Battle of Amroha, 20 December 1305

The battle of Amroha (20 December 1305) was a major victory for the Delhi Sultanate over a Mongol army, and was the third of four Mongol defeats that greatly reduced the threat they posed to India.

The Mongols had already suffered two defeats against armies serving the Sultan 'Ala ud-Din, at Jalandhar in 1298 and Kili in 1299. In the intervening years they appear to have been involved in near-constant border warfare against the Sultanate, but the next major expedition came in 1305, when an army led by Ali Beg, a descendant of Genghis Khan and by a second leader whose name is given in a variety of versions, led a large-scale rain into northern India, advancing south-east, following the Himalayas, until they reached Amroha.

'Ala ud-din responded by sending an army commanded by Malik Kafur Hazardinarai (one of his personal slaves) and Malik Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughlug, a future sultan.

The Delhi force caught the Mongols on their way home and inflicted a heavy defeat on them. Both Mongol commanders were taken prisoner, along with 8,000 of their men. The two Mongol commanders were taken back to Delhi, where they were trampled to death by elephants in view of the city walls of the city.

The Mongols responded by sending another army into the Sultanate, to gain revenge for the death of Ali Beg, but this army suffered a fourth defeat, at the battle of Ravi.

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (7 April 2010), Battle of Amroha, 20 December 1305 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_amroha.html

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