International Journal Of Literature And Languages
193
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
193-196
10.37547/ijll/Volume05Issue05-45
Expression of
Zahiriddin Babur’s Spirit
in The Literary
Work by Alex Rutherford
Khayrullayeva Kamola Ravshanovna
Philosophy doctor in philological sciences, PhD, Uzbekistan
Received:
31 March 2025;
Accepted:
29 April 2025;
Published:
31 May 2025
Abstract:
This article examines the first book of the epic novel "Empire of the Moghul" by English writer Alex
Rutherford, "Raiders from the North," dedicated to the life of our great ancestor, Zahiriddin Babur. At the same
time, the depiction of Babur's mental state during his childhood, adolescence, reign, and military rule is analyzed.
Keywords:
Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur, Amir Temur, Humayun Mirza, Shaybaniykhan, Khanzadabegim,
Samarkand, India.
Introduction:
It is no secret to all of us that the life path
of our ancestors, such as Amir Temur, who left an
indelible mark on world history and laid the foundation
for a strong state, Al-Beruni, Al-Khwarizmi, Ibn Sina,
who contributed to the development of science, and
Alisher Navoi, who was unparalleled in literary studies,
has been studied by many historians and writers of the
world. Among them, the exemplary life of Zahiriddin
Muhammad Babur, who was able to create a great
empire not only in Afghanistan but also in India, has not
gone unnoticed by many researchers. Of course, it is
not without reason that Babur, who studied military
tactics from childhood, acquired religious and secular
knowledge, and was educated for the future king, with
his exemplary character traits, was able to achieve
successes in his short life that some would not be able
to achieve in a hundred years.
METHODS
Many literary works, short stories and novels have
been written about Zahiriddin Babur by Uzbek, English
and English-speaking Indian writers. In particular,
Uzbek writers: Pirimkul Kadirov (“Starry nights”);
Khairiddin Sultonov (“Baburiynama”); Kamchibek
Kenja
(“Hind sorig’a”).
English writers: Flora Annie Steel (“King errant”),
Stephan Meredith Edwardes (“Babur: diarist and
despot”), Stephan Frederic Dale (“The Garden of the
Eight Paradises” (“Babur and the Culture of Empire in
Central Asia, Afghanistan
and Indian”), “Babur: Timurid
prince and Mughal Emperor”).
English-
speaking indian writers: Muni La’l (“Babur: life
and times”); Javoharlaʼl Nehru (“The Discovery of
India”); Sardor Mohammad Jaffar (“The Mughal Empire
from Babur to Aurangzeb”).
It is gratifying that the legacy left by Babur, the study of
the history of the great state he created, continues to
this day. In particular, the work that we have chosen as
the object of our work was written and presented to
readers at the beginning of the 21st century. This great
epic novel, created in English literature, expressing
interest in the life path of Babur, is called “Empire of
the Moghul”. The work consists of 6 books. The first
part of this novel was published in 2009, and the first
book is called “Raiders from the North” and it
impressively and vividly describes the life path of
Babur, the events of the foundation of a new empire in
India. Other books of the epic novel are devoted to the
period from the history of the subsequent rulers of
Babur’s empire, Babur’s descendants, to the collapse of
the empire and the occupation of India by Great Britain.
They are called: “Brothers at war” (2010); “Rulers of the
world” (2011); “Tainted throne” (2012); “The Serpent’s
tooth” (2013); “Traitors in the Shadows” (2
015). The
novel “Raiders from the North” was written by Diana
Preston and her husband Michael Preston, who both
used the common pseudonym Alex Rutherford. We will
study this work in depth and try to reveal how the
writers presented the mental state of Babur in his
youth, adolescence, reign and military rule.
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
194
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
DISCUSSION
We know from history that Babur Mirza belonged to
the fifth generation of the great commander and ruler
Amir Temur. For this reason, his father Umarshaikh
Mirza paid special attention to Babur's upbringing from
childhood and taught him to be worthy of his great
ancestor Amir Temur. The following excerpt from the
work emphasizes this very fact: “Babur’s mind returned
to Timur and his marauding soldiers. What would it be
like to feel that the whole world was yours? To take a
city and have its king writhe in the dust at your feet?
