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Battle of Chanderi
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| Battle of Chanderi | |||||||||
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| Part of Mughal Conquests | |||||||||
 Illustration of the battle from Baburnama | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Mughal Empire | Chanderi Rajputs | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Babur | Medini Rai † | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | 15,000 Garrison[2] | ||||||||
  Battle of Chanderi Location within South Asia  Battle of Chanderi Battle of Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh) | |||||||||
The Battle of Chanderi or Siege of Chanderi took place in the aftermath of the Battle of Khanwa in which the Mughal Emperor Babur (transliteration: Bābar) had defeated the Rajput Confederacy and firmly establish Mughal rule while crushing regrowing Rajput powers as the battle was fought for supremacy of Northern India between Rajputs and Mughals.[3] On receiving news that Rana Sanga had renewed war preparations to renew the conflict with him, Babur decided to isolate the Rana by inflicting a military defeat on one of his vassals Medini Rai who was the ruler of Malwa.[4][5] Consequently, in December 1527, taking a circumlocutious route Babur marched to the fortress of Chanderi in Malwa which was the capital of the kingdom of Malwa.[6] Upon reaching Chanderi, on 20 January 1528, Babur offered Shamsabad to Medini Rai in exchange for Chanderi as a peace overture but the offer was rejected by Rai.[7]
The outer fortress of Chanderi was taken by Babur's army at night, and the next morning the upper fort was captured. Babur expressed surprise that the upper fort had fallen within an hour of the final assault.[4]
Medini Rai organized the Jauhar ceremony during which Rajput women and children committed self-immolation to save their 'honor' from the Mughals.[7] A small number of soldiers also collected in Medini Rai's house and proceeded to slay each other in collective suicide. This sacrifice does not seem to have impressed Babur who did not express any admiration for it in his autobiography.[4] Rather, as he had done after Khanwa, he ordered a tower of skulls(a practice formulated by Timur against opponents)—to be erected.[5] This practice was to record a monumental victory and terrorize opponents, according to Chandra. Babur had earlier used the same tactic against the Afghans of Bajaur.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Chaurasia 2002, p. 157.
- ^ Sharma 1954, p. 42.
- ^ Sharma 1954, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Lane-pool, Stanley. "Babar". The Clarendon Press. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Chandra, Satish (2006). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals (1206–1526). Vol. 2. Har-Anand Publications.
- ^ Chaurasia 2002, p. 156.
- ^ a b Sharma 1954, p. 43.
Bibliography
[edit]- Chaurasia, Radhey Shyam (2002). History of Medieval India: From 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. ISBN 978-81-269-0123-4.
- Sharma, Gopi Nath (1954). Mewar & the Mughal Emperors (1526–1707 A.D.). S.L. Agarwala.
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Battle of Chanderi
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Background
Regional Context in Early 16th-Century India
In the early 16th century, the Delhi Sultanate under the Lodi dynasty had weakened significantly due to internal rebellions, administrative corruption, and failure to maintain military superiority, leaving no effective central authority over northern India.[6] Afghan nobles frequently challenged Sultan Ibrahim Lodi (r. 1517–1526), who ruled from Delhi but struggled to control vast territories amid economic strain from heavy taxation and declining revenue.[6] This fragmentation enabled the resurgence of Rajput kingdoms and the persistence of independent sultanates, creating a patchwork of rival powers where alliances shifted rapidly based on local ambitions rather than ideological unity.[7] Central India, encompassing the Malwa plateau, exemplified this instability, with the Malwa Sultanate—nominally under the Khilji Afghan ruler Mahmud Shah II (r. 1510–1531)—increasingly dominated by Hindu Rajput elites amid weak sultanic control.[8] Medini Rai, a Baghela Rajput and de facto regent, consolidated power by 1517, leveraging his military prowess to eliminate rival Muslim nobles like Afzal Khan and Iqbal Khan, while aligning with the expansive Sisodia ruler Rana Sangram Singh (Rana Sanga) of Mewar.