Babur

Babur
Ghazi[1]
Babur
Idealized portrait of Babur, early 17th century
Mughal Emperor (Padishah)
Reign20 April 1526 – 26 December 1530
PredecessorIbrahim Lodhi, last sultan of the Lodhi dynasty (as Sultan of Delhi)
SuccessorHumayun
Amir of Kabul
Reign1504–1526
PredecessorMukin Begh
SuccessorHimself as the Mughal Emperor
Amir of Ferghana
Reign1494–1497
PredecessorUmar Sheikh Mirza
Born(1483-02-14)14 February 1483
Andijan, Timurid Empire
Died26 December 1530(1530-12-26) (aged 47)
Agra, Mughal Empire
Burial
Gardens of Babur, Kabul, Afghanistan
Consort
(m. 1506)
Wives
more...
(m. 1499; div. 1503)
(m. 1504; died 1506)
(m. 1507; died 1509)
(m. 1519)
Issue
more...
Names
Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur
Posthumous name
Firdaws Makani (Dwelling in Paradise; Persian: فردوس مکانی)
HouseHouse of Babur
DynastyTimurid dynasty
FatherUmar Shaikh Mirza II
MotherQutlugh Nigar Khanum
ReligionSunni Islam[2]

Babur (Persian: بابر, romanizedBābur, lit.'tiger/panther'; Persian pronunciation: [bɑː.buɾ]; 14 February 1483 – 26 December 1530; born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his father and mother respectively.[3][4][5] He was also given the posthumous name of Firdaws Makani ('Dwelling in Paradise').[6]

Born in Andijan in the Fergana Valley (now in Uzbekistan), Babur was the eldest son of Umar Shaikh Mirza II (1456–1494, governor of Fergana from 1469 to 1494) and a great-great-great-grandson of Timur (1336–1405). Babur ascended the throne of Fergana in its capital Akhsikath in 1494 at the age of twelve and faced rebellion. He conquered Samarkand two years later, only to lose Fergana soon after. In his attempt to reconquer Fergana, he lost control of Samarkand. In 1501, his attempt to recapture both the regions failed when the Uzbek prince Muhammad Shaybani defeated him and founded the Khanate of Bukhara.

In 1504, he conquered Kabul, which was under the putative rule of Abdur Razaq Mirza, the infant heir of Ulugh Beg II. Babur formed a partnership with the Safavid emperor Ismail I and reconquered parts of Turkestan, including Samarkand, only to again lose it and the other newly conquered lands to the Shaybanids.

After losing Samarkand for the third time, Babur turned his attention to India and employed aid from the neighbouring Safavid and Ottoman empires.[7] He defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the Sultan of Delhi, at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526 and founded the Mughal Empire. Before the defeat of Lodi at Delhi, the Sultanate of Delhi had been a spent force, long in a state of decline.

The rival adjacent Kingdom of Mewar under the rule of Rana Sanga had aspirations of becoming the major power in North India.[8][better source needed] Sanga unified several Rajput clans for the first time after Prithviraj Chauhan and advanced on Babur with a grand coalition of 100,000 Rajputs, engaging Babur in the Battle of Khanwa. Babur arrived at Kanwah with less than 10,000 soldiers. Nonetheless, Sanga suffered a major defeat due to Babur's skilful troop positioning and use of gunpowder, specifically matchlocks and small cannons.[9]

The Battle of Khanwa was one of the most decisive battles in Indian history, more so than the First Battle of Panipat, as the defeat of Rana Sanga was a watershed event in the Mughal conquest of North India.[10][better source needed][11][12][better source needed]

Religiously, Babur started his life as a staunch Sunni Muslim, but he underwent significant evolution. Babur became more tolerant as he conquered new territories and grew older, allowing other religions to peacefully coexist in his empire and at his court.[13] He also displayed a certain attraction to theology, poetry, geography, history, and biology—disciplines he promoted at his court—earning him a frequent association with representatives of the Timurid Renaissance.[14] His religious and philosophical stances are characterized as humanistic.[15]

Babur married several times. Notable among his children are Humayun, Kamran Mirza, Hindal Mirza, Masuma Sultan Begum, and the author Gulbadan Begum.

