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Mughal–Rajput wars

c. 1590 painting depicting the Battle of Khanwa
Date21 February 1527 – June 1779
Location
Modern day Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Belligerents
Mughal Empire Rajput Kingdoms and Dynasties
Commanders and leaders
Babur
Humayun
Akbar
Jahangir
Shah Jahan
Aurangzeb
Bahadur Shah I
Farrukhsiyar		 Rana Sanga X
Ajja Jhala †
Medini Rai †
Prithviraj Singh I
Maldeo Rathore
Udai Singh II
Maharana Pratap (WIA)
Chandrasen Rathore
Amar Singh I
Durgadas Rathore
Raj Singh I
Sangram Singh II
Raja Ajit Singh
Jai Singh
Sawai Jai Singh[1]

The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between various Rajput Kingdoms and Dynasties with the Mughal Empire. The conflict orginated with the invasion of India by Timurid King Babur, to which the most powerful Rajput state, Kingdom of Mewar under Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance.[2] The conflicts went on since 1526 for over 200 years. The conflict can broadly be divided into three phases: 1526 to 1556, which was indecisive; the second happened between 1556 to 1679, largely in Mughal favour; and third between 1679 to 1799, a period marked by Rajput dominance.[3][4][5]

The primary reason of the war was the expansionist policy of Mughal Empire which was initially opposed.[2] However, later supported by most Rajput kingdoms due to the destructive war led out by Rajput Emperor Rao Maldeo Rathore of Marwar against his fellow Rajputs, which left most of the Rajput Kingdoms weak and prone to attack by Islam, which was used by Mughal Emperor Akbar to ally himself with most of the Rajput Kingdoms and conquer Marwar itself after Rao's death which was also called Akbar’s Rajput-Policy.[4] However Kingdom of Mewar refused to bend the knee due to its foremost place among both Hindu and Rajput states.[6]The situation continued till reign of Aurangzeb, whose rigorous anti-Hindu policy united Kingdom of Mewar and Marwar and later the Kingdom of Amber too. After which Rajput Kingdoms started exploiting the weak position of Mughal emperors after the death of Aurangzeb and made themselves masters of Malwa and Gujarat, which later brought them in conflict with Maratha Confederacy.[5]

History and phases

Under Babur

In 1526, when Babur invaded Hindustan, his forces faced a stiff resistance from Rana Sanga in the Battle of Bayana, but defeated Rana in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527. Emperor Babur died of natural causes in 1530. The hostility between Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire still continued.[7]

Under Akbar

Babur's grandson Emperor Akbar faced heavy resistance from Rana Udai Singh II and Maharana Pratap.[citation needed] But the Mughal Army under Akbar achieved numerous victories against the Rajput army. Most prominently in 1576 Akbar achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Haldighati led by Man Singh I, a Rajput general of the Mughal Empire. The victory led to tremendous gains for the Mughal Empire. Subsequently Mughals and Rajputs established a peaceful relation with Emperor Akbar accepting many Rajput leaders into Mughal court and giving them top political positions.[8] Chandrasen Rathore led a rebellion for two decades against Akbar, but a large portion of Rajputs accepted Akbar's authority due to his religious tolerance achieving peace and harmony.[9]

Under Aurangzeb

The peace established during the time of Emperor Akbar was broken by the religious intolerant policies of his great grandson Aurangzeb. In 1679, the States of Mewar and Marwar rebelled against Aurangzeb. While a peace treaty was signed with Mewar after a year, war with Marwar went on until the death of Aurangzeb and concluded when the Rathore forces were finally able to capture Marwar following Aurangzeb's death which led to a succession war and the eventual decline of the Mughal Empire.[10]

Chhatrasal the Raja of Panna rebelled against Aurangzeb, and later formed his own kingdom on Bundelkhand in the 1720s many years after the death of Aurangzeb during which time the Mughal Empire entered a declining phase.[11][12][13]

During the decline of the Mughal Empire

Since the time of Emperor Aurangzeb his hardline Islamism policies isolated his non-Muslim allies and the power of the Mughal Military had greatly diminished by the time of his death in 1707 and his subsequent successors were generally incompetent rulers. Shortly after Aurangzeb's death, during the Rajput rebellion of 1708–10, the now weakened Mughals were forced to accept a humiliating peace treaty with the Rajput Rajas. The Rajputs forced the Mughals to make them governors of Malwa, Sindh and Gujarat[14] In later years the declining Mughal Empire tried to collect taxes in Rajputana during the late 18th century, however they were met with resistance in every town and village they went, leading to unsuccessful invasions by the Mughal forces. These campaigns affected the Mughal Empire financially and caused arrears and the disbanding of large amounts of troops. The Mughal capital itself was affected during these conflicts, leaving only a few retainers to guard the palace and man the artillery.[15]

