The Sayyid dynasty (1414 - 1451 AD):
The Sayyid dynasty was a Turkic dynasty. It ruled Delhi Sultanate from 1415 to 1451. The Timur invasion and plunder had left Delhi Sultanate in shambles, and little is known about the rule by Sayyid dynasty. According to historian William Hunter, the Delhi Sultanate had an effective control of only a few miles around Delhi.
The dynasty was established by Khizr Khan, deputised by Timur to be the governor of Multan (Punjab). Khizr Khan took Delhi from Daulat Khan Lodi on May 28, 1414 AD and founded the Sayyid dynasty (his clan was claimed to be the descendants of Prophet Mohammad, hence called Sayyids). But he did not take up the title of sultan and nominally, continued to be a Rayat-i-Ala (vassal) of the Timurids, initially of Timur and after his death, his successor Shah Rukh, grandson of Timur. Khizer Khan was succeeded by his son Mubarrak Khan after his death on May 20, 1421 AD. Mubarrak Khan styled himself as Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah in his coins. A detailed account of his reign is available in the Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi written by Yahya-bin-Ahmad Sirhindi. After the death of Mubarak Shah, his nephew Muhammad Khan ascended the throne and styled himself as Sultan Muhammad Shah. Just before his death, he called his son Ala-ud-Din from Badaun and nominated him as his successor.
Rulers and Reigns:
Khizr Khan 1414–1421 AD
Timur's nominee captured Delhi and still continued to be vassal under Timur and later his grandson, Shah rukh. He is the first of the Sayyid Dynasty. They ruled over Delhi and surrounding districts.
Mubarak Shah 1421–1434 AD
He succeeded Khizr at the throne after his successful expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars and the Gangetic Doab area. He was killed by the nobles in his own court.
Muhammad Shah 1434–1445 AD
The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne, but he could not survive the in-fighting among the nobles in the court. He was authorized to rule a meagre area of around 30 miles and rest of the Sultanate was ruled by the nobles. The tomb of Mohammed Shah, the last of powerful Sultans of the Sayyid dynasty, was built in 1444 AD by Ala-ud-din Shah as a tribute to Mohammed Shah in a place which will later be called in history as the 'Lodi Gardens'.
Ala-ud-din shah 1445-1451 AD
The last Sayyid king descended in favour of Bahlol Lodhi and retired voluntarily. Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which confined to Delhi and a few surrounding areas.
With Sayyid dynasty’s failing powers, Islam’s history in Indian subcontinent underwent a profound change. The previously dominant Sunni sect of Islam became diluted, alternate Muslim sects such as 'Shia' rose, and new competing centers of Islamic culture took roots beyond Delhi. The last ruler of this dynasty, Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah voluntarily abdicated the throne of the Delhi sulatanate in favour of Bahlul Khan Lodi on April 19, 1451 AD and left for Badaun. He continued to live there till his death in 1478 AD.
This brings us to the end of fourth of the five unrelated dynasties to rule Delhi Sultanate.
The Lodi Dynasty (1451 - 1526 AD):
To start with, Lodi dynasty is the only Afghan dynasty of the five unrelated dynasties to rule Delhi Sultanate. To understand how these Afghans took over the throne, we have to know little bit about the history of the first ruler of the Lodi Dynasty - Bahlul khan Lodi. Bahul's grandfather settled in Multan and was working under the then Governor of Multan under the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq(1351-88). His elder son 'Malik Sultan Shah Lodi' later served under the first Sayyid ruler Khizr Khan and distinguished himself by killing one of Khizr's worst enemies. He was rewarded with the title of Islam Khan and in 1419 AD appointed the governor of Sirhind. Bahlul, the son of Malik Kala, the younger brother of Malik Sultan was married to Malik Sultan's daughter.
In his youth, Bahlul was involved in the trading of horses and once sold his finely bred horses to the Sayyid dynasty Sultan Mohammad Shah. As a payment he was granted a pargana(Arabic. A group of villages) and raised to the status of amir. After the death of Malik Sultan, he became the governor of Sirhind. He was allowed to add Lahore to his charge. Once, Sultan Muhammad Shah asked for his help when the Malwa Sultan Mahmud Shah I invaded his territory. Bahlul joined the imperial army with 20,000 mounted soldiers. By his cleverness, he was able to project himself as a victor over the army of the Malwa Sultan and Sultan Muhammad Shah conferred on him the title of Khan-i-Khanan. He also accepted Bahlul's occupation over a large part of Punjab. In 1443 and 1447, during the reign of last Sayyid ruler Sultan Alam or Ala-ud-din shah Shah, Bahlul attacked Delhi but he did not succeed. Finally, when Alam Shah retired to Badaun in 1448, a minister of Alam Shah, Hamid Khan invited him to occupy the throne of Delhi. After the voluntary abdication of the throne by Alam Shah, Bahlul Shah ascended the throne of Delhi on 19 April 1451 and adopted the title of Bahlul Shah Ghazi.
