Ranmal


Ranmal was the Rathore ruler of Marwar from 1428 to 1438. A notable expansionist and skilled warrior, Ranmal is also noteworthy for having twice served as regent of the kingdom of Mewar under two separate kings.

Background

Ranmal was born in 1392 as the only son of Rao Chunda, the Rathore ruler of Marwar, by his wife Suram De Sankhali, daughter of Bisal. By right of primogeniture, as the eldest son of his father, Ranmal was initially heir-apparent to the throne. However, under the influence of his favourite wife Sona Mohil, Chunda was persuaded to instead appoint her son Kanha as his successor. In response Ranmal, now disinherited, left Mandore and embarked on a self-imposed exile.

Exile in Mewar

Ranmal travelled to Chittor, the fortress-capital of the kingdom of Mewar. There, he was welcomed and given a place at court by the ruler of the state, Rana Lakha Singh, who was the husband of Ranmal's sister Hansa Bai. The prince rapidly gained influence at the Mewari court, with his power reaching its zenith following the death of Lakha Singh in 1421.
Hansa Bai, due to the minority of her young son Mokal Singh, entreated Ranmal to administer the state on behalf of the new Rana. He fulfilled this role admirably over the following years, launching military campaigns against Mewar's rivals. These include Firuz Khan of Nagaur, Ahmad Shah I of Gujarat and the Hadas of Bundi. However, there was resentment among the nobles at the growing Rathore influence at court, in particular regarding the level of nepotism with which Ranmal awarded high positions. This ill-feeling even extended to the young Rana himself, eventually becoming a factor in his assassination over a decade later.

Reign

Ranmal's father Chunda was killed in battle in 1423 and was succeeded, as the latter had planned, by his younger son Kanha. However, in 1428, Kanha too died and was followed by another son of Chunda, who also had a short reign. Seeing an opportunity, Ranmal marched on the capital city, Mandore, at the head of a Mewari army and seized the throne, becoming the new Rao of Marwar.
A skilled warrior, Ranmal began expanding Rathore territory. He is recorded as conquering the city of Bikrampur after killing a certain Bhati chief named Kelana, possibly referring to Rao Kelana of Pugal, who was among those responsible for killing his father. Further to this, he defeated Hasan Khan, the Pathan ruler of Jalore, and also occupied Nagaur, with the towns of Nadol, Jaitaran and Sojat too being brought under his control. He also introduced some reforms, both in Marwar and earlier in Mewar, including the improvement of the existing systems of weights and measures.

Regent of Mewar

In 1433, Rana Mokal Singh was assassinated in a conspiracy, thus once more leaving a small child as ruler of Mewar, now in the person of Mokal's son Kumbha. Hansa Bai, now the queen-grandmother, again called on her brother Ranmal to take charge of the state until the new Rana reached his majority. Ranmal, accompanied by some of his twenty-four sons, returned to Chittor, nominally taking up the position of caretaker to his minor great-nephew, though for all intents and purposes, he became the true power in the kingdom.
The new regent's first action was to strike the allies of Mewar's rival kingdoms of Gujarat and Malwa, the latter of which having sheltered Mokal's killers. The rulers of Bundi, Abu, Bhoola and Basantgarh were crushed and the Sultan of Malwa, Mahmud Khalji, was defeated in the Battle of Sarangpur in 1437. He also began to hunt down the conspirators, with some being killed and others being forced into hiding. One of them, Mokal's paternal uncle Chacha, had his daughter Bharmali taken captive and married by Ranmal. 500 other girls belonging to the families of the fugitives were captured and given out by Ranmal to his favourites.
One of Mokal's brothers, Raghavdev, objected to this action and took the women into his protection. He began to grow apprehensive of the growing Rathore influence in the court and started preparing a resistance to Ranmal. Conversely, Ranmal also viewed the Mewari prince as a threat and too launched a conspiracy. Events came to a head when Ranmal invited Raghadev to present him with a traditional robe of honour. However, unknown to the latter, the sleeves of the robe had been sown in such a way so as to restrict his movement. Raghadev was then ambushed by Ranmal's men, who immediately cut down the helpless prince.

Assassination

The murder of Raghadev had a profound impact on public opinion of Ranmal, with both nobles and the general population already being resentful of his domination at court. Many grew fearful for the life of the young Rana, prompting chiefs to begin curtailing the regent. Chunda, eldest son and at one-time heir to the late Rana Lakha Singh, was called back to the city to avenge his brother's death. While Chunda re-entered Mewar and removed Rathore outposts outside Chittor fortress, nobles conspired against Ranmal from within. They enlisted the help of Chacha's daughter Bharmali, who was one of the wives of Ranmal. On the night of Diwali, 1438, she plied him with alcohol until he fell into a drunken stupor and tied him to his bed with his own turban. Ranmal was then set upon by assassins sent by the Mewari nobles. In spite of his bonds, he was able to stand upright, but unable to defend himself, he was ultimately killed.
The death of Ranmal caused a significant falling out between the kingdoms of Marwar and Mewar, resulting in the former's capital, Mandore, and its surrounding lands being occupied by Mewar's army. It took Ranmal's son and successor Jodha several years to reestablish Marwar's former eminence and territory.

Family

Ranmal married multiple times, as was common among the Rajput elite. His wives were:
He had twenty-four sons, many of whom subsequently became ancestors of new Rathore clans. They were: