Nasir-ud-din Muhammad Humayun

Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad (March 6, 1508, to January 27 1556), known as Humayun, was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling from 1530 to 1540  and 1555-1556 over the area that is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern India, and Bangladesh. He, like his father, lost his kingdom early but was able to reclaim it with the help of the Safavid dynasty of Persia, who also provided him with extra land. The Mughal Empire covered about one million square kilometres at the time of his death in 1556. Humayun succeeded from his father to the throne of Delhi and the Mughal kingdoms on the Indian subcontinent in December 1530. When Humayun came to power at the age of 22, he was an inexperienced emperor. Kamran Mirza, his half-brother, inherited Kabul and Kandahar, the Empire's northernmost provinces. Humayun's fiercest adversary was to be Kamran. Sher Shah Suri took Mughal lands from Humayun, but he reclaimed those 15 years later with the help of the Safavids. The return of Humayun from Persia, followed by a huge retinue of Persian noblemen, marked a significant shift in Mughal court culture. The Persian influences on art, architecture, language, and literature completely eclipsed the dynasty's Central Asian beginnings.

In India, there exist hundreds of Persian texts and thousands of stone sculptures going back to Humayun's reign. Humayun then extended the Empire even more in a short period, leaving a significant legacy for his son, Akbar. Babur's choice to split his Empire's territory between two sons was unprecedented in India, though it had been a regular Central Asian practice since Genghis Khan's time. Unlike other monarchs, which practised primogeniture, the Timurids followed Genghis' lead and did not give the eldest son the whole country. Even while only a Chingissid could claim sovereignty and khanal power under that system, each male Chinggisid within a sub-branch had an equal claim to the throne (though the Timurids were not Chinggisid in their paternal ancestry). While Genghis Khan's Empire was peacefully split among his sons after his death, nearly every Chinggisid succession since then has ended in fratricide. Timur had split his lands amongst Pir Muhammad, Miran Shah, Khalil Sultan, and Shah Rukh, resulting in inter-family feuds. Humayun's domains were the least secure after Babur's death. Humayun had just been in power for four years, and not all umrah (nobles) believed he was the proper king. Earlier, when Babur became sick, some nobles attempted to install his brother-in-law, Mahdi Khwaja, asking. Even though this endeavour failed, it was a foreshadowing of future difficulties.

Several of Humayun's brothers rose out against him after he ascended to the throne of the Mughal Empire. Khalil Mirza (1509–1530), another brother, backed Humayun but was murdered. In 1538, the Emperor began building a mausoleum for his brother, but it was not completed when Humayun was forced to escape to Persia. Sher Shah demolished the building, and following Humayun's restoration, no more work was done on it. Gujarat's Sultan Bahadur to the southwest and Sher Khan, located along the Ganges in Bihar to the east, were Humayun's main competitors for his domains. Sher Shah Suri was the target of Humayun's first campaign. Halfway through the attack, Humayun had to leave it and focus on Gujarat, where he had to deal with a threat from Ahmed Shah. Humayun triumphed, annexing Gujarat, Malwa, Champaner, and Mandu's magnificent fort. Bahadur and Sher Khan extended their control throughout the first five years of Humayun's reign, despite Sultan Bahadur facing pressure in the east from occasional wars with the Portuguese. While the Mughals got their guns from the Ottoman Empire, Bahadur's Gujarat got them from the Portuguese through treaties that allowed the Portuguese to establish a strategic presence in northwestern India. In 1535, Humayun learned that the Sultan of Gujarat was plotting an attack on the Mughal territory with the help of the Portuguese. Humayun assembled an army and marched against Bahadur. Within a month, he had taken Mandu and Champaner forts. Rather than pursuing his onslaught, Humayun decided to call a halt to his expedition and consolidate his newly gained territories. Meanwhile, Sultan Bahadur had escaped and sought sanctuary with the Portuguese. Humayun, like his father, was a regular user of opium.

Sher Shah Suri

Sher Shah Suri sensed an opportunity to regain control of Agra from the Mughals shortly after Humayun marched into Gujarat. He started assembling his army in preparation for a swift and decisive siege on the Mughal capital. Humayun promptly marched his forces back to Agra after hearing this disturbing news, allowing Bahadur to reclaim the lands Humayun had just captured easily. On the other hand, Bahadur was murdered in February 1537 after a failed plot to abduct the Portuguese viceroy resulted in a firefight that the Sultan lost. While Humayun successfully defended Agra, the Empire's second city, Gaur, the vilayat of Bengal's capital, was devastated. Humayun's soldiers were held up while attempting to seize Chunar, a fort manned by Sher Shah's son, to shield his troops from a rear attack. The grain stockpiles at Gauri, the Empire's biggest, were depleted, and Humayun came to find bodies littering the streets. Bengal's immense wealth was drained and transferred east, providing Sher Shah with a sizable war purse.