Battles

Early Mughal–Rajput wars (1527–1616)

Rana Sanga led the Rajput army and besieged the fortress of Bayana held by the Afghans under Nizam Khan in February 1527. Mughal Emperor Babur sent a Mughal contingent under Abdil Aziz, which was defeated by Rana Sanga.[16][17]
The Rajput Confederacy under Rana Sanga was defeated by Babur in 1527. This was the largest battle ever between the Mughals and the Rajputs involving a total of more than 150,000 soldiers and resulted in massive territorial expansions for the Mughal Empire.[18]
Babur besieged and captured Chanderi Fort in Malwa and its ruler Medini Rai was defeated and killed in the battle.
Rao Jaitsi of Bikaner successfully defended his capital and defeated a Mughal army under Kamran, brother of Mughal emperor Humayun.[19]
Akbar led the Mughal army in besieging the famed Chittorgarh fort in 1567, which was then under the command of Jaimal Rathore and Patta Singh Sisodia, commanders of Udai Singh. The siege went on for four months, with the fortress walls being breached after the death of Jaimal, ensuring that the Mughals emerged victorious.[20]
Rao Surjan Hada had to surrender Ranthambore Fort to Akbar after the latter successfully put the fort under siege.
The Mughal army under the command of Man Singh defeated Maharana Pratap's Mewari army in the field of Haldighati in 1576. Gogunda was annexed by the Mughals.[21]
  • Shahbaz Khan's invasions of Mewar(1577-1580)

Shahbaz Khan's campaigns in Mewar comprised a sequence of battles through which the Mughals effectively subdued key regions of Mewar. These strategically crucial areas encompassed Kumbhalgarh, Mandalgarh,Chittorgarh, Gogunda, Udaipur, and Central Mewar. The Mughal victories solidified their control over these significant parts of Mewar, in the process signifying a pivotal conquest in the expansion of the Mughal Empire's domain in India.

  • Pratap's re-occupation of Mewar (1588)

The Mughals had shifted their attention to Punjab and other northwestern provinces after Jaganath Kachwaha's invasion of Mewar. Maharana Pratap took advantage of this situation to attack the Mughal occupied areas and captured thirty-six Mughal outposts. Udaipur, Mohi, Gogunda, Mandal and Pandwara were some of the important areas that were recovered through this conflict.[22] Chittor and Mandalgarh however continued to remain under the Mughals.[23][24][25][26]

Both Amar Singh I and Asaf Khan claimed victory in an indecisive battle.
  • Battle of Ranakpur-- Rana reorganized his army, and a fierce battle unfolded between the Mewari and Mughal forces of Abdullah at Ranakpur, near Kumbhalgarh, resulting in significant casualties on both sides. The Mewari forces emerged victorious, turning Abdullah Khan's campaign in Mewar, despite its initial success, into a total failure. He was subsequently called back and sent to Gujarat.[27]

Later Mughal–Rajput wars (1679–1779)

