The Tezkereh al Vakiat; or, Private Memoirs of the Moghul Emperor Humayun

The Mughal emperor Humayun (1508-56) ruled over parts of modern-day India, Afghanistan and Pakistan during his eventful reign. He came to the throne at the age of twenty-two in 1530 and thereafter faced a series of challenges to his control. Throughout this time he was served by his water-bearer, Jauhar, who later wrote these memoirs of his master and his campaigns. This translation from Persian to English was first published in 1832 by Charles Stewart (1764-1837), who had been a professor of oriental languages at the East India College, Haileybury. Jauhar gives a valuable eyewitness narrative of events during a fraught period of Indian history, also providing an insight into Humayun's character. The work begins with an account of his victory over Bahadur Shah and the conquest of Gujarat in the 1530s. It goes on to describe battles with Sher Shah Suri and other campaigns until his death.