Humayun
(d. 1556), Mughal ruler. Eldest of four sons, Humayun was the designated successor of Babur, ascending to the throne of the Mughal empire in December 1530 at the age of twenty-three. Humayun inherited an Indian kingdom that was riven by internal dissension and subject to external threats. He had some experience as governor of Badakshan, but as emperor proved a poor replacement to Babur.
A cultivated man, interested in mathematics and astronomy, and with considerable personal valor, Humayun lacked political astuteness. He failed to capitalize on his victories, was indecisive, prone to long bouts of indolence, and addicted to opium. His ambitious brothers were allowed to carve niches for themselves (Kamran, for instance, took control of Kabul and Punjab) and they proved fickle allies, even plotting to overthrow him.
Externally, the two biggest threats came from Bahadur Shah in Gujarat in the west and the Afghan ruler Sher Shah in Bihar in eastern India. In 1535, Humayun defeated Bahadur Shah and established control as far as Cambay on the coast. However, when he marched east to confront Sher Shah, Bahadur Shah recovered his kingdom. Sher Shah inflicted two crushing defeats on Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kanauj (1540), forcing him into exile. Eventually the Persian emperor Shah Tahmasp helped him recover Delhi and Agra in 1555. Humayun died soon after in January 1556 following a fall in his library in Delhi.
Further Reading
Lal, Muni. (c.1978) Humayun. New Delhi: Vikas.
Richards, John F. (1993) The Mughal Empire. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
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