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{{Short description|1576 battle during the Mughal invasion of Bengal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Rajmahal
| image =
| caption = Daud Khan receives a [[Kaftan]] from Munim Khan
| partof = [[Mughal invasion of Bengal]]
| campaign =
| date = 12 July 1576<ref name="Richards1996">{{cite book |last=Richards |first=John F. |date=1996 |title=The Mughal Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHyVh29gy4QC&pg=PA33 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=33 |isbn=978-0-521-56603-2}}</ref>
| place = [[Rajmahal]], [[Bengal Sultanate]] (present-day [[Jharkhand]], [[India]])
| result = Mughal victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} [[Bengal Sultanate]]
| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} [[Mughal Empire]]
| commander1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} '''[[Daud Khan Karrani|Daud Khan]]'''{{KIA}} {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} Junaid Khan{{KIA}} {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} [[Ismail Khan Lodhi|Ismail Khan]] {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} [[Kalapahad]]{{KIA}} {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} Qutlu Khan{{KIA}}<ref
name="gazetteer">{{cite book |title=Bengal District Gazetteers Santal Parganas |year=1914 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RdyjG9DYVLsC&pg=PA26 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |pages=26–}}</ref>
| commander2 = {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} '''[[Akbar]]''' {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} Muzaffar Khan {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} Jahan Khan<ref name="Richards1996"/> {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} [[Todar Mal]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Salahuddin |year=2004 |title=Bangladesh: Past and Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Szfqq7ruqWgC&pg=PA63 |publisher=APH Publishing |page=63 |isbn=978-81-7648-469-5}}</ref>
| strength1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} 50,000<ref name="gazetteer">{{cite book |title=Bengal District Gazetteers Santal Parganas |year=1914 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RdyjG9DYVLsC&pg=PA26 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |pages=26–}}</ref>
| strength2 = {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} 150,000 (during the first assault) 5000 [[cavalry]] reinforcement<ref name="Banglapedia" />
| casualties1 = {{flagicon image|Bengal_Sultanate_Flag.gif}} 47,000
| casualties2 = {{flagicon image|Alam of the Mughal Empire.svg}} Unknown|
}}{{Bengal Sultanate}}
The '''Battle of Rajmahal''' ({{lang-bn|রাজমহলের জঙ্গ}}) was a battle that took place between the [[Mughal Empire]] and the [[Karrani Dynasty]] that ruled the [[Bengal Sultanate|Sultanate of Bengal]] in the 16th century. The battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Mughals. During the battle, the last Sultan of [[Bengal Sultanate|Bengal]], [[Daud Khan Karrani]], was captured and later executed by the Mughals.

== Background ==
The battle of Rajmahal introduced the Mughal regime in Bengal. After the death of the last sultan of [[Hussain Shahi dynasty]] [[Ghiyasuddin Mahmud Shah]] in 1538, the liberated sultanate of Bengal reached its end. Despite occupying the capital city of [[Gauḍa (city)|Gaur]], [[Humayun]], the [[Mughal emperors|second emperor]] of the Mughal Empire, was able to hold the control for only a short period of time. The founder of the [[Sur Empire|Sur Dynasty]], [[Sher Shah Suri]] defeated Humayun in the [[Battle of Chausa]] and took control over Bengal. Later, the Karrani dynasty emerged in Bengal. The last ruler of the Karranis, Sultan [[Daud Khan Karrani]] refused to hail [[Akbar]] and clashed with the Mughals. Daud Khan was defeated by the Mughal general [[Munim Khan]] at the [[Battle of Tukaroi]].

On April 12, 1575, the Treaty of Katak concluded the malevolence between the two parties. Consequently, [[Daud Khan Karrani|Daud Khan]] failed to hold control over [[Bengal]] and [[Bihar]]. Only the rights of [[Odisha|Orissa]] were left to him. The treaty however did not go on for long. Isa Khan, the chief of the [[Baro-Bhuyan|Baro-Bhuians]], expelled the [[Army of the Mughal Empire|Mughal Navy]] from Bengal. After the death of the Mughal general Munim Khan, Daud Khan started a campaign to conquer the lost territory. He was able to conquer North and West Bengal.<ref name="Banglapedia">{{cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Rajmahal,_The_battle_of|title=Rajmahal, The battle of|work=Banglapedia}}</ref>

== Battle ==
Akbar sent his general [https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Husain%20Quli%20Beg Khan-i-Jahan Husain Quli Beg] to conquer Bengal from Daud Khan. Daud Khan's generals were [[Kalapahad|Kalapahar]], Junaid and Qutlu Khan. Khan gathered about three thousand troops at [[Teliagarhi]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ambashthya |first1=Brahmadeva Prasad |title=Non-Persian Sources on Indian Medieval History |journal=Idarah-i Adabiyat-i Delli |date=1984 |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jkhAAAAMAAJ&q=Battle+of+Rajmahal |access-date=April 18, 2022}}</ref>

The Afghans fought with the Mughals at Teliagarhi. In the battle, the Mughals captured Teliagarhi. The Mughals then proceeded towards [[Rajmahal]]. Rajmahal was under siege for about four months by the Mughal general Husain Quli Beg. As an additional aid to the Mughals, [https://www.rct.uk/collection/1005038-g/portrait-of-muzafar-khan Muzaffar Khan Turbati], the ruler of Bihar, came forward with five thousand [[Cavalry|cavalry]] and supplies by sea. Although the Mughals were ahead in terms of strength, they fell into climatic problems.

Then the battle took place between the combined forces of the Mughals and the Karranis in Rajmahal on 12 July 1576. Daud Khan, Junaid, Kalapahar and Qutlu Khan led the middle, left, right and front of the army respectively.<ref name="Banglapedia" />

== Aftermath ==
The Karranis were defeated in this battle. Daud Khan was captured and killed. With the fall of the Karrani dynasty, the Bengal Sultanate came to an end and Bengal became a [[subah]] or province of the Mughal Empire.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jaques |first1=Tony |title=Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z |date=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-33539-6 |page=837 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tW_eEVbVxpEC&dq=Battle+of+Rajmahal&pg=PA837 |access-date=April 18, 2022}}</ref> However, under the leadership of [[Isa Khan]], the [[Baro-Bhuyan|Baro-Bhuyans]] continued to resist the Mughals. <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karim |first1=Abdul |title=History of Bengal: From the fall of Daud Karrani, 1576 to the death of Jahangir, 1627 |journal=Institute of Bangladesh Studies, University of Rajshahi |date=1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jzluAAAAMAAJ&q=bibliogroup:%22History+of+Bengal:+Mughal+Period%22 |access-date=April 20, 2022}}</ref> As a result, the Mughals could not get full control over Bengal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bhattasali |first1=Nalini Kanta |title=Bengal Chiefs' Struggle |page=12 |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bengal-chiefs-struggle-independence-Jahangir/dp/B0008ABLBO}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Battle of Plassey]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Bengal Subah]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1576|Raj Mahal]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Mughal Empire|Rajmahal 1576]]
[[Category:Battles involving Bengal|Rajmahal 1576]]
[[Category:1576 in the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Military history of the Bengal Sultanate]]

Battle of Rajmahal - Revision history

Bot at 15:49, 23 December 2022