Mughal–Safavid War (1649–1653)
Encyclopedia
The Mughal–Safavid War of 1649-1653 was fought between the Mughal
and Safavid Empires in the territory of modern Afghanistan
. The war started after a Persian army, while the Mughals were at war with the Janid Uzbeks
, captured the fortress city of Kandahar
and other strategic cities that controlled the region. The Mughals attempted to regain the city back but after the last attack on 1653 the city remained on Safavid hands.
ever since the reign of Shah Tahmasp. The overthrown Mughal Emperor Humayun
, is known to have gained the support of Shah Tahmasp in return for his permission to allow the Safavids to capture Kandahar
.
However conflicts would emerge in the region around Kandahar
during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir
, because most of the locals opposed Safavid rule and often served in the Mughal Army
.
captured Bamyan and it appeared that they would attack Kandahar
next. Shah Jahan
with the help of Kamran Khan
and Malik Maghdood had marched on Kandahar and negotiated the surrender from the Persian commander, Ali Mardan Khan
, in 1638. The Emperor expected the Persians to attempt to regain the city soon, so he ordered to speed the repairs of the walls while a large Mughal army in Kabul
protected the country. When no Persian attack came, in 1646 the Emperor sent his son, Murad Baksh
, to invade Uzbek-controlled Badakhshan
. The next year Prince himself Aurangzeb
routed an Uzbek
force outside of Balkh
and captured the city. Tough victorious in the field the Mughals
were unable to secure the conquered territories and Shah Jahan was forced to recall his armies from Badakhshan.
Shah Jahan sent Aurangzeb with 50,000 soldiers to recapture it, but although he defeated the Safavids outside the city he was unable to take it. His artillery train proved unable for the task. Aurangzeb attempted to take the fortress city again in 1652. Abdul Aziz, Khan of Bukhara
, had entered into an alliance with Shah Abbas and in May 1652, he dispatched 10,000 troops to Kabul in May to harass the Mughal supply lines. Though not strong enough to lift the siege, the Uzbeks endangered a Mughal
convoy of 2,000 who were escorting one and a half million silver
coins to the besieger's army at Kandahar. After two months of fighting Persian resistance and the growing activities of the Uzbeks, Aurangzeb was forced to abandon the campaign.
In 1653 Shah Jahan sent his favorite son, Prince Dara Shikoh
, with a large army and two of the heaviest artillery pieces of the Empire, but after a five month siege the Mughals couldn't manage to starve the city an the attempt to breach their walls by canon fire also failed. The Mughals finally gave up all attempts to recover Kandahar.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
and Safavid Empires in the territory of modern Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. The war started after a Persian army, while the Mughals were at war with the Janid Uzbeks
Khanate of Bukhara
Khanate of Bukhara was a significant state in Central Asia from the second quarter of 16th century to the late–18th century. Bukhara became the capital of the short-lived Shaybanid empire during the reign of Ubaydallah Khan . The khanate reached its greatest extent and influence under its...
, captured the fortress city of Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
and other strategic cities that controlled the region. The Mughals attempted to regain the city back but after the last attack on 1653 the city remained on Safavid hands.
Background
The Safavids held territorial claims over KandaharKandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
ever since the reign of Shah Tahmasp. The overthrown Mughal Emperor Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
, is known to have gained the support of Shah Tahmasp in return for his permission to allow the Safavids to capture Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
.
However conflicts would emerge in the region around Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir
Jahangir
Jahangir was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1605 until his death. The name Jahangir is from Persian جهانگیر,meaning "Conqueror of the World"...
, because most of the locals opposed Safavid rule and often served in the Mughal Army
Mughal Army
The Mughal Army was the army of the Mughal Empire.Mirza Najaf Khan was commander in chief of the Mughal Army from 1772 till his death in April 1782.The art of Mughal warfare brought about a complete change in the way wars were fought in the Indian...
.
