Humayun was the first son of Babur. His mother was Maham Begum. He was the second ruler of the Mughal Empire in India. Real name of Humayun is Nasiruddin Muhammad Humayun. He had three brothers, Kamran, Askari and Hindal. Among them, Humayun was an inexperienced ruler. Humayun ascended the throne in 1530 at the age of 22.
The Persian name “Humayun” means ‘blessed auspicious‘ or fortune. However, historians said that he was the most unfortunate ruler of the Mughals.
Focus: In which year was Humayun born? Answer: 1508 in Kabul.
Focus: The original name of Humayun was Nasiruddin Muhammad.
Extra Info: Humayun’s reign is known from the book ‘Humayunnama‘ written by his sister Gulbadan Begum.
Humayun’s Imperial Policy:
His reign lasted from 1530 to 1540 AD in the first phase and 1555 to 1556 AD in the second phase. Humayun decided to share the power of the whole empire among his brothers. Kamran was appointed in Kabul and Kandahar. Sambhal region was given to Askari. Alwar region was given Hindal. However, this decision proved to be a wrong judgment.
Focus: Many historians said that Humayun was a kind ruler but not a great warrior.
Focus: Two painters named Mir Syed Ali and Abdus Samad of Iran came to India during the reign of Humayun.
- 1531: Humayun Siege of Kalinjar
- 1532: Humayun defeated Mahmud Lodi in the Battle of Daura.
- 1535: Humayun defeated Bahadur Shah who was the ruler of Gujarat and conquered Gujarat and Malab.
- 1536: Bahadur Shah regained his kingdom.
- 1539: Sher Khan defeated Humayun and assumed the title of Sher Shah Suri.
- 1540: Humayun was defeated by Sher Shah in the battle of Kanauj or Bilgagram. As a result, he left India for 15 years and hid in Parsia.
- 1941: Humayun married Sheikh Ali Amber Jaini’s daughter Hamida Banu Begum.
- 1542: Banu Begum gave birth to Akbar.
- 1545 – 1550: Persian Emperor Shah Tahmasap assured him of help on the condition that Humayun would become a Shia. After that, the Persian king Shah gave his 12,000 elite cavalry to Humayun. Using those forces Humayun captured Kandahar and Kabul 3 times from his disloyal brother Kamran.
- 1545: He conquered Kandahar from Askari.
- 1547: He conquered Kabul from Kamran.
- 1555 February: Humayun defeated Sher Shah’s successor Sikandar Suri at the Battle of Shirhind in 1555. Humayun captured Lahore by defeating Sikandar Sur and recovered the Mughal throne (Delhi and Agra) in July.
- 1556: Death: On 24th January 1556 Humayun fell from the library stairs and died on 26th January.
- RanaPrasad a Hindu king of Amarkot helped him to attack Thatta, but this remained unsuccessful.
Focus: Khwandamir called Humayun “Sikander-e-Azam”.
Extra Info: In 1993, Humayun’s tomb in Delhi was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Humayun defeated Sher Shah’s successor Sikandar Suri. And conquered Delhi and Agra again. He restored the Mughal Empire. As a result, he began the second phase of the Mughal rule in India. Among the later Mughal rulers, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb were notable.