THE SULTANATE OF DELHI

Foundation of Delhi Sultanate 

1. By the end of the 12th century, Mohammed Ghori was successful in occupying Delhi and started a dynasty of rulers which, together with some later dynasties, came to be called the Delhi Sultanate. 

2. Ghori's sudden death in 1206 resulted in a scramble for supremacy among his three generals Qutub-ud-din-Aibak (commander of his army), Tajuddin Yalduz (ruled Karman and Sanku Range between Afghanistan and Sindh) and Nasiruddin Qubacha (held Uchh). 

3. At the time of Ghori's death, Aibak was at Lahore. Ghiyas-ud-din Mahmud, the successor of Ghori, acknowledged Aibak as the independent king and gave him the title of Sultan of Delhi. 

4. The assumption of sovereign powers by Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1206, is regarded as the foundation of the Sultanate of Delhi and the first ruling dynasty of the Sultanate. 

The Slave Dynasty (AD 1206 - 1290) 

The first dynasty of the Sultanate has been designated by various historians as the Slave dynasty or Mameluq dynasty or the Ilbari dynasty. Recognition as all rulers of this dynasty except Qutub-ud-dim, belonged to the Ilbari tribe of Turks.

Qutub-ud-din Aibak (AD 1206 - 1210) 

1. Capital Lahore and later Delhi. He was the first Muslim king in India and the founder of Ilbari dynasty. For his generosity he was known as Lakh Bakhsh or (giver of Lakhs). Aibak was a great patron of learning and patronised writers like Hasan-un-Nizami and Fakuriddi . 

2. Tazul Maasir of Hasan Nizami is a work primarily dealing with Aibak. He began the construction of Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (Delhi), Adhai Din Ka Jhopra (a Mosque at Ajmer) and Qutub Minar, 72 1/2 metre (238 feet) stone tower in Delhi (after the name of Khwaja Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki), a Muslim saint. The construction of Qutub Minar was finally competed by Iltutmish, his successor. 

3. In 1210, while playing Chaugan (Polo) at Lahore, he fell off his horse and died of injuries. 

Shams-ud-din Iltutmish (AD 1211 - 1236) 

1. Iltutmish was a slave of Qutub-ud-din Aibak. By sheer ability he rose to be his son-in-law and the Governor of Badaun. He ruled for a quarter of a century and proved a very strong and worthy ruler and completed the work of Aibak. 

2. In 8 years, between AD 1226 and 1234, he conquered Ranthambore (1226), Mandawar (1227), Bayana, Jalor, Gwalior, Malwa, Bhilsa, Ujjain and Bengal (1231). 

3. Iltutmish defeated Yalduz in the Battle of Terrain (1217) and killed him. Likewise, in 1228 he carried a march against Qubacha and put him to death, who were Ghori's slaves. 

4. A notable event of the reign of Iltutmish is that for the first time the Mongols came as far the frontiers of India. 

5. In AD 1221, the Mongol Chief, Changez Khan, one of the mightiest conquerors the world has ever seen, reached the Indus in pursuit of an enemy Jalal-ud-din, King of Khwarizmi or Khiva. Iltutmish at this time saved the Sultanate by refusing to give any shelter to Jalal-ud-din. 

6. It was he who gave the country a capital, a sovereign state, a monarchial form of government and a governing class or nobility, known as Turkan-i-Chahalgani or Chalisa (a group of forty) which was the ruling elite of the period. 

7. He divided his empire into numerous big and small iqtas and assignment of land in lieu of salary, which he distributed to his Turkish officers. 

8. He issued the coins of silver (tanka) and copper (jital) to facilitated trade and commerce. These coins being the first purely Arabic coins issued from Delhi. 

9. Iltutmish patronized Minhaj-us-Siraj, author of 'Tabaqat-i-Nasiri'. He built Gandhak-i Baoli, a stepwell for Sufi saint Qutub-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki, who moved to Delhi during his rule. 

Razia Sultan (AD 1236 - 1240) 

1. Iltutmish nominated his daughter Razia, as his successor. Razia became the first lady Sultan Of India. 

2. Razia discarded purdah, held the court attired in the male dress and commanded the army herself. She defeated the Wazir, Nizam-ul-Mulk Junaidi, who had opposed her elevation and conquered Ranthambhore. 

3. But her attempt to create a party of nobles loyal to her and the appointment of a non-Turk. (Abyssinian) nobel, Jamal-ud-din Yakut the high office led to opposition. For these reasons the Governor of Lahore (Kabir Khan) and Bhatinda (Altunia), revolted. She personally led the expedition against Lahore and suppressed the revolt. 

4. On her way back to Delhi, Yakut was killed and Razia was imprisoned at Tabarhinda. She married Altunia, but under a conspiracy she and her husband were murdered near Kaithal in AD 1240. 

5. The contemporary historian Minhaj-us-Siraj accepts that she was heaving the ability of a great king, but the only weakness was that being a women. Her rule marked the beginning of a struggle for power between the monarchy and the Turkish chiefs (the forty or Chahalgani). She was succeeded by Bahram Shah. 

Nasir-ud-din Mahmud (AD 1246 - 1266) 

1. Nasir-ud-din was the son of Iltutmish. He was very gentle, studious and pious and on account of his simple habits is known in history as the Darvesh King. 

2. In the struggle between monarchy and Chahalgani, the Turkish chief Balban became the real ruler of the state. He was assigned the post of Naib-i-Mamlakat (vice-regent) and got the title of Ulugh Khan. 

