Akbar's Accession and the Second Battle of Panipat (1556)

Following Humayun's death in January 1556, the 14-year-old Akbar was enthroned in Punjab under regent Bairam Khan. After Hemu seized Delhi and Agra, the Mughals defeated him at the Second Battle of Panipat on 5 November 1556, securing Akbar's rule.

Episodes

Background and detail

Accession of Akbar. Humayun died on 27 January 1556 while in Bengal. Akbar, born in 1542, succeeded his father on 14 February 1556. Bairam Khan enthroned the 14-year-old emperor in Kalanaur, Punjab, proclaiming him Shahanshah to stabilize the Mughal claim during ongoing conflicts with the Sur Empire.

Hemu's Advance. Exploiting Mughal weakness, Hemu defeated Mughal forces under Tardi Beg Khan at Tughlaqabad. He took possession of Delhi on 7 October 1556 and assumed the title Vikramaditya. This conquest threatened the Mughal hold on Agra and Delhi, prompting Bairam Khan to re-marshal the army.

Second Battle of Panipat. On 5 November 1556, the Mughal army met Hemu's forces at Panipat, 50 miles north of Delhi. Led by Bairam Khan, the Mughals defeated Hemu, who was killed in the engagement. The victory allowed Mughal forces to occupy Delhi and Agra, securing Akbar's throne.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.