UNIT 11 (8 MARKS) HUMAYUN
Humayun his problems.
Nasir-ud-din Muhammad surnamed Humayun was born at Kabul in March 1508 to Babur & Mahima Begam. Humayun successfully seated himself on the throne of Agra on 30th Dec 1530. At the time of his death Babar had left a will for Humayun that after his death Humayun should treat his younger brothers (Kamran, Hindal & Askari) very kindly. Humayun fulfilled the last wish of his father. He made Kamran the ruler of Kabul & Kandahar. Askari the ruler of Rohilkhand & Hindal the ruler of Mewat. He was second Mughal emperor who ruled from 1530-1540 & again from 1555-1556. Succeeding to his father's throne, he was challenged both by his brothers and some of his father's generals. Humayun had two major rivals interested in acquiring his lands — Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and Sher Shah Suri (Sher Khan) of Bihar. Sher Shah eventually established himself as a ruler of Bihar and Bengal. The ensuing struggle ended in Humayun's defeat in 1540. He fled first to Sind (southern Pakistan) and then, in 1544, to Iran. In 1545, aided by the Iranian shah, he wrested Afghanistan from his brother Kamran and in 1555 he regained the empire after defeating Sikandar Suri. Humayun died of an accident, leaving the empire to his son, Akbar.
On 4 March 1556, Humayun, his arms full of books, was descending the staircase from his library when the muezzin announced the Adhan (the call to prayer), reportedly after smoking a pipefull of opium. It was his habit, wherever he heard the summons, to bow his knee in holy reverence. Kneeling, 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, and was succeeded by the 13 year old Akbar.
Humayun loved astrology and astronomy and built observatories that lasted centuries. His life was chronicled in a slightly hagiographical work called the Humayun-nama written by his sister Gulbadan Begum at the request of his son, Akbar. His most lasting impact was the importing of Persian ideas into the Indian empire, something which was expanded on by later leaders. His support for the arts, following exposure to Safavid art, saw him recruit painters to his court who developed the celebrated Mughal style of painting. Humayun's greatest architectural creation was the Din-Panah (Refuge of Religion) citadel, also known as Purana Qila at Delhi which was destroyed by Sher Shah Suri. He is best remembered today for his great Tomb, built by his widow after his death between 1562 and 1571. The ultimate model for Humayun's tomb is the Gur-e Amir in Samarkand, and it is best-known as a precursor to the Taj Mahal in style. However, in its striking composition of dome and iwan, and its imaginative use of local materials, it is one of the finest Mughal monuments in India in its own right.
HUMAYUN HIS PROBLEMS.
Political Instability: When Humayun became the king there was no political stability in the empire. Babar was not able establish political stability during his time. Mughal empire had enemies like Muhmud lodhi, Alam Khan, Bahadur Shah & Sher Shah who wanted to recover their independence.
Lack of well organized Government: The Mughal provinces were still disorganized. Babar had not take any steps to organize the administration of the provinces. The Jagirs were still under Afghan chiefs. It was difficult for Humayun to control such provinces.
Division of Empire into Jagirs: Babar had distributed Jagirs among his soldiers & thus divided the country into Jagirs. These Jagirdars became very powerful with the passage of time & posed a threat to the Mughal Empire.
Babar’s Last Instructions: At the time of his death Babar had left a will for Humayun that after his death Humayun should treat his younger brothers (Kamran, Hindal & Askari) very kindly. Humayun fulfilled the last wish of his father. He made Kamran the ruler of Kabul & Kandahar. Askari the ruler of Rohilkhand & Hindal the ruler of Mewat.
Disloyalty of Brothers: His brothers Kamran, Hindal & Askari were not ready to co-operate with him in consolidating his hold over India. They rather looked to their selfish interests & wanted their share.
Empty Treasury: When Humayun became the king the treasury was empty. It was difficult for him to run the administration in the absence of adequate funds.
Personality of Humayun: Humayun was not a far-sighted & clever politician. He was not a good administrator & ruler. He was not a strong man. He was incapable of sustained efforts and lacked the resolution and courage of his father. He was addict to Opium & liquor. He was more generous than he should have been. He pardoned his disloyal brothers time & again & added much to his difficulties. Humayun started his career facing problems & he enhanced them with his blunders.
Q. What were the causes of Humayun’s failure against Sher Shah? He failed miserably against Sher Shah Suri. Humayun could have crushed Sher Shah very easily in his life. But he left his enemy to flourish. Humayun made many mistakes in his campaigns against Sher Shah. By besieging Chunar he lost Gaur. He gave enough time to Sher Shah to consolidate his position. He indulged in merry-making in Gaur for months & lost contact with his capital. Sher shah in the meantime, captured Banaras & Bihar & cut off his line of communication. He did not know whether to take a large army or contingent of few soldiers to crush Sher Shah. Humayun never calculated the real strength of Sher Shah. He underestimated his enemy. The result was that he was attacked at night at Chausa & he had to save his life by jumping into the river Ganga.
Q. Battle of Chausa (1539) Battle of Chausa took place on 26th of June 1539 A.D. and was fought between the Sher Khan and the Mughal Emperor Humayun. After conquering Bengal Humayun was heading towards Agra but Sher Khan had blocked the way of return of Humayun to Agra. Humayun took the Grand Trunk Road which passed through south Bihar and was under complete control of Sher Khan. Humayun crossed the river Ganges and reached Chausa, a place at the boundary between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Sher Khan also reached there with his troops. The two armies remained there facing each other for three months (April to June 1539 A.D.). Negotiations of peace were carried on but nothing came out of them. Sher Khan delayed the battle deliberately. He waited for the rains which could create problem for the Mughal army which was camping in between the rivers Ganges and Karmanasa. That actually happened when the rains started. On 25 June Sher Khan gave the impression to the Mughals that he was proceeding to subdue one of the tribal chiefs in Bihar. But, he returned and attacked the Mughals at night from three sides. The Mughals were completely surprised and the army was destroyed. Humayun just saved his life by plunging himself into the river Ganges. Sher Khan declared himself the Sultan and assumed the title of Sher Shah after this battle. He captured Bengal well and then returned to Kanauj.
Q. Battle of Kanauj (1540) After the battle of Chausa, the two sides consolidated their forces for one year. In May 1540, the armies met once again at Kanauj and the Mughal Empire was put to an end for a while at Kanauj, the Afghans were able to scatter the Mughal army, which mere by panic, fled in confusion. Humayun again escaped from the battle field and from that day , for next 15 years he lived like a wanderer. Via the deserts of Thar, he reached Sind where he lived for 3 years. Here, he fell in love with Hamida, a 15 year old girl, who was daughter of a sheikh of his brother. In 1542, on October 15, Hamida gave birth to Akbar, who would become the most adorable emperor of India, only after Asoka.
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