Extension
of Mughal Empire by Akbar
After the
downfall of Bairam Khan and the end of Purdah regime, when the reins of the
government came into the hands of Akbar, he resorted to imperialist policy and
pursued the policy of extension of his empire.
He used to say, “A monarch should be ever intent on conquest, otherwise
his enemies rise in arms against him.” He prepared extensive plans to conquer northern
India and resorted to wars of conquest throughout his life. As a result of his
conquests, he achieved success and established a vast territory extending from
Kabul in the west of Bengal in the east and Kashmir in the north to the
Vindhyas in the south. He also achieved partial victory over southern India.
Abul Fazl writes that the aim of the conquests of Akbar was to emancipate the
people from the tortures and torments of the local rulers but it is not proved
from his early victories. In fact, like all other Muslim rulers, besides greed
for gold and lust for power, he was motivated to establish a vast empire in
India just to quench his imperialist thirst. He used to say that the army
should always remain indulged in wars otherwise the soldiers would become lazy
and licentious. During hs regime, he waged the following was to achieved his
goal of establishing an extensive empire.
Conquest of Malwa (A.D. 1561)
First of
all, Akbar launched an expedition against Malwa which was ruled by Baz Bahadur
who was very much fond of music. He did not pay proper attention to the
administration of the state and always kept himself engaged in romance and
luxuries. Among the singers the name of Rupmati was very renowned who was his
beloved and talented musician. Akbar sent Adham Khan against Baz Bahadur who fought
with him about twenty miles away from his capital Sarangpur but he failed to
achieve success against the royal forces and fled away from the battlefield.
Adham Khan established his control over his entire treasury including women of
harem along with his beloved Rupmati but she committed suicide to save her
chastity. Adham Khan made vigorous plunder in Malwa and kept a large portion of
booty for himself. It annoyed Akbar very much and he was replaced by Pir
Muhammad who also proved a tyrant.
Conquest of Chunar (A.D. 1561)
When
Adham Khan was involved in the conquest of Malwa,the Afghans revolted in
Junapur. It created a lot of tension and confusion among the people but Khan
Zaman (Ali Quli Khan) the local Governor, crushed the revolt with the help of
royal forces. This success made him impertinent and he began to show signs of
independence and opposition. Like Adham Khan he also swallowed a lot of booy,
hence akbar personally marched against him so that he could be punished for his
irresponsible behavior, but Khan Zaman surrendered before Akabr, hence he was
forgiven and again appointed the governor of Junapur. At the same time Akbar
dispatched Asaf Khan in order to establish his control over the fort of Chunar
and he successfully achieved this inA.D. 1561.
Occupation of Jaipur (A.D. 1562)
In A.D.
1562 Akbar went to the Shrine of Sheikh Muinuddin Chisti for the first time. On
his way to Ajmer he met Raja Bhar Mal of Amer (Jaipur), who not only submitted
before him but also agreed to establish matrimonial alliance with him. He gave
away his daughter Jodha Bai in marriage to the Mughal Emperor on his return
journey. This marriage was not performed under any pressure; hence it cemented
the relationship between the Rajputs of Amer and the Mughal Emperor who gladly
appointed Bhagwan Dass, the adopted son of Bhar Mal on high posts in the Mughal
cort. Jahangir,t he successor of Akbar,
was born of this Mugha-Rajput wedlock. Dr. Beni Prasad writes, “This marriage
symbolized the dawn of a new era in India politics; it gave the country a line
of remarkable sovereigns.”
Occupation of Merta (A.D. 1562)
Mirza
Sharaf-ud-Din Husain who held a Jagir in the territory of Ajmer, was sent to
capture the fort of Merta in Mewar.
Several other Amirs accompanied him to this expedition. Jai Mal was in
charge of this fort. He was subordinate of King Udai singh of Mewar. Jai Mal
surrendered in a short while on the condition that they would not take anything
from the fort and none of his men would be assassinated. Jai Mal marched marched
out with his men. But one Deo Das, in shame and pride, set fire to the property
which was in the fortress and then sallied forth at the head of a party of
Rajputs. They were killed mercilessly by royal forces and Merta was occupied.
