Introduction

• Nasir-ud-din-Muhammed Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor.
• He ruled a large territory comprising Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Northern India.
• Humayun succeeded Babur in December 1530 at the young age of 23.
• He faced several challenges inherited from Babur‘s reign:
  • The administration was not yet consolidated.
  • Finances were precarious.
  • The Afghans were still not subdued and hoped to expel the Mughals from India.
• Humayun also had to deal with the Timurid legacy of dividing the empire among all the brothers.
• Babur had advised Humayun to treat his brothers kindly, but did not favor the partitioning of the Mughal empire.
• The potential partitioning of the infant Mughal empire was seen as unfortunate.

Immediate problem

• Kabul and Qandhar were included in Humayun’s empire when he ascended the throne at Agra.
• Badkhashan, beyond the Hindukush Mountains, was loosely controlled.
• Kabul and Qandhar were under the charge of Humayun’s younger brother, Kamran.
• Kamran was dissatisfied with these poverty-stricken areas and decided to march on Lahore and Multan, occupying them.
• Humayun, occupied elsewhere, did not want to start a civil war and had little alternative but to agree.
• Kamran accepted Humayun’s suzerainty and promised to help him when necessary.
• Kamran’s action raised concerns that other brothers of Humayun might follow the same path if an opportunity arose.
• However, granting Punjab and Multan to Kamran had the advantage of allowing Humayun to focus on the eastern parts without worrying about his western frontier.