The Delhi Sultanate spans five dynasties - Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi - from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century. Alauddin Khilji is remembered for market control and Muhammad bin Tughlaq for shifting his capital and issuing token currency.
In the south, the Vijayanagara empire reached its height under Krishnadevaraya, while the Bahmani kingdom later split into five Deccan sultanates including Golconda, whose Qutb Shahi rulers founded Hyderabad.
Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the first battle of Panipat in 1526 and founded the Mughal empire. Akbar consolidated it, Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, and Aurangzeb's long wars strained it before its decline.