A History of India under the Two First Sovereigns of the House of Taimur, Báber and Humáyun

This two-volume work of 1854 describes the history of India under the Mughal rulers Babur and his son Humayun.

William Erskine (Author)

9781108046206, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 24 May 2012

616 pages
21.6 x 14 x 3.5 cm, 0.77 kg

This two-volume work by the Scots orientalist and historian William Erskine (1773–1852) was published posthumously by his son in 1854. It describes the history of India under the Mughal rulers Babur and his son Humayun, descendants of Taimur (Tamburlane), and is acknowledged as one of the earliest western scholarly accounts of Mughal rulers in India. Erskine had also translated the Memoirs of Emperor Babar (1826) and completed John Malcolm's biography of Lord Clive (1836). Volume 2 deals with the history of Humayun, beginning with his accession upon his father's death, his expulsion from India by rivals and his exile in Persia from 1543. He returned in 1555 to his court in Delhi, with Persian support which had a profound influence on the language, art and culture of India, and he subsequently extended his empire before dying after a fall in 1556.

Book IV. From Humáyun's Accession to his Expulsion from India: 1. Affairs of Humáyan from his accession to his invasion of Malwa and Gujrát
2. Affairs of Gujrát and Malwa
i. Early history of those kingdoms. Progress of Beháder Shah
ii. Conquest of Malwa by Humáyun
iii. Conquest of Gujrát by Humáyun
iv. Loss of Gujrát and Malwa
3. Affairs of Khorásán and Kandahár
4. Affairs of Bengal
i. State of Bengal. History of Shír Khan
ii. Conquest and loss of Bengal by Humáyun
5. Humáyun's expulsion from Hindustán
Book V. Humáyun in Exile: 1. Humáyun's residence in Sind
i. First residence in Sind
ii. Humáyun in the deserts of Márwár and in Sind, a second time
iii. Humáyun's route from Sind to Sístán
2. Humáyun in Persia
3. Humáyun in Afghánistán
i. Humáyun's conquest of Kandahár and Kábul. Expedition to Badakhshán
ii. Capture and loss of Kábul by Kámrán. His submission
iii. State of Kashmír. Expedition towards Bálkh. Revolt and defeat of Kámrán
iv. Subsequent history of Kámrán. Determination of Humáyun to recover India
Book VI. The Súr Dynasty in India: 1. Sultan Shír Shar Súr
2. Sultan Islám (or Selím) Shah Súr
3. Sultan Firúz Shah Súr
4. Sultan Muhammed Shah Adel Súr
Book VII. Humáyun's Reconquest of India
and Death
Supplementary remarks
Index.

Subject Areas: Asian history [HBJF]