Lodi dynasty

The Lodi dynasty (Persian: ‫ )لودی‬was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi
Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi
Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he replaced the Sayyid
dynasty.The dynasty ruled what is sometimes called the “First Indo-Afghan
Empire” (the second Afghan empire being the Sur Empire).

Bahlul Lodi
Bahlul Khan Lodi (r. 1451–1489) was the nephew and son-in-law of Malik Sultan
Shah Lodi, the governor of Sirhind in (Punjab), India and succeeded him as the
governor of Sirhind during the reign of Sayyid dynasty ruler Muhammad Shah.
Muhammad Shah raised him to the status of an Tarun-Bin-Sultan. He was the
most powerful of the Punjab chiefs and a vigorous leader, holding together a
loose confederacy of Afghan and Turkish chiefs with his strong personality. He
reduced the turbulent chiefs of the provinces to submission and infused some
vigour into the government.[citation needed] After the last Sayyid ruler of Delhi,
Alauddin Alam Shah voluntarily abdicated in favour of him, Bahlul Khan Lodi
ascended the throne of the Delhi sultanate on 19 April 1451.[7] The most
important event of his reign was the conquest of Jaunpur.[citation needed] Bahlul
spent most of his time in fighting against the Sharqi dynasty and ultimately
annexed it. He placed his eldest surviving son Barbak on the throne of Jaunpur in
1486.

Sikandar Khan Lodi

Sikandar Khan Lodi (r. 1489–1517) (born Nizam Khan), the second son of Bahlul,
succeeded him after his death on 17 July 1489 and took up the title Sikandar
Shah. He was nominated by his father to succeed him and was crowned sultan on
15 July 1489. He founded Agra in 1504 and built mosques. He shifted the capital
from Delhi to Agra.He patronized trade and commerce. He was a poet of repute,
composing under the pen-name of Gulruk. He was also patron of learning and
ordered Sanskrit work in medicine to be translated into Persian.He curbed the
individualistic tendencies of his Pashtun nobles and compelled them to submit
their accounts to state audit. He was, thus, able to infuse vigor and discipline in
the administration. His greatest achievement was the conquest and annexation of
Bihar.

Ibrahim Lodi

Ibrahim Lodi (r. 1517–1526), the eldest son of Sikandar, was the last Lodi Sultan of
Delhi. He had the qualities of an excellent warrior, but he was rash and impolitic
in his decisions and actions. His attempt at royal absolutism was premature and
his policy of sheer repression unaccompanied by measures to strengthen the
administration and increase the military resources was sure to prove a
failure.[citation needed] Ibrahim faced numerous rebellions and kept out the
opposition for almost a decade. He was engaged in warfare with the Afghans and
the Mughal Empire for most of his reign and died trying to keep the Lodi Dynasty
from annihilation. Ibrahim was defeated in 1526 at the Battle of Panipat.This
marked the end of the Lodi Dynasty and the rise of the Mughal Empire in India led
by Babur (r. 1526–1530).
Fall of the empire

By the time Ibrahim ascended the throne, the political structure in the Lodi
Dynasty had dissolved due to abandoned trade routes and the depleted treasury.
The Deccan was a coastal trade route, but in the late fifteenth century the supply
lines had collapsed. The decline and eventual failure of this specific trade route
resulted in cutting off supplies from the coast to the interior, where the Lodi
empire resided. The Lodi Dynasty was not able to protect itself if warfare were to
break out on the trade route roads; therefore, they didn’t use those trade routes,
thus their trade declined and so did their treasury leaving them vulnerable to
internal political problems.[14] In order to take revenge of the insults done by
Ibrahim, the governor of Lahore, Daulat Khan Lodi asked the ruler of Kabul, Babur
to invade his kingdom. Ibrahim Lodi was thus killed in a battle with Babur. With
the death of Ibrahim Lodi, the Lodi dynasty also came to an end.