Mughal conquest of Bengal: Difference between revisions

 

Line 16: Line 16:

|”’1574”’: [[Surajgarha|Surajgarh]], [[Munger|Mungir]], [[Bhagalpur]], Kahlgaon, [[Tanda, Bengal|Tanda]] annexed to the [[Mughal Empire]]<ref name=”Sarkar186″ />

|”’1574”’: [[Surajgarha|Surajgarh]], [[Munger|Mungir]], [[Bhagalpur]], Kahlgaon, [[Tanda, Bengal|Tanda]] annexed to the [[Mughal Empire]]<ref name=”Sarkar186″ />

|”’1580”’: Rebels seize [[Bengal]] and [[Bihar]] from the Mughal Empire<ref name=”Sarkar197″ />

|”’1580”’: Rebels seize [[Bengal]] and [[Bihar]] from the Mughal Empire<ref name=”Sarkar197″ />

|”’1580–1587”’: Mughals recapture Bihar and Bengal

|”’1580–1587”’: Mughals recapture Bihar and Bengal

|”’1590”’: [[Mughal conquest of Odisha]]

|”””: [[Mughal conquest of Odisha]]

}}

}}

| combatant1 = [[Bengal Sultanate]] <small>(1574–1576)</small><br />Mughal rebels <small>(1580–1585)</small>

| combatant1 = [[Bengal Sultanate]] <small>(1574–1576)</small>< />Mughal rebels <small>(1580–1585)</small>

| combatant2 = {{Tree list}}{{ublist|[[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|25px]] [[Mughal Empire]]}}

| combatant2 = {{Tree list}}{{ublist|[[File:Flag of the Mughal Empire.png|25px]] [[Mughal Empire]]}}

**[[File:Flag of Jaipur.svg|24px]] [[Kingdom of Amber]]

**[[File:Flag of Jaipur.svg|24px]] [[Kingdom of Amber]]

Line 46: Line 46:

| 17 = Bahadur Kuruh

| 17 = Bahadur Kuruh

| 18 = Yusuf bin Mati Afghan

| 18 = Yusuf bin Mati Afghan

}}Mughal rebels{{Collapsible list

}}Mughal rebels{{Collapsible list

| framestyle=border:none; padding:0;

| framestyle=border:none; padding:0;

| title=””‘List:”’

| title=””‘List:”’

Line 134: Line 134:

====Conquest of Odisha (1590)====

====Conquest of Odisha (1590)====

{{Main|Mughal conquest of Odisha}}

{{Main|Mughal conquest of Odisha}}

In April 1590, Man Singh, reinforced by the Bengal artillery began his journey to conquer Odisha.<ref name=”:5″ /><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1943|p=208}}</ref>

In April 1590, Man Singh, reinforced by the Bengal artillery began his journey to conquer Odisha.<ref name=”:5″ /><ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Sarkar|1943|p=208}}</ref>

16th–17th century Mughal military campaign

This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia’s quality standards. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. You can help. The talk page may contain suggestions. (November 2023)

The Mughal conquest of Bengal was a series of campaigns against the Sultanate of Bengal, then ruled by the Afghan Karrani dynasty, by the Mughal Empire from 1574 to 1612. The Mughals initially defeated the Sultanate of Bengal in the Battle of Raj Mahal in 1576, but the annexation of the region into their empire as the province of Bengal took in the subsequent periods.

Before the Mughal conquest, Bengal was a flourishing region ruled by the Afghan Karrani dynasty. The dynasty had established its control over Bengal in the mid-16th century, after the decline of the Sur Empire. The Karrani rulers maintained a relatively strong hold over the region, fostering trade and cultural development.^[10]

Bengal was known for its fertile land, which supported extensive agriculture, and its strategic location along the Bay of Bengal, which facilitated trade with various parts of Asia, including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China.^[11] The region’s wealth and prosperity made it a coveted prize for the Mughal Empire, which was expanding its territories under the leadership of Emperor Akbar.^[10][11]

However, the Karrani dynasty faced internal strife and political instability, weakening its ability to defend against external threats. This period of vulnerability provided an opportune moment for the Mughal Empire to launch its military campaigns and bring Bengal under its control.^{[citation needed]}