  • Rajput War (1679–1707) – A war between the Rathores and the Mughals that lasted for almost 30 years. The war was a result of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's religious intolerant policies that broke years long peace between the Mughals and the Rajputs.
    • Battle of Jodhpur (1707) – Durgadas Rathore and Ajit Singh took advantage of the disturbances following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 to seize Jodhpur when the Mughal Empire ended a declining phase and eventually evict the occupying Mughal force out of Marwar.[31]
  • Rajput Rebellion 1708–1710[32]
    • July 1708 – Jai Singh and Ajit Singh storm Amber and Jodhpur and retake their capitals from the Mughal garrisons.[33]
    • July 1708 – Durgadas Rathore routed Saiyid Hussain Khan Barha at Kaladera and forced him to retreat to Narnaul.[34]
    • November-December 1708 – Battle of Kama – Ajit Singh Kachwaha, the Rajput zamindar of Kama defeated the combined armies of Mughal and Jats. After a bitter fight the Mughal Fauzdar Raza Bahadur was killed and the injured Jat chieftain Churaman retreated to Thun.[35]
    • October 1708 – Sayyid Hussain Barha of Mewat and Churaman Jat defeated near Sambhar by the Rathore–Kachhwaha army. Barha shot dead with two of his brothers.[1]
    • January 1710 – Mir Khan of Narnaul with 7000 Mughal troops and Churaman Jat with 6000 Jats effectively checked by Gaj Singh Naruka at Javli.[1]
    • 24 March 1710 – Battle of Tonk – Muhammad Khan of Tonk was defeated by the Rathor–Kachwaha army.[1]
  • Battle of Bandanwara
Sangram Singh II of Mewar along with other Rajput chiefs defeated the imperial Mughal army[36]
The Battle of Gangwana was a military engagement fought between the Kingdom of Marwar and a combined army of the Jaipur Kingdom and the Mughal Empire in 1741, with the latter emerging victorious and the Rathores being defeated.[37]
In 1775, The Shekhawati Rajputs defeated a Mughal force under Mitra Sen Ahir, Peero Khan and Kale Khan. After heavy losses Peero Khan died while Mitra Sen Ahir fled.[38]
A garrison of 400 Rajputs under the ailing Nawal Singh Shekhawat was besieged by a Mughal army. The fort did not fall but Nawal died from his illness. The Mughals negotiated with the garrison and exchanged Kanud fort for other villages, which were given to Nawal's widow as compensation.[39]
  • Battle of Khatu Shyamji: Devi Singh Shekhawat repelled the imperial Mughal army under Murtaza Khan Bhadech, but top Rajput leader Mahant Mangal Das was also killed in the battle with no territorial changes in 1779.[38]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur: C. 1503-1938. Orient Blackswan. p. 162. ISBN 9788125003335.
  2. ^ a b Giles Tillotson (1991). Mughal India. Penguin Books. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-14-011854-4. He was immediately challenged by assembled Rajput forces under Rana Sanga of Chittor who was reckoned by Babur as one of the two greatest Hindu rulers.
  3. ^ Sharma, G.N (1954). Mewar and Mughal Emperors. S.L Aggarwal. p. 42. Nevertheless, the victory had a far-reaching results and shifted the sovereignty of the country from the Rajputs to the Mughals who were to enjoy it for over two hundred years. It would be however a mistake to suppose that the Rajput power was crushed for ever and that they wielded no influence in the politics of country. No one realized it better than Babur himself who stopped short of further encroachment upon Rajasthan.
  4. ^ a b Hooja, Rima (2005). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. pp. 530–532. ISBN 978-81-291-1501-0.
  5. ^ a b Sen, S.N (2010). An Advanced History of Modern India. Macmillan. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-230-32885-3.
  6. ^ Mankekar, D.R (1976). Mewar Saga. Vikas Publishing House. pp. Viii. ISBN 978-0-7069-0416-1. At a moment when Hindu monarchies all round had fallen like nine pins and bent the knee to the mighty Mughal emperors and Hinduism itself was threatened, the Sisodias of Mewar sallied forth as the bold defenders and protectors of their Faith. Their land became a proud and defiant haven to the Hindu religion and its idols and way of life, persecuted as they were by inconoclastic, bigoted Muslim sultans. Under the security and patronage e.\tended by the maharanas, Hindu culture and religion flowered and flourished. In their hospitable land political fugitives and refugees, not excluding the fleeing heir-apparent (later Shahjahan) of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, received ready asylum. Steeped in the code of chivalry, the maharanas were renowned for treating their vanquished foes and their women with respect and honour.
  7. ^ Haig 1925, pp. 322–323
  8. ^ Chandra 2005, p. 243
  9. ^ Bose, Melia Belli (2015). Royal Umbrellas of Stone: Memory, Politics, and Public Identity in Rajput Funerary Art. BRILL. p. 150. ISBN 978-9-00430-056-9.
  10. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  11. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  12. ^ "Successors of Mughal: Detailed Overview". Jagranjosh.com. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  13. ^ Carter, Maxwell. "Last of the Great Mughal Emperors". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  14. ^ Haig 1925, p. 322
