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Humayun- The Medieval History

Notes For UPSC
Mughal Empire
The first Mughal Emperor, Babur, was succeeded by his son, Humayun, who governed India for a decade
until being exiled.
• Humayun succeeded his father to the throne of Delhi as ruler of the Mughal lands in the Indian
subcontinent in December 1530. When Humayun came to power at the age of 22, he was an
inexperienced emperor.
• Humayun's return from Persia was accompanied by a huge retinue of Persian noblemen,
heralding a significant shift in Mughal court culture.
In this article, we'll look at the history of the Mughal Ruler Humayun and also the battles fought by him.
Besides we will also learn about the Mughal Architecture, the Humayun’s Tomb.
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Humayun: The Second Mughal Ruler

• Babar's son was Nasiruddin Humayun.
• He was a member of the Mughal dynasty and reigned over Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the
northeastern part of India from 1530 to 1540 and 1555 to 1556.
• In 1530, he succeeded his father, Babur, as king of India, with the lands of Kabul and Lahore
going to his half-brother Kamran Mirza. Humayun had two main competitors upon his arrival to
the throne: Sultan Bahadur of the East and Sher Shah Suri.
• In 1555, the year before his death, he took refuge with Persia's Safavid monarch, who aided him
in reclaiming Delhi.
• From 1562 until 1572, Hamida Begum, Humayun's Persian wife, directed the construction of her
husband's mausoleum in Delhi.
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• Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath is a Persian architect who has worked on projects in Herat (now northwest
Afghanistan), Bukhara (now Uzbekistan) etc.
• The shrine of Nizam al-Din Awliya, a notable Sufi Chistiyya order saint, is adjacent to the building's
location on the Yamuna River bank.
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Life of Humayun
• Sultan Bahadur was attacked by Humayun, who quickly captured the forts of Mandu and
Champaner, while Bahadur retreated and sought asylum with the Portuguese.
• In this venture, Humayun was successful, but Sher Shah sensed an opportunity and attacked
Agra, the Mughal capital.
• Though Humayun was able to save Agra, he was forced to cede Gaur to Sher Shah Suri in
Bengal. Sher Shah was then able to take control of Agra as well, using a variety of combat
methods.
• Humayun was a voracious reader who carried his books with him wherever he went. He was also
interested in astronomy and researched how the stars moved.

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• He was a very creative person who did intriguing things to fill his days with enjoyment. For
example, he assigned a distinct colour to each day of the week and wore the robe of that colour
on that specific day.
• Humayun's brother Kamran, the ruler of Kandhar, refused to support him and allied with Sher
Shah instead. Humayun ran away from India and sought sanctuary in Lahore.
• When Sher Shah arrived in Lahore, Humayun sent him a note saying, "I have left you the entire
Hindustan." Leave Lahore alone and make Sirhind your dividing line between you and me.” Sher
Shah responded by sending him the message, "I have left you the Kabul, you should go there."
Humayun was forced to flee Lahore and sought sanctuary in Persia.
• He attempted to recover his lost military might with the assistance of Persia's ruler. Kandahar was
taken by him. Humayun's brother Kamran, on the other hand, attempted to assassinate him, yet
he continually forgave all of his brothers for their flaws.
• Sher Shah ruled India from 1540 to 1545, dying in 1545. His son succeeded him as king, but he
was a weak ruler, and he died in 1554 as well.
• The empire began to crumble after his death, and Humayun, perceiving an opportunity,
dispatched an army led by his capable General Bairam Khan.
• Bairam Khan was successful in gaining control of Delhi and other parts of the country.
• On July 23, 1555, Humayun reclaimed the throne of Delhi. However, Humayun's euphoria was
short-lived; barely six months after his formal succession to the throne of Delhi, he was involved
in an accident in his library and died three days later on February 25th, 1556. His son Akbar took
over as his successor.
• Gulbadan, Humayun's sister, wrote a novel called Humayun-Nama about his life. His name lives
on in India and around the world thanks to his famous tomb, which was built by his widow after
his death.
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Battle Fought by Humayun

• Humayun was obliged to face Sher Khan alone in the Battle of Bilgram or Ganges, also known
as the Battle of Kanauj, in 1540, and after losing his country, Humayun was exiled for the next
fifteen years.
• Humayun married Hamida Banu Begum, daughter of Sheikh Ali Amber Jaini, who had been a
preceptor of Humayun's brother Hindal, in the deserts of Sindh in 1952.
• Humayun's wife gave birth to Rana Prasad on November 23, 1542 who further became Amarkot's
Hindu chief and promised Humayun that he would aid him conquer Thatta.

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• Humayun, on the other hand, was unable to conquer Bhakker or protect the city. As a result, he
fled India and resided in Persia, thanks to ShahTahmashp's generosity.
• The Shah of Persia agreed to assist Humayun and lend him an army of 14,000 troops on the
condition that he convert to Shia Islam, have the Shah's name declared in his Khutba, and grant
him Kandhar if he succeeds.
• Humayun seized Kandahar and Kabul with Persian assistance in 1545, but refused to submit
Kandhar to Persia.
• Humayun approached the Safavid ruler for assistance.
• He went on to overcome his brothers Kamran and Askari afterwards.

Humayun’s Tomb

• Humayun's Tomb is famous for its proportions and for being the first Indian edifice to use the
Persian double dome.
• The tomb established a number of important precedents for later Mughal mausolea. It's in a
geometrically organised garden with multiple water channels crisscrossing it, and it's most likely
to symbolise a paradise setting.
• Babur introduced distinctive Persian gardens to India, which can today be seen in the Red Fort
in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. The architectural style of the structure is Persian.
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• It's one of numerous Mughal constructions of Timurid-style architecture.

• Timur's tomb in Samarkand is one of numerous Mughal constructions influenced by Timurid
architecture.
• Babur was a proud Timurid who grieved his failure to conquer Samarkand. His successors
fantasised about retaking Samarkand and questioned tourists about Timur's tomb.

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