What were the weaknesses of Babur?

Answer 1

Full name - Zahir-ud-din Mohammad Babur

Born - 41 February 1483 in Andijan, Central Asia

Died - 26 December 130, of fever, aged 47, in Agra, India. Buried 9 years later, as per his wishes, in a garden in Kabul. His sister Khanzada and son Hindal also buried on the same garden terrace.

Accession to power - 11 years old when he inherited Ferghana.

Length of rule in India - 4 years [1526 - 1530].

Ethnic Stock - Turko Mongol prince from Ferghana, a small kingdom east of Samarkand. Descended from Timur on father's side and from Genghis Khan on his mother's.

Father - Umar Shaikh, ruler of Ferghana. Died in 1497 when Babar was 11 years old.

Mother tongue - Chaghatai Turkish.

Siblings - sister Khanzada, half-brother Jahangir

Children - Four sons : Humayun b 1508; Kamran b 1509; Askari b 1516; and Hindal b 1519; daughter Gulbadan

Strengths - a great soldier and a prolific writer

Passions - gardening and writing. Created many gardens - his favourite on a hillside in Kabul where his body was brought back to be buried Composed verses in Persian. Wrote his memoirs - Babarnamah - in his mother tongue. Grandson Akbar had them translated into Persian and illustrated. These manuscripts were probably lost in the looting of Delhi by Nadir Shah in 1739. A naturalist too. Book lover - set up a family library.

Arrival in India - April 1526. Defeated Ibrahim Lodhi at the Battle of Panipat, marched towards Delhi and declared himself Padshah of India.

Victory due to - superior cavalry tactics and moveable artillery. Babar's troops numbered only 12,000 compared to Ibrahim Lodhi's 100,000 - but Babar's strongest assets were his two Persian gunners who were skilled in the art of cannons - a piece of artillery unknown in the sub-continent at the time. The noise of the cannons terrified Ibrahim's elephants - and the rest, as they say, is history!

Military Campaigns - defeated Rajput Confederacy led by Rana Sanga - in 1527. Defeated joint forces of Afghans and Sultan of Bengal in 1529.

Character traits - modest, simple, religious, tolerant towards non-muslims

As a ruler - liberal. He believed that " defeated enemies must be conciliated, not antagonised if they are to be ruled effectively" and that " one's own followers must be prevented by discipline from victimising local population."

Weaknesses - Not an administrator. Was a hard drinker but said to have given up wine 2 days before the battle with the Rajputs, to obtain God's favours.

Inherited - small kingdom of Ferghana

Extent of Kingdom at death - Consolidated and enlarged his conquered territory. His Empire in 1530 included Afghanistan, Kashmir, Punjab, Bihar and Malwa.