After Sultan Ibrahim's tragic death on the battle field, Babur named himself emperor over Sultan Ibrahim’s territory. Babur thus ended the Sultanate of Delhi and founded what is known as the Mughal Empire. From our childhood we have heard of the Great King Akbar and we are well aware he was a Mughal Emperor. We use the term 'Mughal' with utmost ease. Let's find out the story behind the 'Mughal' calling!
Babur, grandfather of Akbar was a descendent of Mongol rulers. With the Turko-Mongol invader Timur on his father's side and other Turko-Mongol ruler Chagatai, second son of Ghengis Khan on his Mother's side. Babur has in fact invaded India to claim and take over what is originally the fief land of Timur given to Khizr Khan Sayyid. And the term 'Mughal' was a corrupted result of mixture of languages Persian and Arabic languages for the word 'Mongol'. 'Mughal' was originally used to refer to the Emperor and as an extension to the Empire. Hence the phrase 'Mughal Empire'. However, the founders of the Empire were very much planning to call the Empire as the 'Timurid Empire' as it was then previously called. Although Babur hailed from Mongol origin, his tribe had embraced Turkic and Persian culture, converted to Islam and resided in Turkestan and Khorasan. This will be evident in their culture, ethos, arts and architecture right from Babur to Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
It is to be noted that before the battle of Panipat in 1526 AD against the last Lodi King, Babur has established his rule in Kabul and Kandahar in Afghanistan. He has entered India through the Khyber pass (Aryans too have entered India through Bolan and Khyber pass in 1000 B.C). After Killing Ibrahim Lodi, Babur established his rule and started further conquests.
Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur (r. 1526 - 1530 AD)
To throw some light on Babur before the Battle of Panipat, He was born and raised to be the Sultan of Ferghana at a young age of 12 after the freakish death of his Father Umar Sheikh Mirza in 1495 A.D. Ferghana is a kingdom in Uzbekistan. Almost all the neighboring states belonged either to the descendants of Timur or Ghengis Khan. However there was a very high competition between the royal princes to conquer Samarkand which lies to the west of Ferghana. Babur besieged and took over Samarkand when he was 15 years old i.e in 1497 A.D. This victory gave him confidence to grow high. But soon he fell ill and rested in Samarkand for few days when Ferghana was attacked and plundered. To save his state, Babur left to Ferghana. Taking advantage of this, other princes attacked Samarkand and left Babur with neither Ferghana nor Samarkand. With a band of followers, Babur roamed about mountain paths with many short lived victories for next few years. In 1501 A.D Babur lay siege and took over Samarkand but soon got defeated by his formidable rival Mohammad Shaybani. Thus, being abandoned, Babur roamed about and finally reached Tashkent (Present capital of Uzbekistan) which was then ruled by his maternal uncle in 1501 A.D. In 1502 A.D, Babur overcame his life long obsession of getting back Samarkand and started gathering an army of his own to try his luck somewhere else.
At this juncture in history, kabul in Afghanistan was ruled by Ulugh Begh Mirza of Arghun dynasty who died and left an infant to become the King. Infant was dethroned by a Mukin Begh who had strong opposition from the local populace. Using this to his advantage, babur and his army crossed the Hindukush mountains and defeated Mukin Begh to emerge as the Sultan of Kabul and therefore finally established a throne of his own. From Kabul, Babur united with his distant relative Sultan Husayn Mirza of Herat(Then, Muslim capital of the East) and planned for an attack against Shaybani. However death of Husayn in 1506 A.D resulted Babur to drop the plan. Two sons of Mirza who were not willing to take up the plan, they invited Babur, where he was disgusted by the vices and luxuries of the city, however he marvelled at the intellectual abundance there, which he stated was "filled with learned and matched men". He became acquainted with the work of the Chagatai poet Mir Ali Shir Nava'i, who encouraged the use of Chagatai as a literary language. Nava'i's proficiency with the language, which he is credited with founding, may have influenced Babur in his decision to use it for his memoirs. He spent two months there before being forced to leave due to diminishing resources; it later was overrun by Shaybani and the Mirzas fled.
After the downfall of Herat, Babur emerged as the only ruler who was Timur's descendent and thus all other princes sought refugee under him. Thus, Babur was called 'Badshaah' (Emperor). Although the title was insignificant as Babur lost all his ancestral lands and his own Kabul was under threat from Shaybani. He prevailed during a potential rebellion in Kabul, but two years later a revolt among some of his leading generals drove him out of Kabul. Escaping with very few companions, Babur soon returned to the city, capturing Kabul again and regaining the allegiance of the rebels. Meanwhile, Shaybani was defeated and killed by Ismail I, Shah of 'Shia' Safavid Persia, in 1510 A.D. After the death of Shaybani, Babur and his relatives took this as their chance and made attempts to gain back their ancestral lands. In this process, Babur and the Shah of Persia (Now, Iran) developed strong relations which would last long. In 1513 A.D, after appointing his brother as the in-charge of Kabul, Babur again attacks and gains Samarkand only to get defeated once again by other Uzbeks. In the same period Babur gained the technology of Matchlock Musket from Ottomans who were then the enemies of Persia.
