AD 1398-1526

In AD 1398 Timur, ruler of the Timurid empire, invaded from central Asia and sacked Delhi, bringing the Delhi Sultanate under the Tughluq kings to an end. Khizr Khan, founder of the Sayyid dynasty, slowly rebuilt Sultanate power in the early part of the 15th century. In 1451 the throne passed to Bahlul Khan Lodi, the Afghan governor of the Punjab. The Lodi house ruled for the next 75 years, but their territory was restricted to the Punjab and the northern plains of India. The Lodi state was characterised by frequent dissention among the nobles, semi-independent fiefdoms and separate kingdoms ruled by both Hindu and Muslim rulers in the east and south. In 1526 Zahir al-Din Badur captured their lands and established the Mughal empire.

To the east, an independent Sultanate had emerged in Bengal by the mid-13th century, while parts of Rajasthan and central India enjoyed effective independence under the Rājput clans. The most powerful and consistently independent ruler was the Mahārāna of Mewar. Further south, beyond the River Narmadā, the Bahmani Sultanate flourished between 1347 and 1518. The capital was at Gulbarga until 1425. After 1518 the Bahmani kingdom fragmented into five states; Ahmednagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur and Golconda.