Bahlul Khan Lodi (r. 1451-1489)
Bahlul Khan Lodi ascended the throne of the Delhi sultanate on April 19, 1451. The most important event of his reign was the conquest of Jaunpur(Sharqi Dynasty). Bahlul spent most of his time in fighting against the Sharqi dynasty and ultimately annexed it. He placed his eldest surviving son Barbak on the throne of Jaunpur in 1486.
He was nominated by his father to succeed him and was crowned sultan on July 15, 1489. He founded Agra in 1504 and constructed mosques. He shifted the capital from Delhi to Agra. He abolished corn duties and patronized trade and commerce. He was a poet of repute. He composed under the pen-name of Gulruk. He was also patron of learning and ordered Sanskrit work in medicine to be translated into Persian. He curbed the individualistic tendencies of his Afghan nobles and compelled them to submit their accounts to state audit. He was, thus, able to infuse vigor and discipline in the administration. His greatest achievement was the conquest and annexation of Bihar. He was a kind and generous ruler. He was always prepared to help his subjects. Though he was himself illiterate, he extended his patronage to art and learning. He died in 1488. The tomb of the founder of the Lodi dynasty lies close to the shrine of the noted Sufi saint, Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi, in a locality that goes by his name, 'Chirag Delhi'.
Sikandar Lodi (r.1489–1517)
Sikandar Lodi (born Nizam Khan), the second son of Bahlul, succeeded him after his death on July 17, 1489 and took up the title Sikandar Shah. Sikandar was the son of Sultan Bahlul Khan Lodi and Bibi Ambha, the daughter of a Hindu goldsmith of Sirhind. Sikandar was of Pashtun origin through his father. He became Sultan upon the death of his father on July 17, 1489. His rise to power was troubled, as his older brother, Barbak Shah, the viceroy of Jaunpur, also laid claim to the throne, even though their father had nominated Sikandar. However, he was able to ascend to the throne without massive bloodshed, and even allowed his brother to continue ruling Jaunpur. He also settled differences with an uncle, Alam Khan, who was also suspected of seeking to seize power. Sikandar was a capable ruler who encouraged trade across his territory, but discriminated against Hindu subjects. He expanded Lodi territory into the regions of Gwalior and Bihar. He made a treaty with Ala-ud-din Hussain Shah and his kingdom of Bengal. In 1503, he commissioned the building of the present-day city of Agra. Agra was founded by him. Further, he reconstructed the top two floors of the Qutub Minar with marble architecture.
He has a reputation for religious intolerance, and is said to have burned Bodhan, a Hindu sadhu alive for saying that Islam and Hinduism were equally acceptable to God. 'The History of the Delhi Sultanate' by M.M. Syed notes that Sikandar Lodi frequently razed temples and erected mosques in their place, for example at Mandrail, Utgir, and Narwar. In Mathura, he prevented Hindus from bathing in the sacred ghats and from shaving. Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and he broke the sacred images of the Jwalamukhi Temple at Naga Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.
According to sources, Sikandar Lodi made Hindus learn Persian and gave them office jobs. He wrote poetry in Persian using the pen name Gulrukhi. He introduced auditing in accounts. He took good care of justice and agriculture for the welfare of people. He introduced a system of Gaz-i-sikandari, means 32 digit for measuring cultivated lands. Among the administrative changes made by Sikandar Lodi was the installation of Persian language as the official language for the accountancy in India. Publication of the Iran Pakistan Institute of Persian Studies.
Sikandar Lodi tried to conquer the Gwalior Fort, and he attacked five times, but was foiled on all occasions by the king of Gwalior Maharaja Mansingh. He developed Agra as his second capital (after Delhi), as it took a lot of time to travel from Delhi to Gwalior. Agra was known as Shiraz of India during Sikandar Lodi's time. Finally he attacked a small region, near Gwalior named Narwar, and he had to wait 11 months at the gates of the Narwar fort, after 11 months when the people found that nothing had left to eat, they surrendered to Sikandar Lodi. Once again he attacked on Gwalior, and was defeated by Maharaja Mansingh and his wife Mrignayani. He died in 1517 and has an elaborate burial tomb that resides in Lodi Gardens, Delhi. He was a staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance. In the name of religion, he perpetuated untold cruelties on the Hindus.