How different it would be from ruling just this little
kingdom of Ferghana. The petty politics of his father’s
court bored him. The chief vizier, Qambar-Ali, stank like
an old mule in his sweaty robes. With his long yellowing
teeth he even looked like one. And he was always up to
something, whispering in his father’s ear, bloodshot
eyes swiveling to see who was watching. Timur would
have sliced off the ugly fool’s head without a moment’s
reflection. Perhaps, Babur reflected, he would do it
himself when he eventually became king”. [Raiders
from the North, 19] It is clear from this passage that the
desire to be a worthy son of his great ancestors, to
follow in their footsteps and continue their work, was
instilled in Babur's mind from a young age. In our
opinion, Zahiriddin Babur was able to achieve the goals
he set for himself and, in some ways, even surpass his
great ancestors.
It is not reasonless that we say so. Babur Mirza, with a
small number of warriors, at the age of 13-14, captured
the virgin city of Samarkand, the capital of the state of
Amir Temur, and a kutba was read there in the name of
Babur Mirza: “He was king now . . . Would he live up to
his father’s hopes
and his glorious ancestry? As it did
so, he seemed to hear his father’s much repeated
mantra: “Timur’s blood is my blood”. His own lips
began to repeat it, softly at first but then with more
conviction. He would make both Timur and his father
proud”. [Raid
ers from the North, 20] In this passage, we
can see how much pride and honor Babur felt in being
a descendant of Timur. By the will of fate, Babur could
not spend his childhood among his peers. The 12-year-
old boy, caught in the whirlpool of the struggle for the
throne, was forced to grow up very quickly, both
mentally and physically. He learned to set goals for
himself and take courageous steps towards his goals,
and he accepted the struggle for the safety and
happiness of his family members and subordinates as a
responsible task.
“Anger surged through Babur. He would have liked to
run these men through with his sword, here and now,
like the animals they were, and kick their brainless
heads on to the dung heap. “Arrest the two looters,
Wazir Khan. They are guilty of plunder and rape. They
know the penalty. I wish it to be carried out
immediately in the presence of the other members of
their tribe”. Babur felt his gorge rise and breathed
deeply to steady himself. This was the law. He had only
done what any leader must to maintain discipline and
respect”. [Raiders from the North, 66
-67] Many
officials, arguing that Babur was still too young, did not
consider it necessary to entrust him with state affairs.
However, with his mobility and ingenuity, Babur Mirza
was able to show his place in state administration. It
was not in the nature of the young ruler to oppress and
humiliate his people. At the same time, he did not allow
his subordinate soldiers to rob or commit injustices,
even against ordinary citizens in the conquered
territory. Soldiers who did not obey the established
procedures were cruelly punished. We can clearly
witness this through the passage cited above.
Babur Mirza lost Samarkand for the first time due to
internal conflicts and a struggle for the throne with his
brother Jahongir Mirza. During his second campaign,
his youth and inexperience betrayed him in the fight
against Shaybani Khan, who had many years of
experience in battles. After the death of Shaybani Khan,
despite the fact that he had agreed with the Iranian
Shah Ismail and captured Samarkand for the third time,
he was forced to leave this country again as a result of
religious conflicts and misunderstandings. Babur's
mental experiences in this situation are described by
English writers as f
ollows: “Babur’s passion for
Samarkand
–
which had never truly belonged to him
–
had blinded him. Now he must pay for his folly, forget
Samarkand and begin again from Kabul to seek other
lands in which to satisfy his ambition for empire”.
[Raiders from the North, 315]
On the sixth evening, a messenger arrived bringing a
gift from Kabul. In a metal-lined wooden cask that, at
the start of its journey, must have been packed with ice,
he found some melons, sent by Khanzada who knew it
was his favourite fruit. Alone in his tent, as he cut into
the moist flesh and tasted the sweet juice, tears pricked
his eyes, so strong was his sense of exile. Khanzada had
meant to give him pleasure but her gift had also
brought him pain”. [Raiders from the North, 370] This
passage is taken from the events after Babur defeated
Ibrahim Lodi and conquered the land of India. The
melons of his homeland, sent by his sister Khanzoda
Beg, influenced Babur so much that they even brought
tears to his eyes. Only a person who has experienced
exile can feel homesickness, but Babur Mirza was
doomed to be away from his homeland for the rest of
his life. It is very difficult to imagine this.
