Daud Khan Karrani
Daud Khan Karrani (reigned 1572 – 12 July 1576) was the youngest son of the Bengali ruler Sulaiman Khan Karrani. During his father's reign, he commanded a massive army of 40,000 cavalry, 3,600 elephants, 140,000 infantry and 200 cannons. He invaded the southwestern regions of present-day India.[1]
Contents
Mughal-Afghan war
Daud was not content with the sultanate of Bengal. He had plans of conquering the entire Indian subcontinent.
Invasion of Jamania
Akbar the Great evaded Daud Khan once Daud invaded Jamania near Ghazipur. The Bengali army razed the Jamania city to the ground and captured its fort. Following this, Akbar finally ordered the governor of Jaunpur, Munim Khan, to proceed against Daud. Munim Khan met his friend Ludi Khan, the Prime Minister of Daud, in Patna and opted for a truce.
The agreement pleased neither Akbar nor Daud. Ludi Khan was later put to death by Daud.[2]
Battle of Patna
In 1573 Munim Khan attacked Bihar, forcing Daud to retreat and take shelter in Patna. Daud sent Katlu Lohani, Gujar Khan Karrani and Sri Hari against the Mughal army. Munim Khan, along with Todar Mal and Mansingh, made the first attack in Hajipur. After a fierce battle, the Bengals and Afghans were at the verge of victory. However, Akbar then re-captured the neighboring fort of Hajipur, which was the source of rations for the army of his opponent. The Bengalis along with Afghans fell in distress and retreated to Bengal. Akbar returned to the capital after appointing Munim Khan as the governor of Bihar and Bengal. Todar Mal was also left to assist him.[2]
Battle of Tukaroi
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On 3 March 1575 a fierce battle was fought between the Mughals and the Afghans in Tukaroi. The result was a draw and the Afghans retreated to Katak, Orissa. The Mughals captured Tanda, the Afghan capital of Bengal. Munim Khan transferred the capital of Bengal from Tanda to Gaur. In the treaty of Katak, Daud ceded Bengal and Bihar to the Mughals. But he retained only Orissa as his possession. Six months later a plague broke out, and Munim Khan suddenly died in October 1575.[2] The Mughal army was forced to retreat from Eastern Bengal by Kalapahar and Isa Khan. Daud marched from Orissa to successfully re-capture Gaur.
Battle of Rajmahal
Akbar sent a new army under the command of Khan Jahan Quli to face his formidable foe Daud Khan. He captured Teliagarhi and advanced towards Rajmahal. The two armies met in the battlefield of Rajmahal. The battle went on for many days. As the fight was getting too difficult for Akbar, he requested the governor of Bihar, Muzaffar Khan Turbati and other generals to join him. On the other side Daud was accompanied by other principal Afghan leaders like Junaid and Qutlu Khan [2] After a fierce battle on 12 July 1576 Daud was finally defeated and executed.
After his death, Bengal went under direct Mughal rule as Subah with Subahdars being installed.
See also
References
| Preceded by | Karrani dynasty 1572-1576 |
Succeeded by - |
