the Rana Pratap on throne.

Shahabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan (6 January 1594 – 22 January 1666) was the fifth Mughal Emperor of India from 1628 to 1658. Born Prince Khurram, he was the son of Emperor Jahangir and his Hindu Rajput wife, Taj Bibi Bilqis Makani (13 May 1573 – 18 April 1619).



He was chosen as successor to the throne after the death of his father in 1627. He was considered one of the greatest Mughals. Like Akbar, he was eager to expand his vast empire. In 1658, he fell ill and was confined by his son and successor Aurangzeb in Agra Fort until his death in 1666.

Shah Jahan was a more Orthodox Muslim than his father and grandfather. His policies towards non-Muslims were less liberal than Jahangir and Akbar.

The period of his reign was considered the golden age of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan erected many monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, built in 1632–1654 as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Later Life of Shah Jahan

When Shah Jahan became ill in 1658, Dara Shikoh (Mumtaz Mahal's eldest son) assumed the role of regent in his father's stead, which swiftly incurred the animosity of his brothers. Upon teach of his assumption of the regency, his younger brothers, Shuja, Viceroy of Bengal, and Murad Baksh, Viceroy of Gujarat, declared their independence, and marched upon Agra in order to claim their riches. Aurangzeb, the third son, and ablest of the brothers, gathered a well trained army and became its chief commander. He faced Dara's army near Agra and defeated him during the Battle of Samugarh. Although Shah Jahan fully recovered from his illness, Aurangzeb declared him incompetent to rule and put him under house arrest in Agra Fort.

Jahanara Begum Sahib, Jahan's first daughter, voluntarily shared his 8-year confinement and nursed him in his dotage. In January 1666, Shah Jahan fell ill.Confined to bed, he became progressively weaker until, on 22 January, he commended the ladies of the imperial court, particularly his consort of later years Akbarabadi Mahal, to the care of Jahanara. After reciting the Kal'ma (Laa ilaaha ill allah) and verses from the Quran, one of the greatest of the Mughal Emperors died, aged 72.

Shah Jahan's chaplain Sayyid Muhammad Qanauji and Kazi Qurban of Agra came to the fort, moved his body to a nearby hall, washed it, enshrouded it and put it in a coffin of sandalwood.

Princess Jahanara had planned a state funeral which was to include a procession with Shah Jahan's body carried by eminent nobles followed by the notable citizens of Agra and officials scattering coins for the poor and needy. Aurangzeb refused to accommodate such ostentation. The body was taken by river to the Taj Mahal and was interred there next to the body of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.



Kublai Khan or the King Qubilai (September 23, 1215-February 18, 1294) born Kublai  also known by the temple name Shizu (Emperor Shizu of Yuan) was the fifth Khagan (Great Khan) of the Mongol Empire (Ikh Mongol Uls), reigning from 1260 to 1294. He also founded the Yuan dynasty in China in 1271, a division of the Mongol Empire.



Kublai was the fourth son of Tolui (his second son with Sorghaghtani Beki) and a grandson of Genghis Khan. He succeeded his older brother Möngke as Khagan in 1260, but had to defeat his younger brother Ariq Böke in the Toluid Civil War lasting until 1264. This episode marked the beginning of disunity in the empire. Kublai's real power was limited to China and Mongolia, though as Khagan he still had influence in the Ilkhanate and, to a far lesser degree, in the Golden Horde. If one counts the Mongol Empire at that time as a whole, his realm reached from the Pacific to the Black Sea, from Siberia to modern day Afghanistan – one fifth of the world's inhabited land area.
In 1271, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty, which ruled over present-day Mongolia, China, Korea, and some adjacent areas, and assumed the role of Emperor of China. By 1279, the Yuan forces had overcome the last resistance of the Southern Song dynasty, and Kublai became the first non-Han Emperor to conquer all of China.

