Sikandar Shah Suri (died 1559) was the last ruling Sultan of Hindustan from the

Sur dynasty The Sur Empire was an empire ruled by the Afghan (ethnonym), Afghan-origin Sur dynasty in North India, northern India for nearly 16 or 18 years, between 1538/1540 and 1556, with Sasaram (in modern-day Bihar) serving as its capital. It was fou ...

from February 1555 until his defeat on 22 June 1555, and the second-to-last ruler of the Surids. His defeat by

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

and loss of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

marked the end of the Sur Empire's 15-year rule over the throne of

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...

, although the Suris continued to rule the eastern portions of the empire for another year.

Early life

Sikandar Shah Suri's actual name was Ahmad Khan Suri. He was the brother-in-law of sultan Muhammad Adil Shah. He was the Surid governor of

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

before declaring independence from Delhi in 1555.Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , pp.94-6

Reign

After becoming the independent sultan and bringing the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

under control, he marched towards the territory controlled by sultan Ibrahim Shah Suri. Sikandar defeated Ibrahim in a battle at Farah near

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

and took possession of both Delhi and Agra. While Sikandar was busy with his struggle against Ibrahim,

captured Lahore in February 1555. Another detachment of his forces captured Dipalpur. Next, the Mughal army occupied

Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...

and their advanced division proceeded towards

Sirhind Sirhind is a Twin cities, twin city of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. It is hosts the municipal council of Fatehgarh Sahib district. Demographics In the 2011 census of India, 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of ...

. Sikandar sent a force of 30,000 horses but they were defeated by the Mughal army in a battle at

Machhiwara Machhiwara is one of the developing cities in the Samrala tehsil of Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib associated with Guru Gobind Singh ji and named after the Guru's fee ...

and

was occupied by the Mughals. Sikandar, then led an army of 80,000 horses himself and met the Mughals at Sirhind. On 22 June 1555 he was defeated by the Mughal army and was compelled to retreat to the

Sivalik Hills The Sivalik Hills, also known as Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'. The hills are known for their numerous fossils, and are also home to the Soanian Middle Pale ...

in northern

. The victorious Mughals marched to

and occupied it.

Later days

In late 1556, Sikandar became active again. He defeated Mughal general Khizr Khwaja Khan at Chamiari (presently in

Amritsar district Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district. As of 2011, it is the second most ...

) and began to collect taxes with Kalanaur as his headquarters.

Bairam Khan Muhammad Bairam Khan (; 18 January 1501 – 31 January 1561), commonly known as Bairam Khan or Bayram Khan was an important military commander, and later commander-in-chief of the Mughal Empire, Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at ...

sent Khan Alam (Iskandar Khan) to assist Khizr Khwaja Khan and finally on 7 December 1556

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

along with

left

to deal with him. Sikandar again retreated to the Sivaliks and took refuge in the fort at Mau under Nurpur kingdom, leading to the Siege of Mankot (1557). After six months of resistance from the besieged fort, Sikandar surrendered the fort on 25 July 1557.Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2007). ''The Mughul Empire'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, , pp.106-7 His local supporter, Raja Bakht Mal, Raja of Nurpur, was imprisoned at

and later beheaded on orders of

. Sikandar was sent to

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

where he died in 1559.

Notes

{{S-end Sultans of the Sur Empire Indian people of Pashtun descent 1559 deaths 16th-century Indian Muslims 16th-century Indian monarchs Year of birth missing 1555 in India