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{{Cannon}}

'''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.

==History==
[[File:1526-First Battle of Panipat-Ibrahim Lodhi and Babur.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Battle of Panipat<ref>{{cite web|last=unknown |url=http://warfare.uphero.com/Moghul/Baburnama/1526-First_Battle_of_Panipat-Ibrahim_Lodhi_and_Babur.htm |title=1526, First Battle of Panipat, Ibrahim Lodhi and Babur |date=1590s |work=Baburnama}}</ref>]]
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 use of cannon at [[Hisar (city)|Hisar]] by the [[Timurid dynasty|Timurid]] [[Husayn Bayqarah|Sultan Husayn Mirza]] in 1496 did not lead to a substantial military role for artillery in India,<ref name="Adle2004"/> nor did the presence of Portuguese ship's cannon at the 1509 [[Battle of Diu (1509)|Battle of Diu]].<ref name="Grant2010"/> However, following the decisive [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] victory over the [[Safavid Empire]] at the 1514 [[Battle of Chaldiran]], [[Babur]] incorporated artillery and Ottoman artillery tactics into his military.<ref name="Adle2004"/> Although authorities disagree about how many cannons he brought to India,<ref name="Barua2005"/> Babur's artillery played a "key role" in the establishment of the Mughal Empire.<ref name="Kinard2007"/> In 1526, the [[Battle of Panipat (1526)|First Battle of Panipat]] saw the introduction of massed artillery tactics to Indian warfare.<ref name="Barua2005"/> Under the guidance of Ottoman gun master<ref name="Adle2004"/> [[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 of his firepower.<ref name="Archer2002"/><ref name="Singh2011"/> This tactic also panicked Lodi's elephant cavalry, beginning the end of elephant warfare as a dominant offensive strategy in India.<ref name="Barua2005"/> These new weapons and tactics were even more important<ref name="Archer2002"/> against the more formidable army faced in the [[Battle of Khanwa]] the following year.<ref name="Barua2005"/>

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,<ref name="Archer2002"/> even as weapon technology improved during the reign of [[Akbar]].<ref name="Gommans2002"/>

Later emperors paid less attention to the technical aspects of artillery, allowing the Mughal Empire to gradually fall behind in weapon technology,<ref name="Richards1996"/> although the degree to which this decline affected military operations is debated.<ref name="Gommans2002"/> Under [[Aurangzeb]], the Mughal technology remained superior to that of the breakaway [[Maratha]],<ref name="Barua2005"/> but traditional Mughal artillery tactics were difficult to employ against Maratha guerilla raids.<ref name="Chaurasia2011"/> In 1652 and 1653, during the [[Mughal–Safavid War (1649–1653)|Mughal–Safavid War]], prince [[Dara Shikoh]] was able to move light artillery through the [[Bolan Pass]] to assist in the siege of [[Qandahar]].<ref name="Gommans2002"/> But problems with the accuracy and reliability of the weapons,<ref name="Richards1996"/> as well as the inherent defensive strengths of the fort,<ref name="Chandra2000"/> 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<ref name="Gommans2002"/> and performed poorly against colonial forces, such as [[Jean Law de Lauriston]]'s French troops.<ref name="Regani1988"/>

==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."<ref name="Irvine1903"/> This array of weapons was divided into heavy and light artillery.<ref name="Gommans2002"/><ref name="Irvine1903"/>

[[File:Bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill during the attack on Ranthambhor Fort.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill during Akbar's attack on Ranthambhor Fort<ref>{{cite web |last=Unknown |url=http://warfare2.likamva.in/Moghul/Akbar/1568-Bullocks_dragging_siege-guns_up_hill_during_the_attack_on_Ranthambhor_Fort.htm |title=Bullocks dragging siege-guns up hill during Akbar's attack on Ranthambhor Fort |date=1590–95 |work=the Akbarnama |access-date=2014-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519132308/http://warfare2.likamva.in/Moghul/Akbar/1568-Bullocks_dragging_siege-guns_up_hill_during_the_attack_on_Ranthambhor_Fort.htm |archive-date=2014-05-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]

===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 1527 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]]''.<ref name="Schimmel2004"/> 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''),<ref name="Irvine1903"/><ref name="Mason1974"/> and inscriptions, sometimes in verse. They were not only weapons, but "real works of art".<ref name="Schimmel2004"/> Their artistry did not make them easier to move, however. Rugged passes and water crossings were insurmountable barriers,<ref name="Irvine1903"/> and even when they could be moved, it was a slow process requiring sixteen<ref name="Schimmel2004"/> or twenty oxen for relatively moderate cannons such as Humayun's. [[Muhammad Azam Shah]] was forced to abandon his heavy artillery en route to the [[Churaman#The battle of Jajau and rise of Churaman|Battle of Jajau]].<ref name="Irvine1903"/> 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.<ref name="Smith2012"/>

Other heavy artillery included mortars<ref name="Gommans2002"/><ref name="Irvine1903"/> and mines deployed by sappers against fortress walls.<ref name="Irvine1903"/> Although these weapons had noticeable successes, such as the victory at the [[Siege of Chittorgarh (1567–1568)|Siege of Chittorgarh]] in 1567, their preparation and deployment came at the cost of substantial Mughal losses.<ref name="Schimmel2004"/>
{{clear|left}}

