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| Mughal conquest of Gujarat | |||||||||
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 Akbar's triumphal entry into Surat, 1572,Akbarnama. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Gujarat Sultanate | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Akbar Man Singh | Muzaffar Shah III | ||||||||
The last twoGujarat Sultans,Ahmad Shah III andMahmud Shah III, were raised to throne when they were young so the nobles were ruling the Sultanate. The nobles divided territories between themselves but soon started fighting between themselves for supremacy. One noble invited theMughal emperorAkbar to intervene in 1572 which resulted in the conquest of Gujarat by 1573 and Gujarat becoming the province of the Mughal Empire.[This paragraph needs citation(s)]
After establishing his supremacy in northern India,Akbar turned his attention toward extending his realm to the coastal regions. WithMalwa secured andRajasthan subdued, the path toGujarat was now open. At that time,Gujarat was in a state of disorder under the weak rule ofMuzaffar Shah III, a mere figurehead whose ambitious nobles had carved the kingdom into feuding parts. The region’s rich soil, busy ports, and lucrative foreign trade made it highly attractive, while its location along the pilgrimage route toMecca andMedina added significant strategic value. Additionally, Gujarat’s proximity to Portuguese territories made its security vital to prevent potential foreign interference.[1][2][3]
On 2 July 1572,Akbar departed fromFatehpur Sikri forAjmer, sending ahead an advance guard of 10,000 cavalry under Khan Kalan. His march took him throughNagaur and Merta until he reachedSirohi, where he launched a counterattack on the Rajputs after they had ambushed his advance guard, resulting in the death of 150 enemy warriors. Following this engagement, he continued toward Patan, dispatchingRaja Man Singh to pursue the sons of Sher Khan Fuladi nearIdar.[1][2][3]
In December,Akbar leftAhmedabad for the prosperous port of Cambay, where he first saw the sea and interacted with merchants from Portugal, Turkey, Syria, Persia, and Transoxiana.[1][2][3]
Not long after, local noblemen, including Itimad Khan, came to pay their respects toAkbar. In November, he arrived in the capital ofGujarat and began reorganizing the territory. He divided the region, assigning the area northwest of the Mahi River to Khan Azam and handing over the southern part—where rebellious Mlrzas had taken hold—to Itimad Khan.[1][2][3]
Turning his focus to regional powers,Akbar addressed challenges from the Mirzas, who controlled significant parts ofGujarat—namely, Ibrahim Husain inBaroda, Muhammad Husain in Surat, and Shah Mirza inChampaner. After arriving atBaroda, he dispatched an army under Shiahbaz Khan toward Champaner and sent a larger force led by Sayyid Mahmud Khan Barha to Surat. Akbar himself moved to intercept Ibrahim Husain, who was advancing from the north. With only 200 men at his disposal, he risked a daring nighttime crossing of the Mahi River and engaged in fierce, close-quarters combat that resembled a tournament. Despite nearly losing his life when two enemy troopers attacked him, Akbar managed to defeat Ibrahim Husain, who later escaped under cover of darkness.[1][2][3]
Next,Akbar set his sights onSurat. After approximately six weeks of resistance, the fort’s commandant surrendered on 26 February 1573. During the siege, Ibrahim Husain’s wife and his young son fled to the Deccan. Although the Portuguese—invited by the Mirzas—arrived in response, they found themselves too weak to engage Akbar and instead paid him a respectful visit. At the same time, Muhammad Husain Mirza and Shah Mirza, in alliance with Sher Khan Fuladi, laid siege to Patan. Khan A‘zam, along with local lords from Malwa andChanderl, moved to relieve the Mughal commander Sayyid Ahmad Barha, inflicting a heavy defeat on the besiegers on 22 January 1573. Consequently, Sher Khan Fuladi retreated to Junagarh, while the Mirzas withdrew to the Deccan.[1][2][3]
In April,Akbar returned toAhmedabad, transferring the administration ofGujarat to Khan Azam and that ofMalwa to Muzaffar Khan Turbati before heading for his capital. Along the way, he received news from Sirohi that the notorious rebel Ibrahim Husain, who had been causing disturbances inPunjab after leavingGujarat, had been defeated by the Mughal governor Husain Qull Khan. This governor had also negotiated peace with the local ruler Bidai Chand, contingent on recognizing Akbar’s authority.[3][2] In June,Akbar reachedFatehpur Sikri, where he was presented with the head of Ibrahim Husain. His brother Masud, whose eyes had been sewn shut as punishment, was captured but later pardoned by the emperor.[4]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.| Emperors | |||||||||
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