lodhis

LODHI DYNASTY (1451 - 1526 AD)

BAHLUL KHAN (1451-1489 AD)

He was the first king and the founder of the Lodhi dynasty, with a view to
restoring the Delhi Sultanate its past glory, he conquered many territories
including the powerful kingdom of Jaunpur. Buhlul Khan extended his territories
over Gwalior, Jaunpur and upper Uttar Pradesh. He appointed his eldest son
Barbak Shah as viceroy of Jaunpur in 1486. Buhlul Khan was confused as to
who should succeed him among his sons Barbak Shah and Nizam Shah and
grandson Azam-i-Humayun.

SIKANDAR LODHI (1489-1517 AD)

After Buhlul Khan's death, his second son Nizam Shah was proclaimed the king,
under the title of Sultan Sikandar Shah, on July 17, 1489. He made all efforts
to strengthen his kingdom. He extended his kingdom from Punjab to Bihar, and
also made a treaty with Alauddin Husain Shah of Bengal. He founded a new
town in 1504 (where now the modern city of Agra stands) to control the chiefs
of Etawab, Biyana, Koli, Gwalior and Dholapur. He was also a good administrator.
He was kind to his subjects. He died on November 21st 1517 AD.

IBRAHIM LODHI (1489-1517 AD)

After the death of Sikandar, his son Ibrahim ascended the throne. A faction
of the nobility advocated a partition of the kingdom and set up his younger
brother Jalal Khan on the throne of Jaunpur. But soon Jalal Khan was
assassinated by his brother's men. Ibrahim Lodhi was not an able ruler. He
became more and more strict with the nobles. He used to insult them. Thus,
to take revenge of their insults, Daulat Khan Lodi, governor of Lahore and
Alam Khan, an uncle of Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi, invited Babur, the ruler of Kabul,
to invade India. Ibrahim Lodhi was killed at Panipat in 1526 AD by Babur's army.
Thus came the final collapse of Delhi Sultanate and paved the establishment of
new the Turkish rule in India. First Battle of Panipat The battle was fought
between Mongol prince Zahir-ud-Din Muhammad 'BABUR' and the Afghan Sultan
of Delhi Ibrahim Lodhi.

It developed over few years as Ibrahim Lodhi lost control over his noblemen and
wazirs. Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi of Delhi. The handsome Ibrahim Lodhi multi plied his
rigors at Delhi. Mian Bhua the vazir of his father was first thrown in prison then
given a cup of poisoned wine. Noblemen like Azam Humanyun (Not Babur's son)
and Hussain Khan Farmuli were assassinated. Babur promised to help Daulat Khan to fight sultan of Delhi Ibrahim Lodhi in 1523 and
made many raids into Punjab.In November 1525 he set out to meet the Sultan of Delhi.Passage of
Indus took place on 15th December.Babur crossed Satluj at Roper and reached Amballa without
meeting any resistance.Prudently Babur took up a defensive position.He based his right flank
upon city walls, a ditch protected his left flank and front lay behind a line of 700 carts tied
together with rawhide ropes to break cavalry charges.Every 100 yards passages were provided for
his horsemen to ride through for attack.Those passages were heavily defended by his archers and
matchlock men. For 8 days he waited for Sultan's attack.Ibrahim marched slowly and without plan
as his officers had never seen such defences before.Mongols have created a fort in middle of a
plain his spys informed him.Babur sent out his horsemen to raid Sultan's army on 9th April.
After a light engagement Mongol broke and ran back,it was a fient and it worked.Ibrahim was
elated at the ease with which his troops had repulsed best horsemen Babur had sent.
Overconfident and full of high hope he decided to attack. Next morning Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi
advanced rapidly. At about 400 yards Babur's Cannons opened fire noise and smoke terrified
Afghans and the attack lost momentum.Seizing the movement Babur sent out his flanking columns
to envelop the Sultan's army.Here Afghans met first time the real weapon of Mongols
'Turko-Mongol Bow'. Its superiority as an instrument of war lay in the fact that it was the arm
of the nobles,of the finest warriors.Bow in hand of a Turko-Mongol would shoot three times as
rapidly as musket and could kill at 200 yards.Attacked from 3 sides Afghans jammed into each
other.Elephants hearing noise of cannon at close range ran wildly
out of control. Ibrahim Lodhi and about 6000 of his troops were
involved in actual fighting.Most of his army streaching behind
upto a mile never saw action.Battle ended in about 3 hours with
death of Ibrahim Lodhi who was at forefront. And in place where
fighting had been the fiercest dead amid the heap of Mongols
slain of his sword,lay the vain but courageous Sultan Ibrahim,his
head was cut off and taken to Babur wrote a Mongol historian.
When Afghans fled they left 20,000 dead and wounded.