Subah of Lahore

In 1519, Babur first crossed the Indus river and took control of the entire Sind Sagar Doab up to Bhera and Khushab and by 1524 he had sacked Lahore. He then appointed representatives to key positions in his newly occupied territories, including Mir Abdul Aziz at Lahore.[2] He went on to take several key hill forts such as Kutila, Harur and Kahlur.[1] By 1526 the whole region from the Indus to the Sutlej was under his control.

After Babur's death, his son Kamran annexed the region up to the Sutlej, an act acquiesced by Humayun based in Delhi. Now lacking resources from the strategically important region, Humayun struggled in his conflict against Sher Shah Suri and fled to Kabul.[1] The region now became part of the Sur Empire.

Sher Shah instituted a policy of populating the region from Nilab to Lahore with Afghans from Roh.[3] Next he launched campaigns against the Gakkhars, about whom he suspected of being friendly with the Mughals.[3] During this period, Sher Shah constructed the Rohtas Fort near Jhelum. Following the death of Sher Shah's successor, Islam Shah. In 1556, the Sur Empire fragmented into four separate and hostile divisions. The Punjab region came under the control of Sikandar Suri who also controlled Delhi and Agra. However Mughal forces under Humayun defeated Sikandar at the Battle of Panipat in 1556 and re-established the Mughal Empire across the Punjab and northern India.

Over the next twenty four year, the Mughals gradually consolidated power in the Punjab. Campaigns followed to subdue local Zamindars, the Hill forts, and remnants of the Afghan establishment. The Gakkhars were co-opted and assimilated into the Mughal polity under Kamal Khan, son of Rai Sarang.[1] In 1566 and 1581 Mirza Hakim, half-brother of Akbar launched unsuccessful campaigns to occupy Lahore.

In 1580, Akbar re-organised his territories into twelve subahs, one of which was the Lahore Subah.

Following the death of Bahadur Shah in 1712, the Mughal Empire was ruled by a succession of rulers influenced by powerful and competing nobles. The erosion of imperial authority soon impacted the provinces where local rulers began to declare independence. The loss of territory, and failure to exert to military influence over the provinces led to a loss of revenue and financial crisis across the empire.[1] In the Lahore Subah, the tenure of governors increased and began to be seen as a hereditary post.[4] Between 1713 and 1745, the role of governor was held by just two people, father and son, Abdul Samad Khan and Zakariyah Khan.[1]

The death of Zakariyah Khan further hastened the end of Mughal rule in the subah. A conflict between the emperor Muhammad Shah and his wazir, Qamruddin, led to a delay in appointing a replacement governor.[1] Eventually, Qamruddin was made governor of both the Lahore and Multan subahs, and he nominated first Mir Momin Khan and later Yahya Khan to deputise for him as governor in the two subahs.[1]

The absence of a strong administration since Zakariyah Khan's death hindered Yahya Khan. He was forced to deal with increased raiding by Sikhs and a rebellion by Hayatullah Khan, son of the late Zakariyah Khan.[1] On 21 March 1747 Hayatullah Khan successfully defeated Yayha Khan in battle. The ousting of Yahya Khan was the first instance of a legitimate appointed governor being displaced in the subah. When his attempts to legitimise his position with the Mughal central government failed, Hayatullah Khan allied himself with Ahmad Shah Durrani, Emir of the Durrani Empire. In response, the Mughal government offered to legitimise him and grant him the subahs of Kabul, Kashmir, Thatta, Lahore and Multan if he defeated Durrani, an offer he accepted. In January 1748, Hayatullah Khan was defeated by the Afghans and fled to Delhi.[1]

Having occupied Lahore, the Afghans proceeded to Delhi however were defeated at Sirhind in March 1748. Having seen off the Afghans, the Mughals appointed Muinul Mulk, son of Qamruddin, as governor of Lahore and Multan subahs. Durrani launched a second invasion later in the year resulting in a peace agreement which gave the revenues of the Chahar Mahal, namely Sialkot, Gujrat, Pasrur and Aurangabad to the Afghans. He then faced a rebellion by first Nazir Khan, the Afghan appointed to collect the revenues of the Chahar Mahal, and later Hayatullah Khan, both at the instigation of the Safdar Jung the new Mughal wazir based in Delhi.[1] Despite successfully defeating both rebellions, Muinul Mulk was then attacked by Durrani for his failure to pay the revenues of the Chahar Mahal. Lacking support from the central government in Delhi, he again enlisted Sikh mercenaries who had aided him in his previous two campaigns.[1] The protracted conflict with Abdali led to widespread destruction across the subah and in 1752 Muinul Mulk was finally defeated by Afghan forces. The subah of Lahore was now annexed by the Afghans, however Muinul Mulk was left in place to govern until his death on 4 November 1753. The Mughals continued to claim authority in the subah and appointed their own governor Mir Momin Khan to challenge Afghan authority, even briefly re-occupying the subah in 1756, however they were quickly defeated.[1]