[8] Rana Sanga, who ascended in 1508, had by 1519 defeated Mahmud II at the Battle of Gagron, annexing key Malwa territories including Chanderi and granting Medini Rai oversight as his vassal around 1520, thereby extending Rajput influence deep into Afghan-held lands.[9] To the west, the Gujarat Sultanate under Muzaffar Shah II frequently raided Malwa, exploiting its divisions; for instance, Gujarat forces encroached on Mandsaur in 1520, prompting joint Rajput counteractions led by Sanga, Silhadi Tomar, and Medini Rai.[10] These conflicts underscored the absence of stable borders, with Afghan rulers in Malwa and Gujarat relying on mercenary armies and opportunistic diplomacy against resurgent Rajput confederacies that prioritized territorial recovery over subordination to Delhi.[8] The resulting power vacuum in the 1520s, marked by over 20 major Rajput clans under Sanga's loose hegemony challenging sultanates from Mewar to Bundelkhand, facilitated external incursions by setting the stage for Timurid intervention.[9]Rise of Medini Rai and Chanderi as a Rajput Stronghold
Medini Rai, originally known as Rai Chand Purabiya and affiliated with the eastern (Purabiya) branch of Rajputs, rose as a prominent military entrepreneur in northeastern Malwa around 1510.[2] Recruiting approximately 40,000 warriors, he supported the newly ascended Sultan Mahmud II Khilji (r. 1510–1531) and secured appointment as wazir, or prime minister, thereby consolidating de facto control over the sultanate's administration and military.[2] As a vassal of Rana Sangha of Mewar, Medini Rai allied with the Sisodia ruler to challenge Sultan Mahmud II's authority, culminating in the Rajput conquest of Malwa territories in the early 1520s.[2] Rana Sangha's intervention enabled Medini to defeat Malwa forces and extend influence, after which Chanderi—a strategic hill fort previously under Malwa influence—was bestowed upon him as a fief, transforming it into a fortified Rajput bastion amid the region's fragmented sultanate.[2] Under Medini Rai's governance, Chanderi served as the administrative and defensive center for much of Malwa, housing garrisons loyal to Rajput confederacies and resisting centralizing powers.[2] Medini Rai's expansion relied on feudal levies from Purabiya clans, emphasizing martial recruitment over hereditary nobility, which bolstered Chanderi's role as a symbol of Rajput autonomy in the face of Afghan and emerging Mughal threats.[2] By 1527, his forces had joined Rana Sangha at the Battle of Khanwa, underscoring Chanderi's integration into broader Rajput resistance networks, though this alliance fragmented following Sangha's defeat.[2] The fort's elevated position and defensive architecture, enhanced during Medini's tenure, positioned Chanderi as a key stronghold capable of sustaining prolonged sieges.[2]Babur's Consolidation After Khanwa
Following his victory at the Battle of Khanwa on 17 March 1527, Babur focused on securing Mughal authority across northern India by suppressing localized rebellions and reinforcing control over former Lodi territories. He dispatched forces to retake Bayana and other forts briefly seized by Rajput insurgents during the campaign against Rana Sanga, thereby restoring stability in the Doab region between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.[11] These actions addressed immediate threats from fragmented Rajput and Afghan elements weakened by the Khanwa defeat, where key allies of Sanga, such as Hasan Khan Mewati, had been eliminated.[12] Babur proclaimed himself Padishah Ghazi after Khanwa, framing his campaigns as a religious struggle against Hindu rulers, which bolstered morale among his Turkic and Persian troops amid their reluctance to remain in India's climate.[12] Administrative measures included assigning iqtas (land grants) to loyal nobles for revenue collection and fort maintenance, drawing on Timurid practices to integrate conquered lands without full centralization. This consolidation prevented a unified Rajput resurgence, as Sanga's confederacy fractured, leaving vassals like Medini Rai isolated.[11] By late 1527, intelligence of Sanga's recovery and mobilization prompted Babur to target Medini Rai, a Bundela Rajput who had seized effective control of Malwa after deposing its sultan Mahmud Khilji II in 1531—no, wait, earlier: Medini had risen by 1519, aiding Sanga indirectly.[1] Chanderi, under Medini, served as a fortified bastion threatening Mughal supply lines to the south. In December 1527, Babur marched from Agra with artillery and cavalry, arriving near Chanderi by January 1528, initiating the siege to eliminate this outpost and deter further alliances against Mughal expansion.[1] This campaign exemplified Babur's strategy of preemptive strikes to consolidate gains, leveraging gunpowder superiority to subdue hill forts beyond open-field battles.[2]Prelude
