Publication Details
Abstract
This article analyzes the processes of political fragmentation in sixteenth-century India, their socio-political consequences, as well as the historical significance of Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur’s campaigns into Northern India and the establishment of the Baburid Empire. The research is based on historical-comparative, systemic, and source-analysis methods. The study examines the causes of the weakening of the Delhi Sultanate, the internal struggles among Indian rulers, and the influence of Afghan and Rajput nobility on the political instability of the region. Special attention is devoted to Babur’s military campaigns, his strategy, political diplomacy, and the role of the First Battle of Panipat (1526) in transforming the historical development of India. The study reveals that the political fragmentation of India created favorable conditions for Babur’s conquest of Northern India. It is also established that the foundation of the Baburid Empire became an important stage in the centralization of power, the development of state administration, culture, trade, and intercivilizational interaction. The article concludes that Babur’s Empire had a profound influence on the political, economic, and cultural transformation of early modern India.