Muhammad Humayun (1530-1544 and 1555-1556)
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Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled modern Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one.
He lacked his father's craftiness and athleticism. Though he could be a formidable warrior when he chose to be one, he was more laid-back and indolent. He was also an opium addict who relied on it for solace far more than a king with insecure borders should.He also made the mistake of trusting his three brothers, which served as a lesson to future Mughal rulers, who would not repeat this folly. Humayun appointed his brother prince Kamran as regent in Kabul, and he quickly added Punjab to his domain.Humayun appears to be seeking more independence.
Humayun’s first campaign was to confront Sher Khan of Sur, an Afghan, who was quietly expanding his territory in the east. Halfway through the counteroffensive, Humayun had to abandon it and concentrate on Gujarat. Where a threat from Ahmed Shah had to be squelched, he succeeded in this and annexed Gujarat and Malwa. Champaner and the great fort of Mandu followed next. Following this great triumph, Humayun made another tactical error in installing his brother Prince Askari in Ahmadabad instead of the defeated Ahmed Shah as a feudatory. To savour his victory, Humayun celebrated in the Mandu fort for many months, bingeing on opium and spending too much time in the company of his favourites. When he finally headed home to Agra, he found his brother Askari at his doorstep, making a serious bid for the throne. Though his older brother thwarted this effort, Askari was pardoned, which only exhibited royal weakness to his loyal subjects.
Humayun again fell into one of his many periods of laziness and lassitude and resorted to his pipe and playmates. All this time he also neglected to confront Sher Khan Sur, who was gathering land and feudatories in the east. As an administrator, Sher Khan was far superior to Humayun. In 1539, Humayun and Sher Khan met in battle in Chausa, between Varanasi and Patna. Humayun barely escaped with his life, and the following year, in 1540, his army of 40,000 was defeated by an Afghan army of 15,000 led by Sher Khan.Humayun’s brother refused to help him, and he found himself a fugitive in Rajastan and Sindh.
Finally, the shah of Iran, Shah Tamasp, had him seek refuge in Persia. Of course, Hamayun put his famous diamond to full diplomatic use because Shah Tamasp was a lover of diamonds. Koh-i-Noor would serve as the bribe that the Shah Tamasp needed to support Humayun with a large Persian military offensive on Sher Khan Sur in 1544. Hamayun found fraternal opposition again in Kandahar, where he was stalled for eight years but eventually won back Afghanistan.
Sher Khan had now become the monarch of Delhi, ruling as Sher Shah Sur from 1540 to 1545. He consolidated his kingdom from Punjab to Bengal. But Sher Shah tragically died in an accidental explosion of gunpowder during the offensive in Kalinjar. He was a brilliant administrator who was credited with organising the government and military in such a way that future Mughal kings used it as a model. Sher Shah’s son, Islam Shah, held on to power until 1553, and following his death, the Sur dynasty lost most of its clout due to factious strife and severe famine. In 1554, Humyun attacked the confused and divided state of Sur rulers and, in 1555, claimed Delhi again. But in 1556, tragedy struck the Mughals when Humayun tripped and fell to his death while descending the steps. Thus, Humayun ruled India for only ten years before dying at the age of forty-eight, leaving a thirteen-year-old boy, Akbar, as his heir. As a tribute to his father, Akbar later built Humayun’s tomb in Delhi from red sandstone, with a majestic outline that would become the precursor of future Mughal architecture.
