Humayun (1530-1556)


‘Humayun was the second emperor of the Mughal dynasty that invaded India. This emperor was known for his architectural splendour and extravagant lifestyle. He primarily ruled over the modern regions of Afghanistan, the northern region of India up to Bangladesh. His period of rule was quite tumultuous.

Humayun

Nasir-Ud-Din Muhammad Humayun was the eldest son of Babur, he was born in 1508 AD in the modern region of Kabul. He was the sole son of his mother Mahim Sultana. He had two brothers as well, Kamran and Skari but they were from different wives of Babur. He took participation in vengeful battles like the battle of Panipat and the battle of Khanua. He initially looked after the governance of Hisar Firuza, Badhakhshan and Sambhalkjhan.

Initial difficulties of Humayun

Humayun faced different troubles in his tenure of rule and governance right from his rise to the throne. Babur during his role left him a vast empire along with issues. His major enemies were the Afghans. Besides his father’s mismanagement and his other family members, his character and hope of action also led to the dire consequences he had to face later on.

  • Babur’s legacy − Babur could not get enough time to prosper through his victorious endeavours in India. He mismanaged his wealth and distributed it vastly among the nobles and soldiers. It created a financial constriction on the empire. Hence, Humayun got nothing but a highly unstable and nearly bankrupt treasury from his father. Babur advised him to treat his brothers with love and affection and this made things more difficult for an obedient son like Humayun.

  • Humanyun’s brothers − They were not only worthless as rulers they were disloyal to the empire and to Humanyun. When the empire needed cooperation the most, Humayun’s brothers backstabbed their elder brother.

  • Lack of unified army − There was not an empirical force for the Mughal army. It was more like a heterogenous organisation of people from different communities. This kind of army could only be maintained by Babur anybody less calibre could not handle the bunch of adventurers.

  • Humayun’s character − Humayun as an individual was quite brave. But he lacked the necessary skills that would have made him an efficient leader. He lacked in both the aspects of leadership skills and diplomacy. Humanyun was a generous individual who enjoyed the grandeur of architectural beauty

  • Afghans − The worst of his enemies were the Afghans who did not quit on the ambition of getting back the throne of Delhi. Delhi at that time was surrounded by the Afghans, in Gujarat; there was Bahadur Shah, and Mahamud Lodi expanding his support from Bihar. Sher Khan was diplomatically trying to organize the Afghans against the Mughal ruler. Initially, he was not that important in the pages of history later on he became the biggest enemy of

Efforts of Humayun

He made several attempts to expand and hold, his ground against his enemies, some of them are mentioned below

  • Attack on Kalinjar (1531 A.D.) − After a couple of months of his ascension, Humayun had to drive his army to the battlefield. He led his army to attack Prataprudra Deo of Kalinjer who was a sympathiser of the Afghan ruler bahadur Shah. It was an attempt to check on the expanding power of the Afghan king. Ultimately the battle ended in a peace treaty and it ended for nothing.

  • Battle with Sher Khan − Sher khan took advantage of Humayun's battle with Bahadur and he gradually expanded his power. Humayun attacked Sher khan in Bengal and stayed back for 8 months. Meanwhile, Sher khan took advantage of his miscommunication and took control of Kara, Banaras and Sambhal. Again it was nothing about a waste of time for Humayun. Sher khan was one of his greatest rivals along with his son who drove the Mughals away from Delhi.

Humayun in Exile

Humayun stayed in exile for about fifteen years after he lost his battle in Kannauj. His plan to escape to Kashmir was foiled by Kamran, his brother and hence he was captured. Later on, after his escape, he made several attempts and later succeeded to get back his throne for a year.

Death of Humayun

The battle of Machhiwara in 1555 AD was a successful battle for the Mughals, they won the battle. However, Humanyun could not live long after he passed away shortly in 1556 AD as he slipped and fractured his skull in his library. Before his death, he nominated Akbar to ascend the throne and gave the Mughals their golden era.

Conclusion

Humayun was a kind yet brave-hearted individual. He was a highly educated individual as well. However, all these attributes failed to comply with the leadership skills that were necessary at that moment. He lacked diplomacy in kingly attributes that were necessary to keep the situations in control which marked a drought in the early Mughal period.

FAQs

Q. How was Humayun’s upbringing?

Humayun received complete education about various systems and governance. He was also given formal training regarding training practices with various weapons and horse rides. He was well-educated regarding administrative produces

Q. Why did Humayun fail in his kingship?

He failed to assess the vastness of the issue at hand which ultimately crippled his governance. He was also a generous person which added to the issue he already had due to his ill-managed distribution of the economy.

Q. How did Humayun’s brothers react when he asked for help?

When Humayun asked for help in critical situations, His brothers were either indifferent or they further infuriated the revolt against the throne. Therefore the brother only created problems for him and nothing else.

Updated on: 10-Jan-2023

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