Battles of Babur

In this blog I am going to give you information about Battles of Babur.

Beginning with the Battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur fought several battles, which paved the way for the establishment of the Mughal Empire in India.

First Battle of Panipat (1526)

In Panipat, near Delhi, a war occurred between Babur and the ruler of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi.

Babur was a master strategist and battle-hardened. He used gunpowder in artillery to his great advantage.

He strengthened his position by resting one wing of his army in the houses of the city of Panipat and protecting the other with a ditch filled with tree branches and a defending wall.

He created the Ottoman (Rumi) device, a combination of defence and attack positions. Moreover, Babur had two Ottoman master gunners, Ustad Ali and Mustafa, in his ranks to operate the artillery attacks.

At the same time, Ibrahim Lodi was unaware of Babur's war strategy and his vigorously defended position.

After a week of war, the two extreme wings of Babur's army attacked Ibrahim's forces from the side and rear. Babur's gunners used their guns with good effect from the front.

Lodi was caught in between and was attacked from all sides by Babur. Babur gives a massive credit to his bowmen for the victory.

Battle of Khanwa (1527)

It was a battle in which the Mughal Emperor Babur defeated a confederacy of Rajputs and Afghans headed by Rana Sanga of Mewar.

Babur's decision to stay in India provoked Rana Sanga's hostility, and he began preparing for a showdown with Babur. Rana Sanga had domination over Eastern Rajasthan, Malwa.

Thus, Babur's establishment of an empire in the Indo-Gangetic Valley was a threat to Rana Sangha.

Babur accused him of breaching the agreement. He says that Sanga had invited him to India and promised to join him against Ibrahim Lodi but made no such move.

It is not known what precise promises Rana Sanga had made. However, Babur's decision to stay in India completely changed the situation.

Battle of Chanderi (1528)

After the battle of Khanwa, the power of the Rajputs was only crippled but not crushed.

To further consolidate the gains and strengthen his position, Babur conquered a chain of forts-Gwalior and Dholpur, towards the east of Agra.

He also annexed a large part of Alwar from Hasan Khan Mewati. When Babur received news that Rana Sanga had renewed war preparations to renew the conflict with him, he decided to isolate Rana by inflicting a military defeat on one of his staunchest allies, Medini Rai of Chanderi in Malwa.

Chanderi was a stronghold of the Rajputs. The Rajputs decided to fight until the end, and it was captured after the Rajput defenders had died fighting to the last man, and their women burned themselves by performing Jauhar.

After the battle of Chanderi, Babur's authority was not challenged by the Rajputs.

Battle of Ghaghra (1529)

It was fought between the forces of Babur, the Eastern Afghan Confederates under Sultan Mahmud Lodi, and the Sultanate of Bengal under Sultan Nusrat Shah.

Although the Afghans had been defeated, they needed to be reconciled to the Mughal Rule, especially in Eastern UP.

They had ousted the Mughal officials in Eastern UP and reached Kannauj. The Afghan Sardars were backed by Nusrat Shah, the ruler of Bengal, who had married a daughter of Ibrahim Lodi.

However, they needed a popular leader. After some time, Mahmud Lodi, brother of Ibrahim Lodi, who had fought against Babur at Khanwa, reached Bihar.

The Afghans hailed him as their leader and mustered strong support under him.

This was a threat Babur could not ignore. After crossing the Ganga near Banaras, he faced the combined forces of the Afghans and Nusrat Shah of Bengal at the crossing of the Ghaghra River.

Although Babur crossed the river and compelled the combined forces of Bengal and Afghan armies to retreat, he could not win a decisive victory. Being ill and anxious about the situation in Central Asia, Babur decided to patch up an agreement with the Afghan Chiefs.

He also patched up a treaty with Nusrat Shah of Bengal. The Battle of Ghaghra was important because it finished the challenge of the last of the Lodis.