Raiders from the North

    Alex Rutherford is a name to reckon with if History is the field of study. "Raiders from the North" is first in the four book series under the project "Empire of the Moghul." The book is published by Hachette.

    The book is an account of Babur who laid the foundation of Mughal Empire in India. However the book traces its journey to much before from the birth of Babur and his father's time in Ferghana, Afghanistan. The familial line of Babur traced from Timur and Ghengiz Khan from Central Asia. With such an illustritious blood line and being surrounded by bigger kingdoms of whom majority were his extended family and relatives, Babur faced survival as a daily assignment and threat of being eliminated after sudden death of his father in an earthquake. His ascedence to the throne was amidst lurking Turks, Uzbecks under Shaibani Khan and his uncle Ahmed ruling from Samarkand. He successfully navigated everyone and in the process to be rightful successor of Ferghana, he has to eliminate some of his confidante's. 

    Most of the book revolves around Ferghana, Samarkand, Kabul and later on shifts to India. His life is shaped by women like his grandmother Esan Dawlat , his mother Kutlugh Nigar and sister Khanzada. Infact he was so close to his grandmother that  he used to consult her on political and state matters regularly. However, he was not much impressed with intellectual capacities of his wife Maham, whom he loved the most. His friendship with Baburi who went upto India for conquest against Ibrahim Lodhi and died fighting is worth mentioning. Rutherford's work itself became easy as Babur was an accomplished writer and has published his autobiography titled Baburnama. 

"A ruler must at all times, be vigilant, listening to what is courtiers are saying, and ready to pounce on any sign of disloyalty." 

    Initial chapters deal with his accession and local wars. His capture of Samarkand and then loosing it out. The description of battle with Uzbek’s under Shaibani Khan in Chapter 11 "Bitter Almonds" is so vivid that one can see the acts of war through words. The seize of Samarkand by Uzbek’s led to acceptance of offer by Babar and he had to leave the city with family much to public humiliation which is akin to swallowing bitter almond’s. The final nail in this humiliation was when he has to send off his sister Khanzada as wife to Uzbeki Shaibani Khan even against his and familial wish. Though later on after few years she joins her family back. The attack on Hindustan and naming his son as Hindal meaning conqueror of Hind points that he wanted to claim Hindustan as its righful ruler being successor of Timur clan and resulting war with Ibrahim Lodi. It is mentioned that Babar was poisoned by the family members of Ibrahim Lodhi after he was defeated in the battle. Somehow, he survived the attempt on his life and caught the perperators of the crime. The way he punished the conspirators so as instill fear in attendants is gory. 

    The book is like a biography of Babur, right from his birth to his conquest of Hindustan. The account is detailed and in a lucid, pleasant and presentable manner that once you grab a copy, you have to resist to put the book down. The author has used references which are mainly primary in nature.