Origins
Shah Jahan's reign was marked in the northwest by the continuous struggle against the Persians for Afghanistan. In 1639 the armies of Shah Safi of PersiaSafi of Persia
Shah Safi was Shah of Iran from 1629 to 1642. He was the sixth ruler of the Safavid dynasty.Safi was given the name Sam Mirza when he was born. He was the son of Mohammed Baqir Mirza, the eldest son of Shah Abbas I, and Dilaram Khanum, a Georgian wife. In 1615, Abbas had Mohammed Baqir killed,...
captured Bamyan and it appeared that they would attack Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
next. Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
with the help of Kamran Khan
Kamran Khan
Kamran Khan may refer to:* Kamran Khan , Geo TV presenter* Kamran Khan , Indian cricketer* Kamran Khan , football player* Kamran Khan , Actor / Photographer...
and Malik Maghdood had marched on Kandahar and negotiated the surrender from the Persian commander, Ali Mardan Khan
Ali Mardan Khan
Ali Mardan Khan was a Kurdish noble at the court of Safavid King Shah Tahmasp but after surrendering the Afghan city of Qandahar to Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, he was a well recognised figure at the Mughal court.-Life:...
, in 1638. The Emperor expected the Persians to attempt to regain the city soon, so he ordered to speed the repairs of the walls while a large Mughal army in Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
protected the country. When no Persian attack came, in 1646 the Emperor sent his son, Murad Baksh
Murad Baksh
Murad Baksh was the youngest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and empress Mumtaz Mahal, he was the Subedar of Balkh until he was replaced by his brother Aurangzeb in the year 1647....
, to invade Uzbek-controlled Badakhshan
Badakhshan
Badakhshan is an historic region comprising parts of what is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. The name is retained in Badakhshan Province which is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the far northeast of Afghanistan, and contains the Wakhan Corridor...
. The next year Prince himself Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
routed an Uzbek
Uzbeks
The Uzbeks are a Turkic ethnic group in Central Asia. They comprise the majority population of Uzbekistan, and large populations can also be found in Afghanistan, Tajikstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China...
force outside of Balkh
Balkh
Balkh , was an ancient city and centre of Zoroastrianism in what is now northern Afghanistan. Today it is a small town in the province of Balkh, about 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital, Mazar-e Sharif, and some south of the Amu Darya. It was one of the major cities of Khorasan...
and captured the city. Tough victorious in the field the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
were unable to secure the conquered territories and Shah Jahan was forced to recall his armies from Badakhshan.
War
Encouraged by the Mughal's reversals in Badakhshan, in the summer of 1648 Shah Abbas marched from Isfahan with and army of 40,000 and after capturing Bost he laid siege to Kandahar and captured it after a brief siege on February 22 1649. The Mughals attempted to retake the city in 1651 but the arrival of winter forced them to suspend the siege.Shah Jahan sent Aurangzeb with 50,000 soldiers to recapture it, but although he defeated the Safavids outside the city he was unable to take it. His artillery train proved unable for the task. Aurangzeb attempted to take the fortress city again in 1652. Abdul Aziz, Khan of Bukhara
Khanate of Bukhara
Khanate of Bukhara was a significant state in Central Asia from the second quarter of 16th century to the late–18th century. Bukhara became the capital of the short-lived Shaybanid empire during the reign of Ubaydallah Khan . The khanate reached its greatest extent and influence under its...
, had entered into an alliance with Shah Abbas and in May 1652, he dispatched 10,000 troops to Kabul in May to harass the Mughal supply lines. Though not strong enough to lift the siege, the Uzbeks endangered a Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
convoy of 2,000 who were escorting one and a half million silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
coins to the besieger's army at Kandahar. After two months of fighting Persian resistance and the growing activities of the Uzbeks, Aurangzeb was forced to abandon the campaign.
In 1653 Shah Jahan sent his favorite son, Prince Dara Shikoh
Dara Shikoh
His Highness, The Imperial Prince Dara Shikoh was the eldest son and the heir apparent of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. His name دارا شكوه in Persian means "Darius the Magnificent"...
, with a large army and two of the heaviest artillery pieces of the Empire, but after a five month siege the Mughals couldn't manage to starve the city an the attempt to breach their walls by canon fire also failed. The Mughals finally gave up all attempts to recover Kandahar.