The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c12.s1.14

v4.c12.s1.14

When the Uzbegs, who had retired beyond the Jaxartes, learnt that Shāh Isma‘īl had withdrawn, they resolved to attempt the recovery of Transoxiana. ‘Ubaid-ullah Khān, who had succeeded his uncle Shaibānī Khān, now attacked Bukhārā; whereupon Bābur moved out of Samarqand to meet him. In May, 1512, an encounter took place at Kul-i-Malik, in which Bābur was defeated, and, finding it impossible to remain in Samarqand, he withdrew to Hisār, whither the Uzbegs followed him in August. In the meanwhile Najm Beg (Najm-i-Sānī), who had been despatched to help Bābur by Shāh Isma‘īl on reaching the frontier of Khurāsān, hearing of Bābur’s defeat at Kul-i-Malik, collected further troops from Herāt, advanced on Balkh and in October met Bābur at the Darband-i-Āhanīn. The combined armies took Khuzar and moved on Qarshī, whose inhabitants were put mercilessly to the sword, much to the disgust of Bābur who desired them to be spared. Najm Beg now advanced on Bukhārā. The Uzbegs entrenched themselves in the fort of Ghazdawān where they were besieged by Bairam Beg and Najm Beg, but it was winter and, while the Uzbegs were well provisioned, Najm Beg was unable to feed his troops. Bābur and others advised him to withdraw to Qarshī till the winter was over, and then to return with plentiful supplies. Najm Beg agreed, but on the morrow the Uzbegs attacked and utterly defeated the Persians. Bābur, who was at this time thirty, now abandoned all hope of reascending the throne of Samarqand, which he had won and lost no less than three times. His Mughul allies turned against him and, barely escaping in his sleeping attire from a sudden attack made on his camp, he withdrew first to Hisār and then to Qunduz, and finally he again crossed the Hindu Kush and returned to Kābul. Khān Mīrzā (Wais Mīrzā), the son of Mahmūd Mīrzā, was left in Badakhshān, which Bābur still possessed and Nāsir Mīrzā, who had been left in charge of Kābul, was on Bābur's return appointed to Ghaznī. His death, due to intemperate habits which shortly after intervened, led to a revolt among the Mughul chiefs. Bābur, having disposed of this rebellion, now settled down for four years (1515–18) to what was the nearest approach to a "quiet life" that he had ever known. Müller says "Bābur dedicated the next four years to ceaseless wars in every direction, for without them it was not possible to teach the mountain dwellers of Kābul and Ghaznī the respect due to his overlordship"—which means that he conducted a series of punitive expeditions. Grenard states that these expeditions were "merely an Asiatic method of advertising the advantages of obedience". His raids were "shopping expeditions". For example, Bābur himself writes in one place: "We resolved that, since grain was plentiful in Hashtnagar, it was expedient to lead a raid against the Afghāns there." At any rate, during these years Bābur undertook nothing in the nature of military expeditions on a larger scale.