The Background of Sultanat

The formation of new religion i.e. Islam was an important event which had the political and socio-cultural implications all over the world. Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 A.D. and died in 632 A.D. He preached “there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”.

Islam was based tenets of brotherhood and equality, the impact of these tenets was phenomenal as the other major religions of the world by that time had lost their original characters and were quagmire into various evils and perpetuated inequality in one form or the other.

Arab conquest of Sind (712 A.D.)

Sindh was ruled by Dahir at the time of Arab invasion. Muhammad Bin Quasim of Iraq defeated Dahir at Debal and Brahamanabad in 712 A.D. He also married his widow Rani Lad.

The Ghaznavids

In the 8^th and 9^th centuries the Turks got the upper hand over Khaliffas of Baghdad. The first Turkish Muslim to capture some part of India was Alpatgin. Mahmud of Ghazni was the grandson of Alpatgin and he attacked India 17 times.

• The first expedition of Mahmud of Ghazni was against the frontier towns

• The second expedition was against the Hindushahi rulers.

• The 16^th expedition was against Somnath. Raja Bhima Dev, the ruler of Somnath ran away and Mahmud plundered Somnath

• The 17^th expedition was against the Jats of the Salt range

• The only permanent effect of Mahmud’s invasion was the annexation of Punjab.

• Utbi was the court historian of Mahmud

• Firdausi was the most famous poet of Mahmud

• Firdausi is also called “Homer of the East”

• Al-Beruni was also in the court of Mahmud

Muhammad of Ghori

• Mohammad Ghori invaded India and laid the foundation of the Muslim dominion in India. He may be considered the ‘founder of Muslim rule’ in India.

• The following is an account of his expeditions against the Indian rulers:

• In 1175 he invaded Multan and Uch

• In 1178 invaded Anhilwara and Patan in Gujarat

• In 1186 Lahore was invaded

• In 1189 Bathinda was captured

• In 1190 in first battle of Tarian he suffered a defeat at the hands of Prathviraj Chauhan

• In 1191 in second battle of Tarain he defeated Prathviraj Chauhan.

• In 1193, Aligarh was captured

• Ghori was defeated by Mulraj of Gujarat

• In 1194, Jaichand the ruler of Kannauj was defeated at Chandawar

• In 1205, Ghori was defeated by Khawazrim Shah

• In 1206, the Khokkars of Punjab rebelled and Ghori was assassinated

Delhi Sultanat

After the assassination of Muhammad Ghori his empire was divided among his four Governors. The division was as:

• Qutubuddin Aibek got the control over Delhi
• Yalduz  gained control over Ghazni
• Qubacha gained control over Multan and Uch
• Bhaktiyar Khalji gained control over Bengal

Mohammed Ghori’s conquests became the nucleus of a new political entity in India-the Delhi Sultanate. This period can be divided into 5 distinct periods viz.

1. The Slave Dynasty (1206-90)
2. The Khilji Dynasty (1290-1320)
3. The Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414)
4. The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-51)
5. The Lodhi Dynasty (1451-1526).

The Slave Dynasty

Qutubuddin Aibak (1206-10)

• A Turkish slave by origin, he was purchased by Mohammad Ghori who later made him his Governor.

• After the death of Ghori, Aibak became the master of Hindustan and founded the Slave Dynasty in 1206.

• The capital during his reign was not Delhi but Lahore

• For his generosity, he was given the title of Lakh Bakhsh (giver of lakhs).

• He died in 1210 while playing Chaugan or Polo.

• He received manumission from Sultan of Ghur

• He constructed two mosques i.e. Quwat-ul-Islam at Delhi and Adhai din ka Jonpra at Ajmer.

• He also began the construction of Qutub Minar, in the honour of famous Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutibuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki.

• Aibak was great patron of learning and patronized writers like Hasan-un-Nizami, author of ‘Taj-ul-Massir’ and Fakhruddin, author of ‘Tarikh-i-Mubarak Shahi’.

Aram Shah (1210)

• He was the son of Aibak, who was defeated by Illtutmish in the battle of Jud.

Shamsuddin Illtutmish (1210-36)

• He was a slave of Qutubuddin Aibak of Mamluke tribe and occupied the throne of Delhi in 1211.

