Brief History of Ibrahim Lodi

Ibrahim Lodi

His accession: After Sikandar’s death his eldest son, Ibrahim Lodi, was elevated to the throne with the unanimous consent of the Afghan peers on November 21, 1517.

Conquests: Ibrahim’s policy aimed at completing the work of conquest begun by his father. He decided to pursue Sikandar’s designs of conquering and annexing Gwalior which had more than once defied the late Sultan’s might. A convenient pretext was furnished by the ruler of that principality who gave shelter to Ibrahim’s brother, Jalal Khan.

Moreover, the valiant Man Singh, who had successfully resisted Sikandar, had died and was succeeded by his son, Vikramajit, who was much inferior to his father in ability and political wisdom. Ibrahim dispatched Azam Humayun Sarwani at the head of an army of thirty thousand horse and three hundred elephants to besiege Gwalior. Another army was sent from Agra to cooperate with him in this difficult task. Azam Humayun threw himself with zeal into the work of besieging the giant fortress. As a result of the operations an important outwork was captured. The siege progressed satisfactorily and eventually, the fortress surrendered. Vikramajit became a vassal of the Sultan of Delhi. This was Ibrahim’s greatest achievement.

Defeat at the hands of Rana Sanga: Anxious to push his father’s policy of aggressive conquest to its logical conclusion, Ibrahim undertook an expedition against Mewar, then the most notable State in Rajasthan. Its ruler was the valiant Rana Sangram Singh, popularly known as Sanga, without whose subjugation the Sultan could not hope to establish his supremacy in Central Hindustan. So he dispatched a powerful army against Mewar. The army of invasion numbered thirty thousand horse and three hundred elephants. But it suffered from dissension and disaffection among its chief officers. As it reached the frontier of Mewar, it was encountered and defeated by the Rana near Bakarol in the present Asind district of Mewar.