Lesson 1/55 min
Babur, Humayun and Sher Shah
In 1526 Babur defeated Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi at the First Battle of Panipat and laid the foundation of Mughal rule in India. Defeated by Sher Shah at Chausa in 1539 and at Kannauj in 1540, Humayun lost Delhi; he regained it in 1555.
The three battles of Panipat
| Battle | Year | Winner – loser | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 1526 | Babur – Ibrahim Lodi | Mughal empire founded in India |
| Second | 1556 | Bairam Khan (for Akbar) – Himu | Delhi stays with the Mughals |
| Third | 1761 | Abdali – Marathas | Muslim power extended |
Babur (1526–1530)
- Full name Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur; born in Ferghana in Central Asia; founder of the Mughal empire
- A descendant of Timur Lang on his father's side and of Genghis Khan on his mother's
- Used cannon for the first time in the subcontinent at the First Battle of Panipat
- His autobiography is the ‘Tuzuk-i-Babri’ or Baburnama, written in Turkic
- Died 1530; buried at Kabul; Panipat lies in India's Haryana state
Watch out: Two views on the meaning of ‘Babur’: ‘tiger’ in Persian, ‘lion’ in Turkic. Khandokar prints ‘tiger’ (the exam answer was ‘tiger’); Zubair prints ‘lion’. Choose by the options given.
Humayun (1530–1540, 1555–1556)
- Babur's eldest son; second Mughal emperor; took the throne in 1530 aged 22; the name means ‘fortunate’
- Took Gaur in 1538 and named it ‘Jannatabad’
- Battle of Chausa 1539, Battle of Kannauj 1540; defeated by Sher Shah in both
- Regained the throne in 1555, fifteen years later, with Safavid (Persian) help
- Died in 1556 after a fall from the stairs of the library in the Din Panah fort at Delhi
- The ‘Humayunnama’ was written by Gulbadan Begum
Sher Shah and Sur rule (1540–1555)
- His real name was Farid Khan; he served the ruler of Bihar and later under Babur too
- Took the title ‘Sher Shah’ after beating Humayun at Chausa in 1539
- Beat Humayun at Kannauj in 1540 and took Delhi; an Afghan (Sur) empire in the subcontinent
- Works: the Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-i-Azam), the horse post, the ‘dam’ coin, the kabuliyat and patta system
- Died in 1545 in a gunpowder explosion; tomb at Sasaram in Bihar
Watch out: Both books say Sher Shah took Bengal in 1540. As the Sultanate lesson shows, he took Gaur in 1538; 1540 is the year of Kannauj and the capture of Delhi.
Check yourself
Who introduced the kabuliyat and patta system?
At a glance
- 1
In 1526 Babur beat Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal empire; first use of cannon.
- 2
The three battles of Panipat: 1526, 1556, 1761.
- 3
Humayun lost to Sher Shah at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540) and regained the throne in 1555; the Humayunnama was written by Gulbadan Begum.
- 4
Humayun named Gaur ‘Jannatabad’ (1538).
- 5
Sher Shah: Grand Trunk Road, horse post, dam coin, kabuliyat and patta; tomb at Sasaram.