Emperor of the Mughal Empire: Babur Quiz

Answer: Andijan

Born Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad on 14 February 1483, Babur's birth name was inspired by the advice of a close associate of his father and Sufi religious figure, Khwaja Ahrar. It is speculated that because this name was difficult to pronounce, "Babur" became his nickname. Babur is taken from the Persian language, with "babur" meaning "tiger."

Babur was born in Andijan, which is now a city in present-day Uzbekistan. It was part of the Fergana Valley which Babur would later inherit and rule.

Answer: Chagatai

Babur spoke at least two languages: Chagatai and Persian. Babur's memoir, "Baburnama", is written in Chagatai. Chagatai is of the Karkluk branch of the Turkic language. The Chagatai language is now extinct, and features several loan words from Persian and Arabic. The language gets its name from the Chagatai Khanate (1225-1680s), which was established by Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai Khan.

In modern-day Uzbekistan, Chagatai is known as "Old Uzbek."

Answer: Qutlugh Nigar Khanum

Also known as "Kutlak Nigar Khanum," Qutlugh Nigar Khanum (died 1505, birth year unknown) was the first wife of Umar Shaikh Mirza II. She was a princess of Moghulistan, also known as the Eastern Chagatai Khanate, which is now portions of modern-day Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and northwest China.

Qutlugh was a descendant of Genghis Khan, and was supportive of her son during his quest for power, going with him on raids. She is purported to have served with his cavalry as a mounted archer. She unfortunately passed away of a fever before she could witness her son's establishment of the Mughal Empire.

Umar Shaikh Mirza II (1456-1494) ruled the Fergana Valley from 1469-1494. The Fergana Valley covers an area of what is now the east of Uzbekistan, the north of Tajikistan, and the south of Kyrgyzstan.

Answer: Timur

Babur's father, Umar, was the fourth son of Abu Sa'id Mirza (1424-1469), who ruled the Timurid Empire in the 15th century. It is unknown who his mother was. Umar was a member of the Timurid Dynasty, which was established by the conqueror, Timur (1320s-1405), also known as Tamerlane. Timur conquered vast amounts of land, including areas of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Levant, the Caucasus, Persia, Anatolia, and South Asia.

Babur was Timur's great-great-great-grandson. Babur wrote his memoir in Chagatai, the same language that Timur used to compose his own memoir.

Answer: Akhsikath

Akhsikath is now an archaeological area in modern-day Uzbekistan.

Babur was around 11-12 years old when he came to power in Fergana. His father, Umar Shaikh Mirza II, died suddenly when he was tending to doves in a badly built birdhouse, which collapsed and took him into the river that ran beneath the palace. Babur inherited the throne.

Babur derived most of his support from the Turks. Although he hailed from the Barlas tribe of the Mongols, they had long lived in what is now Turkey, and considered themselves Turks through their culture and language.

Answer: Aisan Daulat Begum

Aisan Daulat Begum (birth date unknown, died 1505) was the first wife of Yunus Khan (1416-1487), who was one of the grandsons of Genghis Khan. Between 1494-1505, Aisan acted as regent for the young Babur.

Babur's ascent to the throne was doubted and questioned from other members of his family, such as two of his uncles who wanted Babur's brother, Jahangir Mirza, to rule Fergana instead. Aisan was close to Babur and was very protective of him, assisting him in his navigation of his newfound leadership difficulties. Babur listened to her well and accepted her guidance. She passed down stories of his ancestors, Genghis Khan and Timur, regarding their ruling policies and military campaigns.

Answer: Baysonqor Mirza

Umar Shaikh Mirza II had spent his entire adult life trying to capture the territory of Samarkand, now a city in east-central modern-day Uzbekistan. Babur shared the same ambition and enlisted his cousin, Sultan Ali Mirza, to assist him. Ali had already tried to capture Samarkand, but was met with strong resistance.

Baysonqor Mirza (1477-1499) began his reign of Samarkand in 1495 upon the death of his father the previous year, Ahmed Mirza (1451-1494).

After the death of Abu Sa'id Mirza (1424-1469) who was Timur's great-grandson, his already declining Timur Empire was divided amongst his sons. Babur's father, Umar Shaikh Mirza II, received Fergana. Ahmed Mirza received Samarkand, Bukhara & Hissar. Mahmud Mirza received Balkh. Ulugh Beg Mirza II received Kabul.