Kublai invited Haiyun, the leading Buddhist monk in North China, to his ordo in Mongolia. When he met Haiyun in Karakorum in 1242, Kublai asked him about the philosophy of Buddhism. Haiyun named Kublai's son, who was born in 1243, Zhenjin (True Gold in English). Haiyun also introduced Kublai to the former Taoist and now Buddhist monk, Liu Bingzhong. Liu was a painter, calligrapher, poet, and mathematician, and he became Kublai's advisor when Haiyun returned to his temple in modern Beijing. Kublai soon added the Shanxis cholar Zhao Bi to his entourage. Kublai employed people of other nationalities as well, for he was keen to balance local and imperial interests, Mongol and Turk.

Maharana  Pratap the Hindu Rajput ruler of Mewar. He belongs to the Sisodia clan of Rajput. Maharana pratap is considered to exemplify qualities of bravery and Chivalry to which the Rajputs aspire, especially in the context of his opposition to the Mughal emperor Akhbar. Maharana Pratap was said to be a man of the strong Rajput Character. He was far more brave and chivalrous. He is the only ruler of India that didn’t give into Mughal rule.

Maharana Pratap was born on 9th may 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.  He was the son of Maharana Udai Singh II and his mother was Rani Jeevant Kanwar. Maharana Udai Singh II ruled ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital of the Chittor. Maharana Pratap was destined to be the 54th ruler of Mewar in the Sisodiya Rajput. Maharana Pratap was the eldest of twenty five sons and he was given the title of crown prince.



In 1567, when Prince Pratap Singh was only of 27, Chittor was surrounded by Mughal Emperor Akhbar. Maharana Udai Singh II decided to leave the Chittor and also decided to move his family to Gogunda, rather than fight with Mughals But the young Pratap Singh wanted to stay back and wanted to fight with the mughals but his elder intervened and convinced him to leave the Chittor.
He never accepted Mughals as the ruler of his own country India. Just due to this reason he never bowed in front of Akbar and fought with him till his last breath.

Famous Battle- Haldighati:

The famous battle – Haldighati Battle is a historical event in the history of India. Haldighati battle took place in 1576. Battle of Haldighati was fought with the 20,000 Rajputs against the army of Mughals of 80,000 men which was commanded by Raja Man Singh. Army of Maharana Pratap was not defeated but Maharana Pratap was surrounded by Mughal soldiers.

Another casualty of the war was Maharana’s Pratap famous and loyal, horse Chetak, who gave up his life to save the Maharaja. Chetak was injured in the battle of Haldighati. Just to save the life of his master, he jumped over a big canal. The brave and strong Maharana cried over the death of his faithful horse but later on he constructed a beautiful garden at that place where the Chetak had breathed last. After this Akbar himself attacked Maharana Pratap but after 6months fighting, Akbar could not defeated Maharana Pratap and went back to Delhi. In year 1584, Akbar sent another great warrior Jagannath with the huge army to Mewar. He tried relentlessly for 2 years then also he was not able to catch Rana Pratap.

In this battle of Haldighati, Maharana Pratab was supported by the bhil tribes of the nearby area. This contribution of the bhil tribe in battle is still remembered till date and given an honor by the Rajputs of Mewar regimen. Also, this battle is considered to be the first milestone of the victory over Mughal emperor.

Maharana Pratap died at the age of 27 in year 1597 due to the multiple injuries in an accident. In his life the main goal of Maharana Pratap was not to surrender in the front of Mughals. Even while lying in the lap of death Maharana Pratap made his son and successors swear to maintain the eternal conflict against the Mughal Emperor.

Maharana Pratap is the great model of freedom fighter, bravery and patriotism against the Mughal ruler in India. It is just because of this brave freedom fighter, Mewar got appreciation and honor to be the only kingdom to get merged with its state in the Independent India.

Maharana Pratap lived his whole life with the courage and he never bowed down in front of any situation. He died in fighting for his own nation, for his people and importantly for his honor.



