Bairam Khan
Encyclopedia
Bairam Khan also Bayram Khan (died 1561) was a important military commander, general of the Mughal
army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal
emperors Humayun
and Akbar.
, now in present day Afghanistan
, and belonged to the Baharlu
clan of the Turkmen
Kara Koyunlu
tribe. The Kara Koyunlu had ruled Western Persia for decades before being overthrown by their Ak Koyunlu
rivals. Bairam Khan's father and grandfather had previously joined in Babur
's service.
conquests of India. Bairam Khan later contributed greatly to the establishment of the Mughal empire
under Humayun
. Under Humayan he was entrusted the position of muhradr (keeper of the seals) and took part in military campaigns in Benares, Bengal
and Gujarat.. He accompanied Humayun during his exile in Persia and helped conquer Kandahar
before serving as its governor for nine years. In 1556, he played a leading role as a commander in Humayun's reconquest of Hindustan
.
Following Humayun's death in 1556, Bairam Khan was appointed Regent
over the young monarch Akbar. As regent, he consolidated Mughal authority in northern India and most notably led Mughal forces at the Second Battle of Panipat
, which was fought between Akbar and the Hindu king Hemu
in Nov. 1556.
pilgrimage in Mecca
.
While traveling through Gujarat, he was killed by a Lohani Pashtun assassin whose father had been killed five years before in a battle led by Bairam. He died on 31 January 1561.
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperors Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
and Akbar.
Background
Bairam Khan was born in BadakhshanBadakhshan
Badakhshan is an historic region comprising parts of what is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. The name is retained in Badakhshan Province which is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, in the far northeast of Afghanistan, and contains the Wakhan Corridor...
, now in present day Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and belonged to the Baharlu
Baharlu
The Bahārlou, also spelled Baharloo, Baharlooe , are an Turkic ethnic group of Fars , Kerman, Azarbaijan and Khorasan. All of which are provinces in Iran...
clan of the Turkmen
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
Kara Koyunlu
Kara Koyunlu
The Kara Koyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu, also called the Black Sheep Turkomans , were a Shi'ite Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled over the territory comprising the present-day Armenia, Azerbaijan, north-western Iran, eastern Turkey and Iraq from about 1375 to 1468.The Kara Koyunlu Turkomans at one...
tribe. The Kara Koyunlu had ruled Western Persia for decades before being overthrown by their Ak Koyunlu
Ak Koyunlu
The Aq Qoyunlu or Ak Koyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans , was an Sunni Oghuz Turkic tribal federation that ruled parts of present-day Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, northern Iraq, and Iran from 1378 to 1508.-History:According to chronicles from the Byzantine Empire, the Aq Qoyunlu...
rivals. Bairam Khan's father and grandfather had previously joined in Babur
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
's service.
Military service
Bairam entered Babur's service at the age of 16 and played an active role in the early MughalMughal
Mughal, a word related to the Mongols, may refer to the:* Mughal Empire of South Asia* Mughal emperors* Mughal , the central Asian tribe from which the rulers of the Mughal Empire hailed* Mughal architecture* Mughal painting* Mughlai cuisine...
conquests of India. Bairam Khan later contributed greatly to the establishment of the Mughal empire
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
under Humayun
Humayun
Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556. Like his father, Babur, he lost his kingdom early, but with Persian aid, he eventually regained an even larger one...
. Under Humayan he was entrusted the position of muhradr (keeper of the seals) and took part in military campaigns in Benares, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and Gujarat.. He accompanied Humayun during his exile in Persia and helped conquer Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
before serving as its governor for nine years. In 1556, he played a leading role as a commander in Humayun's reconquest of Hindustan
Hindustan
Hindustan or Indostan, literal translation "Land of River Sindhu ", is one of the popular names of South Asia. It can also mean "the land of the Hindus"...
.
Following Humayun's death in 1556, Bairam Khan was appointed Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
over the young monarch Akbar. As regent, he consolidated Mughal authority in northern India and most notably led Mughal forces at the Second Battle of Panipat
Second battle of Panipat
The Second Battle of Panipat was fought between the forces of Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, popularly called Hemu, the Hindu king who was ruling North India from Delhi, and the army of Jalal ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, on November 5, 1556...
, which was fought between Akbar and the Hindu king Hemu
Hemu
Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, Hemu Vikramaditya or simply Hemu was a Hindu Emperor of India during the sixteenth century, in medieval times...
in Nov. 1556.
Later years
Bairam was dismissed upon Akbar's coming-of-age in 1560. He subsequently chose to leave India to perform the hajjHajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
pilgrimage in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
.
While traveling through Gujarat, he was killed by a Lohani Pashtun assassin whose father had been killed five years before in a battle led by Bairam. He died on 31 January 1561.
Marriage with Khanzada Jamal Khan's Daughter
Gazetteer of Ulwur states:English
- Singh, Damodar (2003) Khan-i-Khanan Bairam Khan: a political biography Janaki Prakashan, Patna, India, OCLC 54054058
- Shashi, Shyam Singh (1999) Bairam Khan : soldier and administrator (Series Encyclopaedia Indica volume 58) Anmol Publishing, New Delhi, India, OCLC 247186335
- Pandey, Ram Kishore (1998) Life and achievements of Muhammad Bairam Khan Turkoman Prakash Book Depot, Bareilly, India, OCLC 5007653.
- Ray, Sukumar (1992) Bairam Khan Institute of Central and West Asian Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan, OCLC 29564939.
Hindi
- Agravāla, Sushamā Devī (1994) Bairamakhām̐ aura usake vaṃśaja kā Mugala sāmrājya meṃ yogadāna Rāmānanda Vidyā Bhavana, New Delhi, India, OCLC 34118191, in Hindi. (Contribution of Bairam Khan, 1524?-1561, Mogul nobleman, to the Mogul Empire.)
- Devīprasāda, Munśī (2001) Khānakhānā nāmā Pratibhā Pratishṭhāna, New Delhi, India, ISBN 81-85827-89-3, in Hindi. (On the life and achievements of Bairam Khan, 1524?-1561, ruler in the Mogul Empire and Khan Khanan Abdur Rahim Khan, 1556-1627, Braj poet.)