Ibrahim Lodi (r. 1517-1526 AD)
Ibrahim Lodi was an ethnic Pashtun. He attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar, but was not blessed with the same ruling capability. He faced a number of rebellions. The Mewar ruler Rana Sangram Singh extended his empire right up to western Uttar Pradesh and threatened to attack Agra. There was rebellion in the East also. The problem Ibrahim Lodhi had when he ascended the throne in 1517 were the Afghan nobles. Some nobles backed Ibrahim’s older brother, Jalaluddin, to take up arms against his brother in the area in the east at Jaunpur. Ibrahim gathered military support and defeated his brother by the end of the year. After this incident, he arrested Afghan nobles who opposed him. He then proceeded by appointing new administrators, who were his own men. Other Afghan nobles supported the governor of Bihar, Dariya Khan against Sultan Ibrahim which resulted in many rebellions.
Another factor that caused uprisings against Ibrahim Lodi, was his lack of an apparent successor. His own uncle, Alam Khan, betrayed Ibrahim by supporting the Mughal invader Babur.
After being assured of the cooperation of Alam Khan (Ibrahim’s uncle) and Daulat Khan, Governor of the Punjab, Babur gathered his army. During the years 1508-19 AD, Shah Ismail I (Shah of Iran) suffered a large defeat when his large cavalry-based army was obliterated at the Battle of Chaldiran by the Ottoman Empire's new weapon, the matchlock musket. Both Shah Ismail and Babur, it appears, were swift in acquiring this new technology for themselves. Somewhere during these years Babur introduced
matchlocks into his army, and allowed an Ottoman, Ustad Ali, to train his troops, who were then known as Matchlockmen, in their use. Babur's memoirs give accounts of battles where the opposition forces mocked his troops, never having seen a gun before, because of the noise they made and the way no arrows, spears, etc. appeared to come from the weapon when fired. These guns allowed small armies to make large gains on enemy territory. Babur, however, had won two revolts, one in Kandahar and another in Kabul, and was careful to pacify the local population after victories, following local traditions and aiding widows and orphans. Pacifying the local population was an important step as their rebellions would weaken Babur's attempts.
Battle of Panipat:
Babur wanted to fight Sultan Ibrahim because he wanted Sultan Ibrahim’s power and territory. They did not want to fight against each other because of religious affairs. Babur and Sultan Ibrahim were both Sunni Muslims. Babur and his army of 24,000 men marched to the battlefield armed with muskets and artillery. Sultan Ibrahim prepared to fight by gathering 100,000 men (well armed but with no guns) and 1,000 elephants. This is known as the Battle of Panipat in 1526. Sultan Ibrahim was at a disadvantage, not only because of his out-moded infantry, but also the inter-necine(within the Kingdom) rivalries. Even though he had more men, Sultan Ibrahim had never fought in a war against gunpowder weapons. Strategically, Sultan Ibrahim didn’t know what to do militarily. Babur had the advantage right from the start. Sultan Ibrahim perished on the battlefield along with 20,000 of his men in April 1526 AD. No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim had been killed on the battle field.
After Sultan Ibrahim's tragic death on the battle field, Babur named himself emperor over Sultan Ibrahim’s territory, instead of placing Alam Khan (Ibrahim’s uncle) on the throne. Sultan Ibrahim’s death lead to the establishment of the Mughal Empire in India. Babur continued to engage in more military campaigns.
This brings us to the end of Delhi Sultanate and the start of another The Mughal Empire!
The Sayyid dynasty was a Turkic dynasty. It ruled Delhi Sultanate from 1415 to 1451. The Timur invasion and plunder had left Delhi Sultanate in shambles, and little is known about the rule by Sayyid dynasty. According to historian William Hunter, the Delhi Sultanate had an effective control of only a few miles around Delhi.