Genghis Khan (c. 1162 – 18 August 1227), born Temüjin, was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his demise.
He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. After founding the Mongol Empire and being proclaimed "Genghis Khan," he started the Mongol invasions that resulted in the conquest of most of Eurasia. These included raids or invasions of the Kara-Khitan Khanate, Caucasus, Khwarezmid Empire, Western Xia and Jin dynasties. These campaigns were often accompanied by wholesale massacres of the civilian populations – especially in the Khwarezmian and Xia controlled lands. By the end of his life, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China.



Before Genghis Khan died, he assigned Ögedei Khan as his successor and split his empire into khanates among his sons and grandsons. He died in 1227 after defeating the Western Xia. He was buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in Mongolia at an unknown location. His descendants extended the Mongol Empire across most of Eurasia by conquering or creating vassal states out of all of modern-day China, Korea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and substantial portions of modern Eastern Europe, Russia, and Southwest Asia. Many of these invasions repeated the earlier large-scale slaughters of local populations. As a result Genghis Khan and his empire have a fearsome reputation in local histories.
Beyond his military accomplishments, Genghis Khan also advanced the Mongol Empire in other ways. He decreed the adoption of the Uyghur script as the Mongol Empire's writing system. He also practiced meritocracy and encouraged religious tolerance in the Mongol Empire while unifying the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. Present-day Mongolians regard him as the founding father of Mongolia.
Condemned throughout most of history for the brutality of his campaigns, Genghis Khan is also credited with bringing the Silk Road under one cohesive political environment. This increased communication and trade from Northeast Asia to Muslim Southwest Asia and Christian Europe, thus expanding the horizons of all three cultural areas.


Emperor Meiji (November 3, 1852 – July 30, 1912), or Meiji the Great, was the 122nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from February 3, 1867 until his death on July 30, 1912. He presided over a time of rapid change in the Empire of Japan, as the nation quickly changed from a feudal state to a capitalist and imperial world power, characterized by Japan's industrial revolution.




At the time of his birth in 1852, Japan was an isolated, pre-industrial, feudal country dominated by the Tokugawa Shogunate and the daimyo, who ruled over the countries more than 250 decentralized domains. By the time of his death in 1912, Japan had undergone a political, social, and industrial revolution at home and emerged as one of the great powers on the world stage.

In Japan, the reigning emperor is always referred to as "The Emperor"; since the modern era, a deceased emperor is referred to by his particular reigning name. The correct usage is thus "the Meiji Emperor". His personal name, which is not used in any formal or official context, was Mutsuhito.
The Meiji Emperor, suffering from diabetes, nephritis, and gastroenteritis, died of uremia. Although the official announcement said he died on July 30, 1912. After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration. An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where the Meiji Emperor and Empress had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location for the Shinto shrine Meiji jingu.


Maharana Mokal was the great builder and he inherited this traits from his own father, Maharana Lakha. Rana Mokal created various buildings along with  completing by his father. The duty of Rana Mokal was to transform their motherland thus flowed down the veins of the Sisodiyas.

History of Rana Mokal:

Maharana Lakha was the 45th Maharana of Mewar. Maharana lakha died in a war leaving young Mokal as his successor. Being the younger, his elder brother Choonda began to look after the state of affairs as promised to Maharana Lakha. But the mother of Mokal, Hansa Bai didn’t like the influence that Choonda had over the nobles of the Mewar. Hansa bai, doubted the intensions of Choonda and questioned his integrity. Her resentment made the Choonda leave Chittor and retire to Mandu, the capital of Malwa. Rani Hansa Bai attained the help from her brother Ranmal of Marwar to administer the state of affairs on the behalf of Mokal’s unit as he was a minor.


Maharana Mokal had the brief stint as ruler of Mewar but it rose to the fame as the most celebrated warrior of his race. Maharana Mokal defeated Gujarat, Nagour and repelled an invasion by the Delhi sultan. But most importantly, he completed all the palaces that were commencd by his father Maharana Lakha and he conspired to build more aesthetic structures. But his sad demise was at a young age of 24 that put a stop to this emerging illustration of Mewar. Maharana  Mokal assassination by his paternal uncles, Chacha and Mera brought an end to a great Maharana in making.
Maharana Kumbha who was of only 13 years old at that time of Maharana Mokal’s death, ascended the throne at crucial juncture in the history of Mewar.

