Editing Babur (section)

=== At Kabul ===
[[File:Coin of Babur, as ruler of Kabul.jpg|thumb|right|Coin minted by Babur during his time as ruler of [[Kabul]]. Dated 1507/8]]
Kabul was ruled by Babur's paternal uncle [[Ulugh Beg II]], who died leaving only an infant as heir.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=21–23}} The city was then claimed by Mukin Begh, who was considered to be a usurper and was opposed by the local populace. In 1504, Babur was able to cross the snowy [[Hindu Kush]] mountains and [[Siege of Kabul (1504)|capture Kabul]] from the remaining Arghunids, who were forced to retreat to [[Kandahar]].<ref name="Afghanistan" /> With this move, he gained a new kingdom, re-established his fortunes and would remain its ruler until 1526.<ref name="VDM0" /> In 1505, because of the low revenue generated by his new mountain kingdom, Babur began his first expedition to India; in his memoirs, he wrote, "My desire for Hindustan had been constant. It was in the month of Shaban, the Sun being in Aquarius, that we rode out of Kabul for Hindustan". It was a brief raid across the [[Khyber Pass]].{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=21–23}}

[[File:Babur Marches from Kabul to Hindustan in 1507.JPG|thumb|left|Babur leaves for Hindustan from Kabul]]

In the same year, Babur united with [[Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqarah]] of [[Herat]], a fellow Timurid and distant relative, against their common enemy, the Uzbek Shaybani.<ref name="perspect">{{cite book |title=Perspectives on Persian Painting: Illustrations to Amir Khusrau's Khamsah |last=Brend |first=Barbara |year=2002 |isbn=0-7007-1467-7 |publisher=Routledge (UK) |page=188 }}</ref> However, this venture did not take place because Husayn Mirza died in 1506 and his two sons were reluctant to go to war.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=21–23}} Babur instead stayed at Herat after being invited by the two Mirza brothers. It was then the cultural capital of the eastern Muslim world. Though he was disgusted by the vices and luxuries of the city,{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}} he marvelled at the intellectual abundance there, which he stated was "filled with learned and matched men".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage Through Afghanistan |last=Lamb |first=Christina |page=[https://archive.org/details/sewingcirclesofh00chri/page/153 153] |isbn=0-06-050527-3 |publisher=HarperCollins |year= 2004 |url=https://archive.org/details/sewingcirclesofh00chri/page/153 }}</ref> He became acquainted with the work of the Chagatai poet [[Mir Ali Shir Nava'i]], who encouraged the use of [[Chagatai language|Chagatai]] as a [[literary language]]. Nava'i's proficiency with the language, which he is credited with founding,<ref>{{cite book |title=Mehmed the Conqueror and His Time |last=Hickmann |first=William C. |year= 1992 |isbn=0-691-01078-1 |page=473 |publisher=Princeton University Press |quote=Eastern Turk Mir Ali Shir Neva'i (1441–1501), founder of the Chagatai literary language}}</ref> may have influenced Babur in his decision to use it for his memoirs. He spent two months there before being forced to leave because of diminishing resources;<ref name="perspect" /> it later was overrun by Shaybani and the Mirzas fled.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}}
Babur became the only reigning ruler of the Timurid dynasty after the loss of Herat, and many princes sought refuge with him at Kabul because of Shaybani's invasion in the west.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}} He thus assumed the title of ''[[Padshah]]'' (emperor) among the Timurids—though this title was insignificant since most of his ancestral lands were taken, Kabul itself was in danger and Shaybani continued to be a threat.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}} Babur prevailed during a potential rebellion in Kabul, but two years later a revolt among some of his leading generals drove him out of Kabul. Escaping with very few companions, Babur soon returned to the city, capturing Kabul again and regaining the allegiance of the rebels. Meanwhile, Shaybani was defeated and killed by [[Ismail I]], Shah of [[Shia]] Safavid Persia, in 1510.<ref>{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions |last=Doniger |first=Wendy |isbn=0-87779-044-2 |date= 1999 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440/page/539 539] |publisher=Merriam-Webster |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440/page/539 }}</ref>

Babur and the remaining Timurids used this opportunity to reconquer their ancestral territories. Over the following few years, Babur and Shah Ismail formed a partnership in an attempt to take over parts of Central Asia. In return for Ismail's assistance, Babur permitted the Safavids to act as a suzerain over him and his followers.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Islamic World in Ascendancy: From the Arab Conquests to the Siege in Vienna |last=Sicker |first=Martin |isbn=0-275-96892-8 |year= 2000 |page=189 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |quote=Ismail was quite prepared to lend his support to the displaced Timurid prince, Zahir ad-Din Babur, who offered to accept Safavid suzerainty in return for help in regaining control of Transoxiana.}}</ref> Thus, in 1513, after leaving his brother Nasir Mirza to rule Kabul, he managed to take Samarkand for the third time; he also took Bokhara but lost both again to the Uzbeks.<ref name="VDM0" />{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}} Shah Ismail reunited Babur with his sister [[Khanzada Begum|Khānzāda]], who had been imprisoned by and forced to marry the recently deceased Shaybani.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Erdogan |first=Eralp |date=July 2014 |title=Babür İmparatorluğu'nun Kuruluş Safhasında Şah İsmail ile Babür İttifakı |url=http://www.historystudies.net/dergi/tar20151234f99.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.historystudies.net/dergi/tar20151234f99.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |journal= History Studies: International Journal of History|volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=31–39 |doi=10.9737/historyS1150 |doi-broken-date=21 November 2024 |language=tr}}</ref> Babur returned to Kabul after three years in 1514. The following 11 years of his rule mainly involved dealing with relatively insignificant rebellions from Afghan tribes, his nobles and relatives, in addition to conducting raids across the eastern mountains.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=24–26}} Babur began to modernise and train his army despite it being, for him, relatively peaceful times.{{sfn|Eraly|2007|pp=27–29}}