The dynasty was established by Khizr Khan, deputised by Timur to be the governor of Multan (Punjab). Khizr Khan took Delhi from Daulat Khan Lodi on May 28, 1414 AD and founded the Sayyid dynasty (his clan was claimed to be the descendants of Prophet Mohammad, hence called Sayyids). But he did not take up the title of sultan and nominally, continued to be a Rayat-i-Ala (vassal) of the Timurids, initially of Timur and after his death, his successor Shah Rukh, grandson of Timur. Khizer Khan was succeeded by his son Mubarrak Khan after his death on May 20, 1421 AD. Mubarrak Khan styled himself as Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah in his coins. A detailed account of his reign is available in the Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi written by Yahya-bin-Ahmad Sirhindi. After the death of Mubarak Shah, his nephew Muhammad Khan ascended the throne and styled himself as Sultan Muhammad Shah. Just before his death, he called his son Ala-ud-Din from Badaun and nominated him as his successor.
Rulers and Reigns:
Khizr Khan 1414–1421 AD
Timur's nominee captured Delhi and still continued to be vassal under Timur and later his grandson, Shah rukh. He is the first of the Sayyid Dynasty. They ruled over Delhi and surrounding districts.
Mubarak Shah 1421–1434 AD
He succeeded Khizr at the throne after his successful expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars and the Gangetic Doab area. He was killed by the nobles in his own court.
Muhammad Shah 1434–1445 AD
The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne, but he could not survive the in-fighting among the nobles in the court. He was authorized to rule a meagre area of around 30 miles and rest of the Sultanate was ruled by the nobles. The tomb of Mohammed Shah, the last of powerful Sultans of the Sayyid dynasty, was built in 1444 AD by Ala-ud-din Shah as a tribute to Mohammed Shah in a place which will later be called in history as the 'Lodi Gardens'.
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| Muhammad shah tomb in Lodi Gardens |
Ala-ud-din shah 1445-1451 AD
The last Sayyid king descended in favour of Bahlol Lodhi and retired voluntarily. Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which confined to Delhi and a few surrounding areas.
With Sayyid dynasty’s failing powers, Islam’s history in Indian subcontinent underwent a profound change. The previously dominant Sunni sect of Islam became diluted, alternate Muslim sects such as 'Shia' rose, and new competing centers of Islamic culture took roots beyond Delhi. The last ruler of this dynasty, Ala-ud-Din Alam Shah voluntarily abdicated the throne of the Delhi sulatanate in favour of Bahlul Khan Lodi on April 19, 1451 AD and left for Badaun. He continued to live there till his death in 1478 AD.
This brings us to the end of fourth of the five unrelated dynasties to rule Delhi Sultanate.
The Lodi Dynasty (1451 - 1526 AD):
To start with, Lodi dynasty is the only Afghan dynasty of the five unrelated dynasties to rule Delhi Sultanate. To understand how these Afghans took over the throne, we have to know little bit about the history of the first ruler of the Lodi Dynasty - Bahlul khan Lodi. Bahul's grandfather settled in Multan and was working under the then Governor of Multan under the reign of Firuz Shah Tughlaq(1351-88). His elder son 'Malik Sultan Shah Lodi' later served under the first Sayyid ruler Khizr Khan and distinguished himself by killing one of Khizr's worst enemies. He was rewarded with the title of Islam Khan and in 1419 AD appointed the governor of Sirhind. Bahlul, the son of Malik Kala, the younger brother of Malik Sultan was married to Malik Sultan's daughter.
In his youth, Bahlul was involved in the trading of horses and once sold his finely bred horses to the Sayyid dynasty Sultan Mohammad Shah. As a payment he was granted a pargana(Arabic. A group of villages) and raised to the status of amir. After the death of Malik Sultan, he became the governor of Sirhind. He was allowed to add Lahore to his charge. Once, Sultan Muhammad Shah asked for his help when the Malwa Sultan Mahmud Shah I invaded his territory. Bahlul joined the imperial army with 20,000 mounted soldiers. By his cleverness, he was able to project himself as a victor over the army of the Malwa Sultan and Sultan Muhammad Shah conferred on him the title of Khan-i-Khanan. He also accepted Bahlul's occupation over a large part of Punjab. In 1443 and 1447, during the reign of last Sayyid ruler Sultan Alam or Ala-ud-din shah Shah, Bahlul attacked Delhi but he did not succeed. Finally, when Alam Shah retired to Badaun in 1448, a minister of Alam Shah, Hamid Khan invited him to occupy the throne of Delhi. After the voluntary abdication of the throne by Alam Shah, Bahlul Shah ascended the throne of Delhi on 19 April 1451 and adopted the title of Bahlul Shah Ghazi.
