HORSES: some facts to think on….
- The ancestors of the Mughal rulers in India were nomads from central Asia. They learnt to ride and use the bow and arrows in early childhood so were famous for their skill on horseback.
- The expertise of a mounted archer was therefore difficult to replace.
- In the 16th century, expert archers on horseback were often more effective than soldiers with guns. This was because they could manoeuvre with ease and draw another arrow quicker than a gun could (at that stage) be recharged.
- The Mughals managed to keep well rehearsed in their horse-riding and archery skills even in times of peace, through their love of hunting.
- It was very difficult for armies without the expertise of the mounted archer, to train up in their own to the same level of expertise. It was a great, and long practiced skill to be able to travel at high speeds and aim and shoot arrows accurately, at the same
time.
- Those in Southern India were at another disadvantage. It was more difficult to breed horses South of the River Ganges and the River Indus, because it was too hot. Those horses from further north, places like Iran, Arabia , central Asia and the Himalayas, were far superior.
- In addition to this disadvantage, the Mughals had control of those areas in the north which controlled and supplied war horses, places like Gujarat and Bengal. The south therefore, had no access to the routes used by horse traders.
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HORSES: some disadvantages…
- Great expertise and years of experience were required to ride horses to their greatest advantage.
- To lose a skilled horse-mounted archer was therefore, a particularly long-term loss.
- Horses were expensive.
ELEPHANTS: some advantages…
- The obvious advantages of elephants are their weight and size. Elephants were used for heavy warfare - for demolishing the walls of strongholds in siege situations for example.
- With their great strength, elephants could carry cannon and other heavy artillery, and then pull them into position. They could also be used to lift logs and planks to create makeshift bridges across rivers, which could help soldiers escape from, or quickly pursue enemy armies. Elephants were also used to carry people and equipment across rivers - or even from a 'pathway' with their own bodies!
- Elephants were used as the main animal in war when the Muslim Sultans ruled in Delhi before the Mughals. Their effect in battle could be incredible. Invaders from the north were not used to the enormous beasts and were terrified of them. Lines of elephants would trample armies as they tried to flee in terror.
- There are even accounts of elephants carrying swords in their trunks!
- When Emperor Babur noticed that elephants were vulnerable to injury in battle and that they could not survive without their trunks, he invented armour for them.
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ELEPHANTS: some disadvantages…
- Cost a lot to buy
- Cost a lot to upkeep - eat an enormous amount of food (think about the significance of this if an army has been on a campaign away from home for a long time).
- Can be easily startled and then can rampage against its own army.
- A slow-moving target - easy to hit.