The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c25.171

v3.c25.171

In 1563 the Afghāns Mūsā Khān and Sher Khān expelled Fath Khān from northern Gujarāt, and drove him to take refuge with I‘timād Khān, who attacked the Afghāns but was defeated and driven back to Ahmadābād. The Afghāns then marched to attack him, and he was defeated at Jotāna and fled and sought aid of Chingīz Khān, who accompanied him to Jotāna. No further fighting took place, a peace being arranged, but after the nobles had returned to their fiefs Chingīz Khān wrote to I‘timād Khān, casting doubts on the king’s birth. The regent replied that his oath had been accepted, and that Chingīz Khān’s father, had he been alive, would have corroborated it. Chingīz Khān then openly demanded more land for the support of his troops. I‘timād Khān evaded the demand by advising him to recover the district of Nandurbār, which had formerly belonged to Gujarāt and was now held by Muhammad II of Khāndesh. Chingīz Khān fell into the trap and in 1566 marched to Nandurbār, which he occupied, and, encouraged by his success, advanced towards Thālner, but was attacked and defeated by Muhammad II and Tufāl Khān of Berar, and compelled to flee to Broach, where he proceeded, in 1568, to reorganise his army, in which work he was assisted by the rebellious Mīrzās, Akbar’s kinsmen, who had fled from the empire and sought a refuge in Gujarāt. He now resolved to avenge himself on I‘timād Khān for the trick which he had played him, and marched on Ahmadābād, requesting the regent to withdraw to his fiefs, as he was coming to pay his respects to the king, and it was undesirable that they should meet in the capital. I‘timād Khān and the king marched towards Nadiād, near which place the armies met. There was no battle, for I‘timād Khān, who had heard much of the war-like disposition of the Mīrzās, was smitten with sudden panic, and fled to Dūngarpur, whence he sent a message to Akbar, who was then before Chitor, inviting him to invade Gujarāt.