In the later period, Babur failing thrice on Samarkand and the surrounding areas, chooses to enter India and take over his ancestral lands which belonged to the Timurid dynasty. In 1519 A.D he reached Chenab and by 1523 A.D he was able to take over Punjab and the near-by regions. Soon in 1524 A.D after he came to know that Daulat Khan Lodi (uncle of Ibrahim Lodi who invited Babur to invade Delhi) was driven out of the Kingdom by Ibrahim, he burned down Lahore(over a period of two days) and sent a messenger to Ibrahim Lodi demanding him to return the Timurid lands. He appointed Alam Khan, another rebel uncle of Ibrahim as the Governor of Lahore. When Alam Khan was overthrown and fled to Kabul, Babur supplied Daulat Khan and Alam Khan with troops more than 30,000 army which had a small battalion of Matchlock Musketeers. The battle took place at the historic place of Panipat hence the name.
Babur wrote in his memoirs about his victory :
Although establishing his rule as the first Mughal Emperor, Babur was faced with rebellions from Mewat (Hindu Kings converted to Muslims) and Mewar Kings (Rajputs) and other Rajput Kings. These rajput kings on hearing the downfall of the huge Lodi army planned to reestablish the Rajput rule in India which was lost after the attack of Mohammad of Ghor in 1191 A.D followed by the death of Prithviraj Chauhan I. At the same time the army of Babur was demoralized by the hot summers of India and were willing to return to their home lands of Central Asia. Babur was successful in motivating and recharging the spirits of his own army by proclaiming himself as the Ghazi(Religious Warrior). This rajput rebellions led to the Battle of Khanwa in 1527 A.D. The rajputs were led by Rana Sangha of Mewar. Babur emerged victorious in-spite of the enemy's huge army which was essentially powerful than that of Ibrahim Lodi's. The Rajputs were thus disposed off but Babur had still to deal with the Afghan rulers of Bihar and Bengal. In 1529 A.D Babur defeated the combined Afghan forces at the Battle of Ghagra in May, 1529 A.D.
The Battle of Ghagra in 1529 A.D was the last war of Babur in India. The battle was fought with the Afghans, on the confluence of the Ganga and its tributary, the Ghagara, on 6th May, 1529. Sultan Mahmud Lodi(Brother of Ibrahim Lodi), who had escaped from Khanwa after Rana Sanga’s defeat, established himself in Bihar and gathered a large army which was estimated at one lakh strong. Anxious to put an end to the Afghan threat once for all, Babur decided to bring them to battle. But he was at peace with Nusrat Shah of Bengal with whom the Afghan chiefs, headed by Mahmud Lodi, had taken shelter. So he opened negotiations with Nusrat Shah, but nothing came out of it. He was obliged, therefore, to send an ultimatum asking for a passage and in the event of refusal, holding him responsible for the consequences.
The Afghans were defeated. A treaty was now concluded between Babur and Nusrat Shah agreed not to give shelter to Babur’s enemies. This was Babur’s last battle in India. As the result of this contest he became the sovereign of Bihar, and the Afghan chiefs joined him with their troops. He was now in possession of this country from the Indus to Bihar and from the Himalayas to Gwalior and Chanderi. The Mughals had obtained possession of Multan, and, therefore, in the north-western corner of the country only Sindh remained beyond the Mughal rule.
Babur is popularly believed to have demolished the Sri Ram Temple at Ayodhya and built Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India, which was later demolished in 1992 A.D by activists. Soldier of fortune as he was, Babur was not the less a man of fine literary taste and critical perception. His autobiography is known as Tuzk-e-Babri (also Baburnama, Memoirs of Babur) originally written in Chagatai language, is an example of his literary capacity. After Babur fell seriously ill, Humayun, his eldest son, was summoned from his Jagir(feudal land). Babur died at the age of 47 on 1530 A.D, and was succeeded by Humayun. In accordance with his will, his body was moved to Kabul, Afghanistan there it lies in Bagh-e Babur (Babur Gardens).
Humayun (r. 1530 - 1540 A.D and 1555-1556 A.D)
Humayun was the son of Babur and ascended to the throne after his father's death. Babur has left Humayun with great big results of his successful conquests which included Kabul, Kandahar, Lahore, Panipat, Delhi, Agra, Amber and more. But Babur did not have the time to consolidate his successes into an Empire. So the unconsolidated empire was passed on to Humayun, who would then go on to leave a legacy of more than 1 million square kilometer lands to the next generation. Like Babur, Humayun also suffered initial defeats in his own land. By this time, Portuguese had their strong-hold settlements in the north-west India near Gujarat. Portuguese have entered India in 1498 A.D. The first Portuguese encounter with the subcontinent was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast.
When ascended to the throne, Humayun had threats from two significant kingdoms, one on the east - The Pasthun noble(Afghan), Sultan Sher shah Suri of Suri dynasty; and the other on the west - Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat. Humayun, Sher Shah Suri and Sultan Bahadur expanded their kingdoms during the first five years of Humayun's rule. Humayun has by then acquired the Matchlock Muskets from the Ottomans. Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat has acquired the Matchlock Muskets with the help of Portuguese in return for lands for their settlements.
After getting to know that Sultan Bahadur is planning an attack on his empire, Humayun responds and immediately raids and attacks Gujarat, taking control of the forts of Mandu (in present day Madhya pradesh) and Champaner (in present day Gujarat). In stead of attacking Sultan Bahadur and taking over the entire empire, Humayun consolidates his territories. Sultan Bahadur meanwhile takes refuge with Portuguese. Taking advantage of the situation, Sher shah Suri attacks Agra, on hearing this news, Humayun with his army marches towards Agra to defend his Kingdom. While Humayun was able to save Agra, his troops were delayed at the fort of Chunar(which was occupied by Sher shah Suri's son to attack Humayun's marching army from behind). Chunar was eventually saved, however Sher Shah Suri occupied Gaur (City in present Bengal). Gaur was then the rice bowl of the Mughal Empire and Sher Shah Suri emptied the granaries of Gaur.