Many English and Indian writers and historians refer to
Babur Mirza as a “Mongol” ruler, not a “Temurid”.
Of
course, this is not without reason, because Babur is the
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
195
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
grandson of Yunus Khan on his mother’s side and
belongs to the 12th generation of Genghis Khan. Babur
also mentions this in his autobiographical work
“Baburnama”. The state he founded has left a n
ame in
world history as the “Mongol Empire”. Writer Alex
Rutherford also comments on this historical process,
quoting Babur's own words: “I’ve chosen a name for
our new dynasty and lands. On the journey from Delhi,
a messenger caught up with me bearing an impudent
message from the Shah of Persia, written before he’d
learned of our victory at Panipat. He said that he had
heard of my enterprise
–
a “brigand’s raid” he called it.
He called me a “Moghul” –
the Persian word for
“Mongol” –
in hopes of insulting me as a barbarian
pillager. But I wrote back that I take as much pride in
my descent from Genghis Khan, greatest of all the
Mongols, as I do in my descent from Timur. To be called
a “Moghul” is no insult. I told him I will carry that name
with pride and so will our new empire which, God
willing, might soon eclipse his own”. [Raiders from the
North, 375] This passage shows that the Iranian Shah
Ismail calls Babur a "Mongol" by comparing him to his
cruel ancestors, the Mongols, and thus tries to
humiliate him. Babur Mirza, on the contrary, says that
this is not an insult, but rather a sense of pride. Because
Zahiriddin Babur was never ashamed of his Mongol
ancestors, and in his "Baburnama" he proudly wrote
that he was a Mongol on one hand. However, in his
work he emphasizes more that he is a "Temurid"
prince.
In 1526, Zahiriddin Babur, with his 12 thousand
soldiers, defeated the 100 thousand army of the Indian
king Ibrahim Lodi with the help of modern firearms and
military tactics. According to writers, Babur's first
impressions of India are as follows: “He was still finding
Hindustan a bewildering, surprising place. Compared to
his homelands it was indeed another world. Its
mountains, rivers, forests and wildernesses, its villages
and provinces, its animals and plants, people and
languages, even its rains and winds were altogether
different . . . But whereas when he had first crossed the
Indus he had thought Hindustan alien, even oppressive,
now he was starting to appreciate it. His journey had
given Babur the opportunity to show himself to his new
subjects but also to learn”. [Raiders from the North,
405] Babur's initial thoughts about India were not very
positive. In his opinion, India's language, religion,
nature, climate, customs, people, in general, all aspects
were fundamentally different from his own country.
Perhaps that is why the homesickness never left his
mind. But later, he came to know India as his own
country and carried out great gardening and
construction work there. During his short 4-year reign,
he was able to make great changes in this country.
Babur's words to his son Humyun as a testament,
feeling that his life was ending, are also expressed in a
very moving way: “Listen to me. I have some other
things to say to you. First, take care to know yourself,
to understand yourself, and how to master any
weaknesses . . . but, above all, preserve the unity of our
dynasty. I am not so foolish as to think jealousies will
not arise between you and your half-brothers. Do
nothing against them, however much you think they
might deserve it. Reconcile them, love them.
Remember the principle established by our ancestor
Timur that the lives of princes are sacred . . . Promise
me, Humayun . . . promise me you understand my
commands and will fulfil them.” [Raiders fr
om the
North, 424] Knowing how negative the struggle for the
throne with his brother Jahongir Mirza had been, Babur
did not want this fate to be repeated in his children. He
advised his son Humayun Mirza, whom he had chosen
as the heir to the throne, to love and respect his
younger brothers, not to hurt them, to respect their
dreams and aspirations, and to always support them.
Most importantly, he instructed him to do his best to
become a worthy descendant of his great ancestor
Amir Temur.
