Bahlul Khan Lodi

Bahlul Khan Lodi () was the Afghan king of the Lodi kingdom and founder of its ruling Lodi dynasty from the Delhi Sultanate. Bahlul became Sultan of the dynasty on 19 April 1451 (855 AH).

 Early life 
Bahlul's grandfather, Malik Bahram Khan Lodi, a Lodi tribal chief of the Prangi tribe from Dera Ismail Khan. He later took service under the governor of Multan, Malik Mardan Daulat.Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). The Delhi Sultanate, Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.134–36, 139–142Mahajan, V.D. (1991, reprint 2007). History of Medieval India, New Delhi: S. Chand, , pp.245–51

 Reign 
In 1448, when Alam Shah retired to Badaun, a minister of Alam Shah, Hamid Khan invited him to occupy the throne of Delhi. After the voluntary abdication of the throne by Alam Shah, Bahlul Shah ascended the throne of Delhi on 19 April 1451 and adopted the title of Bahlul Shah Ghazi. Alam Shah continued to live in Badaun until his death in July 1478.

In 1479, Sultan Bahlul Lodi defeated and annexed the Jaunpur Sultanate based at Jaunpur. He fortified the city of Jaunpur and turned it into a kasbah (fortress) with several mosques and madrasas. 

Bahlul did much to stop rebellions and uprisings in his territories, and extended his holdings over Jaunpur and upper Uttar Pradesh. Just like the previous Delhi Sultans, he kept Delhi the capital of his kingdom. 

In 1486, he appointed his son, Babrak Shah as viceroy of Jaunpur. In time, this proved to be problematic, as his second son, Nizam Khan (Sikandar Lodi) was named successor, and a power struggle ensued after his death in July 1489. 

 References 

Category:Lodi dynasty