Sultans of Delhi
Lodi Dynasty
Daulat Khan
Daulat Khan Lodi was the governor of the Punjab province of the Lodi Dynasty. He betrayed Ibrahim Lodi and invited Babur to conquer the Delhi Sultanate.
Sayyid (Syed) Dynasty
Khidr Khan
Khidr Khan Sayyid was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty in north India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Lodi dynasty.
Lodhi (Lodi) Dynasty
Bahlul Khan Lodhi
Bahlul Khan Lodhi (d.1489) became the first Sultan of the Lodhi Dynasty in India upon the abdication of the last claimant from the previous Sayyid rule. He was born into an Afghan family of traders, and became a renowned warrior and governor of Punjab. He took over the Sultanate on April 19, 1451.
Bahlul Khan did much to stop rebellions and uprisings in his territories, and extended his holdings over Gwalior, Jaunpur and upper Uttar Pradesh. In 1486, he appointed his son, Barbuk Shah as viceroy of Jaunpur. In time, this proved to be problematic, as his second son, Sikandar Lodhi was named successor, and a power struggle ensued upon his death in 1489.
Sikandar Lodhi
Sikandar Lodhi (born Nizam Khan, died November 21, 1517) was the second ruler of the Lodhi Dynasty. He became Sultan upon the death of his father, Bahlul Khan Lodhi, on July 17, 1489. His rise to power was troublesome, with his older brother, Barbak Shah, the viceroy of Jaunpur, also staking a claim to the throne despite their father's nomination of Sikandar. However, he was able to claim the throne through delegation and was able to avoid massive bloodshed. In fact, he allowed his brother to keep governing Jaunpur, while also settling differences with an uncle, Alam Khan, who was also suspected of usurping the throne.
Sikandar proved to be a capable ruler who was kind to his subjects, and expanded Lodi territory into the regions of Gwalior and Bihar. He made a treaty with Alauddin Hussain Shah and his kingdom of Bengal. He was able to bring his native Afghan nobles under his control, and encouraged trade across his holdings. In 1503, he commissioned the building of the present-day city of Agra.
His death in 1517 was a loss to his people, as evidenced by his elaborate burial tomb that resides in Delhi.
Ibrahim Lodhi
Ibrahim Lodhi (died April 21, 1526) was the last ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. He was an Afghan (specifically of the Ghilzai tribe of Pashtuns) who presided over much of India from 1517-1526, when he was defeated by the Mughals, who established a new dynasty that would last some three centuries.
Ibrahim attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar Lodhi, but was not blessed with the same ruling capability. He faced a number of rebellions. Rana Sanga extended his empire right up to western UP and threatened to attack Agra. There was rebellion in the east also. He also displeased the nobility when he replaced old and senior commanders by younger ones who were loyal to him. He was feared and loathed by his subjects. His Afghan nobility eventually invited Babur of Kabul to invade India.
Ibrahim died in the Battle of Panipat, where Babur's superior fighters and the desertion of many of Lodhi's soldiers led to his downfall, despite superior troop numbers.
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