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.