Humayun in Agra

When Humayun arrived at Agra, he discovered that all three of his brothers had arrived. Humayun forgave his brothers for conspiring against him once more and even forgave Hindal for his blatant treachery. Sher Shah was gradually coming closer to Agra with his soldiers travelling at a slow pace. The entire family was in danger, but Humayun and Kamran could not agree on how to act. Humayun declined to launch a rapid attack on the approaching enemy, preferring to assemble a greater force under his banner. Thus Kamran retreated. When Kamran retreated to Lahore, Humayun, together with his brothers Askari and Hindal, marched 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of Agra to face Sher Shah in the battle of Kannauj on May 17, 1540. Humayun was beaten severely. He fled to Agra, chased by Sher Shah, and then to Lahore through Delhi. Humayun was exiled for 15 years at the court of Shah Tahmasp I when Sher Shah founded the short-lived Sur Empire with its headquarters at Delhi.

Humayun in Lahore

The four brothers were reunited in Lahore, but they were warned that Sher Shah was closing in on them every day. When Humayun arrived at Sirhind, he dispatched an ambassador to deliver the news "I have given you the whole Hindustan [i.e. the regions east of Punjab, including most of the Ganges Valley]. Leave Lahore alone and draw a line between you and me in Sirhind." Sher Shah, on the other hand, said, "Kabul is where I have left you. You ought to go there." Kabul was the capital of Humayun's brother Kamran's kingdom, who was adamant about not handing up any of his lands to his brother. Instead, Kamran contacted Sher Shah with the proposal that he revolts against his brother and join Sher Shah in exchange for the majority of Punjab. Sher Shah denied his assistance, feeling it was unnecessary. Still, the word of the deceitful plan quickly travelled to Lahore, and Humayun was encouraged to make an example of Kamran by killing him. Humayun declined, citing his father's final words, "Do nothing against your brothers, even if they deserve it," as justification. Humayun thought it was best to retreat even more. So when the Hindu king Rao Maldeo Rathore joined with Sher Shah Suri against the Mughal Empire, he and his army rode out into and over the Thar Desert. Humayun frequently recalls how he and his pregnant wife had to retrace their ways through the desert at the hottest season of the year. Their rations were inadequate, and they had nothing to eat; in the desert, even drinking water was a big issue. For the first time in his life, Humayun was not duped by the character of the guy he had placed his hopes in. Instead, Sindh, Emir Hussein Umrani, hailed Humayun's arrival and pledged his allegiance to him, just as he had pledged his allegiance to Babur against the rebellious Arghuns. Together with Emir Hussein Umrani, Humayun collected horses and weaponry and made new partnerships in Sindh, which helped them reclaim lost territory. Until eventually, Humayun had collected hundreds of Sindhi and Baloch tribespeople behind his Mughals and marched towards Kandahar and subsequently Kabul, where he was joined by thousands more as Humayun declared himself the true Timurid heir of Babur, the first Mughal Emperor.

After leaving Sindh with 300 camels (mainly wild) and 2000 tons of food, Humayun crossed the Indus River to join his brothers in Kandahar on July 11, 1543, to regain the Mughal Empire and overthrow the Suri dynasty. The Leghari, Magsi, Rind, and several other tribes had sworn loyalty to Humayun. Hindal Mirza; placed under house arrest in Kabul after refusing to have the Khutba read in Kamran Mirza's name in Kamran Mirza's region. Askari Mirza, his other brother, was now instructed to assemble an army and March on Humayun. However, when Humayun learned of the impending enemy army, he opted to flee rather than face them and sought sanctuary elsewhere. Because it was December and too cold and risky to involve the 14-month-old toddler on the march into the Hindu Kush mountains, Akbar was left behind in a camp near Kandahar. Askari Mirza took Akbar in and raised him, leaving Kamran and Askari Mirza's wives to care for him. Sultan Begam, Kamran Mirza's wife, is mentioned in the Akbarnama. Humayun shifted his attention to Kandahar, where his brother Kamran Mirza was in power, but he got no assistance and was forced to seek asylum with the Shah of Persia.

