Ibrahim Lody, hearing of these proceedings, marched his army to that quarter, and confined

Zeehuj 24.
A. H. 923.
February 6.
A. D. 1518.

his other brothers in the fort of Hansy, where they remained for life. This event took place on Thursday the 24th of Zeehuj, A. H. 923. On his march towards Oude, the King was informed that Azim Hoomayoon, having deserted the Prince Julal, was now on his way to join him, on which the King sent some chiefs to escort him to his camp, where he was favourably received. A number of other officers also joined Ibrahim, and he despatched the greatest part of his army, under the command of Azim Hoomayoon Lody, * against the Prince. But before the King's troops could come up with him, he threw a garrison into Kalpy, and marched with 30,000 chosen horse, by forced marches, to Agra, while Azim Hoomayoon Lody was content to lay siege to Kalpy. Julal Khan had it now in his power either to take possession of Agra, or to plunder the treasury; but the go­vernor, Adam Khan, in order to save the place and the country, entered into negotiations with the Prince, and went so far as to promise him, on the part of the King, the independent possession of Kalpy, and other advantages, for which he had no authority. Adam Khan sent notice of the whole transaction to Ibrahim; but the King having taken Kalpy, and the treaty having been con­cluded without his knowledge, he took no notice of it, but marched against the Prince, Julal Khan, who, now deserted by his army, was obliged to fly to Gualiar, and solicit the protection of the raja of that place. Ibrahim Lody came to Agra, where he remained in order to regulate the affairs of the government, which, since the death of his father, had fallen into disorder. Two nobles, Kurreem Dad Toork, and Dowlut Khan, were sent to take charge of Dehly, and Sheikhzada Mahomed Fir-mully was deputed to Chundery, to remain with Mahomed Khan, the Prince of Malwa.

About this time the King, without assigning any reason, caused Meean Bhoory, formerly vizier to his father Sikundur Lody, to be put in chains, confer­ring at the same time great honours on his son. The Prince, Julal Khan, found refuge in Gualiar, and it was deemed necessary, therefore, to attack that for­tress; for which purpose Azim Hoomayoon Sheer-wany marched from Kurra with 30,000 horse, and 300 elephants; and seven other chiefs, with armies, were also sent to join in the siege. The Prince, Julal Khan, despairing of holding out with success, fled to the court of Sooltan Mahmood Khiljy of Malwa. The Dehly army, arriving before Gualiar, invested the place, and, in a few days, Raja Man-Sing, a prince of great valour and capacity, dying, his son Vikramajeet succeeded him. After the siege had been carried on for some months, the army of Ibrahim Lody at length got possession of an out­work at the foot of the hill, on which stood the

A. H. 924.
A. D. 1518.

fort of Badilgur. They found in that place a brazen bull, which had been for a long time an object of worship, and sent it to Agra, from whence it was afterwards conveyed to Dehly, and thrown down before the Bagdad gate.

The Prince, Julal Khan, not being well received by Sooltan Mahmood of Malwa, fled to the Raja of Gurrakota; but being intercepted on the road by a body of Gonds, * he was sent prisoner to the King's camp. Ibrahim Lody sent him to Hansy, but gave private orders for his assassination on the road. What charms can there be in power, which can induce a man to shed the blood of his own brother? Nor was Ibrahim satisfied with the death of his brother Julal alone, he also imbrued his hands in the blood of several of his officers at the same time. Having recalled Azim Hoomayoon Sheerwany from the siege of Gualiar, when just on the point of taking the place, he imprisoned him, and his son Futteh Khan, and also removed his other son, Islam Khan, from the government of Kurra. Islam Khan, hearing of the fate of his father and brother, and of the disgrace re­served for himself, rebelled, and defeated Ahmud Khan, who was sent to assume his govern­ment. The King now receiving advices of the reduction of Gualiar, which had been for a hundred years in the hands of the Hindoos, he had leisure to turn his thoughts towards the insur­rection at Kurra. Azim Hoomayoon and Syeed Khan, after the fall of Gualiar, were permitted to go to their jageers, from whence, uniting with Islam Khan, they added strength to his power. Ibrahim Lody, placing little dependence on the fidelity of the troops about his person, issued orders for those of the distant provinces to repair to his camp; and conferring great honours on Ahmud Khan, the brother of Azim Hoomayoon Lody, gave him the command of the army against Islam Khan. Ahmud Khan, having reached the vicinity of Kunowj, was attacked by Yekbal Khan, a dependent of Azim Hoomay-oon Sheerwany, who, rushing out from an ambus­cade with 5000 horse, cut off a number of the royal troops, and made good his retreat. The King was greatly exasperated against Ahmud Khan, on re­ceiving intelligence of this defeat, and wrote to him not to expect his favour, if he did not quickly exterminate the rebels, at the same time he sent an­other detachment of troops to his support. The army of the insurgents now amounted to 40,000 cavalry, 500 elephants, and a large body of infantry, with which they proceeded to oppose the royalists