• Illtutmish began his career as Sar-e-Jandhar or royal bodyguard.

• He was a very capable ruler and is regarded as the ‘real founder of the Delhi Sultanate’.

• He made Delhi the capital in place of Lahore.

• In 1229 the Abbasaid Caliph sent a robe of honor and investiture legitimizing his rule from Delhi

• He saved Delhi Sultanate from the attack of Chengiz Khan, the Mongol leader, by refusing shelter to Khwarizm Shah, whom Chengiz was chasing.

• He introduced the silver coin (tanka) and the copper coin (jital).

• He organized the Iqta System and introduced reforms in civil administration and army, which was now centrally paid and recruited.

• He set up an official nobility of slaves known as Chahalgani/ Chalisa (group of forty).

• He completed the construction of Qutub Minar which was started by Aibak.

• He patronized Minhaj-us-Siraj, author of ‘Tabaqat-i-Nasiri’.

Ruknuddin : 1236

• He was son of Iltutmish and was crowned by her mother, Shah Turkan, after death of Iltutmish.

• He ruled for just seven months

• He was deposed by Razia, daughter of Iltutmish.

Razia Sultana: (1236 – 40)

•  Iltutmish had nominated his daughter Razia as the successor, the nobles placed Ruknuddin Feroz on the throne.

• She was the ‘first and only Muslim lady who ever ruled India’.

• She was popular among the people but she was not acceptable to the nobles and theologians.

• She use to rule without the veil

• She further offended the nobles by her preference for an Abyssian slave Yakut.

• The wazir of Illtutmish Junnaidi revolted against her but was defeated.

• During her reign the governors of Multan, Badaun, Hansi and Lahore openly revolted against her.

• There was a serious rebellion in Bhatinda, Altunia, governor of Bhatinda refused to accept suzerainity of Razia. Razia accompanied by Yakut marched against Altunia.

• However, Altunia got Yakut murdered and imprisoned Razia.

• Subsequently, Razia was married to Altunia and both of them marched towards Delhi as nobles in Delhi raised Bahram Shah (3^rd son of Illtutmish) to throne.

• In 1240 AD, Razia became the victim of a conspiracy and was assassinated near Kaithal (Haryana).

Bahram Shah: 1240-42

• Iltutamish’s third son Bahram Shah was put on throne by powerful Turkish council Chalisa.

• He was considered only as ruler in name, while Naib-e-mamlakat (the regent) became the real authority.

• He was killed by Turkish nobles

Allauddin Masud Shah: 1242-46

• He was son of Ruknuddin Feroz

• He was disposed after Balban and Nasiruddin Mahmud’s Mother, Malika-e-Jahan, conspired against him and established Nasiruddin Mahamud as the new Sultan.

Nasiruddin Mahmud 1246-66

• He was the eldest son of Illtutmish

• Minaj-us-Siraj has dedicated his book Tabaquat-i-Nasiri to him

• He was known as the Darvesi King as he was very pious and noble.

Ghiyasuddin Balban : 1266-87

• After the death of Nasiruddin; Balban ascended the throne in 1266.

• He broke the power of Chalisa and restored the prestige of the crown. He made kingship a serious profession

• The Persian court model influenced Balban’s conception of Kingship. He took up the title of Zil-i-Ilahi (Shadow of God).

• He introduced Sijda (prostration before the monarch) and Paibos (kissing the feet of monarch) as the normal forms of salutation.

• He held a magnificent court, bodyguards with drawn swords and dint allow anyone to laugh in the court

• Divine right of the king was emphasized by calling himself Zil-i-Ilahi.

• The policy of selection of nobles was based on exclusion and discrimination. The Mangols, non Turks and Indian Muslims were not given high posts.

• He gave great emphasis on justice and maintaining law and order.

• His greatest contribution was the stability of the Sultanate.

• To keep him well-informed Balban appointed spies or barids.

• He created a strong centralized army to deal with internal disturbances and to cheek Mongols who were posing a serious danger to Delhi Sultanate.

• He established the military department Diwan-i-Arz.

• He destroyed Mewati Rajputa brigandage in the doab, where forests were cut and forts built.