By the time Babur inherited the throne of Fergana, civil war was commonplace between his father and his uncle over Samarkand, one of the reasons why Ahmed Mirza did not think twice about trying to oust Babur from his new kingdom. Ahmed Mirza died on his way home from trying to remove Babur from Fergana, and his brother, Mahmud Mirza, took over the throne of Samarkand but died shortly after in 1495, leaving Baysonqor Mirza to rule Samarkland. The deaths of three prominent rulers plunged the kingdoms into chaos and Babur decided it was a good opportunity to strike Samarkand.

The Siege of Samarkand occurred in 1497. At 15 years old, Babur successfully occupied Samarkand after besieging it for around 7 months. He only had grip of Samarkand for around 100 days, a loss he would lament throughout the rest of his life.

Answer: Muhammad Shaybani Khan

Muhammad Shaybani Khan (1451-1510) was khan of the Uzbek Khanate. He was a descendant of Shiban (died in 1248), a prince of the Mongol Empire.

Babur had captured Samarkand twice before in 1496 and 1497. The second time he had conquered the city, Babur had found it in such a desolate condition that he needed to use his own resources for seeds and supplies to make use of the fertile land. This meant that he neglected his army, who deserted and rebelled against him. This led to the loss of Samarkand again as Babur had to return home to Fergana which his brother, Jahangir Mirza, had captured.

In 1500, Babur decided to recapture Samarkhand. His army was replenished by the Tajik people of Badakhshan who he had recruited. Babur was informed that Shaybani was making his way to the city, and so broke up his blockade of Samarkhand in panic. He ordered his troops into bellicose areas over and over, with Shaybani's forces being eager to fight. Babur's surviving army became disillusioned and frightened, with many deserting.

Babur did not stand a chance of defeating Shaybani's army, which greatly outnumbered his own. Babur had no choice but to appease the Uzbek khan, and did so by giving him his eldest sister, Khanzada, for marriage. This led to Shaybani granting Babur and his few remaining men a peaceful exit from Samarkand.

Answer: Aisha Sultan Begum

Aisha Sultan Begum (birth date unknown) was Babur's first cousin and was betrothed to him in 1488 when Babur was five. Her father was Sultan Ahmed Mirza, Babur's paternal uncle. They were married in 1499 in Khojand (modern-day Khujand, the second-largest city of Tajikistan).

Babur was reserved and cautious around Aisha once they were married, repeatedly failing to meet with her for weeks at a time. Aisha was very proud of her family and heritage, which Babur saw as her being conceited. Babur himself was naturally shy, which did not endear him to a proud and outspoken woman such as Aisha, who Babur also saw as lacking affection for him. This eventually also became too much for him. Babur stopped spending time with her altogether much to the displeasure of his mother, who chastised him for neglecting his wife.

Babur and Aisha had one daughter, Fakhr-un-Nissa, born in 1501. She died the same year, which had a profound effect on Babur. He and Aisha divorced in 1503. Babur blamed the divorce on Aisha's sister, Rabia Sultan Begum, purporting that she had convinced Aisha to leave him.

Answer: Kabul

Kabul was under the rule of Babur's paternal uncle, Ulugh Beg II, from 1461 until his death in 1502. His son, Abdur Razaq, was still a child at the time of his father's death, and although he inherited Kabul, he did not have the age or experience to rule it. Ulugh Beg's son in law, Muhammad Mukim Arghun (part of the Arghunid dynasty of Kandahar), usurped Abdur Razaq to the displeasure of the residents of Kabul, and to the fury of Babur.

Babur captured Kabul in 1504 after advancing with his army through the Hindu Kush mountains. It was a useful base to gather resources to wage war against the Uzbeks. Muhammad Mukim Arghun put up little to no resistance when Babur's army arrived at Kabul, and almost immediately began to compromise and negotiate with him.

Unlike his brief reigns in Samarkand, Babur would have a lengthily reign of Kabul, holding on to control of the city until 1526.

