The matter has been made so complex, that it is not possible to sift facts. In March 1527 at the Battle of Khanwa, Babur's army managed to deal the Rajputs a huge defeat. Humāyūn recovered and Bābur’s health declined, and Bābur died the same year. According to legend, Babur cried out to God to spare Humayun's life, offering his own in return. We bring to you 10 facts about the Mughal emperor Babur: 1. The empire was consolidated two generations later by his grandson Akbar and lasted until the mid-18th century, when its possessions were reduced to small holdings. Considered as one of the finest Mughal emperors, Babur succeeded in securing the dynasty's position in Delhi after a series of sultanates failed to consolidate their seats and his empire went on to rule for over 300 years in India. His small force, burdened by the oppressive weather and located 800 miles (1,300 km) from their base at Kabul, was surrounded by powerful foes. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. Zakhiriddin Babur was born in 1483 in Andijan, when he was 12 he became the ruler of Ferghana. Majid Sheikh Published December 9, 2018 The last great sacking and burning of Lahore by a foreign invader was undertaken by the first Mughal emperor Babur. Szczepanski, Kallie. Those territories were vast, and, hence, the princes’ claims led to unending wars. Babur himself was of noble blood; on his father's side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk descended from Timur the Lame, and on his mother's side he was a descendant of Genghis Khan. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In 1501 Bābur was decisively defeated at Sar-e Pol and within three years had lost both Samarkand and his principality of Fergana. Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge; Lecturer in History, University of Cambridge, 1963–69. As the siege dragged on, however, important nobles and military men from the Delhi Sultanate such as Ibrahim Lodi's uncle, Alam Khan, and the governor of Punjab allied themselves with Babur. Babur was a descendant of the Turkish conqueror Timur on his father's side and of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan on his mother's side. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He was fifth in male succession from Timur and 13th through the female line from Genghis Khan. By the time of Babur's birth, the remaining Mongol descendants in western Central Asia had intermarried with Turkic and Persian peoples and assimilated into the local culture. "Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire." Zahir-ud-din Muhammad, nicknamed "Babur" or "Lion," was born into the Timurid royal family in Andijan, now in Uzbekistan, on February 14, 1483. The Mughal Dynasty is a line of Muslim emperors who reigned in India from 1526-1858 and became a repository for all the wealth and talent of the most extensive empire in the medieval world. Updates? Although Babur appeared to be terribly outmatched, he had something that Lodi did not—guns. The Kandahar Citadel held out for much longer than Babur had anticipated. There was always hope at that time, however, for a prince with engaging qualities and strong leadership abilities. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The emperors accepted two primary duties for themselves—Jahanbani (protection of the state) and Jahangiri (extension of the empire). Babur the first Mughal Emperor, was a descendent of Genghis Khan and Tamerlaine. From 1519 to 1524, he led four expeditions to India but without any significant results. The qualities needed to succeed in that dynastic warfare were the abilities to inspire loyalty and devotion, to manage the turbulent factions often caused by family feuds, and to draw revenue from the trading and agricultural classes. He pondered his future on Salaiman Mountain atop which he constructed… ThoughtCo. Babur himself was of noble blood; on his father's side, he was a Timurid, a Persianized Turk … Akbar (ruled 1556–1605) was proclaimed emperor amid gloomy circumstances. For 10 years (1494–1504) Bābur sought to recover Samarkand and twice occupied it briefly (in 1497 and 1501). By employing threats, reproaches, promises, and appeals, vividly described in his memoirs, Bābur diverted them. Sultan Ibrahim Lodi (?