Babur’s 1525–1526 campaign into northwestern India gathered momentum as he moved into the Punjab region, positioning his forces for a decisive confrontation with the Lodi Sultanate.
A Mughal detachment led by Babur and his son Humayun defeated Afghan forces under Hamid Khan at Hisar, an early engagement that helped secure Babur’s advance toward Delhi.
Babur arrived near Panipat and began preparing field fortifications and artillery positions, shaping the battlefield for the coming clash with Ibrahim Lodi.
Babur defeated and killed Sultan Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat, using field fortifications and gunpowder artillery to overcome a larger army; the victory opened the road to Delhi and is widely treated as the foundation of Mughal power in North India.
Following Panipat, Babur moved into Delhi, consolidating the political center of the former Lodi Sultanate under his control.
Babur entered Agra, and Mughal forces secured the former sultanate’s resources there—an important step in turning victory at Panipat into a functioning imperial base.
Babur defeated a major Rajput-led coalition under Rana Sanga at Khanwa, a victory that checked the most formidable immediate challenge to Mughal authority in North India after Panipat.
After stabilizing his position around Agra, Babur moved against remaining regional strongholds in central India, initiating operations that targeted the fortress of Chanderi.
Babur’s forces besieged and captured Chanderi, eliminating a key fortified center in Malwa and reinforcing Mughal reach beyond the core Delhi–Agra axis.
Babur won a decisive victory on the Ghaghara River against an eastern Afghan confederacy allied with the Bengal Sultanate, further securing Mughal control in North India.
Humayun was crowned at Agra Fort, formalizing the succession after Babur and marking the transition from conquest-led consolidation to dynastic governance.
Babur died in Agra after ruling as emperor from 1526 to 1530; his death transferred Mughal leadership to his son Humayun and closed the founding-conquest phase.
Babur's conquest of North India (1526–1530)