Answer: Maham Begum

Maham Begum ( date of birth unknown) married Babur in Herat (now a city in modern-day Afghanistan of the same name) in 1506. Her heritage and the details about her family have been lost to history. Unlike his previous marriages, Babur took an active interest in Maham's opinions and life, and she took a great interest in his political strategizing.

Maham Begum was the mother of Babur's successor, who was their first child. Their following four children died young. She was the first to be awarded the title of "Padshah Begum" which effectively meant she was the First Lady of the Mughal Empire. She was the only woman of Babur's harem who was allowed to sit next to him on the Mughal throne.

Answer: Ahmed Mirza

Sultan Ahmed Mirza (1451-1494) reigned over Samarkand and Bukhara from 1469-1494. He was Babur's paternal uncle, and the oldest son of Timurid Emperor, Abu Sa'id Mirza (1424-1469). He died while returning from a war campaign against Babur in 1494.

Babur's first wife, Aisha Sultan Begum, was the daughter of Sultan Ahmed Mirza, as was Babur's fourth wife, Masuma Sultan Begum. Aisha and Babur did not have a happy marriage and divorced after their first and only child died young.

Masuma Sultan Begum was Sultan Ahemd Mirza's youngest daughter. She was attracted to Babur immediately, which did not go unnoticed by him. He wrote in his biography that, "At once I felt a rising in her great inclination towards me." They married in 1507. Masuma died shortly after giving birth to Babur's child in 1508, and Babur named their daughter after her.

Babur's second wife was also his paternal cousin, Zainab Sultan Begum, who was the daughter of Sultan Mahmud Mirza. They married in 1504. Like Aisha, Babur showed little to no interest in Zainab and only married her because his mother insisted that he would benefit from it politically and financially. She and Babur had no children. When Zainab died of smallpox around 1506-1507, Babur would later struggle to remember the date and year of her death, she meant so little to him.

Answer: Battle of Panipat

Ibrahim Lodi (1480-1526) became the Sultan of Delhi in 1517 after his father, Sikandar Khan Lodi (1458-1517), died. Ibrahim was the last of the Sultans of Delhi, reigning for nine years, but was not a capable ruler, especially compared to his father. He caused fury among the nobles of Delhi by replacing older, established members of the court with younger officials he felt were more suitable for him. Babur was invited by the disgruntled nobles to dispose of Ibrahim via military invasion.

Babur was willing to depose of Ibrahim, but he did not rush. His army only amounted to 10,000 men and he did not want to embark on an invasion before his troops were well prepared. His troops needed training in the use of gunpowder weapons which were new technology at the time.

The battle took place in Panipat, located north of Delhi. Babur was severely outnumbered by Ibrahim's army which consisted of between 50,000-100,000 men and 1,000 elephants. Ibrahim however, did not possess gunpowder weapons. Babur had a makeshift fortress constructed, felling trees, digging trenches, and drawing hundreds of carts together to protect both his soldiers and cannons. It was one of the first battles of India that used gunpowder.

Ibrahim was hesitant about advancing and when he finally decided to on April 21, his army was blocked by Babur's improvised fortress. Babur's troops used their enemy's confusion as an opportunity to surround them. Ibrahim's army were fired upon point blank with cannons, the troops packed together closely, unable to advance or retreat due to Babur's newly constructed fortifications. The gunpowder weapons made loud noises that made Ibrahim's elephants panic, to Babur's advantage. Around 20,000 men in total were killed.

Ibrahim Lodi was killed in the Battle of Panipat, which meant the end of the Lodi dynasty. This military victory gave Babur the opportunity is begin establishing his Mughal Empire. As a result of this victory Mughal rule in Delhi would remain in place for the next 331 years.

Answer: Rana Sanga

Also known as Sangram Singh I, Rana Sanga (1482-1528) was a member of the House of Mewar, a a Rajput clan. From 1508 he was Maharana of Mewar until his death in 1528. Both he and Babur had ambitions to conquer the entirety of Northern India. The battle took place in Khanwa which is now a village in the modern-day Indian state of Rajasthan.