Diplomatic Overtures and Rejections
Upon arriving outside Chanderi on 20 January 1528, Babur dispatched an envoy to Medini Rai with a peace proposal: the exchange of Shamsabad, a Mughal-held fort in the Doab region, for Chanderi itself, aiming to secure submission without bloodshed.[1][13] Medini Rai, a prominent Rajput chieftain and ally of the defeated Rana Sanga, rejected the overture outright, opting to fortify his defenses and prepare for resistance rather than yield the strategic hill fort, which served as a key bastion in Malwa.[14] This refusal aligned with Rajput martial traditions emphasizing honor and defiance against invaders, as Medini Rai commanded a garrison of approximately 5,000–10,000 warriors loyal to his rule, bolstered by the fort's natural defenses and recent reinforcements.[1] Babur, fresh from consolidating gains after the Battle of Khanwa, viewed the rejection as a challenge to his expanding authority in northern India, interpreting it through the lens of his memoir's accounts of Rajput intransigence.[13] No further negotiations ensued, with Babur interpreting the stance—rooted in Medini Rai's prior role in supporting anti-Mughal coalitions—as warranting decisive military action to dismantle remaining Rajput power centers.[14] The brief diplomatic exchange underscored broader tensions: Babur sought to minimize campaigns amid logistical strains from his Afghan base, while Medini Rai's defiance reflected a commitment to autonomy, unswayed by offers of territorial swaps that would cede a culturally and defensively vital site.[1] Historical accounts, primarily drawn from Babur's own Baburnama, portray the rejection as precipitating the subsequent siege, with no evidence of counter-proposals from the Rajput side.[13]Mughal March and Preparations
Babur departed Agra on 9 December 1527 to launch a campaign against Medini Rai's stronghold at Chanderi, aiming to neutralize Rajput influence in Malwa after consolidating gains from the Battle of Khanwa. The Mughal army followed a circuitous route through Jalsar, Anwar Komar, Kalpi, and Bhander—about twenty miles east of Chanderi—to navigate potential opposition in the region.[15][16] The forces reached the vicinity of Chanderi on 21 January 1528, where Babur positioned his camp near Hauz Miani, adjacent to the fort. He promptly dispatched a peace offer via Araish Khan, proposing the district of Shamsabad in exchange for Chanderi's surrender, but Medini Rai refused, opting for resistance.[16] On 22 January, Babur personally reconnoitered the fortifications by riding around the walled town, allocating defensive positions to his commanders and troops as he progressed. Siege preparations focused on overcoming the fort's elevated terrain—a 240-foot hill that rendered direct artillery fire on the walls ineffective—leading to the construction of an artillery mound by Ustad 'Ali-quli to raise cannon elevation. The army also prepared ladders and mantlets for infantry assault, complementing the Mughals' reliance on matchlocks and heavy ordnance for breaching operations.[16]Forces Involved
Composition and Strength of Mughal Forces
The Mughal forces at the Battle of Chanderi in January 1528 were commanded by Babur and comprised a diverse array of Central Asian and Indian elements, reflecting Timurid military traditions adapted to Indian campaigns. The core consisted of mobile cavalry units drawn from Chaghatay Turks, Turkmans, Mughuls of the Horde, and other nomadic warriors, supplemented by Hindustani infantry recruits and specialized artillery detachments including matchlockmen and gunners.[4] These forces emphasized gunpowder weaponry and siege tactics, with infantry supported by carts arranged as defensive barriers (wagenburg) and mantelets for advancing under fire.[4] Exact total strength is not detailed in primary accounts, but the expedition included significant detachments such as 6,000–7,000 troops under Chin Timur Sultan, alongside smaller contingents of 250–300 Turks and over 2,000 Hindustanis for specific maneuvers.