x As his empire grew, Babur began to look to the riches of India and
to lead raids into northern India. Since the battles of Tarain several
centuries earlier, northern India had been dominated by the Muslim
rulers of the Delhi sultanate.x Babur determined to attack the sultanate, whose current sultan
was Ibrahim Lodi, an Afghan Pashtun. The coming battle would
be a study in contrasts, with one side emphasizing training and
new technologies and the other relying on massive numbers and
traditional methods.The First Battle of Panipat (1526)
x Babur spent several years preparing for his invasion, assembling a
highly professional army of about 10,000 soldiers. The core of his
army was made up of excellent Turkic horsemen, well trained in
the sort of hit-and-run wheeling attacks favored by steppe cavalry
for centuries.
x Babur had acquired a cutting-edge military technology: gunpowder.
The Ottomans had begun employing cannons and primitive guns to
good effect, and by 1519, Babur had brought an artillery expert to
Kabul to advise him in the use of this new technology. In addition to
acquiring some cannons, Babur equipped a unit with matchlocks—
SULPLWLYHKDQGJXQVWKDWZRUNHGE\WKUXVWLQJDÀDPLQJZLFNDJDLQVW
WKH¿ULQJKROHWRLJQLWHWKHSRZGHULQWKHEDUUHOx In February 1526, a scouting group from Babur’s army defeated an
advance element of Sultan Lodi’s army. Babur now advanced with
his main army to Panipat. Sultan Lodi had amassed a huge army to
face the invaders. Sources claim a force of 100,000 men and 1,000
armored elephants.x Babur ordered his 700 baggage carts tied together in a line, leaving
wide enough gaps between them for cavalry to charge through. The
matchlock men and light cannons were established on the carts and
behind other temporary barriers, transforming the whole line into a
series of miniature strong points. The remainder of the infantry was