Humayun escaped to Persia's Safavid Empire, travelling across mountains and valleys with 40 soldiers, his wife Bega Begum and her friend. The Imperial party was forced to consume horse flesh cooked in the soldiers' helmets, among other things. These humiliations persisted throughout the month it took them to go to Herat, but they were reintroduced to the better things in life once there. His army was met with an armed escort upon approaching the city, and they were lavishly fed and clothed. They were provided with excellent lodgings, and the roads were swept and cleaned in advance of their arrival. Unlike Humayun's own family, Shah Tahmasp embraced the Mughal and treated him like a royal guest. Humayun went touring and was awestruck by the Persian artwork and architecture he saw: most of it was the Timurid Sultan Husayn Bayqarah and his ancestor, princess Gauhar Shad; thus, he was able to view the work of his relations and ancestors up close and personal. Kamaleddin Behzad, along with two of his pupils, joined Humayun at his court after being introduced to Persian miniaturists' art. They pledged to work for Humayun if he were to reclaim Hindustan's sovereignty. Humayun did not see the Shah until July, six months after his arrival in Persia, since he was preoccupied with other matters. After a long journey from Herat, the two met at Qazvin, where a big feast and festivities were arranged to commemorate the occasion. A renowned wall painting at Esfahan's Chehel Sotoun (Forty Columns) palace depicts the meeting of the two rulers.

After a two-week siege, Humayun conquered Kandahar from Askari Mirza with the help of the Persian Safavids. "In reality, the larger portion of the population of the earth is like a flock of sheep; when one goes, the rest instantly follow," he said, describing how nobles who had followed Askari Mirza swiftly rushed to serve him. As promised, Kandahar was transferred to the Shah of Persia, who appointed his newborn son Murad as Viceroy. However, the infant died soon after, and Humayun believed he was strong enough to take control.

Sher Shah Suri died in 1545, while Islam Shah, his son and successor, died in 1554. The dynasty was left reeling and collapsing after these two deaths. Three contenders for the throne marched on Delhi, while leaders in various places attempted to claim independence. This was the ideal time for the Mughals to return to India. The Mughal Emperor Humayun gathered a vast army, including the Baloch tribes of Leghari, Rind and Magsi. Therefore, attempted the most challenging job of regaining the reign in Delhi. Humayun placed the military under the command of Bairam Khan, a sensible decision considering Humayun's military ineptness, and it proved to be prescient as Bairam proved to be a brilliant tactician. As a result, the troops of Sikandar Shah Suri were severely beaten in the Battle of Sirhind on June 22, 1555, and the Mughal Empire was re-established in India.

There was no risk of anyone usurping Humayun's throne during his military expeditions since that all of his brothers had died. He was also a seasoned commander who could rely on his generals. Humayun launched a series of military expeditions in the east and west of the subcontinent with his newfound power, intending to extend his rule. His absence appears to have lessened his dependence on astrology, and his military command began to emulate the more efficient techniques he had witnessed in Persia.

Humayun descended the staircase from his library on January 24, 1556, with his arms full of books when the muezzin proclaimed the Azaan (the call to prayer). He made it a practice to bow his knee in profound respect wherever and whenever he heard the summons. He snagged his foot in his robe while attempting to kneel, slid down several stairs, and banged his temple on a rough stone edge. Three days later, he passed away. Humayun's body was first buried at Purana Quila. Still, due to an attack by Hemu on Delhi and the capture of Purana Qila, the fleeing army removed Humayun's body. It transported it to Kalanaur, which is located in Punjab, where The Akbar was crowned. The Taj Mahal, along with many other monuments of India, followed in the footsteps of Humayun's Mausoleum in Delhi, which was the first really large garden tomb in Mughal architecture. Bega Begum, his favourite and loyal chief wife, commissioned it. Ahwal is the full name of the character. Padshah Humayun Jamah Kardom is a mosque in Kardom, Iraq. Amma Akbar Padshah, Gulbadan Begum bint Babur Padshah. She was only eight years old when Babur died, and she married at the age of seventeen, yet her work, written in a basic Persian language, has piqued the curiosity of its few readers. Unlike previous Mughal royal histories (such as Timur's Zafarnama, Baburnama, and his Akbarnama), no highly drawn copy has survived. The book is only known from a single damaged and somewhat fragmentary manuscript discovered in the 1860s and currently housed in the British Library. In 1901, Annette Beveridge produced an English translation, and since 2000, English and Bengali versions have been published.