04/09/2017 Mughal artillery - Wikipedia

Mughal artillery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mughal artillery included a variety of cannons, rockets, and mines

employed by the Mughal Empire. This gunpowder technology played an
important role in the formation and expansion of the empire.

Contents
1 History
2 Weaponry
2.1 Heavy artillery
2.2 Light artillery
3 See also
4 References Elephants pushing cannons drawn by
5 External links bullocks[1]

History
Artillery was not widely employed in Central Asia prior to the 16th century, despite
Chinese mortars having been known to the Mongols hundreds of years earlier. Even
some limited use of cannon at Hisar by the Timurid Sultan Husayn Mirza in 1496 did
not lead to a substantial role military role for artillery in India,[3] nor did the presence
of Portuguese ship's cannon at the 1509 Battle of Diu.[4] However, following the
decisive Ottoman victory over the Safavid Empire at the 1514 Battle of Chaldiran,
Babur incorporated artillery and Ottoman artillery tactics into his military.[3] Although
authorities disagree about how many cannons he brought to India,[5] Babur's artillery
played a "key role" in the establishment of the Mughal Empire.[6] In 1526, the First
Battle of Panipat saw the introduction of massed artillery tactics to Indian warfare.[5]
Under the guidance of Ottoman gun master[3] Ustad Ali Quli, Babur deployed
cannons behind a screening row of carts. Enemy commander Ibrahim Lodi was
provoked into a frontal attack against Babur's position, allowing him to make ideal use
Battle of Panipat[2] of his firepower.[7][8] This tactic also panicked Lodi's elephant cavalry, beginning the
end of elephant warfare as a dominant offensive strategy in India.[5] These new
weapons and tactics were even more important[7] against the more formidable army
faced in the Battle of Khanwa the following year.[5]

Artillery remained an important part of the Mughal military, in both field deployment and incorporation into
defensive forts. However, transportation of the extremely heavy guns remained problematic,[7] even as weapon
technology improved during the reign of Akbar.[9]

Later emperors paid less attention to the technical aspects of artillery, allowing the Mughal Empire to gradually fall
behind in weapon technology,[10] although the degree to which this decline affected military operations is
debated.[9] Under Aurangzeb, the Mughal technology remained superior to that of the breakaway Maratha,[5] but
traditional Mughal artillery tactics were difficult to employ against Maratha guerilla raids.[11] In 1652 and 1653,
during the MughalSafavid War, prince Dara Shikoh was able to move light artillery through the Bolan Pass to
assist in the siege of Qandahar.[9] But problems with the accuracy and reliability of the weapons,[10] as well as the
inherent defensive strengths of the
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_artillery fort,[12] failed to produce a victory. By the 18th century, the bronze guns of the1/4
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inherent defensive strengths of the fort,[12] failed to produce a victory. By the 18th century, the bronze guns of the
declining empire were unable to compete with the standardized production of European cast-iron weapons[9] and
performed poorly against colonial forces, such as Jean Law de Lauriston's French troops.[13]

Weaponry
The Mughal military employed a broad array of gunpowder weapons larger than personal firearms, from rockets
and mobile guns to an enormous cannon, over 14 feet long, once described as the "largest piece of ordnance in the
world."[14] This array of weapons was divided into heavy and light artillery.[9][14]

Heavy artillery

Extremely heavy artillery was an important part of the Mughal military, especially
under its early emperors. Babur deployed guns capable of firing cannonballs weighing
between 225 and 315 pounds against a 1995 siege, and had previously employed a
cannon capable of firing a 540-pound stone ball. Humayun did not field such massive
artillery at the Battle of Kanauj in 1540, but still had heavy cannons, capable of firing
46 pound lead balls at a distance of one farsakh.[16] These large weapons were often
given heroic names, such as Tiger Mouth (Sher Dahan), Lord Champion (Ghazi
Khan), or Conqueror of the Army (Fath-i-Lashkar),[14][17] and inscriptions,
sometimes in verse. They were not only weapons, but "real works of art".[16] Their
artistry did not make them easier to move, however. Rugged passes and water
crossings were insurmountable barriers,[14] and even when they could be moved, it
Bullocks dragging siege-
was a slow process requiring sixteen[16] or twenty oxen for relatively moderate
guns up hill during Akbar's
attack on Ranthambhor
cannons such as Humayun's. Muhammad Azam Shah was forced to abandon his
Fort[15]
heavy artillery en route to the Battle of Jajau.[14] The largest such weapons, such as
Muhammad Shah's "Fort Opener", required a team of "four elephants and thousands
of oxen" and only rarely reached their siege targets.[18]

Other heavy artillery included mortars[9][14] and mines deployed by sappers against fortress walls.[14] Although
these weapons had noticeable successes, such as the victory at the Siege of Chittorgarh in 1567, their preparation
and deployment came at the cost of substantial Mughal losses.[16]

