After the arrival of the Mughals, gunpowder started in wars in India.
The use of various weapons was seen in the Russian-Ukraine battle and the recent Israel-Iran war. The history of wars is quite old and the King-Maharaja of India also used one weapons more than one. It was also necessary to have powerful soldiers to run heavy weapons like mace to sword, arrow, javelin and saber. However, along with the establishment of Mughal rule in India, there was a change in weapons with the strategy of war.
Let us know how war was fought during the Mughal era? Which weapons were used and which countries were used? Which Mughal emperor made the army the strongest and won the most war?
Mughals changed the way of war
Historians believe that by the 15th century, battles in India had their own traditional way. The armies used to have foot soldiers, horses and elephants. They used arrows, swords and spears etc. and the forces on both sides used to attack each other face to face. However, the method of war changed a lot after the Mughal invasion of India.
One of the most special things is that after the arrival of the Mughals, gunpowder started in wars in India. Historians say that the then Punjab Governor Ibrahim Lodi conspired to remove Delhi’s Sultan Ibrahim Lodi from the throne and invited Babur to the war against Lodi to strengthen his rebellion. In 1526 AD, Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi’s army in the grounds of Panipat. In this, Babur’s army used cannon and gunpowder. Along with this, a new revolution was seen in the way of fighting in India. Use of gunpowder was considered necessary for wars.
Babur laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India.
Use of military style of war
Since the establishment of the Mughal Sultanate in the year 1526, there was a lot of change in the methods of war in more than three hundred years till the establishment of the British rule in the year 1857 AD. All changes were also made in the form and activities of the army. Military style of war began to be used, in which the use of artillery and guns increased. However, this does not mean that the use of old weapons like swords and spears is over, but along with these weapons, artillery i.e. artillery also started being used in wars. The new weapons changed the use of different units infantry and tapkhana positions in the war.
Elephant for artillery trend and heavy cannon
By the way, many historians also claim that artillery was used for the first time only after the arrival of the Mughals, but many historians do not agree with it. Ikkidar Alam Khan gives many evidence in the gunpowder and firemorms that Indians were already aware of the use of gun technology. However, the use of gunpowder was limited to heavy artillery only. Heavy cannons were used primarily in India in the late 15th century. However, it is true that in the time of the Mughals, gunpowder started being used correctly. The Mughals also used light and medium cannons. Light cannons could be drawn 4-5 people, while elephants were used to draw heavy cannons.
Due to being light, the cannons of the Mughals could be taken anywhere and they could be used in an open war. At the same time, Indian cannons were very heavy and were made of bronze. In such a situation, it was difficult to take them somewhere and once used, it took time to cool down. Only then it was possible to use them again. Apart from this, handguns (hand guns) were used during the time of the Mughals, which were called Tufangas. They could be easily targeted.
Elephants were used to pull cannons during the Mughal era. Photo: Meta
Spend on the supervision of the army
During the reign of the Mughals, a cantonment was created in every state, where mansabdars were appointed. Under the supervision of these mansabdars, there used to be troops of army in the cannon. Mansabdar used to provide salaries and horses to these troops. The soldiers were trained to disable or destroy their enemy. The soldiers had to practice Shamsheer Jani (fencing) and archery regularly. Apart from this, the Mughals used to make every effort to keep horses of good breed in their army. For this, horses were sought from Arabia, Iran, Turan, Turkish, Turkestan, Sheerwan, Tibet, Kashmir to other countries.
Use of strategy
With so many changes in the war policy, the Mughals used another strategy. Apart from technology, animals, infantry and artillery, most of the Mughal rulers used non -combat strategy. Most of the wars fought by the Mughals are actually examples of the cease war, in which its contact was broken from outside by climbing the enemy’s fort. In such a situation, it was not known how many people and soldiers in the fort and how much they have food and drink, but after a certain time the logistics started to decrease inside the fort or ended. The battles of Chittor (1567-68), Ranathambhaur (1569) and Kalinjar (1569) are examples of similar battles, in which the Mughals limited the movement of the forces of their enemy Rajputs and ended their logistics.
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb He spent 27 years of his reign in the war.
Preparation before war
At least 5000 people used to run camps in the battlefields, especially during the Mughals, especially Akbar’s time. These professional camps were the creators. There were all carpentry, tankers as well as soldiers to protect the camp. Thousands of people were considered non -fighter, who were not part of the war, but who had an important role in the war. The Mughals did not only fight the war, but also won their hearts by making a relationship with new people in a strategic way. For their benefit, the Mughals used to make arrangements for the people and fulfilled their other needs.
Mughal army strengthened in Akbar and Aurangzeb’s time
Delhi and Lahore were the largest centers of arms production during the Mughal reign. It was here that all other small and big weapons were formed from swords, curved Shamsheer, dagger, mace. The Mughal ruler Akbar ruled for the longest time and from his reign to Aurangzeb’s reign, the Mughal army developed a lot and the army was the strongest in both of them. The Mughal Empire expanded the most through wars and diplomatic relations during Akbar’s reign. At the same time, Aurangzeb spent 27 years of his reign in the war and was busy in fighting away from Delhi. During this time he won the most battles but failed to defeat the Marathas completely.
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