Chapter 1 Central Asian Politics and the Advance of Babur Towards India

MONGOLS:
TIMUR :
In 15th and early 16th centuries new Turkish incursion into India, by Zahiruddin
Muhammad Babur. The decline of the Mongols [Timur belonged to the Barlas clan
of Turks had freely intermarried with the daughter of the Mongol Khan, Qazan
Khan, who was a descendant of Chingiz's son, Chaghtai.] led into Muguals. Timur
death in 1404-05. He over-ran Khurasan (eastern Iran), Iran, Georgia, Iraq and
the Ottoman empire in Syria and Anatolia (Turkey). He also led a series of
campaigns against the Mongol ulus called the Golden Horde, which controlled
Southern Russia and parts of modern Sinkiang and Siberia. He sacked Delhi
Punjab. He was planning an invasion of China at the time of his death. He is
boldest and most destructive conquerors. Mongols had embraced Islam like the
Turks, including the regulations or yassa laid down by Chingiz. He made provision
for religious endowment, and built shrines, mosques and madrasas.
SHAH RUKH:
Timurid rulers also gave support to the new liberal stream of thought, based on
Ibn Arabi's philosophy of wahdat-al-wajud, or unity of God and the created world,
which was given popular expression by a new breed of poets. Thus, Jami, one of
the most popular poets, was patronized by Timur's successor, Shah Rukh, at
Herat. They encouraged the development of Chaghtai Turkish as a literary
language. Sultan Husain Baiqara, set up a new school of painting at Herat
under the master painter, Bihzad. They gave total loyalty and support to the
chief, called Qa-an, or the great chief by the Mongols. Timurids claimed the
divine right to rule.
RIVALS
Uzbeks who were the main rivals of the Timurids, consisted of nomadic Turkish
and Mongol tribes speaking Turkish. Samarqand had been the capital of the
Timurids for almost 140 year so fight started between Mongols and Turks for this.
Babur Background:
Babur ascended the small principality of Farghana in 1494 at the age of twelve,
following the death of his father, Umar Shaikh. Farghana was being attacked by
his paternal uncle, Sultan Ahmad Mirza, aided by his maternal uncle, Sultan
Mahmud Khan. Babur was able to stand up to these attacks, twice conquered
Samarqand. Latter crossing the Hindukush mountains in winter, Babur attacked
and conquered Kabul (1504) and Ghazni. Babur in 1506 he decided that all his
followers call him 'Padshah. Babur's moves against Punjab and India. The
income from Kabul had never been sufficient to meet the requirements of
Babur's begs and kinsmen. The main income from Kabul was the tamgha or cess
on imports and exports. In 1518, Babur had invested and conquered the fortress
of Bajaur, and then gone on to capture Bhira which was on the river Jhelum.
During that period Ibrahim Lodi, is the ruler at Delhi.
Chapter 2 Struggle for Empire in North India: Afghans, Rajputs and the Mughals
death of the Afghan ruler, Sikandar Lodi, at Agra towards the end of 1517 and
the succession of Ibrahim Lodi. the conquest of Bajaur and Bhira, by Babur in the
frontier tract of north-west Punjab in the beginning of 1519 . These 2 are
important.
The battle of Panipat (20 April, 1526) between Ibrahim Lodi and Babur,