–1526) was the last ruler of the Lodi Sultanate of Delhi. (2020, August 28). It was thus a precarious heritage that Bābur passed on to his son Humāyūn. By 1524 Bābur had invaded the Punjab three more times but was unable to master the tangled course of Punjab and Delhi … By 1497, he had conquered the famous Silk Road oasis city of Samarkand. His first action there was to lay out a garden, now known as the Ram Bagh, by the Yamuna (Jumna) River. In-fact the expenses on controlling the armies and administration were greater than the income. Under Babur, Afghanistan flourished. With superior tactics and firepower, Babur crushed Lodi's army, killing the sultan and 20,000 of his men. This marked the end of Babur's rule in what is now Uzbekistan. Hence, Bābur, though called a Mughal, drew most of his support from Turks, and the empire he founded was Turkish in character. His last unsuccessful attempt on Samarkand (1511–12) induced him to give up a futile quest and to concentrate on expansion elsewhere. * Map showing the empire during Babur, Akbar and Aurangzeb with the, cities and boundaries, where they ruled. ADVERTISEMENTS: Babur, who laid down the foundation of the rule of a new dynasty in India in 1526 A.D., belonged to the family of Chaghatai Turks. He was the ruler of Kabul for 22 years. Having achieved success by 1528, he took the title of padishah and declared the city of Agra as his capital. He unlocked growth by encouraging trade, enforcing a simple and clear taxation system, embracing pluralism, and … ). Once more, however, the Uzbeks utterly defeated the Mughul army, driving them back to Afghanistan. Other Afghans had rallied to Sultan Ibrāhīm’s brother Maḥmūd Lodī, who had occupied Bihar. Bābur used his customary tactics—a barrier of wagons for his centre, with gaps for the artillery and for cavalry sallies, and wheeling cavalry charges on the wings. Babur (1483 – 1530) was the ultimate founder and first Emperor of the Mughal dynasty in the Indian subcontinent. Babur (born Zahir-ud-din Muhammad; February 14, 1483–December 26, 1530) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. They portray a ruler unusually magnanimous for his age, cultured, and witty, with an adventurous spirit and an acute eye for natural beauty. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Babur, Babur - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire. When Bābur made his first raid into India in 1519, the Punjab region (now divided between the Indian state and the Pakistani province) was part of the dominions of Sultan Ibrāhīm Lodī of Delhi, but the governor, Dawlat Khan Lodī, resented Ibrāhīm’s attempts to diminish his authority. Szczepanski, Kallie. The Reign of Babur (1526- 1530) Babur established his empire after defeating Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat, the Rajputs under Rana Sanga Babur’s of Mewar at the battle of Kanwar and the expansion consolidated Afghans chiefs at the banks in India of river Ghagra. Guwahati: Assam finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Congress, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and so called regional parties want to establish rule of Babur in Assam however in Assam there will be name of Lord Ram and no Babur can rule this state. Knowing that the Mughal army had been weakened at the Battle of Panipat, the princes of Rajputana gathered an army even larger than Lodi's and went to war behind Rana Sangam of Mewar. Babur was pre-eminently a man of faith. In the words of Lane-Poole, “Babur is perhaps the most captivating personality in oriental history”. Bābur eventually mastered them all, but he was also a commander of genius. Omissions? Babur’s Rule in India (1526-30): Babur (1483-1530) whose original name was Zahir-ud-Din Mohammad, came to be known by his pet name ‘Babur’ – a Turkish word which means a tiger. Bābur’s father, true to that tradition, spent his life trying to recover Timur’s old capital of Samarkand (now in Uzbekistan), and Bābur followed in his footsteps. Muslim state (1526-1857) exercising dominion over most of Indi… First sultan of the Mughal Empire; took lots of land in India. With most of the neighbouring strongholds still held by his foes, Bābur was virtually surrounded. When Babur occupied Kabul and began invading the Indian subcontinent, he was called a Mughal like all the earlier invaders from the Chagatai Khanate. Smith observes, “He is the most brilliant Asiatic prince of his age and worth of a high place among the sovereigns of any age […] An empire had been gained but still had to be pacified and organized. Five years after his initial invitation to the subcontinent, Babur finally launched an all-out assault on the Delhi Sultanate and Ibrahim Lodi in April 1526. Babur had overcome his fellow Muslims in the Delhi Sultanate (and of course, most were happy to acknowledge his rule), but the mainly-Hindu Rajput princes were not so easily conquered. Bābur’s army was estimated at no more than 12,000, but they were seasoned followers, adept at cavalry tactics, and were aided by new artillery acquired from the Ottoman Turks. