Mughal emperor Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal at Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it becomes the emblem of Mughal architecture.
Queen Elizabeth I grants a royal charter to the East India Company, which later comes to rule much of the Indian subcontinent.
Shivaji is crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad, formalising the Maratha state in opposition to the Mughal Empire.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, establishes the Khalsa, the community of initiated Sikhs.
The death of Aurangzeb, under whom the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, begins the empire's rapid decline.
Mughal forces defeat Hemu, securing the throne of the young Akbar, whose reign brings the empire to its zenith.
Babur, using artillery and firearms, defeats Ibrahim Lodi, ending the Delhi Sultanate and founding the Mughal Empire.