The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c22.10

v3.c22.10

Mahmūd returned to Jaunpur and Buhlūl drove Jaunān Khān from Shamsābād and placed his own vassal, Raja Karan, in possession of the fief. Mahmūd, though Buhlūl had violated none of the conditions of the treaty, marched against him, and as the army of Jaunpur approached Shamsābād it was attacked by night by a force under Qutb Khān Lodī and Daryā Khān Lodī. The attack failed and Qutb Khān was captured and sent to Jaunpur, where he remained a prisoner for seven months. Just as the main bodies of the two armies were about to join battle Mahmūd died, in 1457, and his son Bhikan was raised to the throne under the title of Muhammad Shāh, and made peace with Buhlūl, whose right to retain Shamsābād he acknowledged. Buhlūl returned towards Delhi, but on reaching Dhankaur received a message from Qutb Khān's sister, reproaching him for having left her brother in captivity and urging him not to rest until he had liberated him, whereupon he at once turned back to meet Muhammad Shāh, who marched with equal promptness to Shamsābād, expelled Raja Karan, and restored the fief to Jaunān Khān. His success attracted to his standard the raja of Etāwah, who openly transferred his allegiance from Delhi to Jaunpur, and Muhammad marched to Saraswati while Bahlūl marched to the neighbouring town of Rāprī. After some desultory fighting between the two armies intestine discord deprived that of Jaunpur of the power of offensive action¹, and Muhammad was deserted by one of his brothers, who led away a force of 30,000 horse and thirty elephants and halted on the banks of the Jharna. Bahlūl, who regarded this move as a tactical manœuvre against himself, followed them, and on his way captured Jalāl Khān, a third brother of Muhammad, who was attempting to join the deserter, and detained him as a hostage for the safety of Qutb Khān Lodī.