The kingdom

recovered.

Bheilole Lody dies, 1488. James IV. king of Scotland.

The

The Mahomedan historians reckon Bheilole's accession to the throne from the abdication of the king, in A.D. 1450. principal event of Bheilole Lody's reign was the recovery of Joonpoor of the kingdom of Joonpoor from the Shurky dynasty, which disappeared in the contention, and its re-incorporation with the dominions of Dehly; an event which, after many years of struggle on both sides, occurred in A.D. 1478. Bheilole Lody reigned till 1488, when he died of a disease from which he had long suffered. By will, he had divided his dominions between his five sons; but the nobles of the State, foreseeing in this arrangement serious elements of strife, besought him to alter it and to nominate his grandson to succeed him. The queen was anxious to secure the throne for her son, Nizam Khan, and in the midst of these intrigues the king died. Bheilole Lody had governed his people wisely and well. He had repressed disorder, and at his death the dominions of the State extended from the Punjâb to the eastern frontier of Bengal in an unbroken line.

Intrigues for the succession.

Prince Nizam

king, who

takes the name of Sikunder Lody.

On the king's death, setting aside the grandson who had been nominated by him, and Burbik Khan, the eldest son, Khan elected the nobles of the State elected the prince Nizam Khan to be king, who accordingly ascended the throne under the title of Sikunder Lody. Burbik Khan was at this time governor of Joonpoor, and refusing to acknowledge his brother's election to the throne, took up arms to assert his own right. He was however defeated, and afterwards pardoned; but his bad government of the province caused his removal from office. Subsequently the king, at various periods of his reign, employed his army in reducing the Hindoo rajahs and chieftains who occupied Bundelkund and Northern Malwah; and in 1517 he was making preparations to reduce Gwalior, when he was attacked by a quinsy, and died on December 14 of that year, having reigned nearly twenty-nine years in much reformation prosperity. Although the king undertook many minor campaigns, and for the most part conducted them in and mea- person, yet he enjoyed long intervals of peace, when he employed his great talents and learning in amending the civil administration of his dominions. He was humane and charitable; his police, and the horse posts and other public communications of his dominions, were excellent; and his great legal acquirements, and patient dispensation of justice, acted as salutary checks upon all laxity or oppression. The king was also a poet, and his literary accomplishments were considerable. With all his generosity and liberality to his Mahomedan subjects, how

Sikurder Lody dies, 1517.

Luther's

begins.

His character

sures.

Hindoos.

ever, he had no tolerance for Hindoos; and whenever it was possible, he destroyed their temples and idols, pro- His intolhibited their religious ceremonies, and built mosques erance of in their sacred places. In this respect, and in zeal for his religion, Sikunder Lody is esteemed by Mahomedan historians as one of the champions of the faith of Islam.

Ibrahim, his

1517.

Rebellion of

Who is de

death.

Further re

the king's

In this case there was no dispute for the succession, and Ibrahim, the late king's eldest son, ascended the throne without opposition; but was very soon afterwards called son, succeeds, upon to suppress a serious rebellion by his younger brother Julal Khan, then governor of Kalpy, who, at his brother the head of a party of discontented Afghan chiefs and Julal Khan. their adherents, proceeded to Joonpoor, captured it, and declared himself king. This event aroused the suspicion of all his other brothers, whom King Ibrahim now confined in the fort of Hansy. He then followed his brother Julal Khan, who by this time had obtained some successes; but the rebel was defeated and obliged to fly to Gwalior, and thence to the court of feated. Sooltan Mahmood Khiljy of Malwah; but being ill received there, was travelling to another place of refuge, when he was pursued and taken prisoner by the Gônds of the hills, and sent Captured to the king's camp. He was there sentenced to im- and put to prisonment in Hansy with his brothers, but on his way thither was put to death by the king's order. This bellions act, and other cruelties and severities, produced further ensue from rebellions, and much general dissatisfaction among the cruelties. nobility. No one felt sure that he might not at any time be denounced as a traitor by a secret enemy, and be imprisoned or put to death. Bahadur Khan Lohany, governor of 1 ehar, declared his independence, and defeated the Dehly troops on several occasions. Doulut Khan Lody, viceroy of the Punjab, Doulut Khan also revolted, but instead of proclaiming his indepen- Babur to dence, went to Kabool, and besought Babur, a descen- India. dant of the Emperor Teimoor, then ruler of Kabool, to accompany him to India, as well to assert his right to the throne in virtue of his ancestor's conquests, as to put an end to the cruelties of Ibrahim Lody and the general distraction of the king- Babur indom. In the year 1526, therefore, Babur invaded India vades India. and advanced upon Dehly, where, in a bloody battle Treaty of fought on April 21, 1526, on the plain of Paniput, where the fate of India had already been so often decided, Ibrahim Lody was slain, and a new dynasty Lody is under the Moghuls commenced. The dynasty of Lody, slain. in three successions, had virtually lasted from A.D. 1450 to 1526, or seventy-six years.

Lody invites

Madrid.