===Light artillery===
[[File:Reminiscences of Imperial Delhi Camel Artillery Man.PNG|thumb|Camel-mounted swivel gun (''zamburak'')]]
Mughal light artillery, also known as artillery of the stirrup,<ref name="Gommans2002"/><ref name="Chandra2000"/> consisted of a variety of smaller weapons. Animal-borne [[swivel guns]] saw widespread use in several forms.<ref name="Richards1996"/> 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.<ref name="Irvine1903"/> Other light guns were mounted on wheeled carts, pulled by oxen<ref name="Irvine1903"/> or horses.<ref name="Grant2010"/>

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 emperor on his journeys through the empire. The Mughal artillery's main use in battle was to counter hostile [[war elephant]]s which were common in warfare on the Indian subcontinent. But although emperor [[Akbar]] personally used to design gun 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.<ref name=Rothermund/>

Grenadiers and rocket-bearing soldiers were also considered part of the Mughal light artillery.<ref name="Irvine1903"/>
{{clear|both}}

==See also==
* {{portal-inline|War}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
<ref name="Adle2004">{{cite book |veditors=Adle C, Habib I, Baipakov KM |title=History of Civilizations of Central Asia: Development in Contrast : from the Sixteenth to the Mid-Nineteenth Century |publisher=United Nations Educational |year=2004 |isbn=978-9231038761 |pages=474–475}}</ref>

<ref name="Archer2002">{{cite book |vauthors=Archer CI, Ferris JR, Herwig HH, ((Travers THE)) |title=World History of Warfare |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0803244238 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/worldhistoryofwa00arch/page/182 182–195] |url=https://archive.org/details/worldhistoryofwa00arch/page/182 }}</ref>

<ref name="Barua2005">{{cite book |author=Barua PP. |title=The State at War in South Asia |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2005 |isbn=978-0803213449}}</ref>

<ref name="Chandra2000">{{cite book |author=Chandra S. |title=Medieval India: From Sultanat to the Mughals, Volume 2 |edition=Revised |publisher=Har-Anand |year=2000 |page=228 |isbn=978-81-241-1066-9}}</ref>

<ref name="Chaurasia2011">{{cite book |author=Chaurasia RS. |title=History of Modern India: 1707 A.D. to 2000 A.D. |publisher=Atlantic Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-8126900855 |page=7}}</ref>

<ref name="Gommans2002">{{cite book |author=Gommans JJL. |title=Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and Highroads to Empire 1500-1700 |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |isbn=978-0415239899}}</ref>

<ref name="Grant2010">{{cite book |author=Grant RG. |title=Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man |publisher=DK ADULT |year=2010 |isbn=978-0756665418 |pages=126–127}}</ref>

<ref name="Irvine1903">{{cite book |author=Irvine W. |author-link=William Irvine (historian) |title=The Army Of The Indian Moghuls: Its Organization And Administration |publisher=Luzac |year=1903 |pages=113–159}}</ref>

<ref name="Kinard2007">{{cite book |author=Kinard J. |title=Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2007 |isbn=978-1851095568 |pages=95–96}}</ref>

<ref name="Mason1974">{{cite book |author=Mason P. |title=A Matter of Honour: An Account of the Indian Army, Its Officers and Men |publisher=Jonathan Cape Limited |year=1974 |isbn=978-0224009782 |page=47}}</ref>

<ref name="Regani1988">{{cite book |author=Ragani S. |title=Nizam-British Relations 1724-1857 |publisher=Concept Publishing |year=1988 |orig-year=1st. pub. 1963 |isbn=978-81-7022-195-1 |page=101}}</ref>

<ref name="Richards1996">{{cite book |author=Richard JF. |title=The Mughal Empire |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0521566032 |pages=288–289}}</ref>

<ref name=Rothermund>{{cite magazine|title=Akbar 'Der Große' |trans-title=Akbar 'The Great' |language=de |magazine=[[Damals]] |first=Dietmar |last=Rothermund |author-link=Dietmar Rothermund |year=2014 |issue=1 |volume=46 |pages=24–29}}</ref>

<ref name="Schimmel2004">{{cite book |author=Schimmel A. |title=The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture |publisher=Reaktion Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-1861891853 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/empireofgreatmug00anne/page/87 87–89] |url=https://archive.org/details/empireofgreatmug00anne/page/87 }}</ref>

<ref name="Singh2011">{{cite book |author=Singh H. |title=Cannons Versus Elephants: The Battles of Panipat |publisher=Pentagon Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-8182745018}}</ref>

<ref name="Smith2012">{{cite book |vauthors=Smith BG, Van De Mieroop M, von Glahn R, Lane K |title=Crossroads and Cultures: A History of the World's Peoples |publisher=Bedford/St. Martin's |year=2012 |isbn=978-0312410179 |pages=627–628}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Mughal artillery}}

[[Category:Indo-Persian weaponry]]
[[Category:Military of the Mughal Empire]]
[[Category:Artillery of India]]
[[Category:Warfare of the Early Modern period]]

Mughal artillery - Revision history

Shah am: brief refined references per sources and fixed typos per standard format

Bot: robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page.