Humayun [1530-1540 & 1555-1556]
About Nasiruddin Muhammad Humayun
Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor and succeeded to the throne of Mughal Empire in 1530 AD after the death of his father Babur. After ruling the dynasty for a decade, he temporarily lost his kingdom to a Afghan noble known as Sher Shah Suri in the Battle of Bilgram in 1540 AD.
In 1539 AD also Humayun lost to Sher Shah Suri in the Battle of Chausa and barely escaped with his life. Humayun was in exile for 15 years after the defeat in 1540 AD. During this period in 1542 AD his wife Hamida Bano Begum gave birth to Akbar, the third and great Mughal Emperor.
In 1555 AD, after spending 15 years in exile he finally managed to defeat Sikandar Sur and re-occupy Delhi and restored the Mughal Empire. Humayun attained the title Insan-i-Kamil for his kind nature and peaceful attitude. In 1556 AD, Humayun died in an accident in Delhi. He slipped from the stairs of the famous citadel Din Panah.
Personal Life Humayun had three brothers, Kamran, Hindal and Askari. His sister's name was Gulbadan Begum who wrote his biography Humayun-nama. Humayun was a kindhearted, gentle and lenient man. He knew Turkish, Arabic and Persian.
Architecture during his Reign Humayun built the citadel Din-Panah in Delhi. It is believed that Sher Shah Suri destroyed that structure during his reign. The most famous building related to Humayun is the Humayun Tomb which was built in Delhi after his death during the reign of his son Akbar.
Sur empire [1540-1556]
About Sur Dynasty The Sur Dynasty ruled in northern India for a short period of time from 1540 AD to 1556 AD. It was established by Sher Shah Suri after defeating the Mughal Emperor Humayun in the Battle of Bilgram in 1540 AD. Delhi was the capital of Sur Dynasty.
The Sur Dynasty ruled the Sur Empire for almost 17 years. It occupied the entire Mughal territory stretching from Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east. In 1555 AD, Humayun defeated the Sur ruler Sikandar Suri and re-occupied Delhi. The Sur dynasty was completely ended when Hemu, the general of last Sur ruler Adil Shah Suri was defeated by Akbar in the second Battle of Panipat in 1556 AD.
Rulers of Sur Empire There were total seven rulers ruled the Dynasty in the 17 years of ruling. The rules of Sur Dynasty put the attention to economic development and administrative reforms in the territory.
Rulers of Sur Dynasty
1. Sher Shah Suri (1540 - 1545 AD)
2. Islam Shah Suri (1545 - 1553 AD)
3. Firuz Shah Suri (1553 AD)
4. Muhammad Adil Shah (1553-1555 AD)
5. Ibrahim Shah Suri (1555 AD)
6. Sikandar Shah Suri (1555 AD)
7. Adil Shah Suri (1555-1556 AD)
Sher Shah Suri was the first ruler of Sur Dynasty. He is also known as Shere Khan. Before dethroning Humayun in Battle of Bilgram in 1540 AD, he defeated the Mughal Emperor in one earlier instance also. In 1539 AD Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the Battle of Chausa. Sher Shah was a powerful ruler.
Islam Shah Suri, second son of Sher Shah Suri succeeded his father and became the ruler of Sur Dynasty. After his death in 1553 AD, his son Firuz Shah Suri became the ruler but within few days he was assassinated by Muhammad Adil Shah and became the ruler. Ibrahim Shah Suri was the brother in law of Adil Shah and governor of Agra. He attacked Delhi and became the ruler for few months before he was defeated by Sikandar Shah Suri in a battle at Farah. Humayun re-captured Delhi in 1555 AD after defeating Sikandar Shah Suri. The last ruler of the dynasty was Adil Shah Suri.
Akbar [1556-1605]
About Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar
Akbar is considered as one of the greatest rulers in Indian History. He was the third Mughal Emperor and succeeded his father Humayun after his death and ascended to the throne of Mughal Dynasty on 14th February, 1556 AD and ruled till 1605 AD. When he became the emperor of Mughal Empire, he was only 13 years of old. Akbar is commonly known as Akbar the Great. When Humayun was in exile after defeat with Sher Shah Suri in the Battle of Bilgram, his wife Hamida Bano Begum gave birth to Akbar on 15th October 1542 AD.