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. On the plains of Punjab, Babur's army of 24,000—mostly cavalry—rode out against Sultan Ibrahim, who had 100,000 men and 1,000 war elephants. Bābur won the battle by coolness under fire, his use of artillery, and effective Turkish wheeling tactics on a divided, dispirited enemy. His seat was anything but secure, however, with numerous uncles and cousins plotting to replace him. The sultan of the Delhi Sultanate, Ibrahim Lodi, was hated and reviled by his citizens. Babur was born in Andijan, today in Uzbekistan and ruled the Fergana Valley from nearby Osh . Considering this state of affairs, Zahir ud din Babur and his followers decided to establish their rule in Kabul and Kandahar. Babur, now 21 years old, besieged and conquered Kabul, establishing a base for his new kingdom. He was also a gifted Turki poet, which would have won him distinction apart from his political career, as well as a lover of nature who constructed gardens wherever he went and complemented beautiful spots by holding convivial parties. Likewise Dr. V.S. During his brief period of absolute rule over India, Babur did not have the time, or indeed the opportunity, to set the affairs of state in permanent manner. Evidently aware that a good offense is the best defense, the young emir set out to expand his holdings. The Rajputs, however, put up a spirited defense against this new Muslim and would-be overlord from the north. Bābur’s first problem was that his own followers, suffering from the heat and disheartened by the hostile surroundings, wished to return home as Timur had done. Babur (born Zahir-ud-din Muhammad; February 14, 1483–December 26, 1530) was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. Timur was the grandfather of the Timurid sultan, astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Beg, who ruled Central Asia from 1411 to 1449, and the great-great-great-grandfather of Babur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire, which then ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent. After just four years of Lodi's rule, the Afghan nobility was so fed up with him that they invited the Timurid Babur to come to the Delhi Sultanate and depose him. He had shaken up the military and court ranks by installing his own followers in place of the old guard and ruled the lower classes with an arbitrary and tyrannical style. Who Are the Pashtun People of Afghanistan and Pakistan? Artillery was again decisive, helped by the skillful handling of boats. Little-Known Asian Battles That Changed History, Biography of Tamerlane, 14th Century Conqueror of Asia, Biography of Mahmud of Ghazni, First Sultan in History, J.D., University of Washington School of Law, B.A., History, Western Washington University. Because there was no fixed law of succession among the Turks, every prince of the Timurids—the dynasty founded by Timur—considered it his right to rule the whole of Timur’s dominions. A military adventurer, soldier of great distinction, poet, as well as politician, Babur… The Mughal Empire lasted until 1868, at which point it finally fell to the colonial British Raj. He was not what one would look for as a leader of a country as big as India. The last Mughal, Bahādur Shah II, was exiled in 1857. There were also Rajput chiefs still defying him, principally the ruler of Chanderi. He decided to build his capital at Agra. His descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that covered much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to shape the culture of India to this day. To the south were the kingdoms of Malwa and Gujarat, both with extensive resources, while in Rajasthan Rana Sanga of Mewar (Udaipur) was head of a powerful confederacy threatening the whole Muslim position in northern India. That brilliant success must have seemed at the time to be of little difference from one of his former forays on Samarkand. His descendants, the Mughal emperors, built a long-lasting empire that covered much of the subcontinent until 1868, and that continues to shape the culture of India to this day. Bābur’s dominions were now secure from Kandahār to the borders of Bengal, with a southern limit marked by the Rajput desert and the forts of Ranthambhor, Gwalior, and Chanderi. As the ruler of Fergana in a society where dynastic succession had to be asserted and defended, he developed the