Humayun, the eldest of Babur's four sons, was born to which of Babur's wives?

Humayun, the eldest son of Babur, was born in 1508 at Kabul to Maham Begum, Babur's chief wife.

About Maham Begum:

• She was Babur's favourite and most influential wife.
• She was the mother of Humayun, and several of her other children died young.
• After Babur's death, she helped to support Humayun's position.

Babur's four sons:

• Humayun (born 1508): son of Maham Begum; he succeeded Babur as emperor.
• Kamran Mirza: son of Gulrukh Begum.
• Askari Mirza: also a son of Gulrukh Begum.
• Hindal Mirza: son of Dildar Begum; Maham Begum brought him up as her own child.
• Babur's daughter Gulbadan Begum was also a daughter of Dildar Begum, and she later wrote an account of the family.

About Humayun's early life:

• His name means "fortunate".
• He was trained in administration and warfare from an early age.
• He fought alongside his father in the campaigns in India, including the decisive battle against Ibrahim Lodi, after which he captured great treasure at Agra, including (according to tradition) the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
• He served as governor of Badakhshan before his father's death.
• According to a famous story, when Humayun fell seriously ill, Babur walked around his bed and prayed to God to take his own life in place of his son's; Humayun recovered, and Babur fell ill and died soon after, in 1530.

Humayun as emperor:

• He ruled from 1530 to 1540, and again from 1555 to 1556.
• He faced rivalry from his brothers, the Afghans and the ruler of Gujarat.
• He was driven out of India by Sher Shah Suri, and spent about 15 years in exile, partly in Persia with the help of Shah Tahmasp.
• He regained Delhi in 1555, but died in early 1556 after falling down the stairs of his library.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Gulrukh Begum was the mother of Kamran and Askari.
• ✗Dildar Begum was the mother of Hindal and Gulbadan.
• ✗Bibi Mubarika was another wife of Babur, from an Afghan family.