ON THE RUN

The Afghan chief Sher Shah Suri fought with Humayun and defeated him at the battle of Chausa in 1539.

In 1540, at the Battle of Kannauj, Humayun was again defeated and had to run away from Delhi and Agra.

Humayun first went to Sind and then field to Persia (now Iran).

So his first rule over India was from 1530 to 1540.

Humayun was in exile for fifteen years, moving from Sind to Iran and then to Afghanistan. He faced a lot of hardships when he had to run from one place to another.

Humayun stayed in the desert for many years till he returned to fight again.

He always thought of taking back his empire from Sher Shan.

In the meantime, Sher Shah had become too powerful for Humayun to defeat.

Humayun had to wait till he got help from someone.

During his exile, Humayun fell in love with a thirteen-year-old girl called Hamida Bano. Initially she refused to marry him, but later she gave her consent.

Humayun married her in Sind, and two years later she gave birth to Akbar.

The great return

In 1546, Sher Shah Suri died in an accidental explosion of gun powder.

Sher Shah Suri's death, along with the fact that the son of Sher Shah was not as strong as his father, strengthened Humayun's hope of regaining his empire.

With the help of the king of Persia, Humayun planned to come and get his throne back.

The king of Persia asked Humayun to convert from Sunni to Shia Islam. Humayun reluctantly converted to Shia Islam. He did this to get substantial support from te king of Persia.

He also took the help of Sultan Tahmasp I. He was able to invade India again with th help of Bairam Khan. He easily captured Punjab.

At that time, the successor of Sher Shah was ruling in Delhi, but he was not strong.

Humayun successfully defeated Ibrahim Suri, the Sultan of Delhi. Then he defeated the king of the Afghans in a battle near Sirhind and became an emperor again.