The romance between the future emperor Akbar’s mother, Hamida Banu Begum, and the Mughal Emperor Humayun is as fascinating as it is dramatic. They initially crossed paths while he was a refugee in Sindh. However, Humayun never wavered in his pursuit of her, and his unwavering determination ultimately won her over.
Ironically, Humayun’s life was anything but lucky, despite his name meaning “fortunate.” Humayun’s life was full with regrettable incidents that were made worse by his own shortcomings, which included bad people judging, substance abuse, procrastination, and lack of concentration. Between two highly successful Mughal rulers, Akbar, the shrewd administrator, and Babur, the adventurous adventurer, Humayun may be portrayed in history books as a boring interval that must be endured. However, his life had many fascinating moments, especially his search for love and his union with Hamida Banu Begum, the future emperor Akbar’s mother.
The year was 1541. After suffering significant defeats at the hands of Afghan tyrant Sher Shah Suri, Humayun was on the run. The escaping Mughal group arrived in Sind after a very difficult voyage, where they were granted asylum by the Sultan of Thatta. Temporary peace was achieved for Humayun’s direct family as well as the family of his stepbrother, Hindal Mirza. Prior to becoming a Humayun supporter, Hindal was Humayun’s heir apparent. Dildar Bano, Hindal’s mother (Humayun’s stepmother), planned a feast to commemorate their rescue. Humayun first saw Hamida Banu Begum at the banquet.
A artwork of Humayun. C. 1875: Humayun’s wife, Hamida Banu, from a 19th-century picture Hamida was the daughter of Sheikh Ali Akbar Jami, the esteemed family instructor of the Hindal family, who was a Sufi spiritualist and a Persian Shia Muslim. They were both invited to the celebration. Even though Hamida was just 14, Humayun was fascinated by her beauty and mannerisms. Without hesitation, Humayun pressed his stepmother Dildar to propose to him. Humayun was at his lowest point at this time, having just lost his throne and had to escape Sher Shah’s army. It was characteristic of Humayun that he could even consider taking another lady to his harem at this time.
Hindal apparently did not approve of the plan. According to certain historians, Hindal harboured feelings for Hamida. However, it might not always be the case. Given how close Hamida and Hindal’s families were, it’s possible that Hindal worried for Hamida’s happiness like an older brother might. Would she fit well with the family of an exiled king? However, he could have also been concerned about the prestige of the Mughal family. According to Islamic custom, the bride price, or mahr, must be offered by the groom’s family in proportion to their dignity and position. How could the exiled king Humayun provide a respectable dowry? Hindal’s protests were promptly dismissed by Humayun, who claimed that they would find a way.
Hamida was also apprehensive before the contest. First of all, Humayun was over twice her age at 33. Humayun-nama, penned by Humayan’s devoted step-sister Gulbadan Begum, details this objection. “I shall marry a man whose collar my hand can touch, and not one whose skirt it does not reach,” Hamida is quoted as saying. Second, he already had several wives and a sizable harem. Would he be kind to her? Hamida played hard to get when Humayun’s relatives called for her. She said that it was a sin to come before the monarch again and that she had previously paid her respects to the emperor.
However, Humayun was unwilling to give up this war. He continued to pursue her with a tenacity he had never displayed in combat! That was just another example of Humayun. Hamida persevered for almost 40 days, throughout which Humayun remained unwavering. He convinced Dildar to speak with her. Hamida was informed by Dildar that she would eventually need to be married. Wouldn’t it have been preferable if that individual had been a willing and accessible king? At last, Hamida consented. Quickly pulling out his astrolabe, Humayun—an amateur astrologer himself—fixed an auspicious time for the wedding. They became an inseparable pair after the wedding, which was joyfully celebrated. After that, she set aside all of her misgivings and, in spite of tremendous adversity, she never left his side.
They eventually had to leave Thatta for another safe refuge since Humayun was still at large. Humayun walked over the Thar desert with Hamida, who was quite pregnant. Hamida’s horse broke down in route, and there was not a spare. Humayun gave her his horse and he and the others rode camels. When they finally arrived at Amarkot, the local Rajput king provided them with refuge. Soon after, Hamida gave birth to a healthy son in the Rajput Lord’s home.
Humayun believed in mysticism and astrology. It is reported that Humayun once dreamed of a spiritual guy while he was feeling down. He suggested naming Humayun’s kid Akbar and foretold that he would have a son who would conquer the globe. The magnificent Akbar, the successor to the Mughal dynasty, was the healthy newborn boy born to Hamida and Humayun.
However, time was of the essence. Hamida was compelled to escape to Persia after abandoning the baby Akbar at Amarkot. Akbar was raised in Kandahar by Askari, Humayun’s second stepbrother, and his wife. Leaving her newborn boy behind must have been very painful for Hamida, but she had an obligation to be with her husband.
When the couple arrived in Persia, Tahmasp-I, the Shia ruler, greeted them. Hamida was a Shia Muslim, whereas Humayun was a Sunni. Tahmasp may have been gentler to Humayun as a result. He said that if Humayun became a Shia, he would support him in his conflicts. Reluctantly, Humayun consented. In the meantime, Askari (Akbar’s guardian) and Kamran, Humayun’s other brothers, became antagonistic in Afghanistan. Thus, Humayun defeated Afghanistan with Tahmasp’s help, but his devoted brother Hindal was martyred in the process. Akbar was delighted to see Humayun and Hamida again after they had been apart for years.
Humayun regained control of Delhi and ascended to the throne once more in 1555. Unfortunately, Hamida’s happiness didn’t last long. In a bizarre tragedy, Humayun died within a year after falling down the stairs of his Purana Quila library. However, Hamida continued to survive for almost 50 years. She travelled to Mecca with Humayun’s step-sister, Gulbadan, as part of the holy obligation of all Muslims. During Akbar’s early reign, when he deposed his regent Bairam Khan, and subsequently on behalf of her grandson Jahangir, she played a major role in politics as Queen Mother. She was always shown the utmost regard and respect by Akbar. She was interred at Humayun’s Tomb with honours after her away in 1604.
*Postscript 1:
The Mughal custom of using court chroniclers has allowed us to learn a great deal about Humayun’s political life. His stepsister Gulbadan Begum, whose name roughly translates to “the princess who is lovely like a rose,” wrote a biography of him that provides us with an intriguing account of his family life. The fact that a Mughal princess penned a biography, however, is not surprising. The well-educated Mughal princesses frequently handled their own money and counselled their husbands on important personal and even state issues. Even during fratricidal succession conflicts, they served as a unifying factor that kept the clan together and were revered by the male members. Because his aunt Gulbadan had been close to Humayun, Akbar greatly respected her and asked her to write the history of his father. Apparently, it was also an allusion to Akbar-nama’s chroniclers. She therefore penned Ahwal Humayun Padshah. Kardom Jamah Gulbadan Begum bint Babur Padshah, also known as Humayun-nama, amma Akbar Padshah. It offers frank insight on Humayun and Hamida’s relationship. The document vanished with the fall of the Mughal empire. A damaged manuscript was unearthed by Col. GW Hamilton and is currently housed in the British Library in London. Even with a few missing pages, it paints a pretty clear picture of life during the three Mughal emperors.
*Postscript 2:
Under the Coparcenary inheritance system of the Mongols, Humayun became the Mughal emperor. Humayun’s brothers continued to quarrel with him despite it. View this little movie to learn more about the Mughal succession system, which resulted in bloody fratricidal conflicts in succeeding generations: