Another genre of historical writing in 14 th century is Sultan Firoz Shah’s
autobiography or memoir Futuhat-i-Firozshahi. It is a mere brochure of thirty two
pages, which is significant that it appeared in the form of inscription. Its importance
lies in the fact that it gives the rulers’ own perspective to the policies he introduced
during his reign.
During the Mughal rule in India, a new tradition of history writing by official
chroniclers came into, existence. These chroniclers, appointed by almost all the
Mughal emperors till the reign of Aurangzeb, were provided access to the official
records that could facilitate them in writing histories. It was the most significant
feature of the Indo-Persian tradition of history writing under the Mughal rule.
Another very striking feature of the period was the autobiographical accounts written
by emperors themselves. Some of the best-known works in this genre included Tuzuk-
i-Baburi (in Turkish) by Babur and Tuzuk-i Jahangiri (in Persian) by Jahangir. Besides
the official works, several independent works were written by independent scholars
presenting a critical account of the policies and events of the period.
Babur’s Reign:
Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, who invaded India and supplanted the Lodi rule by his
Own in 1526, was a prolific writer. His autobiography Tuzuk-i-Baburi, written in
Turkish is a literary masterpiece, containing the history of the rise and fall of the
Timurid power in central Asia, biographical account about himself, the description of
life and culture in India and the diary of events that took place in the course of
campaigns he led against his rivals. Though Babur's account on his dealings with the
rulirvg elite in India lacks objectivity, he is full of praise for India's resources and the
availability of skilled craftsmen and artisans.
Humayun’s Reign:
Humayun (1530-1555) commissioned a renowned scholar, Khawandmir, to compose
the history of his reign. Khawandmir prepared a brief account of Humayun's reign
from his accession up to the year 1535. Qannu-i Humayuni sheds interesting light on
Humayun's state policy, particularly towards the Indian nobles and landed aristocracy.
Official histories during Akbar’s reign:
Akbar proposed to have a written history of the Muslim rulers from the death of the
prophet up to his own time on the completion of the first millennium of Islam, i.e., a
history of one thousand years, called Tarikh-i Alfi. At Akbar's instance, Gulbadan
Begum, the daughter of Babur, wrote Humayunnama which sheds light on the lives
and culture of the royal harem. Bayazid Biyat's Tazkirat-i Humayun wa Akbar and
Jauhar Aftabchi's Tazkirat-ul Waqiat are also important works written at Akbar's
order.