Bahlul Khan Lodi (r. 1451-1489)
Bahlul Khan Lodi ascended the throne of the Delhi sultanate on April 19, 1451. The most important event of his reign was the conquest of Jaunpur(Sharqi Dynasty). Bahlul spent most of his time in fighting against the Sharqi dynasty and ultimately annexed it. He placed his eldest surviving son Barbak on the throne of Jaunpur in 1486.
He was nominated by his father to succeed him and was crowned sultan on July 15, 1489. He founded Agra in 1504 and constructed mosques. He shifted the capital from Delhi to Agra. He abolished corn duties and patronized trade and commerce. He was a poet of repute. He composed under the pen-name of Gulruk. He was also patron of learning and ordered Sanskrit work in medicine to be translated into Persian. He curbed the individualistic tendencies of his Afghan nobles and compelled them to submit their accounts to state audit. He was, thus, able to infuse vigor and discipline in the administration. His greatest achievement was the conquest and annexation of Bihar. He was a kind and generous ruler. He was always prepared to help his subjects. Though he was himself illiterate, he extended his patronage to art and learning. He died in 1488. The tomb of the founder of the Lodi dynasty lies close to the shrine of the noted Sufi saint, Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi, in a locality that goes by his name, 'Chirag Delhi'.
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| Chirag-e-Delhi |
Sikandar Lodi (r.1489–1517)
Sikandar Lodi (born Nizam Khan), the second son of Bahlul, succeeded him after his death on July 17, 1489 and took up the title Sikandar Shah. Sikandar was the son of Sultan Bahlul Khan Lodi and Bibi Ambha, the daughter of a Hindu goldsmith of Sirhind. Sikandar was of Pashtun origin through his father. He became Sultan upon the death of his father on July 17, 1489. His rise to power was troubled, as his older brother, Barbak Shah, the viceroy of Jaunpur, also laid claim to the throne, even though their father had nominated Sikandar. However, he was able to ascend to the throne without massive bloodshed, and even allowed his brother to continue ruling Jaunpur. He also settled differences with an uncle, Alam Khan, who was also suspected of seeking to seize power. Sikandar was a capable ruler who encouraged trade across his territory, but discriminated against Hindu subjects. He expanded Lodi territory into the regions of Gwalior and Bihar. He made a treaty with Ala-ud-din Hussain Shah and his kingdom of Bengal. In 1503, he commissioned the building of the present-day city of Agra. Agra was founded by him. Further, he reconstructed the top two floors of the Qutub Minar with marble architecture.
He has a reputation for religious intolerance, and is said to have burned Bodhan, a Hindu sadhu alive for saying that Islam and Hinduism were equally acceptable to God. 'The History of the Delhi Sultanate' by M.M. Syed notes that Sikandar Lodi frequently razed temples and erected mosques in their place, for example at Mandrail, Utgir, and Narwar. In Mathura, he prevented Hindus from bathing in the sacred ghats and from shaving. Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and he broke the sacred images of the Jwalamukhi Temple at Naga Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.
According to sources, Sikandar Lodi made Hindus learn Persian and gave them office jobs. He wrote poetry in Persian using the pen name Gulrukhi. He introduced auditing in accounts. He took good care of justice and agriculture for the welfare of people. He introduced a system of Gaz-i-sikandari, means 32 digit for measuring cultivated lands. Among the administrative changes made by Sikandar Lodi was the installation of Persian language as the official language for the accountancy in India. Publication of the Iran Pakistan Institute of Persian Studies.
Sikandar Lodi tried to conquer the Gwalior Fort, and he attacked five times, but was foiled on all occasions by the king of Gwalior Maharaja Mansingh. He developed Agra as his second capital (after Delhi), as it took a lot of time to travel from Delhi to Gwalior. Agra was known as Shiraz of India during Sikandar Lodi's time. Finally he attacked a small region, near Gwalior named Narwar, and he had to wait 11 months at the gates of the Narwar fort, after 11 months when the people found that nothing had left to eat, they surrendered to Sikandar Lodi. Once again he attacked on Gwalior, and was defeated by Maharaja Mansingh and his wife Mrignayani. He died in 1517 and has an elaborate burial tomb that resides in Lodi Gardens, Delhi. He was a staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance. In the name of religion, he perpetuated untold cruelties on the Hindus.