A. H. 925.
A. D. 1519.

under Ahmud Khan. The two armies came in sight of each other, but did not engage; for Sheikh Rajoo Bokhary, a holy man, highly esteemed in that age, was in hopes of bringing affairs to an accommodation. Overtures being made, the insurgents agreed to disband their troops the moment that Azim Hoo-mayoon Sheerwany should be set at liberty. The King, however, refusing to accede to these terms, sent orders to Duria Khan Lohany, governor of Behar, to Nuseer Khan Lohany, the collector of Ghazypoor, and to Sheikhzada Mahomed Fir-mully, the governor of Oude, to advance against the rebels, who very imprudently permitted them­selves to be amused till these armies united, when they were compelled either to fly or to fight on unequal terms. They resolved on the latter al­ternative, and accordingly drew up in order of battle. Urged by despair, they fought bravely, and were on the point of defeating the royalists, when Islam Khan was killed, and Syeed Khan taken prisoner. These untoward incidents dis­couraging their followers, they fled in every direc­tion, and all the treasure and baggage of the insurgents fell into the hands of the King's troops. Ibrahim Lody now gave full scope to his hatred and resentment against the nobles of Sikundur Lody's reign, many of whom suffered death. Azim Hoomayoon Sheerwany, Meean Boohry, and others, who were in confinement, were at the same time privately executed. These proceedings creating distrust among the nobles, Duria Khan Lohany, governor of Behar, Khan Jehan Lody, Hoossein Khan Firmully, and many other chiefs, went into open rebellion. The King, receiving intel­ligence of this defection, sent a private order to some holy men of Chundery to cut off Hoossein Khan Firmully; and he was accordingly assassinated in his bed. This fresh instance of Ibrahim's treachery and cruelty tended only to make him more enemies. Duria Khan Lohany, governor of Behar, dying about this time, his son, Bahadur Khan, assumed the title of King, under the title of Mahomed Shah. He was joined by most of the discontented chiefs in that vicinity, and soon found himself at the head of 100,000 horse, with which he took possession of all the country as far as Sumbhul, defeating the Dehly troops in repeated engagements. Mean­while, Ghazy Khan Lody came with the army from Lahore; but having heard of the King's pro­ceedings on the way, he became apprehensive of treachery, and returned to his father, Dowlut Khan Lody, at Lahore. Dowlut Khan, seeing no safety for his family, revolted from the King, and solicited Babur, the Mogul prince who then reigned in Kabul, to attempt the conquest of Hindoostan. The invasion of Babur was preceded by the arrival in India of the Prince Alla-ood-Deen, who had fled from his brother Ibrahim Lody, and was then re­siding at Kabul. Dowlut Khan supporting him, as a cloak to his own plans, reduced all the country as far south as Dehly; and the Prince Alla-ood-Deen being joined by many officers of distinction, he found himself at the head of an army of 40,000 horse, with which he proceeded to invest Dehly.

Ibrahim resolved to oppose him; but when within six coss (twelve miles) of the Prince's army, Ibrahim's camp was surprised in the night, and, after a tumultuous conflict which lasted till day­light, Ibrahim found himself deserted by most of his officers, who joined Alla-ood-Deen. Observing, however, in the morning, that the troops of Alla-ood-Deen were dispersed in plundering, Ibrahim rallied his soldiers, and, collecting the greater part of his elephants, returned to the attack, and expelled his brother and rival from the field with considerable slaughter. Ibrahim now entered Dehly in triumph; and the Prince Alla-ood-Deen, seeing no hopes of reducing the place, retreated to the Punjab.

A. H. 932.
A. D. 1526. Affairs remained in this state till the year 932, when Zuheer-ood-Deen Ma-homed Babur marched against Ibrahim Lody, as will be hereafter shown; and a san­guinary battle was fought between these two kings on the plain of Paniput, where Babur was victorious, and Ibrahim lost his life; an event which trans­ferred the empire of Dehly and Agra to the family of Teimoor. The reign of Ibrahim Lody lasted twenty years.