The Bābur-nāma in English (Memoirs of Bābur)
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Contents and reading sections
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| Transcriber's note: |
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| Many Turki, Arabic and Persian names have various spellings |
| in the text. There are about 700 occurrences of hyphenated |
| unhyphenated and spaced words. Correcting those for the |
| sake of consistency would be risky in many cases and would |
| mean a major change in the printed text which already has |
| many typographical errors. |
| |
| Two wide tables have been split into narrower sections. |
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THE BĀBUR-NĀMA IN ENGLISH
(MEMOIRS OF BĀBUR).
Translated from the original Turki Text of
Z̤ahiru'd-dīn Muḥammad Bābur Pādshāh _Ghāzī_
by
Annette Susannah Beveridge
First Printed 1922
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE: Introductory.—Cap. I. Babur's exemplars in the
Arts of peace, p. xxvii.—Cap. II. Problems of the mutilated
Babur-nama, p. xxxi.—Cap. III. The Turki MSS. and
work connecting with them, p. xxxviii.—Cap. IV.
The Leyden and Erskine "Memoirs of Baber", p. lvii.—Postscript
of Thanks, p. lx.
SECTION I.—FARGHĀNA
899 AH.—Oct. 12th 1493 to Oct. 2nd 1494 AD.—Bābur's age at
the date of his accession—+Description of Farghāna+
(pp. 1 to 12)—Death and biography of `Umar Shaikh
(13 to 19 and 24 to 28)—Biography of Yūnas _Chaghatāī_
(18 to 24)—Bābur's uncles Aḥmad _Mīrān-shāhī_ and
Maḥmūd _Chaghatāī_ (The Khān) invade Farghāna—Death
and biography of Aḥmad—Misdoings of his successor, his
brother Maḥmūd 1-42
900 AH.—Oct. 2nd 1494 to Sep. 21st 1495 AD.—Invasion of
Farghāna continued—Bābur's adoption of orthodox
observance—Death and biography of Maḥmūd
_Mīrān-shāhī_—Samarkand affairs—revolt of Ibrāhīm _Sārū_
defeated—Bābur visits The Khān in Tāshkīnt—tribute collected
from the Jīgrak tribe—expedition into Aūrātīpā 43-56
901 AH.—Sep. 21st 1495 to Sep. 9th 1496 AD.—Ḥusain
_Bāī-qarā's_ campaign against Khusrau Shāh—Bābur receives
Aūzbeg sulṯāns—Revolt of the Tarkhāns in Samarkand—Bābur's
first move for Samarkand 57-64
902 AH.—Sep. 9th 1496 to Aug. 30th 1497 AD.—Bābur's second
move for Samarkand—Dissensions of Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ and
his sons—Dissensions between Khusrau Shāh and Mas`ūd
_Mīrān-shāhī_ 65-71
903 AH.—Aug. 30th 1497 to Aug. 19th 1498 AD.—Bābur's
second attempt on Samarkand is successful—+Description
of Samarkand+ (pp. 74 to 86)—his action there—Mughūls
demand and besiege Andijān for Bābur's half-brother
Jahāngīr—his mother and friends entreat his help—he
leaves Samarkand in his cousin `Alī's hands—has a relapse
of illness on the road and is believed dying—on the news
Andijān is surrendered by a Mughūl to the Mughūl faction—Having
lost Samarkand and Andijān, Bābur is hospitably
entertained by the Khujandīs—he is forced to dismiss
Khalīfa—The Khān (his uncle) moves to help him but is
persuaded to retire—many followers go to Andijān where
were their families—he is left with 200-300 men—his
mother and grandmother and the families of his men sent
to him in Khujand—he is distressed to tears—The Khān
gives help against Samarkand but his troops turn back on
news of Shaibānī—Bābur returns to Khujand—speaks of
his ambition to rule—goes in person to ask The Khān's
help to regain Andijān—his force being insufficient, he
goes back to Khujand—Affairs of Khusrau Shāh and the
Tīmūrid Mīrzās—Affairs of Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ and his