skill set for conquest and a thirst for ambition. His followers responded both to that act and his stirring exhortations and stood their ground at Khanua, 37 miles (60 km) west of Agra, on March 16, 1527. The Mughul dynasty produced capable rulers, one after another, from Babur to Aurangzeb, provided political unity to a […] His father Umar Sheikh Mirza was the Emir of Ferghana; his mother Qutlaq Nigar Khanum was the daughter of Moghuli King Yunus Khan. Grab a copy of our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! He then turned on Maḥmūd Lodī, whose army was scattered in Bābur’s third great victory, that of the Ghaghara, where that river joins the Ganges, on May 6, 1529. So in 1504AD Babur conquered Kabul and in 1511AD with the help of Persian monarch, he managed to take possession of Kandahar. While he was thus engaged, however, his uncles and other nobles rose in rebellion back in Andijan. Besides, they tried to create those conditions which were conducive to … This led to the Battle of Khanwa which was fought between Babur and Rana Sanga in March 1527. They were translated from Turki into Persian in Akbar’s reign (1589), were translated into English, Memoirs of Bābur, in two volumes, and were first published in 1921–22. Thwarted, Babur began to look south once more. Yet it was clear that the Delhi sultanate was involved in contentious quarreling and ripe for overthrow. Omar Shaykh, who ruled Farghana from the town of Andijan, died in 1494 when Babur was a … In 1504 Bābur seized Kabul (Afghanistan) with his personal followers, maintaining himself there against all rebellions and intrigues. Babur lived a difficult life, always battling to make a place for himself. Corrections? Thus consolidating his rule in Kabul and Kandahar, Babur marched toward Indian Subcontinent. Even the invasion of Timur had been considered a Mongol invasion since the Mongols had ruled over Central Asia … In the end, however, he planted the seed for one of the world's great empires. By 1524 Bābur had invaded the Punjab three more times but was unable to master the tangled course of Punjab and Delhi politics sufficiently enough to achieve a firm foothold. The Timurid princes, moreover, considered themselves kings by profession, their business being to rule others without observing too precisely whether any particular region had actually formed a part of Timur’s empire. In 1530, when Humāyūn became deathly ill, Bābur is said to have offered his life to God in exchange for Humāyūn’s, walking seven times around the bed to complete the vow. Therefore, Babur decided to create his new state on the territory of the northern part of India and in 1519 he began a military campaign. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Ibrāhīm was killed in battle. Humayun hurried to Agra to defend his claim to the throne but soon fell gravely ill himself. Bābur’s father, ʿUmar Shaykh Mīrzā, ruled the small principality of Fergana to the north of the Hindu Kush mountain range. Delhi and Agra were threatened by Hemu —the Hindu general of the Sūr ruler, ʿĀdil Shah—and Mughal governors were being driven from all parts of northern India. The Mughal dynasty was established by a man named Babur who ruled over the state of Hindustan (India). Bābur, a descendant of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan and also of the Turkic conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), was a military adventurer, a soldier of distinction, and a poet and diarist of genius, as well as a statesman. Bābur is rightly considered the founder of the Mughal Empire, even though the work of consolidating the empire was performed by his grandson Akbar. All down the Ganges (Ganga) River valley were militant Afghan chiefs, in disarray but with a formidable military potential. The Gunpowder Empires: Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal, Biography of Aurangzeb, Emperor of Mughal India, Biography of Akbar the Great, Emperor of Mughal India, Early Muslim Rule in India From 1206 to 1398 CE. His family had become members of the Chagatai clan, by which name they are known. Another reason for Babur’s conquest of India was the insufficient income of Kabul. The Mughal empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from what today is Uzbekistan, who employed aid from the neighbouring Safavid and Ottoman empires, to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodhi, in the First Battle of … The determined young emir had regained both cities by 1501, but the Uzbek ruler Shaibani Khan challenged him over Samarkand and dealt Babur's forces