By the time Humayun reached the place, Sher shah withdrew to east and Humayun shut himself up for a considerable time in his Harem(place where royal wives live), and indulged himself in every kind of luxury. Meanwhile one of Humayun's four surviving brothers, 19-year Hindal promises Humayun that he shall protect his troops from the rear. Soon Hindal breaks his promise and reaches Agra to assume himself as the Sultan. When Humayun sent the grand Mufti(Muslim legal expert), Sheikh Buhlul, to reason with him, the Sheikh was killed. Further provoking the rebellion, Hindal ordered that the Khutba or sermon in the main mosque at Agra be read in his name, a sign of assumption of sovereignty. Further, he asks the troops protecting Humanyun's army from the rear to withdraw to Agra thus giving Sher Shah Suri an opportunity to draw an attack. Humayun's other brother, Kamran marched from his territory of Punjab to protect Humayun besides having treacherous intentions of claiming stake in his falling Empire.
Picking up on the opportunity, Sher Shah Suri attacks Humayun in an entrenched battle in Chausua near Benares. By the end of the day Humayun was successful in making peace talks with the help of his ambassador, Mohammad Aziz. However, in the late of the night Sher Shah attacks the unready army of Humayun. Humayun swims across Ganges in his air-filled 'water skin' and reaches Agra. Humayun finds all three of his brothers on his return to Agra. He pardons them as he did many times in the past. With Sher shah's army marching towards Agra, Humayun and Kamran get in to an argument. Kamran then leaves to Lahore(Punjab) after Humayun decides to build a new army under his own name. Humayun and his brothers Hindal and Askari march towards Sher Shah's army at meet on the east of Agra at Kannauj. The Battle of kannauj took place on 17th May 1540 A.D. Loosing the battle all three brothers flee back to Lahore. Sher Shah thus established the Sur Dynasty.
The four brothers were united in Lahore, but every day they were informed that Sher Shah was getting closer and closer. When he reached Sirhind, Humayun sent an ambassador carrying the message "I have left you the whole of Hindustan (i.e. the lands to the East of Punjab, comprising most of the Ganges Valley). Leave Lahore alone, and let Sirhind be a boundary between you and me." Sher Shah, however, replied "I have left you Kabul. You should go there." Kabul was the capital of the empire of Humayun's brother Kamran Mirza, who was far from willing to hand over any of his territories to his brother. Instead, Kamran approached Sher Shah, and proposed that he actually revolt against his brother and side with Sher Shah in return for most of the Punjab. Sher Shah dismissed his help, believing it not to be required, though word soon spread to Lahore about the treacherous proposal and Humayun was urged to make an example of Kamran and kill him. Humayun refused, citing the last words of his father, Babur "Do nothing against your brothers, even though they may deserve it."
Following Humayun's many adversities faced to stay away from Sher Shah Suri Humayun and his pregnant wife Hamida reached the Emir(amir) of Sindh whom he appointed. The Emir Hussein Umrani welcomed Humayun's presence and was loyal to Humayun just as he had been loyal to Babur. Whilst in the oasis garrison of Umerkot in Sindh, Hamida daughter of noble Sindhi, gave birth to Akbar on 25 October 1542, the heir-apparent to the 34-year old Humayun. The date was special because Humayun consulted his Astronomer to utilize the astrolabe and check the location of the planets.
In 1543 A.D, with the help of Emir Hussein Umrani, Humayun builds an army and starts regaining his lost territories. He marched towards kandahar and then Kabul gaining thousands of soldiers and supporters to defeat the Sur Dynasty and reestablish the Mughal Empire. Humayun goes on to claim himself as the rightful heir to the Timurid throne of Babur. In Kamran Mirza's territory(which includes Kabul and Kandahar), Hindal Mirza had been placed under house arrest in Kabul after refusing to have the Khutba recited in Kamran Mirza's name. His other brother Askari Mirza was now ordered to gather an army and march against Humayun. Akbar was left behind in camp close to Kandahar for, as it was December it would have been too cold and dangerous to include the 14-month-old toddler in the forthcoming march through the dangerous and snowy mountains of the Hindu Kush. Askari Mirza found Akbar in the camp, and embraced him, and allowed his own wife to parent him, she apparently started treating him as her own. Once again Humayun turned toward Kandahar where his brother Kamran Mirza was in power, but he received no help and had to seek refuge with the Shah of Persia. Humayun along with his wife and 40 men had to seek refuge with the Safavid Dynasty rulers who helped them to reach Herat(Persia). It took a month long journey for them to reach Herat during which they were again subjected to hardships due to lack of resources. Once they reached Herat, their status changed and they were treated as royal guests by the Persian rulers.
Upon entering the city his army was greeted with an armed escort, and they were treated to lavish food and clothing. They were given fine accommodations and the roads were cleared and cleaned before them. Shah Tahmasp, unlike Humayun's own family, actually welcomed the Mughal, and treated him as a royal visitor. Here Humayun went sightseeing and was amazed at the Persian artwork and architecture he saw. Much of this was the work of the Timurid Sultan Husayn Bayqarah and his ancestor, princess Gauhar Shad, thus he was able to admire the work of his relatives and ancestors at first hand. He was introduced to the work of the Persian miniaturists, and Kamaleddin Behzad had two of his pupils join Humayun in his court. Humayun was amazed at their work and asked if they would work for him if he were to regain the sovereignty of Hindustan: they agreed. With so much going on Humayun did not even meet the Shah until July, some six months after his arrival in Persia. After a lengthy journey from Herat the two met in Qazvin(The then capital of Iran. Now called the Caligraphy capital of Iran) where a large feast and parties were held for the event. The meeting of the two monarchs is depicted in a famous wall-painting in the Chehel Sotoun (Forty Columns) palace in Esfahan.
