Battle of Lahore (1748)

Battle of Lahore
Part of the Indian campaign of Ahmad Shah Durrani
Date11 January 1748
Location
Lahore, Mughal Empire (Present day Pakistan)
Result Durrani victory
Belligerents
Durrani Empire Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Ahmad Shah Durrani
Jahan Khan
Jalhe Khan (Defected from the Mughal army)		 Shah Nawaz
Diwan Kaura Mal
Adina Beg Khan
Khwajah Asmatullah Khan †
Lachin Beg
Jalhe Khan (Initially)
Units involved
18,000—40,000[1][2][3] 70,000

The Battle of Lahore was fought between Afghan forces under Ahmad Shah Durrani and Mughal forces under Shah Nawaz on 11 January 1748.[4] Zakriya Khan, the Mughal Governor of Lahore, died in 1745 and was succeeded by his son, Yahya Khan.[5] Yahya Khan's governorship over Lahore was soon challenged by his brother, Shah Nawaz, who was the governor of Multan.[5] This resulted in a war between the two brothers, lasting from November 1746 to March 1747.[5] Shah Nawaz won the war then usurped the governorship of Lahore.[6] SHe appointed Kaura Mal as his diwan and recognized Adina Beg Khan as the Faujdar of the Jalandhar Doaba.[6] Shah Nawaz used his captive brother as a bargaining tool in order to get recognition from the Delhi government. However, following Yahya Khan's escape from captivity, Shah Nawaz sought help from abroad.[6][5] He turned to Ahmad Shah Durrani, who had just taken the city of Kabul from the Mughals.[5][7] Ahmad Shah agreed to assist him, and left Peshawar in December 1747.[7][8][6] However, Shah Nawaz then changed his allegiance back to the Mughals, and fought a battle against Ahmad Shah near Lahore.[4] The battle was won by the Afghans, who briefly occupied the city of Lahore.[9]

  1. ^ Gupta, Hari (1944). Studies In Later Mughal History Of The Punjab 1707 To 1793. pp. 69–72.
  2. ^ Mehta, J (2005). Advanced Study in the History of Modern India 1707-1813. New Dawn Press Inc. p. 250. ISBN 1-932705-54-6.
  3. ^ Haig, Wolseley (1971). Burn, Richard (ed.). The Cambridge History of India Vol IV The Mughal Period. New Delhi: S. Chand & Co. p. 372.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference Ganda Singh Ahmed Shah Durrani was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).