Power Politics and Regency of Bairam Khan (1556 – 1560)

• At Humayun’s death, Akbar was only thirteen years old.
• Bairam Khan, Humayun’s confidant and Akbar’s tutor, served as the regent from 1556-1560.
• The regency period can be divided into four phases:

1. 1. Phase 1: From Akbar’s accession to before the second battle of Panipat (January-October 1556). Nobles accepted Bairam Khan’s leadership to protect their interests.
   2. Phase 2: Marked by the second battle of Panipat and the arrival of the royal ladies (Hamida Banu Begum and Maham Anaga). Bairam Khan was in absolute control of state affairs and attempted to create a personal following.
   3. Phase 3: Lasted until mid-1559. Bairam Khan’s influence and power began to decline.
   4. Phase 4: Bairam Khan attempted to regain control amidst growing factional strife, ultimately leading to his dismissal.

• Politically, the first phase was insecure due to Humayun’s death and a challenge by the Afghan forces under Hemu.
• The only alternative to save the situation was to appoint a regent, and Bairam Khan was appointed wakil (regent).
• Despite fears of a noble’s de facto sovereignty disrupting mutual relations, there was no opposition to Bairam Khan’s appointment.
• While nobles accepted his regency, they aimed to share power with Bairam Khan, who was determined to exercise power rigidly.
• Bairam Khan eliminated nobles who challenged him, dismissing and imprisoning Shah Abul Ma’ali, a critic.
• Nobles who posed a challenge were sent to Kabul. Bairam Khan sought support from Mun’im Khan and Ali Quli Khan Uzbeg but distrusted Mun’im Khan.
• In May 1556, Mirza Sulaiman attacked Kabul, and Bairam Khan used this time to strengthen his power at court.
• Tensions in the nobility were on the verge of crisis by the time of the second battle of Panipat.
• Bairam Khan ordered the execution of Tardi Beg without the emperor’s sanction, accusing him of treachery, which caused dissension among the nobles.
• After the victory at Panipat, Bairam Khan’s power was revived, and he strengthened his position by distributing titles and jagirs in the Doab and rewarding his loyalists.
• Pir Muhammad Khan was appointed personal wakil, Khwaja Aminuddin as bakshi, and Shaikh Gadai as sadr.
• Bairam Khan was in complete control of affairs within six months of Tardi Beg’s execution.
• To strengthen his position, Bairam Khan prevented access to the king, especially from potential rivals like Mun’im Khan and Khwaja Jalaluddin Mahmud, who were sent to Kabul and not allowed to return to court.
• His growing power and de facto authority were resented by the nobility.
• Bairam Khan’s position weakened after the arrival of Hamida Banu Begum and Maham Anaga from Kabul in April 1557, with Maham Anaga having previously supported him.
• Bairam Khan was compelled to compromise on the functioning of the central government, sharing power with leading nobles.
• As wakil, Bairam Khan could not place any proposals before the king without the consent of the nobles, which diminished his power.
• By 1558, even his personal wakil, Pir Muhammad, turned against him.
• In 1559, Bairam Khan attempted a coup by replacing Pir Muhammad with Muhammad Khan Sistani as his personal wakil and giving additional charges to his favorites like Shaikh Gadai.
• Despite these efforts, Bairam Khan remained isolated from the majority of the nobility and king and faced resentment due to his authoritarianism.
• R.P. Tripathi accused Bairam Khan of granting favors to Shias at the expense of Sunnis, but I.A. Khan argued there was no historical evidence to support religious favoritism, pointing out that Shaikh Gadai was a Sunni.
• Bairam Khan’s failure to win the king’s confidence led to his dismissal in March 1560, with his loyalists either supporting the king or remaining neutral.
• The period of Bairam Khan’s regency reveals that political power was actually vested in the nobility, who accepted Bairam Khan’s authority only in a limited sense.
• Bairam Khan failed to acquire absolute power, depending on various sections of the nobility to maintain his position.
• His attempts to curb the nobility by promoting junior officers and inefficient amirs alienated large sections of the nobility.
• The conflict between Bairam Khan and the nobility was a struggle between central authority (represented by the regent) and the nobility.
• The king was a mere figurehead during this period, often used as a tool by Bairam Khan’s opponents.
• Bairam Khan attempted to unite the two major groups of Mughal nobility—the Chaghatai and Khurasani—but was seen as trying to curb their power, causing resentment.
• Even Bairam Khan’s loyalists realized that they could not accept central authority and resisted Bairam Khan’s efforts at centralisation.
• Bairam Khan’s regency was marked by contradictions, as he tried to curtail the nobility’s independence while depending on their support for his power.
• He could not introduce a new group to balance opposition, as Afghans were contenders to the throne and recruiting Rajput chiefs or zamindars would have been a long process.
• Eventually, Bairam Khan’s failure to gain support from the nobility led to his overthrow.
• His exit marked the triumph of forces against central authority in the Mughal polity, setting the stage for Akbar’s struggles with the nobility between 1562-1567.
• Throughout Bairam Khan’s regency, political power rested with the dominant section of the nobility, particularly the Chaghtais and other Turani groups.
• Bairam Khan could exercise power only as long as the nobles supported him, and after Hemu’s defeat at Panipat, they resisted his centralization efforts.