describe the reasons for humayun's failure against Sher Shah?
Answers
(1A) Another cause of the failure of Humayun was the hostility of his brothers for whom he had shown so great kindness. They did not help him when he was in trouble. This was particularly so on the occasion of Battle of Chausa and Kanauj. However, this view is not accepted by Dr. R.P. Tripathi. He points out that the behaviour of Kamran during the first ten years of Humayun's Rule was not at all hostile. As a matter of fact, he had been absolutely loyal to him. It was a only after the Battle 6f Kanauj that Kamran lost all faith in his brother and decided to leave him so that he may save some of the Mughal Empire from passing into the hands of Sher Shah.
If after the defeat of Kanauj, Kamran had continued to identify himself with Humayun, there was very likelihood of his losing Kabul, Ghazni, Badkshan and Kandhar. So far as Askari was concerned, he never rebelled against his brother. He served his brother to the best of his ability and if that was not much, that was not his fault. He was in almost all the important battles fought by Humayun. When Kamran left Humayun after the Battle of Kanauj, Askari also left him and was put incharge of Kandhar by Kamran.
However, it cannot be denied that Askari connived at the flight of Humayun to Persia. He also treated Akbar with great kindness and affection. So far as Hindal was concerned, he was only a half-hearted rival. He was a man of weak mind and was persuaded by some nobles to revolt. It is true that his inaction was partly responsible for the defeat of Humayun at Chausa but that was not due to any personal ambition of his own. He was afraid of punishment if he ran away from Bihar to Agra.
It is true that he left Humayun for some time but he joined him as soon as possible. The relations between the two brothers were always cordial. The defeat at Chausa might have been avoided if Kamran and Hindal had acted with vigour. However, all that can be said against them is that their inaction \vas ill-devised, shortsighted and unfortunate. Humayun's exile was not due to his failure at Chausa but at Kanauj and for that none of his brothers was responsible. Hence Dr. R.P. Tripathi contents that "Humayun's brothers contributed very little, if at all, to his ultimate failure."
(3) Humayun failed to make a correct estimate of the growing power of Sher Khan. To begin with, he treated him with contempt. He ought to have appreciated the dangers ahead and taken a stiff action against Sher Khan from the very outset. He ought to have nipped the evil in the bud. His delay in taking action against Sher Khan resulted in his own failure.
(4) The same can be said about Humayun's treatment of Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. Humayun should have attacked and finished Bahadur Shah when the latter was busy against Chittor. He foolishly gave Bahadur Shah time. Humayun should not have spent so many months in dealing with Gujarat. He should have completely crushed the power of Bahadur Shah in Gujarat once for all and thereby avoided the possibility of fiiture trouble.
He ought not to have wasted time in festivities and merry-making at Mandu. Moreover, during the Mughal occupation of Gujarat, Humayun ought to have carried out such administrative reforms in that territory as would have won over the people to his side. Unfortunately, the military occupation of Gujarat created resentment against the Mughals.
(5) After his defeat at Chausa in 1539, Humayun did nothing to re-capture the territory from Kanauj to Banaras. On the other hand, he always remained on the defensive. Such a policy was not conducive to the maintenance of his prestige.
(6) Humayun committed many mistakes in the Battle of Kanauj. He foolishly chose a low land for his encampment. For two months he remained inactive and did not raise h'is finger against the enemy. As Sher Khan attacked all of a sudden, Humayun could not make use of his artillery and the result was his failure.
(7) Humayun did not behave like a Statesman. He pardoned again and again those who revolted against him. This he did, not only in the case of Kamran but also in the case of Mohammad Zaman Mirza. Such a treatment could not create an atmosphere of constant loyaltyjowards the Empire. Everybody knew that in spite of his faithlessness, he would be pardoned by the Emperor.
(8) Another cause of Humayun's failure was his own character. He could not stick to a job. [I] He always worked by fits and starts. The result was that before anything was done completely, his mind passed on to something else leaving the first one half-complete. Such a method is not conductive to success.
Sher Khan had more experience, organizing ability, craft and political opportunism. He had an army which was inspired by National Enthusiasm to recover the Empire lost by them. By this time, the Afghans had become familiar with fire-arms. Bahadur Shah of Gujarat was served with the entire moral and material resources of Gujarat. No wonder, Humayun failed against them.