Ruler of the World

Main Characters

Akbar’s family

Humayun, Akbar’s father and the second Moghul emperor

Hamida, Akbar’s mother

Gulbadan, Akbar’s aunt and Humayun’s half-sister

Kamran, Akbar’s uncle and Humayun’s eldest half-brother

Askari, Akbar’s uncle and Humayun’s middle half-brother

Hindal, Akbar’s uncle and Humayun’s youngest half-brother

Hirabai, Akbar’s wife, princess of Amber and mother of Salim

Salim, Akbar’s eldest son

Murad, Akbar’s middle son

Daniyal, Akbar’s youngest son

Man Bai, Salim’s wife, mother of Khusrau and daughter of Bhagwan Das, Raja of Amber

Jodh Bai, Salim’s wife and mother of Khurram

Sahib Jamal, Salim’s wife and mother of Parvez

Khusrau, Salim’s eldest son

Parvez, Salim’s middle son

Khurram, Salim’s youngest son

Akbar’s inner circle

Bairam Khan, Akbar’s guardian and first khan-i-khanan, commander-in-chief

Ahmed Khan, Akbar’s chief scout and later his khan-i-khanan

Maham Anga, Akbar’s wet-nurse (milk-mother)

Adham Khan, Akbar’s milk-brother

Jauhar, Humayun’s steward and later Akbar’s comptroller of the household

Abul Fazl, Akbar’s chief chronicler and confidant

Tardi Beg, Governor of Delhi

Muhammad Beg, a commander from Badakhshan

Ali Gul, a Tajik officer

Abdul Rahman, Akbar’s khan-i-khanan after Ahmed Khan

Aziz Koka, one of Akbar’s youngest commanders

Others at the Moghul court

Atga Khan, Akbar’s chief quartermaster

Mayala, a favourite concubine of Akbar

Anarkali, ‘Pomegranate Blossom’, Akbar’s Venetian concubine

Shaikh Ahmad, an orthodox Sunni and leader of the ulama, Akbar’s senior Islamic spiritual advisers

Shaikh Mubarak, Islamic cleric and Abul Fazl’s father

Father Francisco Henriquez, Jesuit priest, Persian by birth

Father Antonio Monserrate, a Spanish Jesuit priest

John Newberry, English merchant

Suleiman Beg, Salim’s milk-brother and friend

Zahed Butt, captain of Salim’s bodyguard

Zubaida, Salim’s former nursemaid and attendant to Hamida

Delhi

Hemu, Hindu general who seizes Delhi from the Moghuls

Fatehpur Sikri

Shaikh Salim Chishti, a Sufi mystic

Tuhin Das, Akbar’s architect

Gujarat

Ibrahim Hussain, a rival member of the Gujarati royal family

Mirza Muqim, a rival member of the Gujarati royal family

Itimad Khan, a rival member of the Gujarati royal family

Kabul

Saif Khan, Governor of Kabul

Ghiyas Beg, a Persian emigre appointed Treasurer of Kabul

Mehrunissa, Ghiyas Beg’s daughter

Bengal

Sher Shah, ruler from Bengal who ejected the Moghuls from Hindustan in Humayun’s reign

Islam Shah, Sher Shah’s son

Shah Daud, vassal ruler of Bengal in Akbar’s reign

Rajasthan

Rana Udai Singh, ruler of Mewar and son of Babur’s enemy Rana Sanga

Raja Ravi Singh, a Rajasthani ruler and vassal of Akbar’s

Raja Bhagwan Das, ruler of Amber, brother of Hirabai and father of Man Bai

Man Singh, son of Raja Bhagwan Das and nephew of Hirabai

The Moghuls’ ancestors

Genghis Khan

Timur, known in the west as Tamburlaine from a corruption of Timur-i-Lang (Timur the Lame)

Ulugh Beg, Timur’s grandson and a famous astronomer