CONCLUSION
Alex Rutherford, when writing his work, first of all,
relies on Babur's autobiographical work "Baburnoma",
the work "Humayunoma" by the pen of his daughter
Gulbadanbegim, and other historical works written at
that time. But the most amazing thing is that Michael
and Diana Preston, in order to fully experience the
spiritual experiences of Babur, walked the paths he
traveled and saw with their own eyes the lands he
founded. Perhaps for this reason, the work they wrote
is written in a very convincing and impressive way,
attracting many readers and history lovers. We have
only studied the first book of the epic novel "The
Mongol Empire", "Raiders from the North". Now, in our
future research, we will continue to study the books of
the novel dedicated to the history of the subsequent
generations of Babur.
REFERENCES
Bobur. Boburnoma.- T: Yulduzcha nashriyoti, 2006.
Alex Rutherford. Raiders from the North.- New York:
St.Martin’s Press, 2010.
Khayrullayeva, K. R. (2020). Description of Zahiriddin
Babur’s achieve
ments in various fields in the works of
Uzbek and world authors. ISJ Theoretical & Applied
Science, 09 (89), 8-11. Soi: http://s-o-i.org/1.1/TAS-09-
89-2
Doi:
https://dx.doi.org/10.15863/TAS.2020.09.89.2
Ravshanovna, Khayrullayeva Kamola, and Hakimova
International Journal Of Literature And Languages
196
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijll
International Journal Of Literature And Languages (ISSN: 2771-2834)
Muhabbat Alimovna. "THE EXEMPLARY LIFE OF BABUR
MIRZA IN THE INTERPRETATION OF STEPHEN
MEREDITH."
Kamolov Ikhtiyor Nigmatullayevich, Khayrullayeva
Kamola
Ravshanovna
and
Quvvatova
Dilrabo
Khabibovna THE IMAGE OF BABUR IN THE
INTERPRETATION OF HAROLD LAMB. Journal of
Contemporary Issues in Business and Government Vol.
27, No. 4,2021. P-ISSN: 2204-1990; E-ISSN: 1323-6903.
DOI:
10.47750/cibg.2021.27.04.015.
Khayrullayeva Kamola Ravshanovna. INTERPRETATION
OF ZAHIRIDDIN MUHAMMAD BABUR
’S IMAGE IN
UZBEK AND WORLD LITERATURE. EPRA International
Journal of Research and Development (IJRD), Volume:
5 | Issue: 5 | May 2020. SJIF Impact Factor: 7.001| ISI
I.F.Value:1.241| Journal DOI: 10.36713/epra2016.
ISSN: 2455-7838(Online).
Ravshanovna, Khayrullayeva Kamola. "The imageof
babur mirza in the interpretation of stephen meredith."
ACADEMICIA: An International Multidisciplinary
Research Journal 11.11 (2021): 239-244.
Khayrullayeva Kamola Ravshanovna. (2022). THE
IMAGE OF BABUR AS KING AND LEGATE IN WESTERN
ENGLISH AND UZBEK PROSE. JournalNX - A
Multidisciplinary Peer Reviewed Journal, 8(2), 134
–
138.
https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PNJZD
Khayrullayeva, K. (2022). Similarities and differences in
the plot of the works by Flora Anna Steele and Pirimkul
Kadyrov. Science and Education, 3(3), 515-519.
Retrieved
from
https://www.openscience.uz/index.php/sciedu/article
/view/2794
Khayrullayeva
Kamola
Ravshanovna.
(2022).
TYPOLOGICAL SIMILARITIES IN FLORA ANNA STEELE'S
"KING-ERRANT" AND PIRIMKUL KADYROV'S "STARRY
NIGHTS" IN THE INTERPRETATION OF THE KING AND
COMMANDER BABUR. Eurasian Journal of Academic
Research,
2(3),
105
–
108.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6368804
Khayrullayeva
Kamola.
(2022).
TYPOLOGY
IN
DESCRIPTION OF BABUR’S IMAGE AND P
LOT OF THE
WORKS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LITERATURE. Involta
Scientific Journal, 1(6), 264
–
272. Retrieved from
https://involta.uz/index.php/iv/article/view/194
