Who was the greatest Mughal emperor? This is the question we are tackling right now in class 7 and which I will address here. Today, it's time for the second emperor, Humayun (reign 1530-1540, 1555-1556).

In my previous post I described how the first Mughal emperor Babur, Humayun’s father, left Humayun a large empire which lacked a proper administrative system and an empty treasury and that it would take a great leader to take over the reign without any problems or challenges.

Unfortunately, Humayun was not this great leader. He was a very forgiving and empathetic leader, which made him weak in the eyes of many. On top of that, he did not care much for ruling and more about enjoying life. He was addicted to opium and preferred to spend his time on writing poetry.

Upon the death of Babur, a civil war broke out immediately between Humayun, his half-brothers and any other local leader who saw the opportunity to gain more power and land. For 10 years Humayun had to face many enemies, booked some successes, but gradually lost more and more control over his empire. Humayun had to flee westwards and witness how his first wife and son, Akbar, were kidnapped by his brothers.

With just a tiny group of followers the desperate Humayun arrived at the court of the Safavid rulers in Persia. The shah, Tahmasp I, treated him as an emperor and showed great hospitality. After 5 years, he even gave Humayun an army on the condition that he would cede some of the Afghan territory after defeating his brothers. Humayun succeeded and in the following 10 years he reconquered the rest of the Mughal empire and even expanded it. Meanwhile, the rebel leaders had taken good care of the Mughal empire and improved its administration and infrastructure.

Only 6 months after successfully restoring control of the Mughal empire, Humayun died tragically by falling off the library stairs. He was succeeded by Akbar who found the empire in much better shape and a court which was now more influenced by Persia instead of its Central-Asian roots. 

Originally posted on Instagram on January 30, 2022