Liberal Akbar Akbar is famously known for his broadminded outlook on all religions and
faiths. He was illiterate but he had enormous eager and aspiration for knowledge.
Although he was unable to read and write but he was a very knowledgeable man and his court had many scholars. During the reign of Akbar, Mughal Empire reached the zenith in cultural and economic progress and religious harmony. He established the strategic alliance with Hindu Rajput kingdoms. Akbar revoked the Jizya tax which was imposed on non-Muslims by his predecessors. He married Rajput princesses Harkha Bai also known as Jodhaa Bai, daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber. After the marriage, she was converted to Muslim and became Mariam-uz-Zamani.
Expansion of Mughal Empire At the age of 13, Akbar ascended to the Mughal throne in Delhi. Bairam Khan was his adviser during the early stage of his ruling and assisted him in running the Mughal Dynasty. Akbar fought his first battle with Sikandar Shah Suri of Lodi Dynasty.
Second Battle of Panipat The second Battle of Panipat was one of the most important battles fought by Akbar just after becoming the emperor of Mughal Dynasty. In 1556 AD, the Hindu general Hemu launched the attack on Delhi and captured the capital but with the help of Bairam Khan, Akbar counter attacked and reclaimed the capital city. It was a decisive victory to Akbar and Hemu died in this battle. (See the individual section of Second Battle of Panipat for detail)
Battle of Haldighati Battle of Haldighati was another most important battle fought by Akbar. In 1576 AD, Akbar fought the battle with Maharana Pratap, powerful Rajput ruler of Mewar at Haldighati Pass. The battle lasted for four hours and outcome was an inglorious success for the Mughals and a glorious defeat for Mewar. A brave Rajput soldier sacrificed his own life and allowed Maharana Pratap to escape the battle of Haldighati. (See the individual section about Battle of Haldighati, for detail)
Other Battles In 1557 AD, Akbar defeated Adil Shah in a battle in Bengal. Adil Shah died in that battle. He stretched the Mughal territory to different regions like Malwa, Gujarat, Bengal, Kabul, Kashmir and Kandesh. He captured many forts e.g. Chittorgarh, Ranthanbhor and Dungarpur. Towards the end of his reign the Mughal Empire occupied most of the regions of northern and central India.
Scholars in the Court of Akbar Nine famous scholars known Navaratnas (Nine Jewels) were present in the court of Akbar. They were: 1. Abul Fazel (Chief Advisor) 2. Faizi (Poet) 3. Miyan Tansen (a Hindu singer) 4. Birbal (a noble) 5. Raja Todar Mal (finance minister) 6. Raja Man Singh (trusted general) 7. Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana (Poet) 8. Fakir Aziao-Din (an advisor) 9. Mullah Do Piaza (an advisor)
Abul Fazel was a big sholar and he is the author of Ain-i-akbari. He also wrote the Akbarnama, the biography of Akbar in Persian language. It provides the detail information about Akbar.
Din-i-Ilahi Akbar was very much interested in religious matters. In 1581 AD, he promulgated a religious movement known as Din-i-Ilahi. The main objective of the movement was to evolve a national religion acceptable to Hindu and Muslim. It was formulated by integrating the best principles from different religions like Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. Birbal was the only Hindu to join this religious movement of Akbar. The religion didn't continue after the death of Akbar.
Fatehpur Sikri new Capital Akbar founded the new city Fatehpur Sikri as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1572 AD. The capital was built in Fatehpur Sikri in honour of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chisti who lived there. It was a planned city designed in Mughal architecture and constructed using Indian principles. Tuhir Das was the main architect of the new capital city. Fatehpur Sikri was the capital of Mughal Empire from 1572 AD to 1585 AD. It took 15 years to build the city but it was deserted after 13 years of use due to scarcity of water supply.
Some of the important buildings and architecture in Fatehpur Sikri are: Buland Darwaza Jama Masjid Tomb of Salim Chishti Diwan-i-Aam Diwan-i-Khas Ibadat Khana Mariam-uz-Zamani's Palace Naubat Khana Panch Mahal
Successor Akbar died on 27th October 1605 AD and his son Jahangir succeeded him after his death and ascended to the throne of Mughal Empire in 1605 AD.
