Hoomayoon ascends the throne — his brother Kamran, governor of Kabul, disputes his right to supremacy. — The government of Sumbhul is conferred on his brother Askurry, and that of Mewat on his brother Hindal. — Mahomed Zuman Mirza goes into rebellion, and is protected by Bahadur Shah of Gu­zerat, who also affords aid to Alla-ood-Deen Lody, a pre­tender to the throne. — War with Bahadur Shah. — Guzerat occupied by Hoomayoon, and the government conferred on Askurry Mirza. — Bahadur Shah expels Askurry — recovers his kingdom. — Sheer Khan Soor attacks the Mogul officers in the Dooab, and to the east of the Ganges. — Mahomed Sooltan Mirza in arms at Kunowj. — War with Sheer Khan in Ben­gal. — Hindal proclaims himself king in Agra, and proceeds to besiege Dehly. — Kamran seizes on Lahore, and marches to Dehly. — Kamran and Hindal unite at Dehly — they march to Agra. — Hoomayoon returns from Bengal — be­comes reconciled to his brothers — they unite against the power of Sheer Khan, who assumes the title of Shah. — The Moguls defeated, and expelled from India. — Hoomayoon, and his brothers, fly to Lahore, and eventually to Sind. — Hoo-mayoon's adventures — is deserted by his brothers, who esta­blish themselves in Kabul. — Hoomayoon retires to Kabul — his narrow escape, and flight to Persia — his infant son Akbur falls a prisoner into the hands of his uncle Kamran.

HOOMAYOON was a prince as remarkable for his wit as for the urbanity of his manners; and, for the most part, disposed to spend his time in social intercourse and pleasure. He devoted himself, however, to the sciences of astronomy and geo­graphy; and not only wrote dissertations on the nature of the elements, but had terrestrial and ce­lestial globes constructed for his use. He also caused seven halls of audience to be built, in which he received persons according to their rank. The first, called the Palace of the Moon, was set apart for ambassadors, messengers, and travellers. In the second, called the Palace of Ootarid, * civil offi­cers, and persons of that description, were received; and there were five other palaces for the remain­ing five planets. In each of these buildings he gave public audience, according to the planet of the day. The furniture and paintings of each, as also the dresses of the household attendants, bore some symbol emblematical of the planet. In each of these palaces he transacted business one day in the week.† * He had scarcely ascended the throne when his brother, Kamran Mirza, formed a design of rendering himself master of Punjab; but, in order to conceal his real intentions, he gave out, that he was proceeding from Kabul to Hindoostan, to congratulate Hoomayoon on his accession. The King, although aware of Kamran Mirza's design, from the conduct he pursued in those countries through which he passed, was extremely unwilling to wage war with his brother; and anticipating his wishes, sent to him a commission, rendering him governor of Punjab, Peshawar, and Lumghan; a measure with which Kamran professed to be satis­fied. The government of Mewat was conferred on Hindal Mirza, and Askurry Mirza obtained that of Sumbhul.

A. H. 938.
A. D. 1532. In the year 938, Hoomayoon led an army against the strong fortress of Ka-lunjur. During the siege, Mahomed Khan, the son of Sikundur Lody, in conjunction with Bubun Khan Julwany, having taken pos­session of Joonpoor, made war in the eastern provinces. Hoomayoon receiving intelligence of this event, left Kalunjur, and marched to Joonpoor, where he defeated the Afghans; and, having reinstated Sooltan Jooneid Birlas in the government, he returned to Agra. On his arrival there, according to the statement of Nizam-ood-Deen Ahmud Bukhshy, Hoomayoon bestowed honorary dresses on above twelve thousand of his followers, of whom two thousand received jewels also. At this time, he sent to demand of Sheer Khan Afghan the evacuation of the fortress of Chunar, which being refused, Hoomayoon marched an army against him. While engaged in this oper­ation, information was received, that Bahadur Shah of Guzerat was advancing towards the north. This event induced Hoomayoon to make peace with Sheer Khan, and to return towards Agra. On the road Kootub Khan, the son of Sheer Khan, whom Homayoon had brought with him as a hostage, effected his escape, and joined his father at Chunar.

Mahomed Zuman Mirza, grandson of Sooltan Hoossein Mirza, having resolved, if possible, to supplant Hoomayoon on the throne of India, through the agency of the Choghtay chiefs in the service of the latter, formed a plan for the King's assassination. The plot was discovered, but Ma-homed Zuman Mirza received his pardon on taking the most solemn oath of future fidelity; yet inhe­riting from his father a treasonable propensity, he projected a similar scheme a second time, when he was seized, and confined in the fort of Byana, under charge of Yadgar Beg. Orders were issued, at the same time, for apprehending and depriving of sight his nephew, Mahomed Sooltan Mirza, as also Nukwut Sooltan, both Mogul officers of distinc­tion, and abettors of Mahomed Zuman's designs. The person to whom this duty was intrusted exe­cuted the decree only on Nukwut Sooltan, without destroying the sight of Mahomed Sooltan Mirza. Meanwhile Mahomed Zuman Mirza, assisted by his keeper, Yadgar Beg, escaped from Byana, and sought refuge at the court of Bahadur Shah of Guzerat. Mahomed Sooltan Mirza aided by his two sons, Alugh Mirza and Shah Mirza, also fled to Kunowj, where he was joined by about six thousand persons, consisting of Moguls, Afghans, and Rajpoots.

Hoomayoon required Mahomed Zuman Mirza to be delivered up by the King of Guzerat, who refused compliance, and became involved in a war. Bahadur Shah was at this time engaged in besieging the fort of Chittoor. The Prince Rana Sanka * claimed the protection of Hoo-mayoon; who, having advanced as far as Gualiar, encamped there for two months, and, for what reason does not appear, returned peaceably to Agra. Rana Sanka, despairing of relief, sent a crown of jewels and other valuable presents to Bahadur Shah, and thus induced him to raise the siege.

Bahadur Shah, successful in every quarter, and inflated with pride by having reduced Mando and other places, did not hesitate to show his contempt for Hoomayoon, by bringing Mahomed Zuman Mirza into public notice, and by granting him honours. He also encouraged Alla-ood-Deen, a son of the King Bheilole Lody, to make an attempt on the throne of Dehly. To this end, Bahadur Shah conferred on Tartar Khan, the son of Alla-ood-Deen, the command of forty thousand men, to enable him to march against Hoomayoon. Tartar Khan took Byana, and advanced to the neigh­bourhood of Agra, when Hoomayoon directed his brother, Hindal Mirza, to oppose him. As the armies approached, Tartar Khan's troops deserted him; so that, in the space of ten days, he had scarcely ten thousand horse remaining. With these, however, he ventured to give battle, but was totally overthrown, having lost most of his troops, three hundred officers, and eventually his own life. Hindal Mirza, after this victory, having retaken Byana and all the other places which had before fallen into the hands of the enemy, returned in triumph to Agra.

A. H. 940.
A. D. 1533. Bahadur Shah, in the year 940, marched a second time towards Chit-toor. Hoomayoon in this year caused a citadel to be built in Dehly, on the banks of the Jumna, to which he gave the name of Deen Puna (the asylum of the faithful), after which he marched towards Sarungpoor in Malwa. This place belonged to Bahadur Shah of Guzerat, to whom Hoomayoon addressed the following verses:

“O thou! * the ravager of Chittoor,
“In what way wilt thou subdue infidels?
“Knowest thou, that while employed at Chittoor,
“A king cometh to subdue thee?”

Bahadur Shah answered Hoomayoon in the same strain:

“I, who am the ravager of Chittoor,
“Will conquer the idolaters by valour;
“And he who dares not succour Chittoor
“Shall see in what way he himself shall be conquered.”

Bahadur Shah, after sending this reply, sum­moned a council of war; when it was the opinion of the majority that, as Hoomayoon had all his force with him, it would be better to raise the siege and march against him, and thus strike a deci­sive blow at once. Other advisers maintained that Hoomayoon's religious principles would prevent him from molesting Bahadur Shah while engaged in war with idolaters; and that, therefore, it was most advisable to bring the siege, now far ad­vanced, to a close, and afterwards to act according to circumstances. Bahadur Shah, adopting the latter opinion, the siege was prosecuted with vigour till Chittoor fell; while Hoomayoon con­tinued loitering away his time at Sarungpoor. The reign of Bahadur Shah now drawing to a close, that Prince, without anticipating his destiny, and full of his own importance, marched against Hoo-mayoon, who, hearing of his approach, proceeded to oppose him. The two armies met near Mund-soor. Bahadur Shah, who had collected a large train of artillery, was induced, by the advice of his engineer, Roomy Khan, to entrench his army, and to place his cannon in redoubts, in hopes that the Moguls would risk an attack. In this expectation he was disappointed; both armies continued to lie in sight of each other for two months, during which daily skirmishes occurred, but with varied success. Hoomayoon, unable to draw Bahadur Shah from his entrenchments, directed his attention to cutting off his supplies. He accordingly ordered his horse