Babur possessed entraordinary merit as a person and as a ruler. Historian Vincent Smith opines that Babur was the most gifted among the contemporary kings of Asia and deserves the highest rank among the Indian rulers.
> Qualities as a ruler: Babur was only eleven years old when he lost both his father and his patrimony but he never gave up his dream of establishing an empire. He fulfilled this dream at the age of 48 years by laying the foundation of the Mughal empire in India. He fought almost incessantly for four years, from 1526 to 1530 against the Afghans and the Rajputs. He paid attention to various features of administration like revenue collection, and improvement of agriculture. He retained the Sultanate system of administration though he divided authority of his empire among the Amirs.
>> Remarks: Considering all the points mentioned above, Babur is said to have failed as a ruler. Since he was greatly engaged in waging wars against Afghans and Rajputs it was not possible for him to pay attention to the administration or to consolidate his empire.
>> Qualities as a person: Babur was a man of versatile qualities | Historian Rushbrook Williams lists qualities of Babur like ambition, farsightedness, military acumen, ability to inspire loyalty in his soldiers, sense of justice and tolerant outlook. His relative Mirza Haidar says that Babur possessed a possessed a combination of indomitable courage and humanity. 2 He was fond of nature, literature, learning and music.
3 He was affectionate and dutiful towards his friends and relatives.