Kalpi War

BelligerentsKingdom of Kalpi
Supported by:
Delhi SultanateJaunpur SultanateMalwa SultanateCommanders and leadersQadir Shah
Jalal Khan
Nasir Khan
Firuz Khan
Bihamad Khan
Mubarak Khan 
Nizam Khan X

---

Mubarak ShahIbrahim Shah
Mahmud Shah
Hoshang Shah
Mahmud Khalji
Ghiyath ShahStrengthDelhi: 10,000 cavalry Unknown UnknownCasualties and losses Heavy Heavy Heavy

The Kalpi War was a series of military campaigns in the early 15th century over control of Kalpi in North India. The kingdom, which encompassed parts of modern Jalaun, Kanpur, and surrounding areas, functioned as a strategic buffer state between the Jaunpur Sultanate, the Malwa Sultanate, and the Delhi Sultanate.

The conflicts began after the death of its first Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah and intensified under his son Qadir Shah. Sultan Ibrahim Shah of Jaunpur launched repeated invasions in 1413 and 1414, eventually forcing Kalpi to briefly acknowledge Jaunpur suzerainty. Shortly afterward, Kalpi shifted its allegiance to the Malwa Sultanate. A later invasion by Ibrahim Shah in 1427 was intervened by Delhi Sultan Mubarak Shah.

Another war began between Jaunpur and Malwa over the succession crisis after Qadir Shah's death in 1432. The final major campaign occurred in 1443–1444, when Jaunpur Sultan Mahmud Shah of Jaunpur invaded amid accusations of apostasy against Kalpi's ruler Nasir Khan bin Qadir Shah. Malwa Sultan Mahmud Khalji intervened on Kalpi's behalf, leading to a stalemate resolved by a treaty that restored Nasir Khan under Malwa influence while granting temporary concessions to Jaunpur. The wars ultimately weakened Kalpi's independence. It remained under the Malwa Sultanate before annexation by the Lodi dynasty of Delhi in 1484.