Humayun had to fight many wars with Afghans to maintain his control over Delhi and nearby areas. Gujarat's ruler, Bahadur Shah, was also an Afghan. He was a young man with big dreams. He had taken Malwa and was putting pressure on Rajasthan, particularly Mewar. Many fugitive Afghan nobles had sought refuge beneath him including Lodi princes who were Humayun's enemies and wanted to reclaim their lost territories from the Mughals. These events lead to the Gujarat campaign of Humayun against Bahadur Shah. In this article, we will discuss The Gujarat Campaign of Humayun which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Causes of Conflict Between Humayun and Bahadur Shah

• Bahadur Shah was ambitious, and he had his sights set on Delhi.
• Humayun was equally eager to expand his territory.
• Bahadur Shah granted political asylum to Mahdi Khwaja, Humayun's brother-in-law who claimed the throne of Delhi.
• He also gave shelter to some Lodi princes who were Humayun's enemies and wanted to reclaim their lost territories from the Mughals.
• Bahadur Shah, the ruler of Gujarat, had signed treaties with some southern Indian states, conquered Malwa in 1531 AD, captured Raisen fort in 1532 AD, and forced the ruler of Mewar to accept a treaty.

Events of Gujarat Campaign

• Humayun resolved to settle his score with Bahadur Shah and arrived in Malwa with this intention.
• Bahadur Shah conquered Malwa, Chanderi, and Ranthambore and was besieging the Chittor fort at the time.
• Karanwati, the Rajamata of Mewar, sent Humayun a rakhi and asked for his help as a brother.
• Humayun went to Chittor, but later changed his mind and did not attack Bahadur Shah.
• It is believed that Humayun changed his mind because he felt it was inappropriate to attack a Muslim ruler who was fighting against infidels.
• Humayun wanted to consolidate his army, win over the people of Malwa who were opposed to Bahadur Shah, and arrange for the cessation of aid coming to Bahadur Shah from either Mandu or Ahmedabad – both of which were under Bahadur Shah's control.
• Chittor was captured by Bahadur Shah after ten days and freely looted for three days.
• Humayun then proceeded to Mandasor, 60 miles from Chittor, and checked the route of Bahadur Shah's return.
• Bahadur Shah arrived in Mandasor as well, and instead of attacking Humayun, he took a defensive stance.
• Humayun kept his army out of range of Bahadur Shah's artillery and cut off his supplies.
• Bahadur Shah's army was demoralised due to a lack of supplies.
• Bahadur Shah fled without a fight on the night of April 25, 1535 AD and sought refuge in the fort of Mandu.
• Bahadur Shah fled from Mandu to Champaner, then to Cambay, and finally to Diu.
• Humayun pursued Bahadur Shah up to Cambay before returning to besiege the Champaner fort, leaving the task of pursuing Bahadur Shah to his nobles.
• He captured it and obtained a large booty, which he lavishly distributed among his followers.
• By then, the entire Malwa and Gujarat had fallen to the Mughals.
• Humayun appointed his brother Askari as governor of Gujarat and then returned to Mandu.
• However, Askari failed to manage the affairs of Gujarat, resulting in a revolt by the people led by Imad-ul-mulk, one of Bahadur Shah's trusted officers.
• After a minor battle with Bahadur Shah's forces, Askari decided to retire to the Champaner fort and then to Agra.
• Bahadur Shah took full advantage of the situation and conquered Gujarat.
• Fearing that Askari would seize Agra for himself, Humayun also left Mandu and headed for Agra.
• Mallu Khan took over Malwa in the name of Bahadur Shah.

Result of Gujarat Campaign

• The Mughals lost both Malwa and Gujarat within a year.
• The primary reasons for the Mughuls' defeat were Askari's incompetence and Humayun's neglect of personal attention to the affairs of Gujarat and Malwa.
• According to Lane-Poole, "Malwa and Gujarat, two provinces equal in size to the rest of Humayun's kingdom had fallen like ripe fruits into his hands." Never before had conquest been so simple.”
• As a result, Humayun lost them as quickly as he gained them.
• The loss of these two territories lowered Humayun's prestige.

Conclusion

Gujarat's campaign of Humayun was a failure as the territory of Malwa and Gujarat which he won during the campaign were lost immediately as he returned to Agra. Although Humayun was a brave individual he was a weak commander and diplomat. He failed to recognise the gravity of his problems and the importance of providing strong leadership to his followers. All these lead to the failure of Humayun in the battle against Bahadur Shah.