Babur

Lore & Background

Born in Andijan in the Fergana Valley (now in Uzbekistan), Babur was the eldest son of Umar Shaikh Mirza II (1456–1494, Timurid governor of Fergana from 1469 to 1494) and a great-great-great-grandson of Timur (1336–1405). He ascended the throne of Fergana in its capital, Akhsikath, in 1494 at the age of twelve and had to put down a rebellion. He conquered Samarkand two years later, only to lose Fergana soon after. In his attempt to reconquer Fergana, he lost control of Samarkand as well. In 1501, he briefly recaptured both areas but his attempt failed when the Uzbek prince Muhammad Shaybani defeated him and founded the Khanate of Bukhara. In 1504, the exiled Babur conquered Kabul, which was under the putative rule of Abd ur-Razaq Mirza, the infant heir of his uncle Ulugh Beg II. Forming a partnership with the Safavid emperor Ismail I he reconquered parts of Turkestan in 1511, 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. 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 Panipat, the Sultanate of Delhi had been a spent force, long in a state of decline. The ruler of the adjacent Kingdom of Mewar, Rana Sanga, advanced on Babur with a grand coalition of Rajput and Afghan warlords, engaging Babur in the Battle of Khanwa. Babur achieved a decisive victory due to his skillful troop positioning and use of gunpowder. The battle, one of the most decisive events in Indian history, was a watershed event in the Mughal conquest of northern India. Religiously, Babur started his life as a staunch Sunni Muslim, but he underwent significant evolution. He became more tolerant as he conquered new territories and grew older, allowing other religions to peacefully coexist in his empire and at his court. 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. His religious and philosophical stances are characterized as humanistic. Babur married several times. Notable among his children were Humayun, Kamran Mirza, Hindal Mirza, Masum

In Their Own Story

The dust of the Panipat plain settled as Babur surveyed the carnage. His cannons, a novelty in Indian warfare, had shattered the enemy lines. He dismounted, his boots crunching on shattered war elephants and broken standards. 'This land,' he murmured, 'will be my home, not a graveyard of ambition.' Behind him, his loyal followers—a mix of Turco-Mongol warriors and Persian advisors—began to pitch tents. The Mughal Empire was born not in a palace, but on a battlefield, under a sky thick with smoke and the cries of victory.

Reader's Guide

Babur's early life was marked by a struggle to hold and regain territories in Central Asia. He ascended the throne of Fergana at age twelve in 1494. He conquered Samarkand at age fifteen but lost both Fergana and Samarkand soon after. After being defeated by Muhammad Shaybani in 1501, he conquered Kabul in 1504. He briefly reconquered Samarkand in 1511 with Safavid help but lost it again. Turning to India, he defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, founding the Mughal Empire. He then defeated Rana Sanga at the Battle of Khanwa. His rule was characterized by increasing religious tolerance and patronage of arts and sciences. He died in 1530 and was reburied in Kabul.

Did You Know?

• Babur's nickname 'Babur' is generally taken from the Persian word for 'tiger' or 'panther'.
• He wrote the Baburnama in Chaghatai Turkic, later translated into Persian under his grandson Akbar.
• Babur is credited with introducing the formal charbagh garden to northern India.
• He was a descendant of both Timur and Genghis Khan.