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| Sikandar Lodi Tomb |
Lodi Gardens is a park in Delhi, India. Spread over 90 acres, it contains, Mohammed Shah's Tomb(of Sayyid Dynasty), Sikander Lodi's Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad(Originally, the monument was richly decorated with blue tiles. It is not known who lies buried here. It was perhaps built during Sikandar Lodi's reign (A.D. 1489-1517) ) and Bara/Bada Gumbad(Big dome. Built by Sikandar Lodi in 1490 AD) architectural works of the 15th century by Lodhis, an Afghan dynasty, that ruled parts of northern India and Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of modern day Pakistan, from 1451 to 1526. The site is now protected by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI).
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| Bada Gumbad |
.JPG) |
| Shish Gumbad |
Ibrahim Lodi (r. 1517-1526 AD)
Ibrahim Lodi was an ethnic Pashtun. He attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar, but was not blessed with the same ruling capability. He faced a number of rebellions. The Mewar ruler Rana Sangram Singh extended his empire right up to western Uttar Pradesh and threatened to attack Agra. There was rebellion in the East also. The problem Ibrahim Lodhi had when he ascended the throne in 1517 were the Afghan nobles. Some nobles backed Ibrahim’s older brother, Jalaluddin, to take up arms against his brother in the area in the east at Jaunpur. Ibrahim gathered military support and defeated his brother by the end of the year. After this incident, he arrested Afghan nobles who opposed him. He then proceeded by appointing new administrators, who were his own men. Other Afghan nobles supported the governor of Bihar, Dariya Khan against Sultan Ibrahim which resulted in many rebellions.
Another factor that caused uprisings against Ibrahim Lodi, was his lack of an apparent successor. His own uncle, Alam Khan, betrayed Ibrahim by supporting the Mughal invader Babur.
Babur claimed to be the true and rightful Monarch of the lands of the Lodi dynasty. He believed himself the rightful heir to the throne of Timur, and it was Timur who had originally left Khizr Khan in charge of his vassal in the India, who became the leader, or Sultan, of the Delhi Sultanate, founding the Sayyid dynasty. The Sayyid dynasty, however, had been ousted by Ibrahim Lodi, an Afghan, and Babur wanted it returned to the Timurids. Indeed, while actively building up the troop numbers for an invasion of the India he sent a Memo to Ibrahim asking to returning the lands of the Delhi Sultanate. Following the unsurprising reluctance of Ibrahim to accept the terms of this "offer," and though in no hurry to launch an actual invasion, Babur made several preliminary incursions and also seized Kandahar — a strategic city if Delhi Sultan was to defend. The siege of Kandahar, however, lasted far longer than anticipated, and it was only almost three years later that Kandahar and its Citadel (backed by enormous natural features) were taken, and that minor assaults in India recommenced. During this series of skirmishes and battles an opportunity for a more extended expedition presented itself.
After being assured of the cooperation of Alam Khan (Ibrahim’s uncle) and Daulat Khan, Governor of the Punjab, Babur gathered his army. During the years 1508-19 AD, Shah Ismail I (Shah of Iran) suffered a large defeat when his large cavalry-based army was obliterated at the Battle of Chaldiran by the Ottoman Empire's new weapon, the matchlock musket. Both Shah Ismail and Babur, it appears, were swift in acquiring this new technology for themselves. Somewhere during these years Babur introduced
 |
| Matchlockmen |
Battle of Panipat:
Babur wanted to fight Sultan Ibrahim because he wanted Sultan Ibrahim’s power and territory. They did not want to fight against each other because of religious affairs. Babur and Sultan Ibrahim were both Sunni Muslims. Babur and his army of 24,000 men marched to the battlefield armed with muskets and artillery. Sultan Ibrahim prepared to fight by gathering 100,000 men (well armed but with no guns) and 1,000 elephants. This is known as the Battle of Panipat in 1526. Sultan Ibrahim was at a disadvantage, not only because of his out-moded infantry, but also the inter-necine(within the Kingdom) rivalries. Even though he had more men, Sultan Ibrahim had never fought in a war against gunpowder weapons. Strategically, Sultan Ibrahim didn’t know what to do militarily. Babur had the advantage right from the start. Sultan Ibrahim perished on the battlefield along with 20,000 of his men in April 1526 AD. No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim had been killed on the battle field.
After Sultan Ibrahim's tragic death on the battle field, Babur named himself emperor over Sultan Ibrahim’s territory, instead of placing Alam Khan (Ibrahim’s uncle) on the throne. Sultan Ibrahim’s death lead to the establishment of the Mughal Empire in India. Babur continued to engage in more military campaigns.
This brings us to the end of Delhi Sultanate and the start of another The Mughal Empire!
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