Babur died in 1530 in Agra and Humayun succeeded him. Babur was first buried in Agra but, as per his wishes, his remains were moved to Kabul and reburied.[16] He ranks as a national hero in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Many of his poems have become popular folk songs. He wrote the Baburnama in Chaghatai Turkic; it was translated into Persian during the reign (1556–1605) of his grandson, the emperor Akbar.

  1. ^ Stephen F. Dale (2018). Babur. p. 154.
  2. ^ Christine Isom-Verhaaren, Allies with the Infidel, (I.B. Tauris, 2013), p. 58.
  3. ^ Christoph Baumer, The History of Central Asia: The Age of Islam and the Mongols, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018, p. 47.
  4. ^ Ẓahīr-al-Dīn Moḥammad Bābor at Encyclopædia Iranica
  5. ^ Robert L. Canfield, Robert L. (1991). Turko-Persia in historical perspective, Cambridge University Press, p. 20. "The Mughals-Persianized Turks who invaded from Central Asia and claimed descent from both Timur and Genghis – strengthened the Persianate culture of Muslim India".
  6. ^ Jahangir, Emperor Of Hindustan (1999). The Jahangirnama : memoirs of Jahangir, Emperor of India. Translated by Thackston, W. M. Washington, D.C. : Freer Gallery of Art, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution ; New York : Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780195127188.
  7. ^ Gilbert, Marc Jason (2017), South Asia in World History, Oxford University Press, pp. 75–, ISBN 978-0-19-066137-3, archived from the original on 22 September 2023, retrieved 11 June 2021 Quote: "Babur then adroitly gave the Ottomans his promise not to attack them in return for their military aid, which he received in the form of the newest of battlefield inventions, the matchlock gun and cast cannons, as well as instructors to train his men to use them."
  8. ^ V.S Bhatnagar (1974). Life and Times of Sawai Jai Singh, 1688–1743. Impex India. p. 6. From 1326, Mewar's grand recovery commenced under Lakha, and later under Kumbha and most notably under Sanga, till it became one of the greatest powers in northern India during the first quarter of sixteenth century.
  9. ^ Dale, Stephen F. (3 May 2018). Babur. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-47007-0.
  10. ^ An Advanced History of India. By R.C. Majumdar ... H.C. Raychaudhuri ... Kalikinkar Datta. (Second Edition.). Macmillan & Company. 1950. p. 419. The battle of khanua was one of the most decisive battles in Indian history certainly more than that of Panipat as Lodhi empire was already crumbling and Mewar had emerged as major power in northern India. Thus, Its at Khanua the fate of India was sealed for next two centuries
  11. ^ Radheyshyam Chaurasia (2002). History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 161. ISBN 978-81-269-0123-4. The battle of Kanwaha was more important in its result even than the first battle of panipat. While the former made Babur ruler of Delhi alone the later made him King of hindustan. As a result of his success, the Mughal empire was established firmly in India. The sovereignty of India now passed from Rajputs to Mughals
  12. ^ Wink 2012, p. 27: "The victory of Mughals at khanua can be seen as a landmark event in Mughal conquest of North India as the battle turned out to be more historic and eventful than one fought near Panipat. It made Babur undisputed master of North India while smashing Rajput powers. After the victory at khanua, the centre of Mughal power became Agra instead of Kabul and continue to remain till downfall of the Empire after Aalamgir's death.
  13. ^ Hamès, Constant (1987). "Babur Le Livre de Babur". Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions. 63 (2): 222–223. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  14. ^ Babur; Bacqué-Grammont, Jean-Louis; Taha Hussein-Okada, Amina (2022). Le livre de Babur: le Babur-nama de Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur. Série indienne. Paris: les Belles lettres. ISBN 978-2-251-45370-5.
  15. ^ Dale, Stephen Frederic (1990). "Steppe Humanism: The Autobiographical Writings of Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur, 1483–1530". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 22 (1): 37–58. doi:10.1017/S0020743800033171. ISSN 0020-7438. S2CID 161867251.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Necipoğlu was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne