Who Was Babur? Biography & History of the Mughal Emperor

In this video, we cover the life of Babur who founded the Mughal Empire and is a direct descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan.

Babur, whose name means Tiger in Persian, was born on February 14th, 1483 in Andijan, a city in the Ferghana Valley of Uzbekistan. At the time, it was part of the Timurid Empire. Babur was the eldest son of Umar Sheikh Mirza, who was the Amir, or ruler of Ferghana. The child was also the direct descendant of two of the greatest leaders of the ancient Asian world, Timur, on his father’s side, and Genghis Khan on his mother’s side. Following the death of Timur in 1405, his princes fought among themselves for territory. Ferghana was one of many small kingdoms ruled over by a Timurid prince. It was not a very wealthy region but it was set in a valley that provided excellent pasture land for sheep, goats, and the highly valued Mongol horse.

Babur’s life changed forever when he was 12 years of age. That was when his father died after an accidental fall from his palace balcony. This meant that Babur was now the rightful Amir of Ferghana. However, older male relatives were quick to challenge his accession. Babur’s uncles and cousins allied against him. It was at this critical period when the young ruler was at his most vulnerable, that his maternal grandmother Aisan Daulat Begum, who held much sway as a direct descendant of Genghis Khan, became his greatest advocate. She instilled within him the courage and determination to stand firm against his enemies and defend his inheritance.
For seven years after taking the rulership, Babur was in a constant struggle with his relatives.

By 1501, Babur had lost, regained, and then against lost Ferghana to his relatives. At the age of 15, he had also seized the Timurid capital of Samarkand, only to lose it a hundred days later. The 18-year-old was banished from his homeland and reduced to wandering the mountains of central Asia with a small band of followers. He ended up in the town of Tashkent, where he found refuge with a maternal uncle. While there he began to build his army. He was not, however, keen on fighting his relatives for control over the relatively insignificant town in which he was born. He was interested in a bigger title.

When the ruler of Kabul, from the Arghun Dynasty, died suddenly in 1504, Babur saw an opportunity. The heir of the Kabul kingdom was an infant boy. Along with several others, Babur staked his claim. But he did so with the support of a military force. He took possession of the city of Kabul and ruled as its Amir until 1526.

Credits:
Illustration - Jonathan Benbow bongwedesign.com
Script - Steve Theunissen
Voice Actor - James Fowler
Video Editor - Julia Nazario