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BABER

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 93 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BABER , or BAnAA (r483-1530), a famous conqueror of See also:

India and founder of the so-called See also:Mogul See also:dynasty. His name was Zahir ud-din-See also:Mahomet, and he was given the surname of Baber, meaning the See also:tiger. See also:Born on the 14th of See also:February 1483, he was a descendant of Timur, and his See also:father, See also:Omar Sheik, was See also:king of See also:Ferghana, a See also:district of what is now See also:Russian See also:Turkestan. Omar died in 1495, and Baber, though only twelve years of See also:age, succeeded to the See also:throne. An See also:attempt made by his uncles to dislodge him proved unsuccessful, and no sooner was the See also:young See also:sovereign firmly settled than he began to meditate an See also:extension of his own dominions. In 1497 he attacked and gained See also:possession of See also:Samarkand, to which he always seems to have thought he had a natural and hereditary right. A See also:rebellion among his nobles robbed him of his native See also:kingdom, and while marching to recover it his troops deserted him, and he lost Samarkand also. After some reverses he regained both these places, but in rsox his most formidable enemy, Shaibani (Sheibani) See also:Khan, ruler of the Uzbegs, defeated him in a See also:great engagement and drove him from Samarkand. For three years he wandered about trying in vain to recover his lost possessions; at last, in 1504, he gathered some troops, and See also:crossing the snowy See also:Hindu Kush besieged and captured the strong See also:city of See also:Kabul. By this dexterous stroke he gained a new and wealthy kingdom, and completely re-established his fortunes. In the following See also:year he See also:united with Hussain Mirza of See also:Herat against Shaibani. The See also:death of Hussain put a stop to this expedition, but Baber spent a year at Herat, enjoying the pleasures of that See also:capital.

He returned to Kabul in See also:

time to quell a formidable rebellion, but two years later a revolt among some of the leading Moguls drove him from his city. He was compelled to take to See also:flight with very few companions, but his great See also:personal courage and daring struck the See also:army of his opponents with such dismay that they again returned to their See also:allegiance and Baber regained his kingdom. Once again, in 1510, after the death of Shaibani, he endeavoured to obtain possession of his native See also:country. He received considerable aid from Shah Ismael of See also:Persia, and in 1511 made a triumphal entry into Samarkand. But in 1514 he was utterly defeated by the Uzbegs and with difficulty reached Kabul. He seems now to have resigned all hopes of recovering Ferghana, and as he at the same time dreaded an invasion of the Uzbegs from the See also:west, his See also:attention was more and more See also:drawn towards India. Several preliminary incursions had been already made, when in 1521 an opportunity presented itself for a more extended expedition. See also:Ibrahim, See also:emperor of See also:Delhi, had made himself detested, even by his Afghan nobles, several of whom called upon Baber for assistance. He at once assembled his forces, 12,000 strong, with some pieces of See also:artillery and marched into India. Ibrahim, with roo,000 soldiers and numerous elephants, advanced against him. The great See also:battle was fought at See also:Panipat on the 21st of See also:April 1526, when Ibrahim was slain and his army routed. Baber at once took possession of See also:Agra.

A still more formidable enemy awaited him; the Rana Sanga of Mewar collected the enormous force of 210,000 men, with which he moved against the invaders. On all sides there was danger and revolt, even Baber's own soldiers, worn out with the See also:

heat of this new See also:climate, longed for Kabul. By vigorous See also:measures and inspiriting speeches he restored their courage, though his own See also:heart was nearly failing him, and in his See also:distress he abjured the use of See also:wine, to which he had been addicted. At Kanwaha, on the loth of See also:March 1527, he won a great victory and made himself See also:absolute See also:master of See also:northern India. The remaining years of his See also:life he spent in arranging the affairs and revenues of his new See also:empire and in improving his capital, Agra. He died on the 26th of See also:December 1530 in his See also:forty-eighth year. Baber was above the See also:middle height, of great strength and an admirable See also:archer and swordsman. His mind was as well cultivated as his bodily See also:powers; he wrote well, and his observations are generally acute and accurate; he was brave, kindly and generous. Pull, materials for his life are found in his See also:Memoirs, written by himself (translated into See also:English by See also:Leyden and See also:Erskine (See also:London, 1826) ; abridged in See also:Caldecott, Life of Baber (London, 1844). See also See also:Lane-See also:Poole, Baber (Rulers of India See also:Series), 1899.

End of Article: BABER

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