The Afghan ruler who drove the Mughal Humayun from India and, in a brief reign, built an administrative order so sound the Mughals themselves later adopted it.
Life
Sher Shah Suri (1472–1545) rose from a local Afghan commander to defeat the Mughal emperor Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540), founding the Sur Empire across northern India. In just five years he carried out reforms of lasting importance: the standardized silver rupee, a rebuilt and extended Grand Trunk Road, a fair revenue system, and efficient administration. He died in 1545 in a siege; though his dynasty soon fell and the Mughals returned, his administrative model shaped Akbar's empire.