Battle of Ghazni, 1515

The battle of Ghazni (1515) saw Babur defeat a rebellion that broke out in the aftermath of the death of his brother Nasir Mirza, who had been the ruler of that city.

During his third occupation of Samarkand Babur left his brother Nasir Mirza in command in Kabul. In the winter of 1514-15, two years after being forced out of Samarkand for the final time, Babur returned to Kabul, where he was greeted by his brother, who surrendered his authority without any problems. In return he was given back his former possessions at Ghazni.

Early in 1515 Nasir Mirza died, and a revolt quickly broke out at Ghazni. The causes of the revolt are unknown, but it involved a surprisingly wide range of people. At the core of the revolt were a group of Mughals, Mongol mercenaries who had rebelled against Babur in the past, but the rebels also included a number of Babur's older retainers, including Mulla Baba of Pashaghar, previously a loyal support of Babur who had been left in command of Kabul during earlier campaigns.

Babur responded by gathering an army and marching on Ghazni. A number of skirmishes were fought, before the two armies formed up for a regular battle (at an unknown location). Just as the battle was about to begin Babur received reinforcements from Kunduz, commanded by Qambar-i-'ali, the son of Qasim Beg. The newly reinforced army defeated the rebels, capturing some of the leaders. Others escaped to Kashghar.

This battle seems to have pacified Babur's Afghan kingdom and eliminated the threat from his Mughal troops who had been unreliable allies ever since Babur had originally captured Kabul.

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (11 May 2010), Battle of Ghazni, 1515 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_ghazni_1515.html

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