Akbar And The Uzbeks: History Of Medieval India

 

Samarqand was briefly reclaimed by Babur in 1510 when the Safavids defeated the Uzbek leader Shaibani Khan. The Persian king's aid to Babur created a tradition of friendship between the Mughals and the Safavids, despite the fact that he was forced to leave the city after the Uzbeks crushed the Persians. Later, after being driven from India by Sher Shah, Humayun sought sanctuary in the court of the Safavid king Shah Tahmasp and was helped by him. 

 

•    In the 1570s, Uzbek territorial control expanded quickly under Abdullah Khan Uzbek. Balkh, along with Badakhshan, had functioned as a sort of buffer between the Mughals and the Uzbeks until it was taken over by Abdullah Khan Uzbek in 1572–1573.

 

•    Abdullah Khan sent Akbar an embassy in 1577 with a proposal to divide Iran. Iran fell into a state of chaos and anarchy after the death of Shah Tahmasp (1576).

 

•    Akbar was persuaded by Abdullah Uzbek to "lead an expedition from India to Iran in order that they may, with united efforts, liberate Iraq, Khurasan, and Fars from the innovators (Shias)."

 

•    Akbar was unmoved by this appeal to sectarian sentiment. To control the agitated Uzbeks, a strong Iran was needed.

 

•    Akbar, however, was not interested in fighting the Uzbeks until they posed a direct threat to Kabul or Indian territories. The turning point in Akbar's foreign policy was at this time.

 

•    A three-way Sunni alliance against Iran was also offered by Abdullah Uzbek to the Ottoman ruler.

 

•    As a retort, Akbar sent a return embassy to Abdullah Uzbek, claiming that the existence of legal and religious disparities was insufficient justification for conquest.

 

•    Regarding the challenges experienced by pilgrims travelling to Mecca, he claimed that a new path had become available since Gujarat had been conquered.

 

•    He also stressed the longstanding affinity between his nation and Iran and rebuked Abdullah Khan Uzbek for criticizing the Safavids.

 

•    Akbar's welcome of the Timurid prince Mirza Sulaiman, who had been pushed out of Badakhshan by his grandson, demonstrated his growing interest in Central Asian matters.

 

•    Abdul Fazl claimed that the Balkh gates were normally kept closed out of Mughal fear and that the Khyber Pass was intended for wheeled commerce.

 

•    Abdullah Uzbek used his agent Jalal, a religious fanatic, to spread panic among the tribesmen of the northwest frontier in order to stop an invasion of Badakhshan.

 

•    Akbar was obliged to move to Attock as the situation deteriorated to that point.

 

•    Raja Birbal, one of Akbar's closest allies, was killed during these operations in a conflict at the Khyber Pass.

 

•    In 1585, Abdullah Uzbek unexpectedly took control of Badakhshan. Both Mirza Sulaiman and his grandson were granted the proper mansabs after seeking sanctuary in Akbar's court.

 

•    After the passing of his half-brother Mirza Hakim (1585), Akbar added Kabul to his sphere of influence. The Mughal and Uzbek borders consequently coincided.

 

•    Akbar then received a second embassy from Abdullah Khan Uzbek while he was in Attok on the Indus River.

 

•    Akbar's prolonged presence so close to the border worried Abdullah Uzbek.

 

•    In the meantime, the Uzbeks were successful in taking over most of the desirable regions in Khurasan from Iran.

 

•    Akbar thought it prudent to come to an agreement with the Uzbek ruler in this case.

 

•    As a result, he sent a letter and a verbal communication to Abdullah Khan, Uzbekistan, through one of his agents.

 

•    The boundary between the two appears to have been decided upon as the Hindukush. It indicated that the Mughals had lost interest in the Timurid prince-ruled provinces of Badakhshan and Balkh, which had existed until 1585.

 

•    It also implied that Kabul and Qandhar were not under Uzbek control.

 

•    The deal gave the Mughals a secure boundary on the Hindukush, even though neither party explicitly renounced their rights.

 

•    Akbar succeeded in creating a boundary that could be defended scientifically by seizing Qandhar in 1595.

 

Akbar stayed in Lahore starting in 1586 to keep an eye on things. He didn't depart for Agra until after Abdullah Khan Uzbek passed away in 1598. The Uzbeks split up into rival principalities after Abdullah's death, and the Mughals were no longer under danger for a very long time.