The last Karrani ruler Daud Khan Karrani, had hostile policy towards Akbar. He cut off allegiance to Akbar and defied his suzerainty. After Daud crowning himself, Gujar Khan, installed Bayazid Khan Karrani‘s son in Bihar. Daud dispatched Ludi Khan against Bihar. Munim Khan, ordered by Akbar advanced to Bihar to capture the province. Ludi Khan and Gujar Khan bought presents and promised loyalty.^[12] After receiving reinforcement Mumin Khan laid siege on Patna, where Daud had shut himself up. Akbar himself arrived at the siege carrying guns and war elephants on 3 August 1574. On 6 August, Hajipur was captured and set on fire. Daud meantime fled to Bengal while Gujar Khan deserted. The Mughals entered the fort of Patna.^[2] 265 elephants and treasure were captured. Munim Khan was left with 20,000 troops to carry deep into Bengal. Surajgarh, Munger, Bhagalpur, Kahlgaon fell to the Mughals without any fight. He entered the capital Tanda on 25 September 1574.^[6]

Daud fled to Orissa by the way of Satgaon. From Tanda, Munim Khan dispatched detachments to capture Satgaon, Ghoraghat, Bakla (Bakarganj), Sonargaon (Dhaka), Mahmudabad (Jessore–Faridpur). In Ghoraghat, the jagirdar Sulaiman Mankali was defeated and slain by Majnun Khan Qaqshal. Srihari, father of Pratapaditya took refuge in jungles of Khulna. However Mughals could not fully establish their authority in Pabna, Rangpur–Dinajpur, Mymensingh, Bhawal (north Dhaka), Jessore-Khulna, Barisal or Bankura–Birbhum.^[13] Raja Todar Mal proposed to proceed into Orissa and capture Daud to end the war. He led his army from Burdwan to Garh-Mandaran then to Kolia. There Muhammad Quli Barlas died. Todar Mal receiving reinforcement by Munim Khan himself resumed his offensive. The Mughal army met Daud on the plains of Tukaroi.^[14]

One of the pivotal moments in the conquest was the Battle of Tukaroi, fought in 1575. The Mughal forces, led by Munim Khan and Todar Mal, faced the army of Daud Khan Karrani. Daud’s general Gujar Khan was killed in the battle. The battle was fierce, with both sides suffering significant casualties. However, the superior tactics and discipline of the Mughal army ultimately led to their victory, forcing Daud Khan to retreat to Cuttack. On 12 April, he submitted to Munim Khan in the durbar tent at Cuttack. His submission declared the de jure annexation of Bengal to Mughal Empire although de facto control was established only over a few towns in Bihar and Bengal.^[15]

Munim Khan proceeded to recover Ghoraghat, where the Mughal outpost had been driven out by Kalapahar, Babu Mankali and others who had returned from Kuch Bihar during Munim Khan’s absence. He then captured Gaur and returned to Tanda. Munim Khan died shortly after on 23 October 1575 AD.^[16]

Munim Khan was succeeded by Husain Quli Beg entitled Khan-i-Jahan. Daud rising again in Orissa, captured Bhadrak, Jaleswar and reoccupied the whole Bengal. Isa Khan drove out Mughal flotilla under Shah Bardi from East Bengal while Junaid Karrani was creating havoc in south-east Bihar. At Hajipur Muzaffar Khan Turbati defended the possession with great fight. Gajapati Shah engaged in robbery in the Arrah district. Mughals counter attacked capturing Teliagarhi, forcing Daud to retreat to Rajmahal. Khan-i-Jahan laid siege there for months. To help the expedition, Akbar sent detachments from Bihar under Shahbaz Khan to supress Gajapati.^[17]

Decisive battle with Daud took place at Raj Mahal on 10 July 1576. Khan-i-Jahan’s forces, having regrouped and reinforced with the Bihar army, engaged in battle with the Karranis. Junaid Khan Karrani was killed in the battle by a cannon ball, Jahan Khan the governor of Orissa was slain. Daud was captured and executed for breaking the treaty.^[17]

Kalapahar and Qutlu Lohani fled wounded. Thus Bengal came into the possession of Mughals once again. In south-west Bihar, Shahbaz forced Gajapati Shah to flee leaving his arms behind. Subsequently Rohtas fort was surrendered to the invading army. Khan-i-Jahan then attacked Satgaon, defeating Mahmud Khan Khas-khel. Daud’s family members surrendered. Mahmud Khan Khas-khel surrendered as well but was executed. He then marched to Bhawal (north of Dhaka) against the Afghan chiefs Ibrahim Maral and Karim-dad Musazai who submitted on his arrival. Another contingent defeated Isa Khan at Egarasindur. An attack by Majlis Dilawar and Majlis Qutb routed the Mughal flotilla helping them to flee.^[18]