sons—Khusrau Shāh blinds Bābur's cousin Mas`ūd—Bābur
curses the criminal 72-96
904 AH.—Aug. 19th 1498 to Aug. 8th 1499 AD.—Bābur borrows
Pashāghar for the winter and leaves Khujand—rides 70-80
miles with fever—a winter's tug-of-war with Samarkand—his
force insufficient, he goes back to Khujand—unwilling
to burthen it longer, goes into the summer-pastures of
Aūrātīpā—invited to Marghīnān by his mother's uncle
`Alī-dost—a joyful rush over some 145 miles—near
Marghīnān prudent anxieties arise and are stilled—he is
admitted to Marghīnān on terms—is attacked vainly by
the Mughūl faction—accretions to his force—helped by
The Khān—the Mughūls defeated near Akhsī—Andijān
recovered—Mughūls renew revolt—Bābur's troops beaten
by Mughūls—Taṃbal attempts Andijān 97-107
905 AH.—Aug. 8th 1499 to July 28th 1500 AD.—Bābur's campaign
against Ahmad _Taṃbal_ and the Mughūl faction—he takes
Māzū—Khusrau Shāh murders Bāī-sunghar _Mīrānshāhī_—Biography
of the Mīrzā—Bābur wins his first ranged battle, from Taṃbal
supporting Jahāngīr, at Khūbān—winter-quarters—minor
successes—the winter-camp broken up by Qaṃbar-i-`alī's taking
leave—Bābur returns to Andijān—The Khān persuaded by Taṃbal's
kinsmen in his service to support Jahāngīr—his troops retire
before Bābur—Bābur and Taṃbal again opposed—Qaṃbar-i-`alī
again gives trouble—minor action and an accommodation made
without Bābur's wish—terms of the accommodation—The
self-aggrandizement of `Alī-dost _Mughūl_—Bābur's first
marriage—a personal episode—Samarkand affairs—`Alī quarrels
with the Tarkhāns—The Khān sends troops against
Samarkand—Mīrzā Khān invited there by a Tarkhān—`Alī defeats
The Khān's Mughūls—Bābur invited to Samarkand—prepares to
start and gives Jahāngīr rendezvous for the attempt—Taṃbal's
brother takes Aūsh—Bābur leaves this lesser matter aside and
marches for Samarkand—Qaṃbar-i-`alī punishes himself—Shaibānī
reported to be moving on Bukhārā—Samarkand begs wait on
Bābur—the end of `Alī-dost—Bābur has news of Shaibānī's
approach to Samarkand and goes to Kesh—hears there that `Alī's
Aūzbeg mother had given Samarkand to Shaibānī on
condition of his marriage with herself 108-126
906 AH.—July 28th 1500 to July 17th 1501 AD.—Shaibānī murders
`Alī—a son and two grandsons of Aḥrārī's murdered—Bābur leaves
Kesh with a number of the Samarkand begs—is landless and
isolated—takes a perilous mountain journey back into
Aūrātīpā—comments on the stinginess shewn to himself by
Khusrau Shāh and another—consultation and resolve to attempt
Samarkand—Bābur's dream-vision of success—he takes the town by
a surprise attack—compares this capture with Ḥusain
_Bāī-qarā's_ of Herī—his affairs in good position—birth of his
first child—his summons for help to keep the Aūzbeg
down—literary matters—his force of 240 grows to allow him to
face Shaibānī at Sar-i-pul—the battle and his defeat—Mughūls
help his losses—he is besieged in Samarkand—a long
blockade—great privation—no help from any quarter—Futile
proceedings of Taṃbal and The Khān 127-145
907 AH.—July 17th 1501 to July 7th 1502 AD.—Bābur surrenders
Samarkand—his sister Khān-zāda is married by Shaibānī—incidents
of his escape to Dīzak—his 4 or 5 escapes from
peril to safety and ease—goes to Dikh-kat in Aūrātīpā—incidents
of his stay there—his wanderings bare-head, bare-foot—sends
gifts to Jahāngīr, and to Taṃbal a sword which
later wounds himself—arrival from Samarkand of the
families and a few hungry followers—Shaibānī Khān raids
in The Khān's country—Bābur rides after him fruitlessly—Death
of Nuyān Kūkūldāsh—Bābur's grief for his friend—he
