Mughals · a Light

Babur won an empire with cannon and a diary

On 21 April 1526 at Panipat, north of Delhi, Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi with a much smaller force by lashing carts together as a firing line, placing field guns behind them, and sending cavalry around both flanks. The victory founded the Mughal empire, which lasted in some form until 1857. Babur was a great grandson several times over of both Timur and Genghis Khan, and he had spent years losing Samarkand before he ever saw India. He also kept a diary in Chaghatai Turkish, the Baburnama, in which he complains about the Indian climate, catalogues its fruits and birds, and admits to his own fears and drinking. Few founders of empires left so candid a record.

Panipat · 21 April 1526