  15. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall Of The Mughal Empire Vol. 1. pp. 216, 223.
  16. ^ Chandra, Satish (2005). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals Part - II. Har-Anand Publications. p. 33. ISBN 978-81-241-1066-9. Babur sent a detachment to Bayana which was defeated and scattered by the Ranas forces. Baburs forces was already demoralised, hearing news of the valour of the Rajputs and the formidable force they had collected.
  17. ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa. p. 454. ISBN 9788129115010. From Baburs memoirs we learn that Sanga's success against the Mughal advance guard commanded by Abdul Aziz and other forces at Bayana, severely demoralised the fighting spirit of Baburs troops encamped near Sikri.
  18. ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005). The State at War in South Asia. University of Nebraska Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8032-1344-9.
  19. ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. p. 541. ISBN 9788129108906.
  20. ^ Chandra 2005, pp. 107–108.
  21. ^ Singh, Kesri (2002). Maharana Pratap: The Hero of Haldighati. Books Treasure. pp. 18–35.
  22. ^ Sharma, GN (1962). Mewar and the Mughal Emperors: 1526-1707 A. D. Shiva Lal Agarwala. p. 103.
  23. ^ Sarkar 1960, p. 83.
  24. ^ Vanina, Eugenia (October 2019). "Monuments to Enemies? 'Rajput' Statues in Mughal Capitals". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 29 (4): 683–704. doi:10.1017/S1356186319000415. ISSN 1356-1863. S2CID 211645258.
  25. ^ Somani 1976, p. 349: "During these years Akbar was engrossed in other affairs of his empire and found a new field for his ambition in the South, Pratap soon managed to recapture all the 86 important outposts of Mewar excluding Mandalgarh and hittor, Several copper plates, color phones of MSS and inscriptions corroborate this fact, A perusal of the copper plate!” of V.E, I644 (587 A.D.) of Rikhabdeva, the colo- phone of M.S, Gora Badal Qhopai! copied at Sadari (Godawar) in ‘V.E, I645 (688 A.D.), the copper plate of Pander’ (Jahazpur) dated V.E. 647 (590 A.D.) etc. all pertaining to his reign, prove that a considerable territory was regained by him, which he managed to enjoy throughout the latter part of his life"
  26. ^ Dasharatha Sharma (1990). Rajasthan Through the Ages: From 1300 to 1761 A.D. Rajasthan State Archives. p. 145-147.
  27. ^ Maujumdar, RC (1970). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 07, The Mughul Empire. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 341. ISBN 9788172765699.
  28. ^ Nicoll, Fergus (2018-04-13). Shah-Jahan: The Rise and Fall of the Mughal Emperor. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-87326-95-8.
  29. ^ Asher, Catherine Blanshard (1992-09-24). Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-26728-1.
  30. ^ Jahan, Dr Ishrat (29 December 2018). Socio-Cultural life in Medieval History. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-0-359-22280-3.
  31. ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa Publication. p. 705.
  32. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). Raghubīra Siṃha (ed.). A history of Jaipur: c. 1503–1938 (Rev. ed.). Hyderabad: Orient Longman. ISBN 81-250-0333-9. OCLC 312542101.
  33. ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1994). A History of Jaipur: C. 1503–1938. Orient Blackswan. p. 162. ISBN 9788125003335.
  34. ^ Bhatnagar, V.S. (1974). Life and times of Sawai Jai Singh. Impex India. pp. 57, 69. The Saiyid returned to Kaladera where he was again routed by Durgadas. He then fled to Narnaul.
  35. ^ Pande, Ram (2006). Social and Political History of the Jats, Bharatpur Upto 1826. Shodhak. p. 14. In the battle of Sambhar (Nov. - Dec , 1708) between the Rajputs and the Imperialists , Churaman attacked the Rajput forces , but when his companion Raza Bahadur was killed he fled towards his territory.
  36. ^ Somani 1976, p. 324
  37. ^ Rajasthan Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. 2008-01-01. p. 154. ISBN 9788176258418. Battle of Gangwana 1741.
  38. ^ a b Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. p. 694. ISBN 9788129115010. in a pitched battle at Mandan, both sides suffered heavily. Peero Khan died and Mitra Sen fled the field, leaving the Shekhawat chiefs victorious....Battle of Khatu–Shyamji. This last occurred when Murtaza Khan Bhadech was sent into Shekhawati to collect revenue arrears.....Devi Singh of Sikar defeated the intruder.
  39. ^ Gupta, Bakshi, R.K., S.R (2008). Rajasthan Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. pp. 215–216. The Rajputs however made a long and desperate defence.....400 men of the garrison made a sortie and attacked the trenches of Mitra sen Ahir, inflicting a hundred casualties.....Nawal Singh Shekhawat, who was severely ill within the fort...and died.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Bibliography

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