retires to the Zar-afshān valley before Shaibānī—reflects
on the futility of his wanderings and goes to The Khān in
Tāshkīnt—Mughūl conspiracy against Taṃbal _Mughūl_—Bābur
submits verses to The Khān and comments on his
uncle's scant study of poetic idiom—The Khān rides out
against Taṃbal—his standards acclaimed and his army
numbered—of the _Chīngīz-tūrā_—quarrel of Chīrās and
Begchīk chiefs for the post of danger—Hunting—Khujand-river
reached 146-156
908 AH.—July 7th 1502 to June 26th 1503 AD.—Bābur comments on
The Khān's unprofitable move—his poverty and despair in
Tāshkīnt—his resolve to go to Khitāī and ruse for getting
away—his thought for his mother—his plan not accepted by The
Khān and Shāh Begīm—The Younger Khān (Aḥmad) arrives from
Kāshghar—is met by Bābur—a half-night's family talk—gifts to
Bābur—the meeting of the two Khāns—Aḥmad's characteristics and
his opinion of various weapons—The Khāns march into Farghāna
against Jahāngīr's supporter Taṃbal—they number their
force—Bābur detached against Aūsh, takes it and has great
accretions of following—An attempt to take Andijān frustrated
by mistake in a pass-word—Author's Note on pass-words—a second
attempt foiled by the over-caution of experienced begs—is
surprised in his bivouac by Taṃbal—face to face with
Taṃbal—his new _gosha-gīr_—his dwindling company—wounded—left
alone, is struck by his gift-sword—escapes to Aūsh—The Khān
moves from Kāsān against Andijān—his disposition of Bābur's
lands—Qaṃbar-i-`alī's counsel to Bābur rejected—Bābur is
treated by the Younger Khān's surgeon—tales of Mughūl
surgery—Qaṃbar-i-`alī flees to Taṃbal in fear through his
unacceptable counsel—Bābur moves for Akhsī—a lost chance—minor
actions—an episode of Pāp—The Khāns do not take Andijān—Bābur
invited into Akhsī—Taṃbal's brother Bāyazīd joins him with
Nāṣir _Mīrān-shāhī_—Taṃbal asks help from Shaibānī—On news of
Shaibānī's consent the Khāns retire from Andijān—Bābur's
affairs in Akhsī—he attempts to defend it—incidents of the
defence—Bābur wounded—unequal strength of the opponents—he
flees with 20-30 men—incidents of the flight—Bābur left
alone—is overtaken by two foes—his perilous position—a
messenger arrives from Taṃbal's brother Bāyazīd—Bābur
expecting death, quotes Niz̤āmī—(the narrative breaks off in
the middle of the verse) 157-182
+Translator's Note.+—908 to 909 AH.—1503 to 1504 AD.—Bābur
will have been rescued—is with The Khāns in
the battle and defeat by Shaibānī at Archīān—takes refuge
in the Asfara hills—there spends a year in misery and
poverty—events in Farghāna and Tāshkīnt—Shaibānī
sends the Mughūl horde back to Kāshghar—his disposition
of the women of The Khān's family—Bābur plans to go to
Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ in Khurāsān—changes his aim for Kābul 182-185
[+End of Translator's Note.+]
SECTION II.—KĀBUL
910 AH.—June 14th 1504 to June 4th 1505 AD.—Bābur halts on an
alp of Ḥiṣār—enters his 22nd (lunar) year—delays his march in
hope of adherents—writes a second time of the stinginess of
Khusrau Shāh to himself—recalls Sherīm̤ T̤aghāī _Mughūl's_
earlier waverings in support—is joined by Khusrau Shāh's
brother Bāqī Beg—they start for Kābul—Accretions of
force—their families left in Fort Ajar (Kāhmard)—Jahāngīr
marries a cousin—Bāqī advises his dismissal to Khurāsān—Bābur
is loyal to his half-brother—Jahāngīr is seduced, later, by
disloyal Begchīk chiefs—Ḥusain _Bāī-qarā_ summons help against
Shaibānī—Despair in Bābur's party at Ḥusain's plan of
"defence, not attack"—Qaṃbar-i-`alī dismissed to please