Mughal–Rajput wars
1526–1779 conflicts in India
| Mughal–Rajput wars | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Mughal Empire | Rajput Factions
| ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Babur Humayun Akbar Jahangir Shah Jahan Aurangzeb Bahadur Shah I Farrukhsiyar |  Rana SangaAjja JhalaMedini Rai Prithviraj Singh I Maldeo RathoreUdai Singh IIMaharana PratapChandrasen RathoreAmar Singh IDurgadas RathoreRaj Singh ISangram Singh IIRaja Ajit SinghJai SinghSawai Jai SinghHasan Khan Mewati  Trilok Chand Katoch Chhatrasal Rao Surtan Deora | ||||
The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between the Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire. The conflicts originated with the invasion of northwestern India by the Mughal ruler Babur, to which the head of the Rajput confederacy, Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance. The conflicts went on since 1526 for over 200 years, with the Mughals having the upper hand until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, following which they entered a declining phase and the Rajputs gained the upper hand, with the last recorded conflict being in 1779.
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.[1]
Under Akbar
Babur's grandson Emperor Akbar faced heavy resistance from Rana Udai Singh II and Maharana Pratap.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]
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 Mugal Empire.[5]
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·[6][7][8]
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. Shortly after his 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[9] 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, leaving only a few retainers to guard the palace and man the artillery.[10]
Battles
References
- ^ The Cambridge History of India, Volume 3, pp. 322, 323
- ^ Pant 2012, p. 129. sfn error: no target: CITEREFPant2012 (help)
- ^ Chandra 2005, p. 243
- ^ 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.
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 183. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
- ^ "Successors of Mughal: Detailed Overview". Jagranjosh.com. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ Carter, Maxwell. "Last of the Great Mughal Emperors". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ The Cambridge History of India, Volume 3, p. 322
- ^ Sarkar, Jadunath (1964). Fall Of The Mughal Empire Vol. 1. pp. 216, 223.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005). The State at War in South Asia. University of Nebraska Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8032-1344-9.
- ^ Lane-pool, Stanley. "Babar". The Clarendon Press. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ a b Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. p. 541. ISBN 9788129108906.
- ^ Chandra 2005, pp. 107–108.
- ^ a b "MILITARY HISTORY OF INDIA : SARKAR, JADUNATH : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. 2022-01-14. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
- ^ Singh, Kesri (2002). Maharana Pratap: The Hero of Haldighati. Books Treasure. pp. 18–35.
- ^ a b c d Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa & Company. ISBN 978-81-291-0890-6.
- ^ Sharma, Gopinath (1954). Mewar & the Mughal Emperors (1526-1707 A.D.). S.L. Agarwala. p. 73.
- ^ Mehta, Jodh Sinha (1970). Abu to Udaipur (Celestial Simla to City of Sunrise). Motilal Banarsidass Publishe.
- ^ Ram Vallabh Somani 1976, pp. 239. sfn error: no target: CITEREFRam_Vallabh_Somani1976 (help)
- ^ a b Sharma, Gopinath (1954). Mewar & the Mughal Emperors (1526-1707 A.D.). S.L. Agarwala. p. 125.
- ^ a b c Maujumdar, RC (1970). History and Culture of the Indian People, Volume 07, The Mughul Empire. p. 341. ISBN 9788172765699.
- ^ Jeratha, Aśoka (2000). Forts and Palaces of the Western Himalaya. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-104-7.
- ^ a b The Cambridge History of India pg 248-304
- ^ a b c d e Hallissey, Robert C. (1977). The Rajput Rebellion Against Aurangzeb: A Study of the Mughal Empire in Seventeenth-century India. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-0222-2.
- ^ Maharana Raj Singh and His Times By Ram Sharma
- ^ a b c History of Mewar, p324
- ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A history of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. p. 698. ISBN 9788129108906.
Rajab Khan set out with Mughal troops to take control of the tracts allocated to him. The two forces clashed on the banks of the river Khari near Hurda, resulting in the defeat of Rajab Khan.
- ^ SUVRATSUT (2018-01-09). Baji Rao I The Great Peshwa.
- ^ Jaques, Tony (2006-11-30). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity through the Twenty-first Century [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 483. ISBN 978-0-313-02799-4.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hooja, Rima (2006). A History of Rajasthan. Rupa and company. p. 694. ISBN 9788129115010.
Battle of Khatu–Shyamji. This last occurred when Murtaza Khan Bhadech was sent into Shekhawati to collect revenue arrears. His subsequent march towards Jaipur was blocked at Khatu-Shyamji, where the Shekhawats led by Devi Singh of Sikar defeated the intruder.