Conquest of Gondwana (A.D. 1564)
Gondwana
formed thecentral part of the present Madhya Pradesh. It was ruled by Vir
Nayayan but as he was a minor, his mother Rani Durgavati looked after the
administration. The gallant queen had become the regent for her minor son
fifteen years before. Although the prince had now attained manhood, she
continued to exercise all authority. The mother-queen Durgavati was a Chandel
princess of mahoba. She was a brave and courageous lady and always achieved
victories against her rivals. Abul Fazl writes, “By dint of her far-seeing
abilities, she had great contests with Baz Bahadur and was always victorious.”
She was a good shot with the gun and arrow. She did not give any reason to
Akbar for an invasion over her country but in A.D. 1564, Akbar sent his
commander Asaf Khan against Gondwana. She fought bravely against the Mughals at
Narhi. She sent Vir Narayan to the fort of Chauragarh as he was wounded but
herself continued fighting. During the course of war she herself received
serious injuries on the battlefield. She stabbed herself to death for fear of
being captured by the enemy. When the victors reached the fort of Chauragarh
they had to face tough resistance due to the bravery of Vir Narayan. He died
fighting in the battle and Gondwana was incorporated in the Mughal Empire.
Siege of Mewar (Chittor)( A. D. 1567-68)
After the
fall of Gondwana, Akbar drew his attention towards Chittor but he could not
interfere in the affairs fo Chittor immediatel as he was involved in the
problem of the outbreak of revolts by the Uzbegs but after being free from them
he decided to launch an expedition against the Rajpurs. The Sisodiya Rajputs of
Mewar were well known for their bravery and honour but the death of Rana Sanga
after the battle of Khanua proved a great setback. His successor Rana Udai
Singh tried his best to restore the lost prestige of the Sisodiya and succeeded
in his mission to a great extent.
Akbar had
a keen desire to establish his control over Gujarat as it was a very fertile
land and Chittor lay on the route to Gujarat; so he directed his attention
towards the siege of Mewar (Chittor). Moreover, Rana Udai Singh had condemned
the policy of Raja Bhar Mal of Amer who submitted to the Mughal Emperor and
gave away his daughter in marriage to him. The Rana had also incurred the
displeasure of Akbar by providing shelte to Baz Bahadur, te fugitive ruler of
Malwa, and to the Mirzas who were staunch enemies of Akbar. Hence Akbar, after
making extensive preparation for the conquest, marched against Mewar in A.D. 1567
and laid the siege of the fort of Chittor.
Conquest of Ranthambhor (A.D. 1568-69)
After
having stayed for some months at Agra, the Mughal Emperor resolved to attack
the fort of Ranthambhor. It was renowned as one of the strongest and highest
fortresses of India. Surjan Rai Hara, the ruler of Ranthambhor, was a vassal of
Mewar. Akbar dispatched a strong army against Ranthambhor in A.D. 1568 but he
had to call the army back owing to outbreak of revolt of theMirzas and after
settling his scores with them in A.D. 1569, the Emperor himself marched towards
Ranthambhor, and in a short time arrived at the foot of the fort.
Fall of Kalinjar (A.D. 1569)
The Hindu
rulers of northern India were terrified with the fall of chittor and
Ranthambhor in quick new succession whereas the falloff these powerful pillars
of Hinduism gave a new impetus and vigour to Akbar for making further conquest
in northern India. Besides Chittor and Ranthambhor, Kalinjar was also strong
fort where Raja Ram Chandra of Riwan was ruling. He had purchased the fort of
kalinjor at a high price from Bijilli Khan. In A.D. 1569, Akbar ordered an
invasion of this historic fort and sent Majnun Khan for its siege. As Ram Chandra
was aware of the result of the siege of chittor and Ranthambhor, he did not
fight against the royal forces wholeheartedly but after showing a mild
resistance submitted the fort to the Mughals. Ram Chandra was given a jagir in
Allahabad in lieu of the fort. Thus, the control of Akbar was established on
this historic fort in A.D. 1569.
Jodhpur and Bikaner
Akbar
achieved success against powerful Rajaput rulers by dint of his well-equipped
army and extraordinary command. Moreover, he adopted liberal views towards the
Rajputs and inspired the other Rajput rulers to accept his suzerainty. Chandra
Sen, the ruler of Jodhpur, presented himself at Nagpur along with his son rai
Maldeo before the Mughal emperor. He paid his allegiance, and made his
offerings, and accepted the suzerainty of Akbar. In the same manner, Raja
kalian Mal, the ruler of Bikaner, also came along with his son Rai Singh and
waited upon the Emperor and presented his tributes to him. As a result of his
loyalty Akbar married the daughter of Raja Kalyan Mal. His son was taken in the
service of the Mughal Empire and awarded liberal promotions.