Battle at

Paniput,

when Ibrahim

Before proceeding further with the history of the monarchy of Dehly and the Moghul dynasty, it is necessary to revert for a while to those independent Mahomedan kingdoms which, from the death of Mahomed Toghluk in A.D. 1351, had arisen in various localities in India, and which, as well for their power and magnitude as for their effects upon India at large, cannot be overlooked. By a review of them, the chronological events of India will be connected and maintained up to the establishment of the Moghul dynasty.

BOOK III.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE MAHOMEDAN KINGS OF KASHMERE.

Kashmere

THERE is no portion of India perhaps of which the genealogical records are so complete and indisputable as those of Historical Kashmere, which, from the very earliest ages until its records of annexation to the Moghul empire, had held indepen- recapitulated. dent existence. The Raja Turangiri,' a genealogical record of the province, the authority of which is not questioned by any of the most eminent Indian chronologists, begins with the Kaurává dynasty, in 3714 B.C., which continued till B.C. 2448, when the first Gonardya dynasty commenced, and continued till 1217 B.C. After an interval not accounted for, the second Gonardya line began, which lasted 1013 years, and ended in 216 B.C., and was followed by the Aditya, for 192 years-168 B.c. to 23 A.D. -when the Gonardya being restored, ruled for 433 years, or till A.D. 579, and was succeeded by the Nágas or Karkotás, in A.D. 615, who continued for 260 years, or till A.D. 873. The Utpála dynasty in succession lasted 84 years, or from A.D. 875 to 959; and the last Hindoo or mixed dynasty, from 960 A.D. to 1275 A.D., or more properly to 1294, if a single reign of a Bhóta king and his wife be reckoned. The whole of the foregoing dynasties were Hindoos, Booddhists, and snake and fire worshippers, which, with adoration of the sun, seem to have been the pervading faiths in Kashmere from B.C. 3714 down to A.D. 1294, or 5008 years. The Mahomedan chronicle does not begin till 1315 A.D., when a Hindoo rajah, named Séna Déo, reigned in Kashmere, and a Mahomedan, one Shah Meer, was admitted into becomes his service, who rose gradually to the office of prime minister, under Séna Déo's son, Rajah Runjorn. On the latter's death, the throne was claimed and occupied by Rajah Anund Déo of Kashgar, by whom, however, the Mahomedans were

K

Shah Meer

minister.

Who, under the title of Shumsh-ood

expelled from court. A revolt was the consequence, the vexation attendant on which caused the rajah's death in 1326. His wife, Kowla Dévy, for a short time endeavoured to maintain her late husband's authority, but, being defeated by Shah Meer, ultimately married him, when Shah Meer declared himself king, under the title of Shumsh-ood-deen. The king became famous in Kashmere for his reduction of vexatious imposts, light taxation, and the vigour with which he repelled Tartar invasions; but, having attained a great age, he abdicated the throne in A.D. 1349, and died in the same year.

deen, becomes

king, 1326.

Edward III. king of Eug

land.

Shah Meer abdicates and dies,

A.D. 1349.

Jamsheed, 1349.

Alla-ooddeen, 1351.

The late king had left his dominions divided between his two sons, Jumsheed and Ally Sheer, and the latter immediately claimed part of the government. This brought on a civil war, in which Jumsheed was defeated; when he seems to have withdrawn his pretensions altogether, and, after a troubled Retires, 1351, reign of fourteen months, retired from the contest; and was succeeded by Ally Sheer, under the title of Allaood-deen, who reigned till A.D. 1363, when he died. The prince Siah Mookh, or 'black face,' succeeded his brother under the designation of Shahab-ood-deen. He was an enterprising and warlike monarch, who, passing the natural mountain boundary of the province, carried his arms southward, till he encountered the Jám of Sinde, on the Indus, who was sorely defeated by him. On his return, the Rajah of Nagrakote tendered his submission, and became a dependant of Kashmere.

Dies, 1363. Shahab-ooddeen, 1363,

Shahab-ood-deen died in 1386, having nominated his brother

Dies, 1386.

Tamerlane conquers Georgia.

Kootub-ooddeen, 1386.

Dies, 1396. Sikunder, 1396.

Hindál as his successor, who ascended the throne under the title of Kootub-ood-deen, and died A.D. 1396. He had left a son, by name Sugga, who took the title of Sikunder, to which afterwards he added 'Boot-Shikun,' or Iconoclast, from the number of idols and temples which he destroyed in Kashmere. At the instance of his minister, a converted Brahmin, he broke up all the idols of gold and silver, and destroyed, as far as it was possible to do, the Cyclopean temples of the ancient faith in Kashmere. In other respects Sikunder would appear to have been a temperate and virtuous monarch. He died in 1416, leaving three sons, and he declared that the eldest, Ameer Khan, should succeed him. Ameer Khan was a minor; but, out of respect for his father, he was placed on the throne as Ally Shah, and continued to reign for some time, when he formed a desire to travel into India, und left the government under charge of his younger brothers Shady

Dies, 1416.

Ally Shah, 1416.