• In his last days he overlooked Sultanate affairs due to death of his eldest and most loving son, Muhammad, and rebellion by his closest and most loved slave, Tughril. Muhammad died fighting Mongolians in 1285 and Tughril was captured and beheaded.

Kaiqubad: 1287-90

• He was the grandson of Balban was established on the throne by Fakruddin, the Kotwal of Delhi

• But Kaiqubad was killed by nobles

Kaimur

• He was the minor son of Kaiqubad who came to throne at an age of 3

• He was the last Illbari ruler

• The Khalji nobles revolted against him and he was killed within three months.

The Khalji dynasty (1290-1320 A.D.)

Jallauddin Khalji

• Jalaluddin Khilji founded the Khilji dynasty.

• He was a liberal ruler and adopted the policy of religious toleration

• His son-in-law and nephew was Allauddin Khalji

Allauddin Khalji

• He was the first Turkish Sultan of Delhi who separated religion from politics. He proclaimed ‘Kingship knows no Kinship’.

• During the reign of Jallauddin Khalji, he was the governor of Kara

• He adopted the title Sikander-e-Saini or the second Alexander

• Allauddin was a unique imperialist. He defeated the monarchs in the Deccan and southern India but he didn’t annex them. However, he fixed an annual tribute from the defeated kings.

• Alauddin annexed Gujarat (1298), Ranthambhor (1301), Mewar (1303), Malwa (1305), Jalor (1311).

• In Deccan, Aluddin’s army led by Malik Kafur defeated Ram Chandra (Yadava ruler of Devagiri), Pratap Rudradeva (Kakatiya ruler of Warangal), Vir Ballal III (Hoyasala ruler of Dwarsamudra) and Vir Pandya (Pandya ruler of Madurai).

• Malik Kafur was awarded the title Malik Naib

Administrative and Market reforms

In order to avoid the problems created by the nobles. Alauddin issued 4 ordinances.

1. The 1^st ordinance aimed at confiscation of the religious endowments and free grants of lands.

2. The 2^nd ordinance Alauddin reorganized the spy system.

3. The 3^rd ordinance prohibited the use of wine.

4. The 4^th ordinance issued by Alauddin laid down that nobles should not have convivial parties and they should not inter-marry without his permission.

• He introduced the system of Dagh (the branding of horse) and Chehra (descriptive roll of soldiers).

• Alauddin ordered that all land was to be measured and then they share of state was to be fixed.

• The post of special officer called Mustakharaj was created for the purpose of collection of revenue.

• The peasants had to pay the produce as land revenue.

Alauddin sought to fix cost of all commodities. For the purpose he set up three market at Delhi:

1. For food grains, the second

2. For costly cloth

3. For horses, slaves and cattles.

• Each market was under the control of a high officer called Shahna who maintained a register of the merchants and strictly controlled the shopkeepers and the prices.

• The check on market was kept by two officers:

1. Diwan-i-Riyasat

2. Shahna-i-Mandi.

• All goods for sale were brought to an open market called Sara-i-Adal.

• Many forts were built by him and the most important of them was Alai fort. He also constructed the Alai Darwaja, the entrance gate of Qutub Minar. He also built the Palace of thousand Pillars called Hazar Sutun.

• He was a patron of art and learning. Amir Khusrau, the poet-musician was his favorite court poet.

• In 1316, after death of Alauddin, Malik Kafur  seized the throne.

• Before Kafur died, he nominated Shihabuddin (Alauddin’s 6 year old prince) as King but imprisoned eldest prince Mubarak Khan.

• Kafur was killed by the loyalists of the royal family of Alauddin.

• The wives of Allauddin Khalji were:

• The first wife was daughter of Jallaluddin Khalji

• The second was Kamala Devi

• The third was Jhitaipali the daughter of Ramchandra Deva the ruler of Devgiri

Shiabuddin Umar (1316)

• He was the minor son of Jhitaipali who was raised to throne after the death of Allauddin.

• He became victim of the court politics and was later blinded.

Mubarak Khalji (1316-20)

• He released 18,000 prisoners

• He reversed all the administrative and market reforms of Allauddin Khalji.

•  During his time Devgiri was annexed.

• He was a homosexual