Mughal conquest of Kashmir
The Mughal conquest of Kashmir was an invasion of the Kashmir Sultanate by the Mughal Empire in 1585–1589. After severe fighting and heavy casualties, the Mughals defeated the Kashmiris in the Battle of Hastivanj.
Background
By the end of 1585, Akbar was free enough to seriously plan the conquest of Kashmir. The Mughal rulers had long admired Kashmir for its cool climate, flowing streams, and charming gardens. Previously, Babur had attempted a small expedition into the region without success, and Mirza Haidar had advised Humayun to take control of Kashmir as a strategic base—indeed, Mirza Haidar ruled there for about ten years in the mid-1500s.In 1559, Ghazi Khan, who was effectively managing Kashmir, sent his envoy Nusrat Chak to Akbar in hopes of establishing friendly ties. However, when Akbar’s guardian, Bairam Khan, dispatched an army under Mirza Qara Bahadur the following year, the Mughal forces were soundly defeated by Ghazi Khan’s troops near Rajaorl. Following this setback, Akbar postponed his plans while continuing to maintain contact with the local rulers.
In 1568, his ambassadors Mirza Munim and Yakub Shah Chak visited Husain Shah’s court, where—despite some awkward interference in local affairs by Mirza Muqim—they were treated with respect. Husain Shah even sent his daughter as a gesture of goodwill, but Akbar rejected her. Later, in 1578, Akbar sent envoys to the court of Ali Shah Chak, Husain Shah’s successor. During this visit, local rituals such as the reading of the khutba and the minting of coins in Akbar’s name were observed, and Ali Shah also sent valuable gifts along with a princess for Prince Salim.
Then, in January 1580, Yousuf Shah Chak, the son of Ali Shah, fled to Akbar for safety after being overthrown by his cousin Lohar Chakk. Soon after, Akbar ordered Raja Man Singh and Mirza Yousuf Shah to help Yusuf regain his throne. However, when local nobles warned Yusuf that Mughal assistance might not be welcome, he decided to return to Kashmir on his own. With the support of his followers, he defeated Lohar Chakk in November 1580 and recovered his kingdom without any Mughal help, leaving Akbar without a strong reason to intervene further in Kashmir.
Conquest
In late 1581, after a successful Kabul campaign, Akbar sent envoys Mirza Tahir and Salih Aqil from Jalalabad to Kashmir. Yousuf Shah Chak welcomed them warmly and sent his third son, Haidar Khan, to spend a year at Akbar’s court. Three years later, at Akbar’s request, Yousuf Shah sent his eldest son Ya‘qub, who arrived on 10 February 1585. However, Yakub soon grew suspicious of Akbar’s intentions and returned to Kashmir. In October, Akbar sent Hakim ‘All and Baha-ud-din from Kalanaur to summon Yusuf or to have Ya‘qub sent back. By December, while Akbar was camped at Hasan Abdal, the envoys returned without any news of Yousuf or his son.As a result, on 31 December 1585, an army led by Mirza Shah Rukh and Raja Bhagwant Das, with 5,000 cavalry, was dispatched to Kashmir. They advanced via the Pakhli route and reached the Buliyan Pass, about fifty miles west of Baramula, only to find that Yusuf had blocked the way. Due to harsh cold, a shortage of supplies, and bad weather, the Mughal forces opted to negotiate. On 24 February 1586, Yousuf met Raja Bhagwant Das and agreed to submit to Akbar, although his son Ya‘qub and some local nobles resisted. The Kashmiris were defeated at the Kuarmat Pass by Madhu Singh, the son of Raja Bhagwant Das, and were forced to agree to terms that required minting coins and reciting the khutba in Akbar’s name, while key economic resources were placed under Mughal control. When news of the defeat reached the Mughal leaders, they accepted the agreement, and Yousuf Shah was taken to Akbar at Attock on 7 April 1586.
Later, however, Akbar rejected the treaty, imprisoned Yousuf Shah, and handed him over to Raja Todar Mal despite earlier promises of safe conduct—a betrayal that tarnished his reputation.