Q. Match the following figures/regions with their role in the early life and struggles of Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur:
Figure/RegionRole in Babur’s Early Career
1. Shaybani KhanThe Uzbek chief who repeatedly defeated Babur and drove him out of Transoxiana.
2. FarghanaBabur’s original homeland, which he lost and regained multiple times in his youth.
3. Shah Ismail SafaviThe Persian ruler whose aid Babur temporarily secured to regain Samarqand.
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer: C
Notes:
Explanation:
- Pair 1: Correct. Shaybani Khan was the powerful Uzbek leader of the Shaibanids who was Babur’s chief adversary in Central Asia, leading to Babur’s ultimate abandonment of Samarqand and Transoxiana.
- Pair 2: Correct. Farghana (a small principality near Samarqand) was Babur’s ancestral patrimony and the first territory he struggled to secure after his father’s death.
- Pair 3: Correct. Babur formed a crucial but short-lived alliance with Shah Ismail Safavi of Persia (Iran) to recapture Samarqand, but the alliance alienated his Sunni subjects and soon collapsed.