The young Rana Kumbha may have had the most unfavourable situation after his father’s death but valour and vision of his father, Maharana Mokal inspired him to emerge as the one of the greatest rulers of Mewar ever knew.



                                                           
Darius I (c. 550–486 BCE) was third king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire Also called Darius the Great, he ruled the empire at its peak, when it included much of West Asia, the Caucasus, parts of the Balkans, most of the Black Sea coastal regions, parts of the North Caucasus, Central Asia, as far as the Indus Valley in the far east, and portions of north and northeast Africa including Egypt (Mudrâya), eastern Libya and coastal Sudan.


Darius ascended the throne by overthrowing Gaumata, the alleged magus usurper of Bardiya with the assistance of six other Persian noble families; Darius was crowned the following morning. The new king met with rebellions throughout his kingdom and quelled them each time. A major event in Darius's life was his expedition to punish Athens and Eretria for their aid in the Ionian Revolt, and subjugate Greece. Although ultimately ending in failure at the Battle of Marathon, Darius succeeded in the re-subjugation of Thrace, expansion of the empire through the conquest of Macedon, the Cyclades, and the island of Naxos, and the sacking and enslavement of the city of Eretria.
Darius organized the empire by dividing it into provinces and placing satraps to govern it. He organized a new uniform monetary system, along with making Aramaic the official language of the empire. Darius also worked on construction projects throughout the empire, focusing on Susa, Pasargadae, Persepolis, Babylon and Egypt. He had the cliff-face Behistun Inscription carved to record his conquests, an important testimony of the Old Persian language.

The rise of Darius to the throne contains two variations, an account from Darius and another from Greek historians. Some modern historians have inferred that Darius's rise to power might have been illegitimate. To them, it seems likely that Gaumata was in fact Bardiya, and that under cover of revolts, Darius killed the heir to the throne and took it himself.
After becoming aware of the Persian defeat at the Battle of Marathon, Darius began planning another expedition against the Greek-city states; this time, he, not Datis, would command the imperial armies. Darius had spent three years preparing men and ships for war when a revolt broke out in Egypt. This revolt in Egypt worsened his failing health and prevented the possibility of his leading another army. Soon after, Darius died. In October 486 BCE, the body of Darius was embalmed and entombed in the rock-cut sepulchre that had been prepared for him several years earlier.
Xerxes, the eldest son of Darius and Atossa, succeeded to the throne as Xerxes I; however, prior to Xerxes's accession, he contested the succession with his elder half-brother Artobarzanes, Darius's eldest son who was born to his commoner first wife before Darius rose to power.


Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600 or 576 – 530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great and also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much of Central Asia and the Caucasus. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen. Under his successors, the empire eventually stretched from parts of the Balkans (Bulgaria-Pannonia) and Thrace-Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in the east. His regal titles in full were The Great King, King of Persia, King of Anshan, King of Media, King of Babylon, King of Sumer and Akkad, and King of the Four Corners of the World. In the 1970s, the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi identified his famous proclamation inscribed onto Cyrus Cylinder as the oldest known declaration of human rights, and the Cylinder has since been popularized as such. This view has been criticized by some historians as a misunderstanding of the Cylinder's generic nature as a traditional statement that new monarchs make at the beginning of their reign.


The reign of Cyrus the Great lasted between 29 and 31 years. Cyrus built his empire by conquering first the Median Empire, then the Lydian Empire and eventually the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Either before or after Babylon, he led an expedition into central Asia, which resulted in major campaigns that were described as having brought "into subjection every nation without exception". Cyrus did not venture into Egypt, as he himself died in battle, fighting the Massagetae along the Sir Darya in December 530 BC. He was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II, who managed to add to the empire by conquering Egypt, Nubia, and Cyrenaica during his short rule.

Cyrus the Great respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. It is said that in universal history, the role of the Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus lies in its very successful model for centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects. In fact, the administration of the empire through satraps and the vital principle of forming a government at Pasargadae were the works of Cyrus.

