Rana Sanga

He died on 30 January 1528, aged 43. It is believed that he was poisoned by some of his nobles.

Sangram Singh was born on12 April 1484 to Rana Raimal, a Rajput ruler of Mewar, in Malwa, Rajasthan, India. He belonged to Sisodiya clan of Rajputs. He had several brothers.

Rana Sanga succeeded his father, Rana Raimal, as king of Mewar, in 1508, following a fierce power struggle against his brothers. Upon assuming the throne he set about consolidating his powers in Mewar.

Having established his stronghold in Mewar, he turned his attention to the troubled neighboring kingdom of Malwa which was reeling under internal conflicts. The ruler of Malwa, Mehmod Khilji sought outside assistance from both Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi and Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. His Rajput wazir, Medini Rai, requested Sanga to come to his aid.

The prolonged conflicts between Mewar and the Muslim sultans of North India culminated in the Battle of Gagron. Sanga successfully defeated Khilji and his allies after a series of fierce battles. He took Khilji as a prisoner though he later freed him in exchange of taking his sons hostage in Mewar's capital, Chittor. Thus Rana Sanga successfully conquered Malwa.

Rana Sanga emerged as a powerful ruler after conquering Malwa. He grew more ambitious and turned his attention towards north-eastern Rajasthan, which was then under the control Khilji's ally, Lodi. He invaded the region and was successful in capturing several major areas, including the fort of Ranthambore.

Lodi retaliated and invaded Mewar. Sanga’s forces proved to be too strong for Lodi’s ethnic Afghans. The ensuing conflict, the Battle of Khatoli (Gwalior) was a very fierce one and Sanga lost his left arm and was crippled in one leg. But the Rajputs successfully gained land.

The Battle of Khatoli which Rana Sanga fought against Ibrahim Lodi was a resounding success for the Rajputs. The Maharana lost an arm by a sword cut, and was made lame for life by an arrow injury during the battle but this did not deter his spirit even a bit. Soon the Battle of Dholpur against the same adversary followed and once again Sanga defeated Lodi and captured most of present day Rajasthan.

The biggest battle Sanga fought was the Battle of Khanwa against the first Mughal Emperor Babur. Sanga’s forces were defeated in the battle resulting in Mughal victory which consolidated the new Mughal dynasty in India.