[13][14] In the early 10th century, Mewar emerged as an independent state, actively battling neighboring powers and confronting the expansion of Delhi Sultanate until the fall of its capital Chittorgarh in 1303 against the latter, leading to the annihilation of Guhila Dynasty.
[15][16] The Sisodia dynasty junior branch of Guhilas re-occupied Mewar in 1326, ushering in a golden age characterized by military prowess and territorial expansion.
[21] Eventually, falling under Maratha Confederacy's influence and accepting British suzerainty in 1818, Mewar remained a princely state until it joined the Union of India in 1947.
[22][23] Mewar's legacy includes its prolonged resistance against the Islamic invasion and traditions like Jauhar (self-immolation) witnessed during the time of defeats.
[26] Mewar is surrounded by the Aravali Range to the northwest, Ajmer to the north, and Gujarat, Vagad, and Malwa to the south, with the Hadoti region to the east.
The area features mountainous hills, plateaus, and rivers such as Banas, Som, and Sabarmati, along with dry deciduous forests that are denser during the monsoon months.
The central plains, watered by the Banas River and its tributaries, are highly cultivated, with black, light loamy soil supporting crops like cotton, maize, sugarcane, wheat, and barley, suitable for both Kharif and Rabi seasons.
[27] The boundaries of Mewar largely remained consistent except from 1326 to 1533, during which time the kingdom more or less extended from near Mandu(capital of Malwa Sultanate) in the south to Bayana in the north-east, reaching into desert areas towards the Indus River in the west.
However, due to dynastic conflicts and ongoing struggles against the Mughals and Marathas, the kingdom's size diminished, eventually covering an area of 14,000 square kilometers by 1941.
In 1326, Hammir Singh, a descendant of Rahapa, from Sisodiya dynasty(junior branch of Guhilas )attempted to regain control of Mewar, but his initial efforts were thwarted.
Khizr Khan, one of Alauddin's sons, was forced to relocate, and Maldev Songara from the Chauhan clan took charge of Mewar, successfully repelling Hammir’s assaults.
Eventually, Hammir seized the fort of Jilwara and established a base in Kelwara, allowing him to capture further territories, including Sirohi and Idar.
[45] As one of the assassins of Mokal, Mahpa Panwar, was sheltered by the Sultan of Mandu, a demand for his person was made by the Maharana, but Mahmud Khilji refused to surrender the refugee.
No sooner, however, had Rana Kumbha reached Kumbalgarh when he got the news that Shams Khan instead of demolishing, began to strengthen the fortification of Nagaur.
Kumbha, aware of this plan, came out, attacked and "defeated Imad-ul-Mulk with great slaughter," and He by forced marched Kumbhalgarh before the Sultan arrived there.
[45] After getting repeatedly defeated by Kumbha Sultans of Gujrat, Malwa and Nagor prepared to take joint actions against Mewar and divide the spoils.
[63] During his reign, Akbar, Babur's grandson, made great efforts to get the Maharana to accept his suzerainty by sending emissaries and envoys.
[67] While fighting, Jaimal Rathore, the commander of Mewari forces was shot dead by Akbar, soon after which the doors of Chittor were breached and Hindu soldiers fought to death.
[78] The Mewari soldiers starting deserting in large numbers, finding the day lost and eventually Pratap was injured and had to leave the battlefield.
During the fierce siege, Pratap had to leave the fort to his generals who defended it till April 1578 and lost to the Mughals after a heavy fight.
In 1600, his kingdom was invaded by Akbar's son Salim in which Mughals were defeated and their top generals like Sultan Khan Ghori were killed.
[100] After the war of succession, Raj Singh was able to win the favor of Aurangzeb and was awarded territories of Mandal and Bansawara and he was granted ranks.
At the height of the Rajput-Mughal war in 1680, Raj Singh died, possibly due to poisoning by Aurangzeb loyalists or by illness and fever.
Aurangzeb overcame this by writing a false letter to his son telling him to continue deceitful collaboration with Rajputs in order to destroy them.
[115] Soon, in the same year, Aurangzeb was able to strike a settlement with Jai through his son Muhammad Azam to prevent the Akbar's rebellion to grow big.
[116][117] In 1681, Jai Singh agreed to pay Jaziya, send a contingent to the deccan under the Mughals and they were granted several territories in adjacent regions in a meeting with Muhammad Azam.
[121][133] To counter the Marathas, Maharana Jagat Singh of Mewar convened a conference of Rajput rulers in Hurda in 1734, but no agreement materialised.
[121] After Ari's death in 1773, his underaged son Hamir became the Maharana and under him, a lot of power rested in the hands of his mother Sadar Kanwar and her trusted assistant Ram Pyari.
[140] As early as 1805, Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar approached the East India Company (EIC) for assistance but the Treaty of 1803 with Scindia prevented the British from entertaining the request.
[141][121] Col. James Tod was appointed as the Political agent of Udaipur to the EIC and he worked to reestablish the Maharana as the central figure in the region.