Babur's origin — his pretensions to succeed to his father's do­minions opposed by his uncles. — Babur occupies Furghana. — Peace concluded with his uncles. — He takes Samarkand. — his troops mutiny, and support the claims of his brother Jehangeer in Indijan. — Babur is reconciled to Jehangeer. — Sheebany Khan Oozbuk takes Samarkand, but is eventually expelled from it by Babur — he continues the war with Shee-bany Khan, but is defeated, and driven from Trausoxania. — Babur occupies Kabul, and establishes himself in that king­dom — he conquers Seewustan. — The King of Persia unites with Babur in an attack on Sheebany Khan, who is slain. — Babur recovers Samarkand, but is eventually compelled to quit it for ever — projects the invasion of India, on the in­vitation of Dowlut Khan Lody. — Babur sends an army with Alla-ood-Deen Lody. — Alla-ood-Deen unsuccessful. — Babur invades India, and defeats Ibrahim Lody, who is killed. — Babur ascends the throne of Dehly. — Difficulties occur in securing the conquest. — Confederacy of the Indians, both Mahomedans and Hindoos, to expel Babur. — The confe­derates are defeated. — Babur falls sick — his death.

AT the time when Aboo Syeed Mirza suffered martyrdom in Eerak, he had eleven sons: Ahmud, Mahmood, Mahomed, Sharokh, Alugh Beg, Oomr Sheikh, Aba Bukr, Moorad, Khuleel, Sooltan, and Oomr. Four of these attained the dignity of kings. Alugh Beg Mirza succeeded to the throne of Kabul; Ahmud Mirza reigned over the kingdom of Samarkand; Oomr Sheikh Mirza ruled over the united provinces of Indijan and Furghana; and Mahmood Mirza over those of Koondooz and Budukhshan. Yoonoos Khan, King of Mogulistan, gave to each of those Kings, ex­cepting Alugh Mirza, one of his daughters in marriage.

At the time when Oomr Sheikh Mirza ascended the throne of Furghana in the year 888, he had a son by Kootloogh Nigar Khanum, the daughter of Yoonoos Khan, whom he named Babur. The relationship between Teimoor (Tamerlane) and Babur is as follows: Sooltan Aboo Syeed Mirza, the son of Mahommed Mirza, the son of Meeran Shah Mirza, was the son of Ameer Teimoor Korkan. Mowlana Hissamy Kurragoozly composed the fol­lowing couplet, after the death of Babur, to comme­morate his memory, which seems worth recording:

This benevolent Prince was born on the sixth of Mohurrum, on which day also he died; and in the words “sixth of Mohurrum” will be found the date of the year of his birth.

Babur, when as yet but 12 years old, discovered a capacity so uncommon, that his father gave him the management of the kingdom of Indijan. Oomr Sheikh Mirza, * on Monday the 4th of Rum-zan, in the 890th year of the Hijra, fell, by an acci­dent, from the roof of a pigeon-house, and being killed, Babur was advanced to the throne by his nobles, and assumed the title of Zeheer-ood-Deen.

Sooltan Ahmud Mirza, and Mahmood Khan the son of Yoonoos Khan, the former his paternal and the latter his maternal uncle, led their armies against the young Prince, to take revenge on him, on account of the war waged by his father against them; hoping also, by the advantage which the accession of a child afforded, to appropriate his kingdoms to themselves.

In this dilemma, Ameer Sheerum, who was mar­ried to a sister of Babur's mother, wanted to con­vey away the youth into the mountains of Uzkund, in order to protect him, in case the nobles of his court should be disposed to unite with his uncle, Sooltan Ahmud Mirza; but he was dissuaded from taking this step by Mowlana Kazy, a descendant from Sheikh Boorhan-ood-Deen Bulkhy, and who at that time was an ameer of Indijan.

Babur accordingly employed himself in pre­paring for a siege; and Hoossein Yakoot and Ameer Nasir Kocheen, who had been detached to Furghana, being recalled, were indefatigable in their exertions on this occasion. Sooltan Ah-mud Mirza, Babur's paternal uncle, having first occupied Furghana and Khoojund, encamped within four fursukhs of Indijan. During this time, one Mahomed Dervish, who was disco­vered intriguing with the enemy, was brought before Babur, and suffered death from his own hand. Babur then deputed Mowlana Kazy, Zow-zun Hussun, and Khwaja Hoossein as ambassadors to his uncle's camp; and conceiving it quite certain, that he would not think of relinquishing Samar-kand as his capital, requested that he might be allowed to reside at Furghana, under a promise not to dispute the rest of the kingdom. Sooltan Ahmud Mirza, it is said, repenting of his severity towards his nephew, was himself disposed to agree to these terms; but he was overruled by his chiefs, who insisted on persevering in the siege of the fort of Indijan. Fortune, however, favoured Babur; for a raging pestilence suddenly broke out among the enemy's cavalry, so that their horses died off in great numbers daily, which compelled Sooltan Ahmud Mirza to raise the siege, and to leave the conduct of the negotiation (which was again opened) in the hands of Ameer Dervish Mahomed; who, in concert with Hussun Yakoot, on the part of Babur, had several conferences, and concluded a peace, which was never ratified, Sooltan Ahmud Mirza having died on his march to Samarkand. Sooltan Mahmood Khan, the son of Yoonoos Khan, the maternal uncle of Babur, had now reached Akhsy, on his route to Furghana, where Jehangeer Mirza, a younger brother of Babur, to whom the defence of that place was intrusted, conceiving himself unable to cope with the enemy, fled, accom­panied by Dervish Ally, Mirza Koolly Gokultash, Mahomed Bakur, Sheikh Abdoolla Sheebuk, Aka Veis, and Meer Gheias-ood-Deen Toghay, towards Kasan, the birth-place of Aka Veis, where Nasir Mirza, the youngest brother of Babur, now resided; but Sooltan Mahmood Khan pursuing them thither, that place was given up without resistance; after which, proceeding towards Akhsy, and finding he could not succeed in his enterprise, Sooltan Mahmood Khan retired to his own country.

At this time also the khans of Kashghar and Khootun led their armies towards the borders of Uzkund, against Babur; but they also, eventually, made peace. Babur now having gone to Furghana, appointed Hussun Yakoot his vizier, making him also governor of Indijan; but soon after Yakoot rebelled, in the year 900, and Babur attacked and compelled him to fly towards Samarkand, whither he was pursued, and afterwards killed near Akhsy.

In the same year also Ibrahim Sar, the governor of the fort of Asheera, having rebelled, caused the khootba to be read in the name of Baesanghar Mirza, the son of Sooltan Mahmood Mirza, who had succeeded to the throne of Samarkand. Ba-bur marched against him, and besieged Asheera, which he reduced in the space of forty days, and the rebel was obliged to come forth with a sword suspended round his neck, and a shroud hung over his shoulders. Babur, however, forgave him, and marched first to Khoojund, and from thence to Sharokhia, where he met his maternal uncle, Mah-mood Khan, to whom he now became reconciled; in a few days after which, he returned to Indijan.

Baesanghar Mirza, king of Samarkand, having possessed himself of Aratiba, one of the provinces belonging to Oomr Sheikh Mirza, the father of Babur, the latter resolved to retake it, and marched accordingly with his army against it the very next season. Sheikh Zoolnoon, who held it on the part of Baesanghar Mirza, made a resolute defence, till the approach of winter obliging Babur to raise the siege, he returned to Indijan, both on that account, as well as to obtain supplies.

Babur, in the year following, led his army to­wards Samarkand, and formed an alliance with Sooltan Ally Mirza (the brother of Baesanghar Mirza), king of Bokhara, and who was also strug­gling for power. The confederates, however, un­able to reduce Samarkand that year, returned home for the winter, having agreed to make great pre­parations for another campaign. Both Kings ac­cordingly, in the year 902, in the beginning of the spring, took the route of Samarkand. Sooltan Ally Mirza having reached Samarkand first, Bae-sanghar advanced, and encamped without the city walls, but upon Babur's arrival, he retreated within the town. In the night, Altoon Khwaja, who was going the rounds of Babur's camp, having dis­covered the retreat of Baesanghar Mirza, fell upon his rear, and put a great number of his peo­ple to the sword. Meanwhile Babur captured the fort of Asheera, situated at a small distance from the city, and invested Samarkand: this town was defended with bravery till the autumn, when the allies were compelled to raise the siege, and retire; Sooltan Ally Mirza returning to Bokhara, and Ba-bur to Khwaja-Deedar, to pass the winter. In this state of affairs, Baesanghar Mirza sought an alli­ance, and requested assistance from Sheebany Khan, ruler of Toorkistan, who, avoiding Khwaja-Deedar, the winter-quarters of Babur, proceeded direct to Samarkand. Sheebany Khan and Bae-sanghar Mirza having quarrelled soon after, the former returned to his own country. This circum­stance so much embarrassed the affairs of Baesang-har Mirza, that proceeding with a small retinue of 300 horse, he went in person to solicit the assist­ance of Khoosrow Shah, ruler of Koondooz.