Shah Tahmasp of Persia urges Humayun to convert to Shia muslim. Reluctant but with no option, Humayun takes up shia islam to save his troops. Although the Mughals initially disagreed to their conversion they knew that with this outward acceptance of Shi'ism, Shah Tahmasp was eventually prepared to offer Humayun more substantial support. When Humayun's brother, Kamran Mirza, offered to cede Kandahar to the Persians in exchange for Humayun, dead or alive, Shah Tahmasp refused. Instead the Shah staged a celebration for Humayun, with 300 tents, an imperial Persian carpet, 12 musical bands and 'meat of all kinds'. Here the Shah announced that all this, and 12,000 elite cavalry were his to lead an attack on his brother Kamran. All that Shah Tahmasp asked for was that, if Humayun's forces were victorious, Kandahar would be his.
Thus Humayun with the persian Safavid aid, goes on to raid Kandahar then being ruled by Askari Mirza(his brother) and lays siege for two weeks. Then he goes on to raid Kabul ruled by Kamran Mirza and defeats him. In both battles, there was not much fight as the soldiers of Humayun's brother switched loyalty to join his army. In November 1545, Hamida and Humayun were reunited with their son Akbar, and held a huge feast. They also held another, larger, feast in the child's honour when he was circumcised. His youngest brother, Hindal Mirza, formerly the most disloyal of his siblings, died fighting on his behalf. His brother Askari Mirza was shackled in chains at the behest of his nobles and aides. He was allowed go on Hajj, and died en route in the desert outside Damascus.
Humayun's other brother, Kamran Mirza, had repeatedly sought to have Humayun killed. In 1552 Kamran Mirza attempted to make a pact with Islam Shah, Sher Shah's successor, but was apprehended by a Gakhar. The Gakhars were one of the minority of tribal groups who had consistently remained loyal to their oath to the Mughals. Sultan Adam of the Gakhars handed Kamran Mirza over to Humayun. Humayun was inclined to forgive his brother. However he was warned that allowing Kamran Mirza's repeated acts of treachery to go unpunished could foment rebellion amongst his own supporters. So, instead of killing his brother, Humayun had Kamran Mirza blinded which would end any claim by the latter to the throne. Humayun sent Kamran Mirza on Hajj, as he hoped to see his brother thereby absolved of his offences. However Kamran Mirza died close to Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula in 1557.
Sher Shah Suri of Sur Dynasty had died in 1545; his son and successor Islam Shah died too, in 1554. These two deaths left the dynasty reeling and disintegrating, while in many cities leaders tried to stake a claim for independence. This was a perfect opportunity for the Mughals to march back to India.The Mughal Emperor Humayun, gathered a vast army and attempted the challenging task of retaking the throne in Delhi. Humayun placed the army under the able leadership of Bairam Khan. This was a wise move given Humayun's own record of military ineptitude and Bairam was to prove himself a great tactician. Humayun and the army led by Bairam khan marched to raid and attack the Sur dynasty, They were unopposed in almost all of Punjab. The fort of Rohtas, which was built in 1541–43 by Sher Shah Suri to crush the Gakhars who were loyal to Humayun, was surrendered without a shot by a treacherous commander. The walls of the Rohtas Fort measure up to 12.5 meters in thickness and up to 18.28 meters in height. They extend for 4 km and feature 68 semi-circular bastions. Its sandstone gates, both massive and ornate, are thought to have exerted a profound influence on Mughal military architecture.
The only major battle faced by Humayun's armies was against Sikander Suri in Sirhind, where Bairam Khan employed a tactic whereby he engaged his enemy in open battle, but then retreated quickly in apparent fear. When the enemy followed after them they were surprised by entrenched defensive positions and were easily annihilated.From here on most towns and villages chose to welcome the invading army as it made its way to the capital. On 23 July 1555, Humayun once again sat on Babur's throne in Delhi.
With all of Humayun's brothers now dead, there was no fear of another usurping his throne during his military campaigns. He was also now an established leader, and could trust his generals. With this new-found strength Humayun embarked on a series of military campaigns aimed at extending his reign over areas in eastern and western India. Humayun returned from exile in Persia with thousands of Persians soldiers and nobles. This influx increased the cultural and political influences of the Persians in Mughal Empire. It also applied to the administration of the empire. Persian methods of governance were imported into Kashmir during the remainder of Humayun's reign. The system of revenue collection was improved by following both the Persian model and that of the Delhi Sultanate. The Persian arts became very influential, and Persian-style miniatures were produced at Mughal (and subsequently Rajput) courts. The Chaghatai language, in which Babur had written his memoirs, disappeared almost entirely from use by of the courtly elite, and Akbar could not speak it.
On 27 January 1556, Humayun, with his arms full of books, was descending the staircase from his library when the muezzin announced the Adhan (the call to prayer). It was his habit, wherever he heard the summons, to bow his knee in holy reverence. Trying to kneel, he caught his foot in his robe, tumbled down several steps and hit his temple on a rugged stone edge. He died three days later. His body was laid to rest in Purana Quila initially, but because of attack by Hemu on Delhi and capture of Purana Qila, Humayun's body was exhumed by the fleeing army and transferred to Kalanaur in Punjab where Akbar was coronated. His tomb stands in Delhi, where he was later buried in a grand way. Humayun's tomb stands as the UNESCOs World Heritage Site today in Delhi.
