My bedtime reading has been the second book in Alex Rutherford's series on the Moghul (Mughal) emperors. This one covers the second emperor, Humayun. He was born in 1508 and succeeded his father (Babur) in 1530.
Humayun succeeded Babur as emperor at about 22, when the newly conquered territories were still politically fragile. He faced opposition from his three brothers, particularly Kamran Mirza (just months younger, by a different mother), as well as powerful Afghan rulers. Much of the book is taken up with these struggles, balancing the dying pleas of his father not to kill off his brothers with their continuous disloyalty.
His most formidable opponent was Sher Shah Suri, an exceptionally capable military and administrative leader. Humayun suffered major defeats against Sher Shah, especially at the Battle of Chausa (1539) and the Battle of Kannauj (1540). He was forced to flee India and spent roughly 15 years in exile. He eventually sought refuge at the court of the Safavid ruler Shah Tahmasp I of Persia. Persian support, paid for by gifting the Koh-i-Nur diamond, helped him rebuild his military position, although, as with his father, this caused religious difficulties between the two strands of Islamic thought. The Safavid dynasty made Shia Islam the state religion of Persia in 1501. The Mughals were Sunni.
After Sher Shah Suri's death in 1545 and the subsequent weakening of the Sur dynasty through civil wars, Humayun gradually regained territory. He also finally resolved the struggles with his brothers. In 1555, he defeated the Sur rulers and re-established Mughal rule in Delhi and Agra. Humayun's restored reign was short. In January 1556, he fell down the stairs of his library at Purana Qila in Delhi and died from his injuries at the age of 47. The initial empire had been recovered, but it would be his son, Akbar, who would expand it.
I love this period and have a large 28mm army that I built for a series of display games. Rutherford writes really well, sticking closely to the historical timeline while inventing some people and events. This is historical fiction, and the fictional bits add to the tension.
A couple of pictures from our game at the club a couple of weeks ago, using Scourge of Princes, which needs a few rule tweaks for wars in Asia.
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