Early conflicts of Humayun and Sher Shah Suri
The success of Sher Shah Suri (Sher Khan) was not to be an easy one. The Lion King, Sher Shah Suri was doing everything in his power to unite the Indian Afghans and to improve their material and moral conditions he had a hostile element within his own race to contend with.
The Indian Afgans were preparing for driving the Mughals out and regaining their supremacy in Hindustan.
Mahmud Lodi was planning an attack on the Mughals. Mahmud Lodi paid a visit to Sher Khan in the latter’s jagir and persuaded him to cooperate with him and make united attack on the Mughal army of Humayun. Sher Khan gave his assent to the plan and became a member of this Afghan confederacy.
After many months of preparations a campaign was now organized. Under the lead of Mahmud Lodi, the Afghans occupied Banaras and marched on Jaunpur. The emboldened Afghans now marched upon Lucknow and captured it. The two armies faced each other at Daunrua in the Nawabganj tahsil of the present Barabanki district in Awadh and a well-contested battle was fought there in August 1532, in which the Afghans were badly defeated. Their leader, Mahmud Lodi, fled to Orissa and he spent the rest of his life there, dying in 1542. Sher Khan recovered South Bihar on the failure of the uprising and again became its ruler.
Humayun did not return to Agra immediately after his easy victory over Mahmud Lodi at Daunrua. He besieged the fortress of Chunargarh, which Sher Khan had obtained by his marriage with Lad Malika in 1530. But circumstances helped Sher Khan greatly to defy the Mughal army. Soon after he had laid siege, Humayun received the alarming news of the hostile movements of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, who was preparing to have trial of strength with the Mughals. Under these circumstances, Humayun decided to make a hurried peace with Sher Shah Suri. He agreed to allow Sher Khan to remain in possession of the fortress of Chunar on the latter’s agreeing to place a contingent of 5,000 troops, commanded by his third son, Qutb Khan, for service in the Mughal army. These terms were acceptable to both and hence a peace was mad and in January 1533. Humayun returned to Agra in order to settle his scores with Bahadur Shah.
Later on Sher Shah Suri, also known as the Sher Khan (Lion King) defeated the Mughal Emperor Humayan twice :
- The Battle of Chausa (1539)
- The Battle of Bilgram (1540)