Babur, grandfather of Akbar was a descendent of Mongol rulers. With the Turko-Mongol invader Timur on his father's side and other Turko-Mongol ruler Chagatai, second son of Ghengis Khan on his Mother's side. Babur has in fact invaded India to claim and take over what is originally the fief land of Timur given to Khizr Khan Sayyid. And the term 'Mughal' was a corrupted result of mixture of languages Persian and Arabic languages for the word 'Mongol'. 'Mughal' was originally used to refer to the Emperor and as an extension to the Empire. Hence the phrase 'Mughal Empire'. However, the founders of the Empire were very much planning to call the Empire as the 'Timurid Empire' as it was then previously called. Although Babur hailed from Mongol origin, his tribe had embraced Turkic and Persian culture, converted to Islam and resided in Turkestan and Khorasan. This will be evident in their culture, ethos, arts and architecture right from Babur to Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb.
It is to be noted that before the battle of Panipat in 1526 AD against the last Lodi King, Babur has established his rule in Kabul and Kandahar in Afghanistan. He has entered India through the Khyber pass (Aryans too have entered India through Bolan and Khyber pass in 1000 B.C). After Killing Ibrahim Lodi, Babur established his rule and started further conquests.
Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur (r. 1526 - 1530 AD)
To throw some light on Babur before the Battle of Panipat, He was born and raised to be the Sultan of Ferghana at a young age of 12 after the freakish death of his Father Umar Sheikh Mirza in 1495 A.D. Ferghana is a kingdom in Uzbekistan. Almost all the neighboring states belonged either to the descendants of Timur or Ghengis Khan. However there was a very high competition between the royal princes to conquer Samarkand which lies to the west of Ferghana. Babur besieged and took over Samarkand when he was 15 years old i.e in 1497 A.D. This victory gave him confidence to grow high. But soon he fell ill and rested in Samarkand for few days when Ferghana was attacked and plundered. To save his state, Babur left to Ferghana. Taking advantage of this, other princes attacked Samarkand and left Babur with neither Ferghana nor Samarkand. With a band of followers, Babur roamed about mountain paths with many short lived victories for next few years. In 1501 A.D Babur lay siege and took over Samarkand but soon got defeated by his formidable rival Mohammad Shaybani. Thus, being abandoned, Babur roamed about and finally reached Tashkent (Present capital of Uzbekistan) which was then ruled by his maternal uncle in 1501 A.D. In 1502 A.D, Babur overcame his life long obsession of getting back Samarkand and started gathering an army of his own to try his luck somewhere else.
At this juncture in history, kabul in Afghanistan was ruled by Ulugh Begh Mirza of Arghun dynasty who died and left an infant to become the King. Infant was dethroned by a Mukin Begh who had strong opposition from the local populace. Using this to his advantage, babur and his army crossed the Hindukush mountains and defeated Mukin Begh to emerge as the Sultan of Kabul and therefore finally established a throne of his own. From Kabul, Babur united with his distant relative Sultan Husayn Mirza of Herat(Then, Muslim capital of the East) and planned for an attack against Shaybani. However death of Husayn in 1506 A.D resulted Babur to drop the plan. Two sons of Mirza who were not willing to take up the plan, they invited Babur, where he was disgusted by the vices and luxuries of the city, however he marvelled at the intellectual abundance there, which he stated was "filled with learned and matched men". He became acquainted with the work of the Chagatai poet Mir Ali Shir Nava'i, who encouraged the use of Chagatai as a literary language. Nava'i's proficiency with the language, which he is credited with founding, may have influenced Babur in his decision to use it for his memoirs. He spent two months there before being forced to leave due to diminishing resources; it later was overrun by Shaybani and the Mirzas fled.
After the downfall of Herat, Babur emerged as the only ruler who was Timur's descendent and thus all other princes sought refugee under him. Thus, Babur was called 'Badshaah' (Emperor). Although the title was insignificant as Babur lost all his ancestral lands and his own Kabul was under threat from Shaybani. He prevailed during a potential rebellion in Kabul, but two years later a revolt among some of his leading generals drove him out of Kabul. Escaping with very few companions, Babur soon returned to the city, capturing Kabul again and regaining the allegiance of the rebels. Meanwhile, Shaybani was defeated and killed by Ismail I, Shah of 'Shia' Safavid Persia, in 1510 A.D. After the death of Shaybani, Babur and his relatives took this as their chance and made attempts to gain back their ancestral lands. In this process, Babur and the Shah of Persia (Now, Iran) developed strong relations which would last long. In 1513 A.D, after appointing his brother as the in-charge of Kabul, Babur again attacks and gains Samarkand only to get defeated once again by other Uzbeks. In the same period Babur gained the technology of Matchlock Musket from Ottomans who were then the enemies of Persia.
In the later period, Babur failing thrice on Samarkand and the surrounding areas, chooses to enter India and take over his ancestral lands which belonged to the Timurid dynasty. In 1519 A.D he reached Chenab and by 1523 A.D he was able to take over Punjab and the near-by regions. Soon in 1524 A.D after he came to know that Daulat Khan Lodi (uncle of Ibrahim Lodi who invited Babur to invade Delhi) was driven out of the Kingdom by Ibrahim, he burned down Lahore(over a period of two days) and sent a messenger to Ibrahim Lodi demanding him to return the Timurid lands. He appointed Alam Khan, another rebel uncle of Ibrahim as the Governor of Lahore. When Alam Khan was overthrown and fled to Kabul, Babur supplied Daulat Khan and Alam Khan with troops more than 30,000 army which had a small battalion of Matchlock Musketeers. The battle took place at the historic place of Panipat hence the name.