Cyrus the Great is also well recognized for his achievements in human rights, politics, and military strategy, as well as his influence on both Eastern and Western civilizations. Having originated from Persis, roughly corresponding to the modern Iranian province of Fars, Cyrus has played a crucial role in defining the national identity of modern Iran. Cyrus and, indeed, the Achaemenid influence in the ancient world also extended as far as Athens, where many Athenians adopted aspects of the Achaemenid Medo-Persian culture as their own, in a reciprocal cultural exchange.



Mewar is the region of south central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur and some parts of the Gujarat and the Madhya Pradesh.

The region was for centuries the Rajput Kingdom, theMewar kingdom or the Udaipur Kingdom, that later became the princely state under the British.



The state of Mewar was founded around the 530, later it would also and ultimately predominantly called Udaipur after the name of the capital. When the Udaipur state joined the Indian Union in the 1949 it had been ruled by the Chattari Rajputs of Mori Guhilot Parihar and Sisodia Dynasties for over the 1,400 years.

Chittaurgarh was the capital of Sisodia clan of Rajputs of Mewar. Chittorgarh fort has been built by the Chitranganda Mori. He built Chittor Fort 7th century, Chitrakoot (Chittor) was named after him.

Rulers of Mewar:

1. Maharana Mokal:

He was the great builder and he inherited these traits from his father, Maharana Lakha. He had made various building along with completing those commenced by his father.

Maharana Lakha was the 45th Maharana of Mewar. He died in the war leaving his young Mokal as his successor.

Maharana Mokal had the brief stint as the ruler of the Mewar but it rose as the most celebrated warrior of his race. His demise was at the young age of 24 put a stop to this emerging illustration of Mewar. His assassination by his paternal uncle Chacha and Merea brought an end to the great Maharana in the making.

2. Rana  Kumbha:

Maharana Kumbha was the most powerful ruler, culture loving, an art of loving, an idol ruler, writer and the king who has never lost any battle. He was the ruler of Mewar, between the 1433 AD and 1468 AD. He belongs to the Sisodia clan of Rajput. Rana Kumbha was the son of Rana Mokal of Mewar and his wife Sobhagya Devi.

3. Maharana Udai Singh:

Maharana  Udai Singh II was the founder of the city of Udaipur. He was the 53rd ruler of the Mewar Dynasty. He was the forth son of the Maharana Sangram Singh or the Rana Sanga and the Rani Karnavati, princess of Bundi.

He died in year 1572 in Gogunda. Before his death he nominated his 4th Son Jagmal as his successor under the influence of his queen.

Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar, known popularly as Akbar ("the great"; 15 October 1542– 27 October 1605), also known as Akbar the Great or Akbar I, was Mughal Emperor from 1556 until his death. He was the third and one of the greatest rulers of the Mughal Dynasty in India. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in India. A strong personality and a successful general, Akbar gradually enlarged the Mughal Empire to include nearly all of the Indian Subcontinent north of the Godavari river. His power and influence, however, extended over the entire country because of Mughal military, political, cultural, and economic dominance. To unify the vast Mughal state, Akbar established a centralized system of administration throughout his empire and adopted a policy of conciliating conquered rulers through marriage and diplomacy. In order to preserve peace and order in a religiously and culturally diverse empire, he adopted policies that won him the support of his non-Muslim subjects. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic state identity, Akbar strived to unite far-flung lands of his realm through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to himself as an emperor who had near-divine status.


Mughal India developed a strong and stable economy, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of culture.

Akbar's reign significantly influenced the course of Indian history. During his rule, the Mughal Empire tripled in size and wealth. He created a powerful military system and instituted effective political and social reforms. By abolishing the sectarian tax on non-Muslims and appointing them to high civil and military posts, he was the first Mughal ruler to win the trust and loyalty of the native subjects. Thus, the foundations for a multicultural empire under Mughal rule were laid during his reign. Akbar was succeeded as emperor by his son, Jahangir.