a crushing defeat. "Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire." Babur Babur Jewelled archway in Humayun's tumb in Delhi ©. With his usual speed, Bābur occupied Delhi three days later and reached Agra on May 4. He passed away on December 26 in 1530. The artillery stampeded the elephants, and the flank charges bewildered the Rajputs (ruling warrior caste), who, after 10 hours, broke, never to rally under a single leader again. Bābur now had to deal with the defiant Afghans to the east, who had captured Lucknow while he was facing Rana Sanga. Bābur came from the Barlas tribe of Mongol origin, but isolated members of the tribe considered themselves Turks in language and customs through long residence in Turkish regions. The further implementation of Babur’s plans was prevented by civil strife among the Timurids. In 1494, the Emir of Ferghana died suddenly and 11-year-old Babur ascended his father's throne. In the autumn of 1530, Babur fell ill. His brother-in-law conspired with some of the Mughal court nobles to seize the throne after Babur's death, bypassing Humayun, Babur's eldest son and appointed heir. In 1522, when he was already turning his attention to Sindh (now a province in Pakistan) and India, he finally secured Kandahār, a strategic site (now in Afghanistan) on the road to Sindh. Finally, his prose memoirs, the Bābur-nāmeh, have become a renowned autobiography. Babur succeeded his father as ruler of the state … When Bābur made his first raid into India in 1519, the Punjab region (now divided between the Indian state and the Pakistani province) was part of the dominions of Sultan Ibrāhīm Lodī of Delhi, but the governor, Dawlat Khan Lodī, resented Ibrāhīm’s attempts to diminish his authority. https://www.thoughtco.com/babur-founder-of-the-mughal-empire-195489 (accessed April 18, 2021). He then dealt with Rana Sanga, who, when he found that Bābur was not retiring as his Turkish ancestor had done, advanced with an estimated 100,000 horses and 500 elephants. After capturing that fortress in January 1528, Bābur turned to the east. When Babur turned to defend his base, he once again lost control of Samarkand. He gathered an army and launched a siege on Kandahar. Babur's Mosque, Panipat, northwestern India. Due to family difficulties, he could not rule his native state of Central Asia. In 1521, a perfect opportunity for southern expansion presented itself to Babur. Crossing the Ganges, he drove the Afghan captor of Lucknow into Bengal. Bābur, (Persian: “Tiger”) also spelled Bābar or Bāber, original name Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad, (born February 15, 1483, principality of Fergana [now in Uzbekistan]—died December 26, 1530, Agra [India]), emperor (1526–30) and founder of the Mughal dynasty of northern India. Zahiruddin Babur, a Timurid prince, was a contemporary of Shah Ismail. After mounting a full-scale attack there, Bābur was recalled by an Uzbek attack on his Kabul kingdom, but a joint request for help from ʿĀlam Khan, Ibrāhīm’s uncle, and Dawlat Khan encouraged Bābur to attempt his fifth, and first successful, raid. Szczepanski, Kallie. The battle that followed, now known as the First Battle of Panipat, marked the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. The Mughal Empire, Mogul or Moghul Empire, was an early modern empire in South Asia. The foundation of the empire was laid in 1526 by Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad, Although the Mongol-Timurid legacy influenced the Ottoman and Ṣafavid states, it had its most direct impact on. Bābur was a descendant of the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan through the Chagatai line and of Timur, the founder of the Timurid dynasty based in Samarkand. Humayun, 22 years old, inherited a rickety empire, beset by internal and external enemies. While Babur grew more and more displeased as he ruled over Kabul, in 1521, he decided to set his sights upon Hindustan which was then under the rule of the Dehli Sultanate. Bābur, moreover, provided the magnetic leadership that inspired the next two generations. Disclaimer: All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. On December 26, 1530, Babur died at the age of 47. He sought divine favour by abjuring liquor, breaking the wine vessels and pouring the wine down a well. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. In his attempts, he lost both Samarkand and Fergana and had to head southward to reestablish himself in Kabul. He belonged to Farghana, a small Kingdom in Central Asia. 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