Babur wrote in his memoirs about his victory :
"By the grace of the Almighty God, this difficult task was made easy to me and that mighty army, in the space of a half a day was laid in dust."
Although establishing his rule as the first Mughal Emperor, Babur was faced with rebellions from Mewat (Hindu Kings converted to Muslims) and Mewar Kings (Rajputs) and other Rajput Kings. These rajput kings on hearing the downfall of the huge Lodi army planned to reestablish the Rajput rule in India which was lost after the attack of Mohammad of Ghor in 1191 A.D followed by the death of Prithviraj Chauhan I. At the same time the army of Babur was demoralized by the hot summers of India and were willing to return to their home lands of Central Asia. Babur was successful in motivating and recharging the spirits of his own army by proclaiming himself as the Ghazi(Religious Warrior). This rajput rebellions led to the Battle of Khanwa in 1527 A.D. The rajputs were led by Rana Sangha of Mewar. Babur emerged victorious in-spite of the enemy's huge army which was essentially powerful than that of Ibrahim Lodi's. The Rajputs were thus disposed off but Babur had still to deal with the Afghan rulers of Bihar and Bengal. In 1529 A.D Babur defeated the combined Afghan forces at the Battle of Ghagra in May, 1529 A.D.
The Battle of Ghagra in 1529 A.D was the last war of Babur in India. The battle was fought with the Afghans, on the confluence of the Ganga and its tributary, the Ghagara, on 6th May, 1529. Sultan Mahmud Lodi(Brother of Ibrahim Lodi), who had escaped from Khanwa after Rana Sanga’s defeat, established himself in Bihar and gathered a large army which was estimated at one lakh strong. Anxious to put an end to the Afghan threat once for all, Babur decided to bring them to battle. But he was at peace with Nusrat Shah of Bengal with whom the Afghan chiefs, headed by Mahmud Lodi, had taken shelter. So he opened negotiations with Nusrat Shah, but nothing came out of it. He was obliged, therefore, to send an ultimatum asking for a passage and in the event of refusal, holding him responsible for the consequences.
The Afghans were defeated. A treaty was now concluded between Babur and Nusrat Shah agreed not to give shelter to Babur’s enemies. This was Babur’s last battle in India. As the result of this contest he became the sovereign of Bihar, and the Afghan chiefs joined him with their troops. He was now in possession of this country from the Indus to Bihar and from the Himalayas to Gwalior and Chanderi. The Mughals had obtained possession of Multan, and, therefore, in the north-western corner of the country only Sindh remained beyond the Mughal rule.
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| Babri Masjid, Ayodhya |
Babur is popularly believed to have demolished the Sri Ram Temple at Ayodhya and built Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India, which was later demolished in 1992 A.D by activists. Soldier of fortune as he was, Babur was not the less a man of fine literary taste and critical perception. His autobiography is known as Tuzk-e-Babri (also Baburnama, Memoirs of Babur) originally written in Chagatai language, is an example of his literary capacity. After Babur fell seriously ill, Humayun, his eldest son, was summoned from his Jagir(feudal land). Babur died at the age of 47 on 1530 A.D, and was succeeded by Humayun. In accordance with his will, his body was moved to Kabul, Afghanistan there it lies in Bagh-e Babur (Babur Gardens).
Humayun (r. 1530 - 1540 A.D and 1555-1556 A.D)
Humayun was the son of Babur and ascended to the throne after his father's death. Babur has left Humayun with great big results of his successful conquests which included Kabul, Kandahar, Lahore, Panipat, Delhi, Agra, Amber and more. But Babur did not have the time to consolidate his successes into an Empire. So the unconsolidated empire was passed on to Humayun, who would then go on to leave a legacy of more than 1 million square kilometer lands to the next generation. Like Babur, Humayun also suffered initial defeats in his own land. By this time, Portuguese had their strong-hold settlements in the north-west India near Gujarat. Portuguese have entered India in 1498 A.D. The first Portuguese encounter with the subcontinent was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast.
When ascended to the throne, Humayun had threats from two significant kingdoms, one on the east - The Pasthun noble(Afghan), Sultan Sher shah Suri of Suri dynasty; and the other on the west - Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat. Humayun, Sher Shah Suri and Sultan Bahadur expanded their kingdoms during the first five years of Humayun's rule. Humayun has by then acquired the Matchlock Muskets from the Ottomans. Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat has acquired the Matchlock Muskets with the help of Portuguese in return for lands for their settlements.
After getting to know that Sultan Bahadur is planning an attack on his empire, Humayun responds and immediately raids and attacks Gujarat, taking control of the forts of Mandu (in present day Madhya pradesh) and Champaner (in present day Gujarat). In stead of attacking Sultan Bahadur and taking over the entire empire, Humayun consolidates his territories. Sultan Bahadur meanwhile takes refuge with Portuguese. Taking advantage of the situation, Sher shah Suri attacks Agra, on hearing this news, Humayun with his army marches towards Agra to defend his Kingdom. While Humayun was able to save Agra, his troops were delayed at the fort of Chunar(which was occupied by Sher shah Suri's son to attack Humayun's marching army from behind). Chunar was eventually saved, however Sher Shah Suri occupied Gaur (City in present Bengal). Gaur was then the rice bowl of the Mughal Empire and Sher Shah Suri emptied the granaries of Gaur.