Besides wanting to conquer his lands, Babur had another reason to be hostile towards Rana Sanga. In Babur's biography, Baburnama, Babur states that Rana had agreed to assist him at the Battle of Panipat against Ibrahim Lodi, but subsequently withdrew his support, to the fury of Babur. Like the Battle of Panipat, Babur's forces used their gunpowder to panic the elephants and horses of Rana's army, and although Rana's army was larger they lacked the new technology of gunpowder that Babur made use of. There were heavy casualties on both sides.

Rana was shot by a bullet and rendered unconscious in the battle. Despite heavy losses, Babur had won the battle which incensed Rana, who made a vow to not return to his capital until he had defeated the Mughal leader. A year later and still reeling from the Battle of Khanwa, afraid to battle Babur again, Rana's own nobles poisoned him to stop any more potential bloodshed at the hands of the Mughals. In honour of his ancestor Timur's practice after battle, Babur had a tower of severed heads of Rana's men assembled.

Answer: Medini Rai

The Battle of Chanderi took place on 20 January 1528. Babur and his forces had captured the outer fortress of Chanderi at night time, and by the morning had control of the upper fort.

Medini Rai (birth date unknown, died in 1528) was a vassal chief of the Kingdom of Mewar, operating under the jurisdiction of Rana Sanga, who also took part in the Battle of Chanderi. He survived and led a faction of the Battle of Khanwa.

Medini Rai was offered the chance to surrender to Babur at the Battle of Chanderi, but he refused out of loyalty to Rana Sanga.

Answer: They were made to self-immolate

Once his territory was captured by Babur and his army in the Battle of Chanderi, Medini Rai subjected the women and children behind the fort to Jauhar. Jauhar was a practice of northwest India after the loss of a battle, where women and children would commit self-immolation in order to keep their honour, as by doing this they would avoid the prospect of sex slavery and war rape. Medini Rai had women and children afflict this self-immolation on themselves. Medini Rai gave the order for around 1,500 women and children to undertake Jauhar in the inner fort, which they did.

Babur remained unmoved by the Jauhar once he had captured the area, and instead honoured Timur's tradition of constructing a tower of skulls from those of his opponents. This made Babur appear as being inhumane to many. When the women and children of his enemies committed Jauhar to preserve their honour, Babur responded by showing he had no respect for their dead bodies.

Answer: Islam

Babur was a follower of Sunni Islam. He is said to have had the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya (now a city in the modern-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh) constructed, which was a strong affront to the Hindus of the area as it was said to be the birthplace of Rama, the seventh avatar of the Hindu god, Lord Vishnu.

However, with time Babur became more tolerant of other religions and holy sites as he conquered more and more areas, preferring to not provoke religious wars in order to keep his empire as expansive as possible.

Answer: Illness

Babur died aged 48 of an unspecified illness in 1530 after falling ill during the winter. At first he was buried in Agra, now a city of the same name in the modern-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Some historians, however, theorize that Babur could have possibly been poisoned by Ibrahim Lodhi's mother. Babur had (perhaps misguidedly) given her a place to stay in his palace after the Battle of Panipat.

Another theory is that Babur's son was ill, therefore, Babur chose to sacrifice his own life in order to spiritually pay for his son's life.

Answer: Kabul

Between 1539-1544, Babur's remains were exhumed and moved to Kabul as it was his last wish to be buried there. He was buried again at the Bagh-e Babur, also known as the Gardens of Babur. Babur himself had the gardens redeveloped around 1504. It was a Mughal tradition for royalty to establish a pleasant place in the lands and request to be buried there at the end of their lives.

The Bagh-e Babur now receives over one million tourists annually.

Answer: Humayun

Born in 1508 as Nasir al-Din Muhammad, Humayun (1508-1556) was the son of Babur and Maham Begum, Babur's favourite wife. He was 22 when he inherited the throne of Delhi from his father.

Babur had divided his empire amongst his sons according to Timurid tradition, an uncommon practice in India at the time. Humayun made an enemy of his brother, Kamran Mirza, the son of Babur and Gulrukh Begum, who had inherited Kabul and Kandahar from his father, with both brothers struggling against each other to dominate India and its surrounding areas. This would not honour Babur's wishes, as his last words to Humayun are purported to have been, "do nothing against your brothers, even though they may deserve it."

The Mughal Empire that Babur had established would decline during the 18th-19th centuries.