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First battle of Panipat
 
 
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The first battle of Panipat took place in northern
North India

Northern India is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from Tibet and Central Asia....
 India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was a Muslim imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century....
. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder
Gunpowder warfare

Early Modern warfare is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive....
 firearm
Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
s and field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
.

In 1526, the forces of Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur
Babur

Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal Empire of Indian subcontinent....
, the ruler of Kabul
Kabul

Kabul is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately three million. It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 foot above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River....
 and of Timurid
Timur

Timur , among his other names, commonly known as Tamerlane in the West, was a 14th century Turko-Mongol conqueror of much of western and Central Asia, and founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire of India....
 descent, defeated the much larger army of Ibrahim Lodhi
Ibrahim Lodhi

Ibrahim Lodhi was the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was an Afghan people who ruled over much of India from 1517-1526, when he was defeated by the Mughals, who established a new dynasty that would last some three centuries....
, the ruler of the large North India
North India

Northern India is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from Tibet and Central Asia....
n Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate refers to the many Muslim countries that ruled in Hindustan from 1206 to 1526. Several Turkic peoples and Pashtun people dynasties ruled from Delhi: the Mamluk Sultanate , the Khilji dynasty , the Tughlaq dynasty , the Sayyid dynasty , and the Lodhi dynasty ....
.

The battle was fought on April 21 near the small village of Panipat
Panipat

Panipat is an ancient and historic city in Panipat District, Haryana States and territories of India, India. It is 90 km from Delhi on List of National Highways in India-1 and comes under the National Capital Territory of Delhi....
, in the present day Indian state of Haryana
Haryana

Haryana is a States and territories of India in the Punjab region of northern India. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south....
, an area that has been the site of a number of decisive battles for the control of Northern India since the twelfth century.

It is estimated that Babur's forces numbered about 15,000 men and he had between 15 to 20 pieces of field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
, however Lodhi had around 100,000 men, though that number included camp followers, while the fighting force was around 30,000 to 40,000 men in total, along with at least 100 war elephant
War elephant

A war elephant is an elephant trained and guided by humans for combat. Their main use was in charge s, to trample the enemy and/or break their ranks....
s.






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The first battle of Panipat took place in northern
North India

Northern India is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from Tibet and Central Asia....
 India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
, and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire
Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was a Muslim imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century....
. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder
Gunpowder warfare

Early Modern warfare is associated with the start of the widespread use of gunpowder and the development of suitable weapons to use the explosive....
 firearm
Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
s and field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
.

In 1526, the forces of Zahir al-Din Muhammad Babur
Babur

Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal Empire of Indian subcontinent....
, the ruler of Kabul
Kabul

Kabul is the Capital and largest city of Afghanistan, with a population of approximately three million. It is an economic and cultural centre, situated 5,900 foot above sea level in a narrow valley, wedged between the Hindu Kush mountains along the Kabul River....
 and of Timurid
Timur

Timur , among his other names, commonly known as Tamerlane in the West, was a 14th century Turko-Mongol conqueror of much of western and Central Asia, and founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, which survived until 1857 as the Mughal Empire of India....
 descent, defeated the much larger army of Ibrahim Lodhi
Ibrahim Lodhi

Ibrahim Lodhi was the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was an Afghan people who ruled over much of India from 1517-1526, when he was defeated by the Mughals, who established a new dynasty that would last some three centuries....
, the ruler of the large North India
North India

Northern India is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage. The dominant geographical features of northern India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from Tibet and Central Asia....
n Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate refers to the many Muslim countries that ruled in Hindustan from 1206 to 1526. Several Turkic peoples and Pashtun people dynasties ruled from Delhi: the Mamluk Sultanate , the Khilji dynasty , the Tughlaq dynasty , the Sayyid dynasty , and the Lodhi dynasty ....
.

The battle was fought on April 21 near the small village of Panipat
Panipat

Panipat is an ancient and historic city in Panipat District, Haryana States and territories of India, India. It is 90 km from Delhi on List of National Highways in India-1 and comes under the National Capital Territory of Delhi....
, in the present day Indian state of Haryana
Haryana

Haryana is a States and territories of India in the Punjab region of northern India. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south....
, an area that has been the site of a number of decisive battles for the control of Northern India since the twelfth century.

It is estimated that Babur's forces numbered about 15,000 men and he had between 15 to 20 pieces of field artillery
Field artillery

Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, long range, short range and extremely long range target engagement....
, however Lodhi had around 100,000 men, though that number included camp followers, while the fighting force was around 30,000 to 40,000 men in total, along with at least 100 war elephant
War elephant

A war elephant is an elephant trained and guided by humans for combat. Their main use was in charge s, to trample the enemy and/or break their ranks....
s. Babur's guns proved decisive in battle, firstly because Ibrahim Lodhi lacked any field artillery but also because elephants are scared of guns. Babur could use the guns to scare the elephants away, causing them to trample Lodhi's own men. Babur was an inspirational leader of men and commanded a well disciplined army.

Ibrahim Lodhi died on the field of battle, abandoned by his feudatories and generals (many of whom were mercenaries), most of whom would change their allegiance to the new master of Delhi.

The battle marked the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India. The word Mughal means Mongol and alludes to the Turkic
Turkic peoples

The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern, central and western Eurasia, and who mostly speak languages belonging to the Turkic languages....
 and Mongol
Mongols

The name Mongol specifies one or several ethnic groups, now mainly located in Mongolia, China, and Russia....
 origins of Babur and his officers, though the majority of his troops were of Pathan
Pashtun people

Pashtuns , also called Pathans , ethnic Afghans, are an Eastern Iranian ethno-linguistic group with populations primarily in Afghanistan and in the North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan provinces of western Pakistan....
, Indian and mixed Central Asia
Central Asia

Central Asia is a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the west to central China in the east, and from southern Russia in the north to northern India in the south....
n descent.

Source


See also

  • Battle of Panipat (1556)
  • Battle of Panipat (1761)
  • Babur
    Babur

    Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal Empire of Indian subcontinent....