By the time Humayun reached the place, Sher shah withdrew to east and Humayun shut himself up for a considerable time in his Harem(place where royal wives live), and indulged himself in every kind of luxury. Meanwhile one of Humayun's four surviving brothers, 19-year Hindal promises Humayun that he shall protect his troops from the rear. Soon Hindal breaks his promise and reaches Agra to assume himself as the Sultan. When Humayun sent the grand Mufti(Muslim legal expert), Sheikh Buhlul, to reason with him, the Sheikh was killed. Further provoking the rebellion, Hindal ordered that the Khutba or sermon in the main mosque at Agra be read in his name, a sign of assumption of sovereignty. Further, he asks the troops protecting Humanyun's army from the rear to withdraw to Agra thus giving Sher Shah Suri an opportunity to draw an attack. Humayun's other brother, Kamran marched from his territory of Punjab to protect Humayun besides having treacherous intentions of claiming stake in his falling Empire.
Picking up on the opportunity, Sher Shah Suri attacks Humayun in an entrenched battle in Chausua near Benares. By the end of the day Humayun was successful in making peace talks with the help of his ambassador, Mohammad Aziz. However, in the late of the night Sher Shah attacks the unready army of Humayun. Humayun swims across Ganges in his air-filled 'water skin' and reaches Agra. Humayun finds all three of his brothers on his return to Agra. He pardons them as he did many times in the past. With Sher shah's army marching towards Agra, Humayun and Kamran get in to an argument. Kamran then leaves to Lahore(Punjab) after Humayun decides to build a new army under his own name. Humayun and his brothers Hindal and Askari march towards Sher Shah's army at meet on the east of Agra at Kannauj. The Battle of kannauj took place on 17th May 1540 A.D. Loosing the battle all three brothers flee back to Lahore. Sher Shah thus established the Sur Dynasty.
The four brothers were united in Lahore, but every day they were informed that Sher Shah was getting closer and closer. When he reached Sirhind, Humayun sent an ambassador carrying the message "I have left you the whole of Hindustan (i.e. the lands to the East of Punjab, comprising most of the Ganges Valley). Leave Lahore alone, and let Sirhind be a boundary between you and me." Sher Shah, however, replied "I have left you Kabul. You should go there." Kabul was the capital of the empire of Humayun's brother Kamran Mirza, who was far from willing to hand over any of his territories to his brother. Instead, Kamran approached Sher Shah, and proposed that he actually revolt against his brother and side with Sher Shah in return for most of the Punjab. Sher Shah dismissed his help, believing it not to be required, though word soon spread to Lahore about the treacherous proposal and Humayun was urged to make an example of Kamran and kill him. Humayun refused, citing the last words of his father, Babur "Do nothing against your brothers, even though they may deserve it."
Following Humayun's many adversities faced to stay away from Sher Shah Suri Humayun and his pregnant wife Hamida reached the Emir(amir) of Sindh whom he appointed. The Emir Hussein Umrani welcomed Humayun's presence and was loyal to Humayun just as he had been loyal to Babur. Whilst in the oasis garrison of Umerkot in Sindh, Hamida daughter of noble Sindhi, gave birth to Akbar on 25 October 1542, the heir-apparent to the 34-year old Humayun. The date was special because Humayun consulted his Astronomer to utilize the astrolabe and check the location of the planets.
In 1543 A.D, with the help of Emir Hussein Umrani, Humayun builds an army and starts regaining his lost territories. He marched towards kandahar and then Kabul gaining thousands of soldiers and supporters to defeat the Sur Dynasty and reestablish the Mughal Empire. Humayun goes on to claim himself as the rightful heir to the Timurid throne of Babur. In Kamran Mirza's territory(which includes Kabul and Kandahar), Hindal Mirza had been placed under house arrest in Kabul after refusing to have the Khutba recited in Kamran Mirza's name. His other brother Askari Mirza was now ordered to gather an army and march against Humayun. Akbar was left behind in camp close to Kandahar for, as it was December it would have been too cold and dangerous to include the 14-month-old toddler in the forthcoming march through the dangerous and snowy mountains of the Hindu Kush. Askari Mirza found Akbar in the camp, and embraced him, and allowed his own wife to parent him, she apparently started treating him as her own. Once again Humayun turned toward Kandahar where his brother Kamran Mirza was in power, but he received no help and had to seek refuge with the Shah of Persia. Humayun along with his wife and 40 men had to seek refuge with the Safavid Dynasty rulers who helped them to reach Herat(Persia). It took a month long journey for them to reach Herat during which they were again subjected to hardships due to lack of resources. Once they reached Herat, their status changed and they were treated as royal guests by the Persian rulers.
Upon entering the city his army was greeted with an armed escort, and they were treated to lavish food and clothing. They were given fine accommodations and the roads were cleared and cleaned before them. Shah Tahmasp, unlike Humayun's own family, actually welcomed the Mughal, and treated him as a royal visitor. Here Humayun went sightseeing and was amazed at the Persian artwork and architecture he saw. Much of this was the work of the Timurid Sultan Husayn Bayqarah and his ancestor, princess Gauhar Shad, thus he was able to admire the work of his relatives and ancestors at first hand. He was introduced to the work of the Persian miniaturists, and Kamaleddin Behzad had two of his pupils join Humayun in his court. Humayun was amazed at their work and asked if they would work for him if he were to regain the sovereignty of Hindustan: they agreed. With so much going on Humayun did not even meet the Shah until July, some six months after his arrival in Persia. After a lengthy journey from Herat the two met in Qazvin(The then capital of Iran. Now called the Caligraphy capital of Iran) where a large feast and parties were held for the event. The meeting of the two monarchs is depicted in a famous wall-painting in the Chehel Sotoun (Forty Columns) palace in Esfahan.
