First Battle of Panipat

Date: 21 April 1526
Location: Panipat, Haryana, India
Result: Mughal victory
Territorial changes: Delhi Sultanate annexed by Mughals

Belligerents:
Mughal Empire
Lodi Empire

The first battle of Panipat took place in Northern India, and marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire. This was one of the earliest battles involving gunpowder firearms and field artillery.

In 1526, the Mughal forces of Babur, the Timurid ruler of Kabulistan, defeated the much larger Indian army of Ibrahim Lodi, Sultan of Delhi.

The battle was fought on 21 April near the small village of Panipat, in the present day Indian state of Haryana, 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 around 15,000 men and had between 20 to 24 pieces of field artillery. Babur estimated Lodi 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 elephants. Lodi’s army was mostly Hindus although he and his dynasty was Muslim of Pashtun ethnic background.

The advantage of guns at the time of war It is generally told that Babur’s guns proved decisive in battle, firstly because Ibrahim Lodi lacked any field artillery, but also because the sound of the cannon frightened Lodi’s elephants, causing them to trample Lodi’s own men.

Ibrahim Lodi died on the field of battle, abandoned by his feudatories and generals (many of whom were mercenaries). Most of them changed their allegiance to the new master of Delhi. However had Sultan Ibrahim survived another hour of fighting he would have won, as Babur had no reserves and his troops were rapidly tiring.