Battle of Chausa | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Sur Empire | Mughal Empire | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Sher Shah Suri Gajpati Ujjainia | Humayun Bayram Khan | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 200,000 [1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 7,000 [2] |
The Battle of Chausa was a notable military engagement between the Mughal Emperor, Humayun, and the Afghan warlord, Sher Shah Suri. It was fought on 26 June 1539 at Chausa, 10 miles southwest of Buxar in modern-day Bihar, India. Sher Shah Suri was assisted by his allies, the Ujjainiya Rajputs of Bhojpur, the Lohtamia Rajputs and Gautam Rajputs who were led by the commander, Gajpati Ujjainia. [3] Humayun escaped from the battlefield to save his life. Sher Shah was victorious and crowned himself Farīd al-Dīn Shēr Shāh. [4] [5] Babur's cousin, Mirza Haidar asserted that the armies might have numbered over 200,000 troops. [6]
Humayun divided the province of Bengal into Jagirs among his officers and indulged in luxuries. Meanwhile, Sher Khan established his control over various regions and cut off Humayun's contracts with Agra. To put pressure on Sher Khan, Humayun marched towards Agra through the Grand Trunk Road, but Sher Khan provoked Humayun to recross the Ganga river to its southern bank at Chausa. Both armies remained encamped for three months, during which Sher Khan cleverly indulged Humayun in negotiations for peace. With the beginning of the rains, Sher Khan attacked the Mughal forces and caused a lot of confusion among them. The Mughal camp was filled with water, and a great number of soldiers were killed by the Afghans, and about 8000 of them were drowned in the flooded Ganga. Sher Khan captured the Mughal camp along with their artillery and harem. Sher Khan treated the ladies of the harem kindly and made arrangements for their safe return to Humayun. [7]
Nasir al-Din Muhammad, commonly known by his regnal name Humayun, was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to his death in 1556. At the time of his death, the Mughal Empire spanned almost one million square kilometers.
Sher Shah Suri, also known by his title Sultan Adil, was the ruler of Bihar from 1530 to 1540, and Sultan of Hindustan from 1540 until his death in 1545. He defeated the Mughal Empire in 1540, founding the Sur Empire, and establishing his rule in Delhi. The influence of his innovations and reforms extended far beyond his brief reign. During his time in power, he remained undefeated in battle and was renowned as one of the most skillful Afghan generals in history.
The Lodi dynasty was an Afghan royal family that ruled Sultanate of Delhi from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid dynasty.
The Sur Empire was an empire ruled by the Afghan-origin Sur dynasty in northern India for nearly 16 or 18 years, between 1538/1540 and 1556, with Sasaram serving as its capital. It was founded by Sher Shah Suri.
Rao Maldeo Rathore was a king of the Rathore dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Marwar in present day state of Rajasthan. Maldeo ascended the throne in 1531 CE, inheriting a small ancestral principality of Rathore's but after a long period of military actions against his neighbours, Maldeo swept significant territories which included parts of present day Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Sindh. He refused to ally with either the Sur Empire or the Mughal Empire.
Chausa is a village and corresponding community development block in Buxar district, Bihar, India. It is located 11 km west of the district headquarters, Buxar, on the bank of the river Ganga. As of 2011, the population of the village of Chausa was 9,011, in 1,362 households, while the total block population was 103,670, in 15,817 households.
The Jaunpur Sultanate was a late medieval Indian Muslim state which ruled over much of what is now the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1394 and 1494. It was founded in 1394 by Khwajah-i-Jahan Malik Sarwar, an eunuch slave and former wazir of Sultan Nasiruddin Muhammad Shah IV Tughluq, amidst the disintegration of the Delhi Sultanate's Tughlaq dynasty. Centred in Jaunpur, the Sultanate extended authority over a large part of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab. It reached its greatest height under the rule of Sultan Ibrahim Shah, who also vastly contributed to the development of Islamic education in the Sultanate. In 1494, Sultan Hussain Khan was defeated by the forces of the Afghan ruler Bahlul Lodi, Sultan of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate at Benares at which point Hussain fled to Kahalgaon in modern-day Bihar where the Sultan of Bengal assigned him a pargana. Here he was allowed to mint his own coins and was promised help from Bengal in recovering his kingdom. He died in 1505.
Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, popularly known as Akbar the Great, and also as Akbar I, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expand and consolidate Mughal domains in the Indian subcontinent. He is generally considered one of the greatest emperors in Indian history and led a successful campaign to unify the various kingdoms of Hindūstān or India proper.
The Battle of Tughlaqabad was a notable battle fought on 7 October 1556 between a Hindu king Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also known as Hemu and the forces of the Mughal Emperor Akbar led by Tardi Beg Khan at Tughlaqabad near Delhi. The battle ended in a 'victory of Hem Chandra' who took possession of Delhi and claimed royal status, assuming the title of MaharajaVikramaditya. Following his failure, Tardi Beg was executed by Akbar's regent, Bairam Khan.
The Battle of Sammel, also known as the Battle of Giri-Sumel, took place in 1544. It was fought near the villages of Giri and Sumel, between the Afghan Sur Dynasty under Sher Shah Suri and the Rathore army led by the commanders Jaita and Kumpa of Rao Maldeo Rathore.
Jagdishpur is a nagar panchayat town of the district Bhojpur of the state of Bihar in eastern India. It was the capital of the eponymous Jagdishpur Raj ruled by Rajputs of the Ujjainiya clan. One of its rulers, Kunwar Singh, was a major figure in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, considered the leader of the rebellion in Bihar.
The Ujjainiya or Ujjainia is a clan of Rajputs mainly found in Bihar and Purvanchal. They are an off-shoot of Paramara dynasty of Malwa. The Ujjainiya dynasty historically ruled over the parts of Bhojpuri region during the medieval era. They were mainly rulers and aristocrats holding major power of the region.
The army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 16th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, were in the cavalry-based armies of central Asia, its essential form and structure was established by the empire's third emperor, Akbar. The regular forces were mainly recruited and fielded by Mansabdar officers.
Khawas Khan Marwat was one of the best generals of Sher Shah Suri, having played a major role in defeating the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1539 at the Battle of Chausa. He belonged to the Bahram branch of the Marwat tribe. He was originally a poor fox hunter, but Sher Shah spotted his potential and elevated him to the position of a general. According to historical accounts he was born of a slave woman to a household of Lohani Marwats.
The Battle of Rajmahal took place between the Mughal Empire and the Karrani Dynasty that ruled the Sultanate of Bengal in the 16th century. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Mughals. During the battle, the last Sultan of Bengal, Daud Khan Karrani, was captured and later executed by the Mughals.
The Battle of Sirhind was fought between the Mughal Empire and the Suri Empire in 1555.
Bhojpur Kadim is a historic village in Dumraon block of Buxar district, Bihar, India. As of 2011, its population was 18,243, in 3,024 households. Together with the neighboring Bhojpur Jadid, it lends its name to the surrounding Bhojpuri region.
The Battle of Kannauj took place at Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, India between Sher Shah Suri and Humayun on 17 May 1540. This battle is also known as the battle of Bilgram, where Humayun was defeated.
Raja Gajpati Ujjainia, also known as Raja Gajpati Sahi was a ruler of Bhojpur belonging to the Ujjainiya dynasty.
Prince Salim's Invasion of Mewar was a military expedition of the Mughal empire towards the Rajputs of Mewar. After the invasion by Jagannath Kachwaha in 1585, the Mughal Empire did not launch any major expeditions to Mewar until Maharana Pratap's death in 1597 A.D. From 1585 until his death, Maharana Pratap didn't face any invasions from the Mughals as the Emperor Akbar was preoccupied with internal matters and expeditions to Afghanistan. Following Maharana Pratap's death in 1597 A.D., his son Amar Singh assumed his father's mantle over certain areas of Mewar. A new expedition, led by the then Prince Salim, also known as Prince Salim, accompanied by Man Singh, was launched with the objective of weakening the power of Mewar. This attempt took place in 1599 A.D. or in 1600 A.D.