Early life and accession

Maharana Pratap was born in Hindu Rajput family to Udai Singh II of Mewar and Jaiwanta
Bai.[5][6][7] His younger brothers were Shakti Singh, Vikram Singh and Jagmal Singh. Pratap also
had 2 stepsisters: Chand Kanwar and Man Kanwar. He was married to Ajabde Punwar of
Bijolia[8] and he had married 10 other women and was survived by 17 sons and 5 daughters
including Amar Singh I.[9] He belonged to the Royal Family of Mewar.[10] After the death of Udai
Singh in 1572, Rani Dheer Bai wanted her son Jagmal to succeed him[11] but senior courtiers
preferred Pratap, as the eldest son, to be their king. The desire of the nobles prevailed. Udai
Singh died in 1572, and Prince Pratap ascended the throne as Maharana Pratap, the 54th ruler
of Mewar in the line of the Sisodia Rajputs.[12] Jagmal swore revenge and left for Ajmer, to join the
armies of Akbar, and obtained the town of Jahazpur as a Jagir as a gift in return for his help.[13]

Military career
Battle of Haldighati
Main article: Battle of Haldighati
The bloody Siege of Chittorgarh in 1567-1568 had led to the loss of the fertile eastern belt of
Mewar to the Mughals. However, the rest of the wooded and hilly kingdom in the Aravalli range
was still under the control of Maharana Pratap. Mughal Emperor Akbar was intent on securing a
stable route to Gujarat through Mewar; when Pratap Singh was crowned king (Maharana) in
1572, Akbar sent a number of envoys, including one by Raja Man Singh of Amer, entreating him
to become a vassal like many other rulers in Rajputana. When Pratap refused to personally
submit to Akbar, war became inevitable.[14][15]
The Battle of Haldighati was fought on 18 June 1576 between Pratap Singh and Mughal forces
led by Man Singh I of Amer. The Mughals were victorious and inflicted significant casualties
among the Mewaris but failed to capture the Pratap.[16][17][18] The site of the battle was a narrow
mountain pass at Haldighati near Gogunda, modern day Rajsamand in Rajasthan. Pratap Singh
fielded a force of around 3000 cavalry and 400 Bhil archers. The Mughals were led by Man Singh
of Amber, who commanded an army numbering around 10,000 men. After a fierce battle lasting
more than three hours, Pratap found himself wounded and the day lost. He managed to retreat to
the hills and lived to fight another day.[19]
Haldighati was a futile victory for the Mughals, as they were unable to kill or capture Pratap, or
any of his close family members in Udaipur.[20] While the sources also claim that Pratap was able
to make a successful escape, Mansingh managed to conquer Gogunda within a week after
Haldighati then ended his campaign. Subsequently, Akbar himself led a sustained campaign
against the Rana in September 1576, and soon, Gogunda, Udaipur, and Kumbhalgarh were all
under Mughal control.[20]

Reconquest of Mewar
Mughal pressure on Mewar relaxed after 1579 following rebellions in Bengal and Bihar and Mirza
Hakim's incursion into the Punjab.But after this Akbar sent Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan to
invade Mewar but he, stopped at Ajmer. In 1582, Pratap Singh attacked and occupied the
Mughal post at Dewair (or Dewar) in the Battle of Dewair.[21] This led to the automatic liquidation
of all 36 Mughal military outposts in Mewar. After this Akbar sent Jagannath Kachhwaha to
invade Mewar in 1584. In 1585, Akbar moved to Lahore and remained there for the next twelve
years watching the situation in the north-west. No major Mughal expedition was sent to Mewar
during this period. Taking advantage of the situation, Pratap recovered most of Mewar (except its
former capital, Chittorgarh, Mandalgarh and Vagad[22][citation needed] regions) by defeating Mughal
forces there. During this period, he also built a new capital, Chavand, near modern Dungarpur.[23]

Patronage of art
Maharana Prataps court at Chanvand had given shelter to many poets, artists, writers and
artisans. The Chavand school of art was developed during the reign of Rana Pratap.[24]