Light artillery

Mughal light artillery, also known as artillery of the stirrup,[9][12] consisted

of a variety of smaller weapons. Animal-borne swivel guns saw widespread
use in several forms.[10] Elephants carried two pieces of "elephant barrel"
(gajnal and hathnal) artillery and two soldiers to fire them. The elephants
served only to transport the weapons and their crew, however; they
dismounted before firing. "Camel guns" (Shutarnal) and "swivel guns"
zamburak, on the other hand, were carried on camel-back and were fired
while mounted.[14] Other light guns were mounted on wheeled carts, pulled
by oxen[14] or horses.[4]
Camel-mounted swivel gun (zamburak)
The mobile field artillery has been seen as the central military power of the
mughal empire distinguishing the mughal troops from most of their
enemies. A status symbol for the emperor, pieces of artillery would always accompany the mughal ruler on his
journeys through the empire. The mughal artillery's main use in battle was to counter hostile war elephants which
were common in warfare on the Indian subcontinent. But although emperor Akbar personally used to design gun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_artillery 2/4
04/09/2017 Mughal artillery - Wikipedia

carriages to improve the accuracy of his cannons, the mughal artillery was most effective by scaring the opponent's
elephants off the battlefield. The ensuing chaos in the hostile ranks would enable the mughal armies to defeat the
enemy's troops.[19]

Grenadiers and rocket-bearing soldiers were also considered part of the Mughal light artillery.[14]

See also
Military history portal

References
1. Unknown. "Elephants pushing cannons drawn by bullocks, Kota, mid-18th century" (http://warfare.uphero.c
om/Moghul/18thC/Elephants_pushing_cannons_drawn_by_bullocks_Kota-mid-18thC.htm).
2. unknown (1590s). "1526, First Battle of Panipat, Ibrahim Lodhi and Babur" (http://warfare.uphero.com/Mog
hul/Baburnama/1526-First_Battle_of_Panipat-Ibrahim_Lodhi_and_Babur.htm). Baburnama.
3. Adle C, Habib I, Baipakov KM, eds. (2004). History of Civilizations of Central Asia: Development in
Contrast : from the Sixteenth to the Mid-Nineteenth Century. United Nations Educational. pp. 474475.
ISBN 978-9231038761.
4. Grant RG. (2010). Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man. DK ADULT. pp. 126127. ISBN 978-
0756665418.
5. Barua PP. (2005). The State at War in South Asia. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803213449.
6. Kinard J. (2007). Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact. ABC-CLIO. pp. 9596. ISBN 978-
1851095568.
7. Archer CI, Ferris JR, Herwig HH, Travers THE (2002). World History of Warfare. University of Nebraska
Press. pp. 182195. ISBN 978-0803244238.
8. Singh H. (2011). Cannons Versus Elephants: The Battles of Panipat. Pentagon Press. ISBN 978-
8182745018.
9. Gommans JJL. (2002). Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and Highroads to Empire 1500-1700. Routledge.
ISBN 978-0415239899.
10. Richard JF. (1996). The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press. pp. 288289. ISBN 978-0521566032.
11. Chaurasia RS. (2011). History of Modern India: 1707 A.D. to 2000 A.D. Atlantic Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 978-
8126900855.
12. Chandra S. (2000). Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals, Volume 2 (Revised ed.). Har-Anand.
p. 228. ISBN 978-81-241-1066-9.
13. Ragani S. (1988) [1st. pub. 1963]. Nizam-British Relations 1724-1857. Concept Publishing. p. 101.
ISBN 978-81-7022-195-1.
14. Irvine W. (1903). The Army Of The Indian Moghuls: Its Organization And Administration. Luzac. pp. 113
159.
15. Unknown (159095). "Bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill during Akbar's attack on Ranthambhor Fort" (htt
p://warfare2.likamva.in/Moghul/Akbar/1568-Bullocks_dragging_siege-guns_up_hill_during_the_attack_on_
Ranthambhor_Fort.htm). the Akbarnama.
16. Schimmel A. (2004). The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture. Reaktion Books. pp. 87
89. ISBN 978-1861891853.
17. Mason P. (1974). A Matter of Honour: An Account of the Indian Army, Its Officers and Men. Jonathan Cape
Limited. p. 47. ISBN 978-0224009782.
18. Smith BG, Van De Mieroop M, von Glahn R, Lane K (2012). Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the
World's Peoples. Bedford/St. Martin's. pp. 627628. ISBN 978-0312410179.
19. Rothermund, Dietmar (2014). "Akbar 'Der Groe' " [Akbar 'The Great']. Damals (in German). Vol. 46 no. 1.
pp. 2429.

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External links
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