The Battle of Rajmahal ( bn, রাজমহলের জঙ্গ) was a battle that took place between the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
and the
Karrani Dynasty that ruled the
Sultanate of Bengal in the 16th century. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Mughals. During the battle, the last Sultan of
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
,
Daud Khan Karrani, was captured and later executed by the Mughals.
Background
The battle of Rajmahal introduced the Mughal regime in Bengal. After the death of the last sultan of
Hussain Shahi dynasty
The Hussain Shahi dynasty ( bn, হোসেন শাহী খান্দান, fa, حسين شاهی خاندان) was a family which ruled the late medieval Sunni Muslim Sultanate of Bengal from 1494 to 1538.
History
The dynasty's founder, ...
Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah
Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah ( bn, গিয়াসউদ্দীন মাহমুদ শাহ, fa, غیاث الدین محمود شاه) was the last Sultan of the Hussain Shahi dynasty of the Bengal Sultanate, reigning from 1533 to 1538 CE. ...
in 1538, the liberated sultanate of Bengal reached its end. Despite occupying the capital city of
Gaur,
Humayun
Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...
, the
second emperor of the Mughal Empire, was able to hold the control for only a short period of time. The founder of the
Sur Dynasty
The Sur Empire ( ps, د سرو امپراتورۍ, dë sru amparāturəi; fa, امپراطوری سور, emperâturi sur) was an Afghan dynasty which ruled a large territory in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 16 year ...
,
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری)
(1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان)
, was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...
defeated Humayun in the
Battle of Chausa
The Battle of Chausa was a notable military engagement between the Mughal Emperor, Humayun, and the Afghan warlord, Sher Shah Suri. It was fought on 26 June 1539 at Chausa, 10 miles southwest of Buxar in modern-day Bihar, India. Sher Shah Suri wa ...
and took control over Bengal. Later, the Karrani dynasty emerged in Bengal. The last ruler of the Karranis, Sultan
Daud Khan Karrani refused to hail
Akbar
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
and clashed with the Mughals. Daud Khan was defeated by the Mughal general
Munim Khan at the
Battle of Tukaroi.
On April 12, 1575, the Treaty of Katak concluded the malevolence between the two parties. Consequently,
Daud Khan failed to hold control over
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
. Only the rights of
Orissa
Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Sch ...
were left to him. The treaty however did not go on for long. Isa Khan, the chief of the
Baro-Bhuians, expelled the
Mughal Navy
The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...
from Bengal. After the death of the Mughal general Munim Khan, Daud Khan started a campaign to conquer the lost territory. He was able to conquer North and West Bengal.
Battle
Akbar sent his genera
Khan-i-Jahan Husain Quli Begto conquer Bengal from Daud Khan. Daud Khan's generals were
Kalapahar, Junaid and Qutlu Khan. Khan gathered about three thousand troops at
Teliagarhi
Teliagarhi (also written as Teliagarih) is a village in Mandro Community development blocks in India, CD block in Sahibganj subdivision of Sahibganj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Jharkhand.
History
Teliagarhi bec ...
.
The Afghans fought with the Mughals at Teliagarhi. In the battle, the Mughals captured Teliagarhi. The Mughals then proceeded towards
Rajmahal. Rajmahal was under siege for about four months by the Mughal general Husain Quli Beg. As an additional aid to the Mughals
Muzaffar Khan Turbati the ruler of Bihar, came forward with five thousand
cavalry
Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...
and supplies by sea. Although the Mughals were ahead in terms of strength, they fell into climatic problems.
Then the battle took place between the combined forces of the Mughals and the Karranis in Rajmahal on 12 July 1576. Daud Khan, Junaid, Kalapahar and Qutlu Khan led the middle, left, right and front of the army respectively.
Aftermath
The Karranis were defeated in this battle. Daud Khan was captured and killed. With the fall of the Karrani dynasty, the Bengal Sultanate came to an end and Bengal became a
subah
A Subah was the term for a province (State) in the Mughal Empire. The word is derived from Arabic and Persian. The governor/ruler of a ''Subah'' was known as a '' subahdar'' (sometimes also referred to as a "''Subeh''"), which later became ''subed ...
or province of the Mughal Empire. However, under the leadership of
Isa Khan, the
Baro-Bhuyans continued to resist the Mughals. As a result, the Mughals could not get full control over Bengal.
See also
*
Battle of Plassey
The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar, ...
References
{{reflist
Bengal Subah
Raj Mahal
Raj Mahal is the palace of the erstwhile Maharaja of Jaipur in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
History
The original construction dates back to 1729 and was renovated and changed over time. In 1821 it became the official residence of the British reside ...
Rajmahal 1576
Rajmahal 1576
1576 in the Mughal Empire
Military history of the Bengal Sultanate