A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
While at Champaneer in 1527, ambassadors came from _Baber_, padishah or
emperor of Delhi, demanding homage and tribute for Guzerat, as part of
his dominions. At first Badur was disposed to have slain these unwelcome
messengers; but he dismissed them, saying that he would carry the answer
in person. He accordingly drew together an army of 100,000 men and 400
elephants, with a great train of artillery. But he was prevented from
carrying his designs into execution, in consequence of a great town
called _Doitabad_ being taken by Nizam-al-Mulk; and though he recovered
it, he met with great loss of men, chiefly by the weather, it being
winter, some of his men being slain by a shower of stones as large as
oranges[196]. Certain men came to Badur, from the kingdom of the
_Colii_[197], who demanded tribute; but he flayed them alive. In 1529,
Badur marched with 70,000 horse and 200,000 foot into the dominions of
Nizam-al-Mulk, where he did much damage. In the same year Baber padishah
of the Moguls of Delhi, marched with an army for the reduction of
Guzerat; but met with so much loss in a battle with the king of
_Cheitore_ in Agimere that he was forced to retire to Delhi.
[Footnote 196: The story in the text is difficultly intelligible. I am
apt to believe that the great army belonged to Baber, the Great Mogul,
designed for the reduction of Guzerat, but turned aside for the recovery
of _Dowlatabad_ in the Deccan, and that the shower of stones of the text
is to be understood of hail.--E.]
[Footnote 197: Who these were does not appear.--E.]
Badur invaded the kingdom of _Mandou_[198], and killed the king by
treachery. He then imprisoned all the kings sons, and distributed the
wives and daughters of the deceased king among his officers.
_Salahedin_, one of the principal officers of that kingdom fled to
_Raosinga_, a place almost impregnable by nature and art, but was
inveigled into the power of Badur and forced to turn Mahometan. Badur
then besieged the mountain fort of Raosinga, and commanded the women
belonging to Salahedin to come out; but they sent word that they would
not do so unless along with Salahedin, who was accordingly sent into the
fort for that purpose. His women, about 500 in number, exclaimed against
his becoming a Mahometan, saying they would rather be all burnt alive
than delivered to the enemy. Whereupon Salahedin, with 120 men who
guarded his _zenana_, slew them all upon a pile of wood, where they were
burnt with all his riches. After this Badur went against Chitore with an
army of 100,000 horse, an innumerable infantry, and 600 cannon, and
besieged Chitore for two months, at the end of which it surrendered. By
this conquest Badur was in possession of three considerable kingdoms.
[Footnote 198: Probably Malwa.--E.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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