7 – Babur (1483 – 1530)
Born as Zahir-ud-Din Muhammed, in Andijan in 1483, Babur (Tiger) became the first Mughal emperor after overcoming a series of initial setbacks. He was the great-great-great-grandson of Timur and came from the Barlas tribe. However, some members of the tribe identified themselves with the Turks, so although Babur was a Mughal, much of his support came from the Turks. Since there was no fixed law of succession, every Timurid prince believed he had the right to rule all of Timur’s former territories. Babur’s father spent most of his military career trying to recover Timur’s old capital of Samarkand.
Babur ascended the throne of Fergana after his father’s death in 1495, and the 12-year old ruler faced internal rebellion as his relatives wanted to rule. Babur succeeded in conquering Samarkand in 1497 but lost it just two years later after losing Fergana. He suffered defeat in 1501 as he failed to retake the city and another loss as he tried to regain Fergana. Overall, Babur conquered and lost Samarkand three times; his last failure in 1512 forced him to look elsewhere in his quest for expansion.
He made his first raid on India in 1519, and he captured the strategic site of Kandahar (modern-day Afghanistan) three years later. After four failed attempts to invade Punjab, he succeeded in his fifth attempt in 1525. Babur won a stunning victory over the enemy army led by Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi. Babur’s army numbered no more than 12,000 while his opponent had around 100,000 soldiers. He used innovative tactics to split up his enemy’s army, and his artillery caused panic. Ibrahim was killed in the conflict, and within three days, Babur was in Delhi and arrived at Agra a little over a week later.
His success appeared to have put him and his men in mortal danger. They were 1,300 kilometers from their base in Kabul with three powerful enemies on different sides. His first task was to convince his army, not to mutiny and return home. Then he dealt with the threat of Rana Sanga who led a powerful confederacy that threatened the Muslim population in India. Again, he was heavily outnumbered as the enemy had 100,000 men and 500 elephants. However, he used brilliant tactics to outmaneuver the enemy and routed them. The ruling warrior caste (the Rajputs) never came together under a single leader again.
After this victory, Babur marched east and captured the fortress of Chanderi before driving the Afghan leader into Bengal. Finally, he defeated his third foe, Mahmud Lodi, at the Battle of the Ghaghara in 1529. Babur overcame incredible odds on a number of occasions and is one of the most skilled, lesser-known commanders in history. In 1530, his son, Humayun became seriously ill. Babur is said to have offered his life to the gods in exchange for his son and walked around the bed seven times as part of the vow. Humayun recovered, but Babur fell ill and died. The Mughal Empire spanned 3.2 million square kilometers at its peak in the 17th century and lasted until 1857.
Sources For Further Reading:
Arab America – Tāriq ibn Ziyād: The Founding Father of Andalusia
World History – Abbasid Dynasty
Boise State University – What Can the Islamic Golden Age Teach Us about Migration and Diversity?
New World Encyclopedia – Ghaznavid Empire
ThoughtCo – Biography of Mahmud of Ghazni, First Sultan in History
Share Your Essay – Mahmud Ghazni’s Invasions of India
Kreately – Why Historians Believe Raja Bhoj Killed Mahmud Gazni, With Facts And Evidence
OZY – Meet Tamerlane, The Other Genghis Khan
Haaretz – Behind the Pyramids of Skulls
Daily Sabah – Mehmed The Conqueror: An Intellectual Genius Among Ottoman Sultans
The Washington Post – Mehmed II Constantinople Conquest
ThoughtCo – Biography of Babur, Founder of the Mughal Empire
History Collection – Six Times the Islamic Empire Was Nearly Torn Apart