Babur

(1483-1530)

   The founder of the Mughal Empire in India, Zaheer al-Din Muhammad Babur was a descendant of Timur. He had succeeded his father, Umar Shaikh Mirza, on the throne of Farghana at the age of 11. Having been driven away from Farghana, Babur established himself at Kabul in 1504.

   In 1505, he occupied Ghazni and made raids as far as the Indus River. Failing to establish himself at Samarqand with the help of the Safavids in 1512, Babur became more inclined toward extending his sway into the region to the east of the Indus, then ruled by the Lodis. In 1519, he succeeded in temporarily occupying parts of the Punjab. Five years latter (1524), Babur undertook another expedition into the Punjab and sacked Dipalpur and Lahore but had to retreat because the promised cooperation of disaffected Lodi nobles did not materialize. Babur's final invasion of India led to his victory over Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat (1526), which is famous for Babur's effective use of firearms. During his short reign in India (1526-1530), Babur not only overcame the resistance of the Afghan chiefs but also defeated the formidable alliance of other local rulers led by Rana Sanga in the battle of Kanwa (1527).