| Conflict: | Mughal–Rajput wars |
| Date: | 21 February 1527–June 1779 |
| Place: | Modern day Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| Combatant1: | Mughal Empire |
| Combatant2: | Rajput Factions |
| Commander1: | Babur Humayun Akbar Jahangir Shah Jahan Aurangzeb Bahadur Shah I Farrukhsiyar |
| Commander2: | Rana Sanga Ajja Jhala Medini Rai Prithviraj Singh I Maldeo Rathore Udai Singh II Maharana Pratap Chandrasen Rathore Amar Singh I Durgadas Rathore Raj Singh I Sangram Singh II Raja Ajit Singh Jai Singh Sawai Jai Singh[1] |
The Mughal–Rajput wars were a series of battles between the Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire. The conflicts originated with the invasion of northwestern India by the Mughal ruler Babur, to which the head of the Rajput confederacy, Rana Sanga, offered staunch resistance. The conflicts went on since 1526 for over 200 years, with the Mughals having the upper hand until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, following which they entered a declining phase and the Rajputs gained the upper hand, with the last recorded conflict taking place in 1779.
In 1526, when Babur invaded Hindustan, his forces faced a stiff resistance from Rana Sanga in the Battle of Bayana, but defeated Rana in the Battle of Khanwa in 1527. Emperor Babur died of natural causes in 1530. The hostility between Rajput Confederacy and the Mughal Empire still continued.
Babur's grandson Emperor Akbar faced heavy resistance from Rana Udai Singh II and Maharana Pratap. But the Mughal Army under Akbar achieved numerous victories against the Rajput army. Most prominently in 1576 Akbar achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Haldighati led by Man Singh I, a Rajput general of the Mughal Empire. The victory led to tremendous gains for the Mughal Empire. Subsequently Mughals and Rajputs established a peaceful relation with Emperor Akbar accepting many Rajput leaders into Mughal court and giving them top political positions. Chandrasen Rathore led a rebellion for two decades against Akbar, but a large portion of Rajputs accepted Akbar's authority due to his religious tolerance achieving peace and harmony.[2]
The peace established during the time of Emperor Akbar was broken by the religious intolerant policies of his great grandson Aurangzeb. In 1679, the States of Mewar and Marwar rebelled against Aurangzeb. While a peace treaty was signed with Mewar after a year, war with Marwar went on until the death of Aurangzeb and concluded when the Rathore forces were finally able to capture Marwar following Aurangzeb's death which led to a succession war and the eventual decline of the Mughal Empire.[3]
Chhatrasal the Raja of Panna rebelled against Aurangzeb, and later formed his own kingdom on Bundelkhand in the 1720s many years after the death of Aurangzeb during which time the Mughal Empire entered a declining phase.[4] [5] [6]
Since the time of Emperor Aurangzeb his hardline Islamism policies isolated his non-Muslim allies and the power of the Mughal Military had greatly diminished by the time of his death in 1707 and his subsequent successors were generally incompetent rulers. Shortly after Aurangzeb's death, during the Rajput rebellion of 1708–10, the now weakened Mughals were forced to accept a humiliating peace treaty with the Rajput Rajas. The Rajputs forced the Mughals to make them governors of Malwa, Sindh and Gujarat In later years the declining Mughal Empire tried to collect taxes in Rajputana during the late 18th century, however they were met with resistance in every town and village they went, leading to unsuccessful invasions by the Mughal forces. These campaigns affected the Mughal Empire financially and caused arrears and the disbanding of large amounts of troops. The Mughal capital itself was affected during these conflicts, leaving only a few retainers to guard the palace and man the artillery.[7]
Rana Sanga led the Rajput army and besieged the fortress of Bayana held by the Afghans under Nizam Khan in February 1527. Mughal Emperor Babur sent a Mughal contingent under Abdil Aziz, which was defeated by Rana Sanga.[8] [9]
The Rajput Confederacy under Rana Sanga was defeated by Babur in 1527. This was the largest battle ever between the Mughals and the Rajputs involving a total of more than 150,000 soldiers and resulted in massive territorial expansions for the Mughal Empire.[10]
Babur besieged and captured Chanderi Fort in Malwa and its ruler Medini Rai was defeated and killed in the battle.
Rao Jaitsi of Bikaner successfully defended his capital and defeated a Mughal army under Kamran, brother of Mughal emperor Humayun.[11]
Akbar led the Mughal army in besieging the famed Chittorgarh fort in 1567, which was then under the command of Jaimal Rathore and Patta Singh Sisodia, commanders of Udai Singh. The siege went on for four months, with the fortress walls being breached after the death of Jaimal, ensuring that the Mughals emerged victorious.
Rao Surjan Hada had to surrender Ranthambore Fort to Akbar after the latter successfully put the fort under siege.
The Mughal army under the command of Man Singh defeated Maharana Pratap's Mewari army in the field of Haldighati in 1576. Gogunda was annexed by the Mughals.[12]
Shahbaz Khan's campaigns in Mewar comprised a sequence of battles through which the Mughals effectively subdued key regions of Mewar. These strategically crucial areas encompassed Kumbhalgarh, Mandalgarh,Chittorgarh, Gogunda, Udaipur, and Central Mewar. The Mughal victories solidified their control over these significant parts of Mewar, in the process signifying a pivotal conquest in the expansion of the Mughal Empire's domain in India.
The Mughals had shifted their attention to Punjab and other northwestern provinces after Jaganath Kachwaha's invasion of Mewar. Maharana Pratap took advantage of this situation to attack the Mughal occupied areas and captured thirty-six Mughal outposts. Udaipur, Mohi, Gogunda, Mandal and Pandwara were some of the important areas that were recovered through this conflict.[13] Chittor and Mandalgarh however continued to remain under the Mughals.[14] [15] [16]
Both Amar Singh I and Asaf Khan claimed victory in an indecisive battle.
Sangram Singh II of Mewar along with other Rajput chiefs defeated the imperial Mughal army
The Battle of Gangwana was a military engagement fought between the Kingdom of Marwar and a combined army of the Jaipur Kingdom and the Mughal Empire in 1741, with the latter emerging victorious and the Rathores being defeated.[26]
In 1775, The Shekhawati Rajputs defeated a Mughal force under Mitra Sen Ahir, Peero Khan and Kale Khan. After heavy losses Peero Khan died while Mitra Sen Ahir fled.[27]
A garrison of 400 Rajputs under the ailing Nawal Singh Shekhawat was besieged by a Mughal army. The fort did not fall but Nawal died from his illness. The Mughals negotiated with the garrison and exchanged Kanud fort for other villages, which were given to Nawal's widow as compensation.[28]
"During these years Akbar was engrossed in other affairs of his empire and found a new field for his ambition in the South, Pratap soon managed to recapture all the 86 important outposts of Mewar excluding Mandalgarh and hittor, Several copper plates, color phones of MSS and inscriptions corroborate this fact, A perusal of the copper plate!” of V.E, I644 (587 A.D.) of Rikhabdeva, the colo- phone of M.S, Gora Badal Qhopai! copied at Sadari (Godawar) in ‘V.E, I645 (688 A.D.), the copper plate of Pander’ (Jahazpur) dated V.E. 647 (590 A.D.) etc. all pertaining to his reign, prove that a considerable territory was regained by him, which he managed to enjoy throughout the latter part of his life"