The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c22.62

v3.c22.62

After his death the choice of the Lodī nobles fell upon his eldest son, Ibrāhīm, who was raised to the throne at Āgra on November 21, 1517, but a turbulent faction advocated, for its own selfish ends, a partition of the kingdom, and secured the elevation of Jalāl Khān, who was either a younger brother of Ibrāhīm or his uncle, the youngest son of Buhlūl, to the throne of Jaunpur, and carried him off to that city. Before he was established there the influence of Khānjahān Lohānī, governor of Rāprī, who vehemently condemned the suicidal policy of dividing the kingdom, secured an order for his recall, the delivery of which was entrusted to prince Haibat Khān, 'the Wolf-slayer.' His efforts were powerless to induce Jalāl Khān, who was loth to forgo a kingdom, and naturally suspected Ibrāhīm, to leave Jaunpur, and the envoy was reduced to the necessity of tampering with the fidelity of Jalāl Khān's adherents in Jaunpur. With these his efforts and the profusion of Ibrāhīm were more successful, and they forsook the prince's cause. Jalāl Khān, on discovering their defection, retired from Jaunpur, where he could no longer maintain himself, to Kālpī, where he caused the *khutba* to be recited in his name and pretended to independence. Here he found himself in proximity to A‘zam-i-Humāyūn Shirvānī, who was besieging Kālinjar in Ibrāhīm's interest, though he was lukewarm in his cause. Jalāl Khān's position, which interrupted A‘zam-i-Humāyūn's communications with the capital, enabled him to deal on very favourable terms with him, and he experienced little difficulty in securing his adherence. The two agreed that their first step should be the recovery of Jaunpur, and with this object in view they attacked Sa‘īd Khān, governor of Oudh, who, having no force sufficient to oppose them, retired to Lucknow and reported his situation to Ibrāhīm, who secured his position at Delhi by placing his brothers in confinement in Hānsī, and led a large army against the rebels. Before he had reached Kanauj his anxiety was allayed by the news that A‘zam-i-Humāyūn had quarrelled with Jalāl Khān and was hastening to make his submission. He received him well, and at the same time was enabled to welcome Malik Qāsim Khān, governor of Sambhal, who had suppressed a rebellion headed by a Hindu landholder in the Koil district. He also received at Kanauj most of the fief-holders of the province of Jaunpur, and dispatched A‘zam-i-Humāyūn and other officers against Jalāl Khān, who was at Kālpī. Before the arrival of this army Jalāl Khān, leaving a garrison in Kālpī, marched with 30,000 horse and a number of elephants on Āgra. The royal troops captured Kālpī after a few days' siege, and sacked the city, and Jalāl Khān announced his intention of avenging its wrongs on Āgra, but Ibrāhīm dispatched a force under Malik Ādam to cover the approach to Āgra. This detachment was not strong enough to try conclusions with Jalāl Khān's great army, but its leader was a host in himself, and contrived, by opening negotiations, to delay Jalāl Khān until reinforcements arrived, when he changed his tone and demanded that the prince should surrender his insignia of royalty and make his submission, promising, in return for compliance with the demand, to commend him to Ibrāhīm and to recommend his retention of the government of Kālpī. Jalāl Khān, who suspected the fidelity of his troops, complied, but Ibrāhīm refused to ratify the terms half promised by his lieutenant, and marched to attack the prince, who fled and took refuge with the raja of Gwalior.