In April 1579, Muzaffar Khan Turbati was appointed as the viceroy of Bengal.^[19] In January 1580, the Bengal officers backed by Akbar’s brother who was Sunni in faith, Mirza Muhammad Hakim, the ruler of Kabul, declared revolt. Muzaffar Khan sent army to supress the rebels. His army suffered defeat which prompted him to seek refuge in the fort of Tanda. On the following day, the rebels carried out assault on the fort. On 19 April 1580, Muzaffar Khan Turbati was killed and khutbah was read in the name of Mirza Muhammad Hakim. Baba Qaqshal was appointed as the viceroy of Bengal and Masum Khan Kabuli as wakil. Thus, Bengal and Bihar became independent from Mughals.^[7] The loyalists recovered Bihar. In Tirhut Bahadur Badakhshi usurped, proclaiming himself independent. Muhib Ali Khan of Rohtas defeated Bahadur and recovered Patna. Tarsun Khan and Todar Mal arrived with forces at Munger to confront the rebels. On 7 June, the rebels carried out assault but lost 300 boats to the Mughals. Skirmishes continued until desertion by rebels on 25 July. By September, Mughals had captured Gaya and Sherghati. Azam Khan Koka defeated Dalpat Shah of Jagdishpur and joined the main army.^[20]

Qutlu Lohani had established himself in Orissa. He defeated Muhammad Nijat Khan, the Mughal faujdar of Hooghly at Salimabad, also gained success against another Mughal force near Mangalkot. Internal strife and tracheary amongst the nobles in Mughal army and Bengal chiefs weakened the progress of both sides for the following two years. Bengal chief Bahadur Kheshgi was killed by Sadiq Khan, a loyal commandant. Baba Qaqshal died too.^[21] In April 1582, Mirza Aziz Koka entitled Khan-i-Azam was appointed in Bengal. Awadh Subah was ordered co-operate with him. Meantime rebels had captured Hajipur and other parganas from Mughals. Bahadur Kuruh, general of Qutlu Khan joined the rebels at Tanda. Sadiq Khan defended Patna fort, even attacked the rebel forces under Jabbari, Khabita and Tarkhan Diwana. Sadiq Khan leading 2,000 men defeated an army 5,000 rebels killing Khabita, Tarkhan Diwana’s son Nur Muhammad and Khwajah Abdur Ghafur in various engagements.^[22]

On 20 March 1583, Khan-i-Azam after capturing Teliagarhi, appeared before Masum Khan Kabuli for fight. The two armies exchanged guns and muskets for the next month. In the meantime, Kalapahad was slain in a battle. Many officers of the Qaqshal clan defected to the Mughal side. Masum Khan attacked defectors at the town of Ghoraghat but 4000 Mughal cavalries repulsed the siege. On 18 May 1583, Khan-i-Azam was replaced by Shabaz Khan Kamboh. Bengal was left in charge of Wazir Khan for five months. Seizing the opportunity, Qutlu Khan carried out offensives. The Mughals marched from Sherpur to Burdwan and defeated Bahadur Kuruh on 15 July. Mughal detachments were sent to Ghoraghat to protect loyal Qaqshals to block rebels from Kuch Bihar and Mymensingh, and to Burdwan and Satgaon to monitor revived Pathan forces in Orissa under Qutlu Lohani. In October, Masum Khan harassed Tarsun Khan in Tajpur but was repulsed.^[23] Shah Bardi died and 3000 of his artillerymen entered Shahbaz Khan’s service. Shahbaz led forces against Baba Bhakari who fled upon his approach. Masum Khan sought fled to Kuch Bihar. Many fugitives were defeated or captured. In 1584, Shahbaz Khan overrun Isa Khan’s territory of Bikrampur, capturing Sonargaon, Egarasindur. He established a base at Tok opposite of Egarasindur. Isa Khan returned back from Kuch Bihar and faced an army under Tarsun Khan. Surprising the invading army Tarsun was captured and beheaded.^[24] Isa Khan captured Sayyid Husain the thanadar of Dhaka and began negotiations through him. As negotiations failed, Shahbaz engaged in a battle with Isa Khan which resulted disastrous. He fell back to Tanda after abandoning his conquests. Thus, his first campaign in east Bengal failed miserably. Masum Khan advanced to Sherpur and other Afghans raided up to Malda. In South Wazir Khan continued fighting Qutlu Khan who offered submission.^[25]

