Mughal Empire

Babur (1526-1530)
By Dr Vipan Goyal
 Babur (1526-1530)
• Mughals belonged to a branch of the Turks
called Chagatai, which is named after the
second son of Genghis Khan, the famous
Mongol Leader.
• The Foundation of the Mughal Empire in
India was laid by Babur, who was a
Chagatai Turk.
 Babur (1526-1530)
• Babur is the founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
• He was a descendant of Timur (on his father’s side) and Genghis Khan (on his
Mother’s side).
• His original name was Zahiruddin Muhammad.
• Babur was born in 1483 at Farghana situated between Persia and Turkestan
i.e. modern Uzbekistan and spent 36 years of his life in that country.
• In 1494 at the age of 11, Babur became the ruler of Farghana (at present in
Chinese Turkistan) succeeding Umar Shaikh Mirza, his father.
 Babur (1526-1530)
• In 1501, he tried to win Samarkand and was defeated by Muhammad
Shaybani. Muhammad Shaybani took Herat too in 1507.
• The only lasting success of Babur in his initial career was Kabul and took
thr title Padshah.
• At Kabul, as soon as 1523, the Afghan nobles began to intrigue with him to
dislodge Ibrahim Lodi.
• Daulat Khan, the most powerful noble of Punjab, who was
discontented with Ibrahim Lodhi, invited Babur to invade India.
 Babur (1526-1530)
• He undertook four expeditions to India in order to conquer it between the
years 1519 and 1523.
• The first attack of Babur in India was on Bajaur in 1519 with 2000 horsemen.
• It was followed by capture of Bhira on Jhelum River in Punjab. He came by
crossing Khyber Pass.
• 2nd attack was in 1519 and captured the Peshawar.
• 3rd attack was in 1520 and captured the Sialkot.
• 4th attack was in 1524 and captured maximum portion of Punjab.
 Babur's Military Conquests
• In 1504, Babur occupied Kabul.
• In 1524, Babur occupied Lahore and turned to Kabul after Daulat
Khan turned against him.
• In November 1525, Babur attacked and occupied Punjab again.
• On 21st April 1526, Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the first Battle of
Panipat and quickly occupied Delhi and Despite of vast and superior troop
Ibrahim Lodi lost in the battle due to Babur’s superior strategy and use of
artillery.
 Babur's Military Conquests
• In this Babur used the Rumi (Ottoman) device of lashing a large number of
carts to form a defending wall with guns (Tulghama system of warfare).
• His artillery was led by Ustad Ali and Mustafa.
• The First Battle of Panipat marked the foundation of Mughal dominion in
India.
 Babur's Military Conquests
• After wiining the Panipat battle, Babur gave gifts to his Sardars and Kohinoor to his
son Humayun. For this generosity everyone called him Kalandhar.
• Babur conquered Delhi and sent his son Humayun to seize Agra.
• Babur announced himself as “Emperor of Hindustan”.
• Rana Sangha of Mewar was a great Rajput warrior.
• He gave the toughest resistance to Babur’s expansion plans.
• OnMarch 16, 1527, Rana Sangha, along with rulers of Marwar, Amber,
Gwalior, Ajmer and Chanderi and Sultan Mahmood Lodi (whom Rana
Sangha had acknowledged as ruler of Delhi) met Babur in a
decisive contest at Kanhwa, a village near Agra.
• The aim was to prevent the imposition of another foreign repression
on Babur succeeded over them by using similar tactics as in the Battle of
Panipat. The, he took on the title of “Ghazi”.
• In the year 1528, Chanderi was captured by Babur from Rajput king
Medini Rai.
• On May 6, 1529, Babur met the allied Afghans of Bihar and Bengal on the
banks of Gogra, near Patna and defeated them. With this battle, Babur
occupied a considerable portion of northern India.
• Babur met the allied Afghans of Bihar and Bengal under Mahmud Lodhi on
the banks of Gogra, near Patna, and inflicted a crushing defeat on them.
• His victory led to rapid popularization of gunpowder and arteillery in India.
• On December 26, 1530, Babur died at Agra aged 40.
• His body was first laid at Arambagh in Agra, but was later taken to Kabul,
where it was buried.
• During his four-year stay in India, Punjab, territory covered by
United Provinces, and North Bihar were conquered by Babur.
• Rajput State of Mewar also submitted to him.
• Autobiography was Tuzuk-i-Baburi and it was translated into Persian
by Abdur Rahim Khan-i- Khana at the time of Akbar in 1590.
• Babur’s son Humayun ascended the throne of India three days after his
death.
• After Kushans, Babur was the first to bring Kabul and Kandahar into Indian
empire, which provide stability since it was staging post of invasions of
India.
• This helped in promoting trade since these towns were the starting points
of caravans meant for china in the east and Mediterranean in the west.
• He was an eminent scholar in Arabic and Persian.
• His mother tongue was Chaghatai Turkic.
• He was said to be a statesman.
• He wrote his memoirs, Tuzuk-i-Baburi inTurkish language i.e. Baburnama
 Estimate of Babur
• Babur and Jahangir are the only two emperors of Mughal Empire who
wrote their own biographies.
• Baburnama is also known to be the first true autobiography in the Islamic
literature.
• Baburnama was written in Chagatai Turkic, which was Babur’s mother
tongue.
• In contrast Jahangirnama or Tuzk-i-Jahangiri was written in Persian.
 Significance of Babur's advent in India
• Security from external invasions from north-west frontier
• For the first time after the downfall of the Kushana empire, Kandahar and
Kabul became the integral parts of the Mughal empire.
• Established a pan-India empire by breaking the power of the Rajput
Confederacy.
• New mode of warfare and popularised the use of gunpowder, cavalry and
artillery in India
• Devoted follower of Naqshbandiya Sufi Khwaja Ubaidullah Ahrar
 Significance of Babur's advent in India
• Books: • Architecture:
 Turkish: Tuzuhk-e-  3 mosques:
Babri/Babarnama (translated o Panipat
into Persian by Abdur Rahim o Sambhul, near Rohilkhand
Khan-i-Khinan)
o Babri Masjid/ UP
 Mansavi
Thank You