[4] Artillery played a pivotal role, featuring at least one large mortar operated by Ustad Ali-quli, culverins, and stone-throwing mechanisms, which were transported after roads were leveled and jungles cleared between key points like Kachwa and Chanderi to facilitate deployment.[4] Babur organized the army into divisions for coordinated assaults, including flanking movements and ladder-based escalades, leveraging the technological edge of Ottoman-influenced ordnance over the defenders' fortifications.[4] Key commanders included Chin Timur Sultan leading a major contingent, Baqi Ming-bashi, Tardi Beg, and Shaikh Guran, with Babur directing overall strategy from the field.[4] The force's composition prioritized quality and mobility over sheer numbers, building on successes at Panipat and Khanwa, where similar units—totaling around 12,000–25,000 in prior engagements—had proven effective against larger foes through tactical innovations like tulughma encirclements and firepower superiority.[4] This structure enabled the rapid storming of Chanderi's outer defenses at night, despite the fort's challenging terrain.[4]Rajput Defenders and Fortifications
The Rajput defenders of Chanderi were commanded by Medini Rai, a vassal of the Sisodia ruler Rana Sanga of Mewar, who had established dominance over parts of the Malwa region including the fortress town by the early 1520s. Medini Rai, affiliated with eastern Rajput groups known as Purbiyas, relied on a garrison primarily composed of Rajput warriors loyal to his rule, supplemented by local forces accustomed to defending against regional rivals.[17] Historical accounts indicate the defenders numbered in the thousands, though exact figures vary; Babur's memoirs suggest a force capable of prolonged resistance but ultimately outnumbered and outgunned by Mughal artillery and infantry.[18] Chanderi Fort, perched atop a steep hill overlooking the Betwa River and the surrounding town, served as a strategic stronghold controlling key trade routes between Malwa and the Gangetic plains.[19] The fortifications comprised a multi-tiered system: a walled lower town, an outer fort at the hill's base, and an upper citadel with high ramparts designed to repel assaults.[16] Defensive features included thick walls with internal corridors for movement and surveillance, though contemporary observers like Babur noted vulnerabilities in certain upper sections, which facilitated breaches during the siege.[16] These structures, built and reinforced over centuries, emphasized natural topography for defense, with steep ascents deterring direct infantry charges absent siege engines.[20]Course of the Battle
Initial Siege and Artillery Bombardment
![Chanderi Fort in 1528][float-right]The Mughal army under Babur reached the outskirts of Chanderi on 20 January 1528, following the rejection of diplomatic overtures to Medini Rai.[16] Babur promptly ordered the investment of the fort, positioning his forces to encircle the base of the steep hill on which Chanderi stood, thereby severing supply lines and isolating the defenders.[16] The initial siege commenced on 22 January, with Mughal troops digging trenches and establishing positions under challenging terrain that limited traditional escalade tactics.[16] Recognizing the fort's natural defenses, Babur relied on his technological edge in gunpowder weaponry to initiate bombardment. Artillery pieces, including cannons and lighter field guns transported from previous campaigns, were emplaced in batteries at effective ranges below the walls.[21] The opening salvos targeted vulnerable sections of the fortifications, aiming to demoralize the Rajput garrison and create exploitable weaknesses.[16] These early barrages demonstrated the disruptive power of Mughal ordnance against stone defenses unaccustomed to sustained projectile fire, though the rugged topography complicated precise aiming and resupply of ammunition.[22] Over the subsequent days, the artillery duel intensified as gunners adjusted fire based on observed damage, with Babur supervising operations to coordinate with infantry movements. Rajput counter-sallies attempted to disrupt the gun positions but were repelled, allowing the bombardment to persist and gradually erode the outer defenses.[16] This phase underscored the causal role of gunpowder in shifting siege dynamics from prolonged attrition to rapid breaching, compelling the defenders into a reactive posture.[21]