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The Mughal conquest of Malwa was a military campaign launched by 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 ...
in 1560 during the reign of Akbar (r. 1556–1605) against the Sultanate of Malwa
The Malwa Sultanate ( fa, ) (Pashto: ; ''lit: Mālwā Salṭanat'') was a late medieval Islamic sultanate in the Malwa region, covering the present day Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and south-eastern Rajasthan from 1392 to 1562. It was fo ...
, which had broken free from Mughal rule during the rebellion of 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 ...
from the emperor 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, Northe ...
. Thus, Akbar had a claim to the province. Baz Bahadur
Bayazid Baz Bahadur Khan was the last Sultan of Malwa Sultanate, who reigned from 1555 to 1562. He succeeded his father, Shuja'at Khan. He is known for his romantic liaison with Roopmati.
Baz Bahadur as sultan did not bother to look after hi ...
had been the governor of Malwa in the Sur Empire
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 ...
but broke away after the death of Sher Shah.
The conquest was led by Akbar's foster brother Adham Khan and the general Pir Muhammad Khan. They defeated Baz Bahadur at the Battle of Sarangpur in 1561, when his Afghan forces deserted him. The Mughals occupied the capital Mandu, perpetrating massacres on the populace, according to the historian Badauni, and appropriating the wealth and harem of the Sultan. Akbar himself intervened, riding to Malwa and removing Adham Khan from governorship of the province, seizing his spoils. He sent Pir Muhammad Khan south to give chase to Baz Bahadur. Adham Khan is said to have desired the Sultan of Malwa's wife Roopmati
Rani Roopmati was a poet and the consort of the Sultan of Malwa, Baz Bahadur. Roopmati features prominently in the folklores of Malwa, which talk about the love between the Sultan and Roopmati. Adham Khan was prompted to conquer Mandu partly d ...
, who committed suicide by consuming poison rather than be taken by the Mughal military commander.
After the conquest, Baz Bahadur fled Malwa to Khandesh
Khandesh is a geographic region in Central India, which includes parts of the northwestern portion of Maharashtra as well as Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh.
The use of Khandeshi Language (a.k.a. the Ahirani Language) is prevalent in t ...
, and was there pursued by Mughal military commander Pir Muhammad Khan who occupied Burhanpur
Burhanpur'' is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and northeast of city of Mumbai, southwest of the state's capi ...
, the capital of the area. However, Khan was defeated and killed by a coalition of Baz Bahadur, Khandesh Sultanate, and Berar Sultanate
Berar Sultanate, also called as Imad Shahi Sultanate was one of the Deccan sultanates, which was founded by an Indian Muslim. It was established in 1490 following the disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate.
History
Background
The origin of th ...
, leading to Baz Bahadur regaining Malwa for a brief period in 1562 before renewed Mughal attacks.
Akbar sent Abdullah Khan Uzbeg
Abdullah may refer to:
* Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname
* Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village
* ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan
* '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...
to recover Malwa. Baz Bahadur again escaped, first to the hills of Gondwara to conduct guerilla warfare, then seeking shelter with Udai Singh II
Udai Singh II (4 August 1522 – 28 February 1572) was the Maharana of Mewar and the founder of the city of Udaipur in the present-day Rajasthan state of India. He was the 12th ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar. He was the fourth son of Rana Sang ...
in 1568. Meanwhile, Abdullah Khan became governor of Malwa. Baz Bahadur finally surrendered to the Mughals in 1570 and was awarded a mansabdari of 2,000 by Akbar, becoming a part of the Mughal nobility. The conquered areas were later organized into the Malwa Subah.
Additional images
References