Conquest of Gujarat (A.D. 1572-73)
The rich
province of Gujarat had been won and lost by Humayun and Akbar could,
therefore, put forth some legitimate claim for its re-conquest. The fertility
and prosperity of Gujarat encouraged Akbar for its conquest. Moreover, Gujarat
was a centre of trade. its significance had increased all the more because it
had various sea-port which made Gujarat the richest kingdom of India. Muslim
pilgrims to Mecca had to pass through the ports of Gujarat, hence Akbar wanted
to occupy it so that he could provide a safe passage to the pilgrims.
Conquest of Bihar and Bengal (A.D. 1574-76)
Bihar and
Bengal were the centres of power under the Sur regime but after the death of
Sher Shah, Sulaiman Kararani established his independent rule over Bihar and
also occupied Bengal and Orissa in due course of time and declared Tanda his
capital. But in A.D. 1568, he accepted the suzerainty of Akbar. After the death
of Sulaiman in A.D. 1572, his second son Daud succeeded him as the elder son
Bayazid was assassinated by the Afghan nobles. Daud declared his independence
and launched as expedition over some parts of Mughal Empire. Akbar after having
received the news of these developments directed Munim Khan to punish Daud who
immediately made a show of force which terrified Daud and he surrendered. He
also agreed to pay tribute to the Mughal Emperor but soon changed his mind and
invaded Ghazipur, a Mughal outpost. Akbar himself marched against Daud and
defeated him at Patna in A.D. 1574. Daud escape from battlefield and ran away
to Bengal. Akbar deputed Munim Khan to reckon with Daud and returned to Fatehpur
Sikri. Munim Khan established his control over Tanda but he died in A.D. 1575
due to his ill-health. Once more Daud tried to capture power in Bihar but could
not succeed and died in an encounter in A.D. 1576. Bengal was incorporated in
the Mughal Empire.
Conquest of Kabur (A.D. 1581)
Mirza
Hakim was the governor of Kabul. The premature death of Mirza Hakim in 1585,
gave Akbar an opportunity to incorporate Kabul into the Mughal Empire, and the
appointment of Raja Man Singh as the Governor of Afghanistan.
Conquest of Kashmir (A. D. 1585-86)
Akbar had
a keen desire to conquer Kashmir since long but Yusuf Khan, the then ruler of
Kashmir, was clever enough to avoid the conflict by sending his sons to wait on
Akbar in A.D. 1581 and 1585. When Mughal force marched to Kashmir Yusuf Khan
accepted the supremacy of Akbar and expressed his willingness for the Khutba to
be read and the coins to be issued in the name of Akbar.
Conquest of sindh (A.D. 1591)
Mirza Jani
Beg was the ruler of Sindh. Mirza Jani Beg fought bravely against the royal
forces but he could never achieve success against them. Mirza Jani Beg
surrender himself. Akbar was very much pleased with the personality of Jani Beg
and awarded him a mansab of 3000 in the royal service. Mirza Jani Beg continued
to be a friend and favorite of Akbar throughout his life. He also accepted
Din-i-Ilahi.
Annexation of Orissa (A.D. 1592)
Raja Man
singh was transferred from Kabul to the province of Bihar and Bengal. He was directed by the Mughal emperor to
expand the eastern territory. Hence he launched an expedition against Orissa in
A. D. 1592 and annexed Orissa and continued to be the part of Orissa.
Conquest of
Baluchistan (A.D. 1595)
Akbar deputed
Mir Masum for the expansion of the Mughal Empire in the North West. He launched an expedition against Baluchistan
in A.D. 1595. The task of the conquest of Baluchistan was entrusted to Mir
Masum. He wielded the sword and the pen with equal facility, attacked the fort
of Siwi to the south-east of Quetta which was held by the Pani Afghans and
defeated them in a fierce battle. As a result of this victory the whole of
Baluchistan was incorporated into the Mughal Empire.
Occupation of Kandhar (A.D. 1595)
Kandhar was
in possession of the rule of Persia and Muzaffar Husain Mirza was the Governor
of Kandhar. He handed over the charge of kandhar to the Mughal commander. He was
honoured by the MUghals and was awarded a Mansab of 5000 in the Mughal court. The
city, thus peacefully acquired, remained under the Mughal government until A.D.
1622 when Jahangir lost it.
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