Shah Tahmasp of Persia urges Humayun to convert to Shia muslim. Reluctant but with no option, Humayun takes up shia islam to save his troops. Although the Mughals initially disagreed to their conversion they knew that with this outward acceptance of Shi'ism, Shah Tahmasp was eventually prepared to offer Humayun more substantial support. When Humayun's brother, Kamran Mirza, offered to cede Kandahar to the Persians in exchange for Humayun, dead or alive, Shah Tahmasp refused. Instead the Shah staged a celebration for Humayun, with 300 tents, an imperial Persian carpet, 12 musical bands and 'meat of all kinds'. Here the Shah announced that all this, and 12,000 elite cavalry were his to lead an attack on his brother Kamran. All that Shah Tahmasp asked for was that, if Humayun's forces were victorious, Kandahar would be his.
Thus Humayun with the persian Safavid aid, goes on to raid Kandahar then being ruled by Askari Mirza(his brother) and lays siege for two weeks. Then he goes on to raid Kabul ruled by Kamran Mirza and defeats him. In both battles, there was not much fight as the soldiers of Humayun's brother switched loyalty to join his army. In November 1545, Hamida and Humayun were reunited with their son Akbar, and held a huge feast. They also held another, larger, feast in the child's honour when he was circumcised. His youngest brother, Hindal Mirza, formerly the most disloyal of his siblings, died fighting on his behalf. His brother Askari Mirza was shackled in chains at the behest of his nobles and aides. He was allowed go on Hajj, and died en route in the desert outside Damascus.
Humayun's other brother, Kamran Mirza, had repeatedly sought to have Humayun killed. In 1552 Kamran Mirza attempted to make a pact with Islam Shah, Sher Shah's successor, but was apprehended by a Gakhar. The Gakhars were one of the minority of tribal groups who had consistently remained loyal to their oath to the Mughals. Sultan Adam of the Gakhars handed Kamran Mirza over to Humayun. Humayun was inclined to forgive his brother. However he was warned that allowing Kamran Mirza's repeated acts of treachery to go unpunished could foment rebellion amongst his own supporters. So, instead of killing his brother, Humayun had Kamran Mirza blinded which would end any claim by the latter to the throne. Humayun sent Kamran Mirza on Hajj, as he hoped to see his brother thereby absolved of his offences. However Kamran Mirza died close to Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula in 1557.
Sher Shah Suri of Sur Dynasty had died in 1545; his son and successor Islam Shah died too, in 1554. These two deaths left the dynasty reeling and disintegrating, while in many cities leaders tried to stake a claim for independence. This was a perfect opportunity for the Mughals to march back to India.The Mughal Emperor Humayun, gathered a vast army and attempted the challenging task of retaking the throne in Delhi. Humayun placed the army under the able leadership of Bairam Khan. This was a wise move given Humayun's own record of military ineptitude and Bairam was to prove himself a great tactician. Humayun and the army led by Bairam khan marched to raid and attack the Sur dynasty, They were unopposed in almost all of Punjab. The fort of Rohtas, which was built in 1541–43 by Sher Shah Suri to crush the Gakhars who were loyal to Humayun, was surrendered without a shot by a treacherous commander. The walls of the Rohtas Fort measure up to 12.5 meters in thickness and up to 18.28 meters in height. They extend for 4 km and feature 68 semi-circular bastions. Its sandstone gates, both massive and ornate, are thought to have exerted a profound influence on Mughal military architecture.
The only major battle faced by Humayun's armies was against Sikander Suri in Sirhind, where Bairam Khan employed a tactic whereby he engaged his enemy in open battle, but then retreated quickly in apparent fear. When the enemy followed after them they were surprised by entrenched defensive positions and were easily annihilated.From here on most towns and villages chose to welcome the invading army as it made its way to the capital. On 23 July 1555, Humayun once again sat on Babur's throne in Delhi.
With all of Humayun's brothers now dead, there was no fear of another usurping his throne during his military campaigns. He was also now an established leader, and could trust his generals. With this new-found strength Humayun embarked on a series of military campaigns aimed at extending his reign over areas in eastern and western India. Humayun returned from exile in Persia with thousands of Persians soldiers and nobles. This influx increased the cultural and political influences of the Persians in Mughal Empire. It also applied to the administration of the empire. Persian methods of governance were imported into Kashmir during the remainder of Humayun's reign. The system of revenue collection was improved by following both the Persian model and that of the Delhi Sultanate. The Persian arts became very influential, and Persian-style miniatures were produced at Mughal (and subsequently Rajput) courts. The Chaghatai language, in which Babur had written his memoirs, disappeared almost entirely from use by of the courtly elite, and Akbar could not speak it.
On 27 January 1556, Humayun, with his arms full of books, was descending the staircase from his library when the muezzin announced the Adhan (the call to prayer). It was his habit, wherever he heard the summons, to bow his knee in holy reverence. Trying to kneel, he caught his foot in his robe, tumbled down several steps and hit his temple on a rugged stone edge. He died three days later. His body was laid to rest in Purana Quila initially, but because of attack by Hemu on Delhi and capture of Purana Qila, Humayun's body was exhumed by the fleeing army and transferred to Kalanaur in Punjab where Akbar was coronated. His tomb stands in Delhi, where he was later buried in a grand way. Humayun's tomb stands as the UNESCOs World Heritage Site today in Delhi.
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