In January 1585, Masum Khan was driven away and Sherpur was recovered. Dastam Qaqshal, another rebel leader was driven back to Shahzadpur, Pabna. In March 1585, Wazir Khan and Sadiq Khan were sent against Masum Khan Kabuli and Shahbaz Khan proceeded in North Bengal. In late March, Masum Khan Kabuli was defeated in a naval battle. Two of his forts at Trimohani was captured.^[25] Tahir Ilanchaq gained success against the Mughals. Yusuf bin Mati Afghan killed Habib Ali, son of Muhib Ali in conflict in Tanda.^[26] Bitterness between the commanders prevented from supressing the rebels. Akbar at last separated the charges. Sadiq Khan was placed in charge of Bengal and Shahbaz Khan in Bihar. S’aid Khan and other generals in Bihar took charge of Bengal. This gave chance to the Afghans of Orissa to plunder Burdwan. On 10 June 1585, Mughal imperial army advanced against the enemies, defeated and killing 1300 of them. Dastam Qaqshal reappeared and laid siege on Ghoraghat but was defeated. In 1586, Shahbaz Khan was sent back to Bengal again. He won over Afghans through diplomacy. Masum Khan Kabuli sent his son to Mughal court. Isa Khan sought peace and restored territories which he had captured previously from Sadiq Khan. Qutlu Khan was left undisturbed to rule Orissa.^[27] The Mughals restored their authority up to Satgaon. Both Wazir Khan and S’aid Khan died in August 1587 AD.^[28]

In late 1587, Man Singh was appointed as the viceroy of Bihar.^[28] Man Singh first directed his campaign against Puran Mal of Gidhuar, who declared independence earlier. The fort of Gidhuar was captured and Puran Mal became vassal of the Mughal Empire. Next Sangram Singh, the Raja of Khargpur submitted agreeing to pay tribute. He then raided territories of Anant Chero of Gaya. During his absence, two rebel leaders of Bengal raided Purnia and Darbhanga. Man Singh’s son Jagat Singh advanced against the raiders, who fled away abandoning their gains.^[29]

In April 1590, Man Singh, reinforced by the Bengal artillery began his journey to conquer Odisha.^[29][30]

Despite several Mughal victories, the Baro-Bhuyans, led by Isa Khan, fiercely resisted Mughal control. Using guerrilla tactics and leveraging local knowledge, Isa Khan and his allies maintained significant autonomy, preventing the Mughals from fully consolidating their power over Bengal. Their resistance created a prolonged conflict that thwarted Mughal ambitions during Isa Khan’s lifetime.^[31]

It was not until Isa Khan’s death in 1599 that the Mughals began to establish more comprehensive control over Bengal. Even then, the process was gradual, marked by ongoing efforts to integrate the region into the Mughal administrative framework. Isa Khan’s legacy of defiance remains a significant chapter in Bengal’s history, symbolizing the region’s resilience and resistance to external domination.^[32]

Between 1611 and 1612, the Mughals concentrated on consolidating their control over Bengal and subduing any remaining resistance. Under the leadership of Subahdar (Governor) Ibrahim Khan Fath-i-Jang, the Mughal forces employed a mix of diplomacy and military strength to bring rebellious local chiefs and zamindars into submission. This phase was marked by significant campaigns aimed at ensuring comprehensive Mughal rule over the region.^[33]

Ibrahim Khan led a series of military expeditions to pacify the region, addressing pockets of resistance that persisted despite previous Mughal victories. His strategic use of force and negotiation helped in subduing many of the rebellious factions and securing the Mughal’s authority over Bengal.^{[citation needed]}

One of the key objectives during this phase was to secure the strategic port city of Chittagong, crucial for controlling trade and commerce. The Mughals faced stiff resistance from the Arakanese and Portuguese pirates who controlled the area. However, through a well-coordinated military campaign, Ibrahim Khan was able to capture Chittagong and establish Mughal dominance over the port.^[33]

By 1612, the Mughals had successfully quelled most of the resistance in Bengal, bringing the region under their full control. This period marked the administrative and economic integration of Bengal into the Mughal Empire, leading to a period of relative stability and prosperity.^[33]

After the death of Isa Khan in 1599, the Baro-Bhuyans, a confederation of twelve independent chiefs and zamindars in Bengal, continued their resistance against the Mughal forces. The period from 1599 to 1612 was marked by persistent guerrilla warfare, strategic alliances, and defensive manoeuvres by the Baro-Bhuyans to maintain their autonomy.^{[citation needed]}

During this time, the Baro-Bhuyans faced increasing pressure from the Mughal Empire, which was determined to consolidate its control over Bengal. Despite their valiant efforts and localized victories, the Mughal military campaigns gradually weakened the Baro-Bhuyans’ resistance. By 1612, the Mughals had successfully quelled most of the uprisings, bringing Bengal under more direct and comprehensive control.^{[citation needed]}

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025)