3. Balban replaced Imaduddin Raihan to the post of 'Wazir' during Mongolian invasion. 

Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (AD 1266 - 1287) 

1. Balban was an Ilbari-turk. His original name was Bahauddin. He was the slave of Iltutmish and gradually he occupied the throne of sultan. 

2. In order to destroy the power of Turk-e-Chihalgani, he propounded a new theory of kingship. Balban projected monarchy as semi-divine institution. He declared himself to be a successor of Afrasiyab, an Iranian warrior. 

3. He maintained that kingship was the Niyabat-i-Khudai (gift from God) and took the title Jil-i-llahi (shadow of God on Earth).

4. In his court he introduced some formalities like Sijda (prostration) and Paibos (Kissing of feet). The Iranian festival of Nauroz or New Year was celebrated in the court. An official Amir-e-Hajib was appointed to regularise the proceedings of the court. 

5. The law and order situation in and around Delhi had deteriorated. The Mewati Rajputs plundered the country and had made life, property and trade unsafe in the Doab. To deal with these elements Balban adopted a policy of Blood and iron. The most important event of the reign of Balban was the suppression of the Bengal revolt. 

6. The army establishment was separated from the rest of the Civil Department. A separate Military Department known as Diwan-i-wizarat and Diwan-i-Arz was established.

7. Tughril Khan the Governor of Bengal was defeated.

8. In order to strengthen the monarchy, Balban reorganized the Central Military Department Diwan-i-Arz. Likewise, he organized the espionage department under an officer Barid-I-Mumalik. 

9. The well known Hindi and Persian poet Amir Khusrau (AD 1235-1325) who was called the Parrot of India adorned the court of Balban. 

10. Balban was succeeded by Kaiqubad. The last ruler of this dynasty was Kayumars who was killed by Jalauddin Khilji. 

Khilji Dynasty (AD 1290 - 1320) 

The coming of Khilji's to power was more than a dynastic change. Khiljis were basically Central Asians in origin. 

Jalal-ud-din Khilji (AD 1290-196) 

1. Jalal-ud-din seized Ranthambore from the Chauhans, conquered Ujjain and desecrated the idol in the main temple. He made Kilokhari as his capital. 

2. One of the most important event of his reign was the invasion of Devagiri, the capital of the Yadava king, Raja Ramachandradeva. 

Ala-ud-din Khilji (AD 1296-1316) 

He was the greatest ruler of the Khilji dynasty and was the first Muslim ruler to extend his empire right upto the extreme South of India. Ala-ud-din was the first ruler of Delhi Sultanate who did not ask for Manshur (letter of investiture) from the Caliph, but called himself the Deputy of the Caliph.

The Tughlaq Dynasty (AD 1320 - 1414) 

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq (AD 1320 - 1325) 

He was the first Sultan of Delhi to add the word Ghazi after his name. A code of law for the Civil Government was drafted by him. He was on bad terms with the famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Aulia. He laid the foundation of a big palace fort which came to be known as Tughalaquabad. The first Sultan credited with digging canals for the promotion of agriculture. 

Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq (AD 1325 - 1351) 

1. He has been represented by contemporaries as one of the wonders of the age in which he lived. He was well versed in various branches of learning i.e. astronomy, mathematics, medicine, philosophy etc. 

2. Formulated 'famine-code' to provide relief to famine affected people. To improve agriculture, he created the Department of Agriculture (Diwan-i-Amir Kohi). He is the first sultan to advance loans known as Sondhar to peasants for digging well to extend cultivation. 

3. The Chinese emperor, Toghan Timur sent an envoy to Delhi in 1341 seeking Mohammed's permission to built Buddhist temples in the Himalayan region. He also sent Ibn Battuta as envoy to the court of the Mongol Emperor of China.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351 - 1388) 

1. Firoz Shah Tughlaq was termed as the Akbar of Sultanate period by Henri Elliot and Elphinstone. 

2. Shaikh Nasiruddin Chiragh Dehlari was one of the most popular mystics of the reign of Firoz. 

3. The imperial court of Delhi had been turned into a centre of culture, due to the influx of a large number of poets, philosophers, jurists and historians. 

4. The most remarkable contribution was made in the science of astronomy. Books like Ziqr-Munsobat Kawakib, Zigr-Munsobat, Burooj and Shikar Nameh of Fateh Khan were written. 

5. The Sultan also opened a large number of hospitals (Dar-ul-Shafa) where medicines used to be distributed free to the people. 

6. He established an Employment Bureau to provide work to unemployed. He also created an endowment fund. 

7. Revived the Jagir system which had been abolished by Ala-ud-din and granted it to his military in lien of cash salaries. The Iqtas granted and the post of officials and soldiers was made hereditary. A separate department for slaves, Diwan-i-Bandagan, was established. 

The Sayyid Dynasty (AD 1414 - 1451) 

Khizr Khan (AD 1414 - 1421) 

He was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty. He was appointed by Timur-e-lang as his nominee in Delhi. He ruled as a deputy of Timur's son and successor, Shah Rukh. 

Mubarak Shah (AD 1421 - 1434) 

He was the ablest ruler of the dynasty. He subdued the rebellions at Bhatinda and Doab and the revolt by Khokhars chief Jasrat. He was succeeded by Mohammed Shah and Alauddin Alam Shah was the last ruler.

Lodhi Dynasty (AD 1451 - 1526) 

Bahlol Lodhi (AD 1451 - 1489) 

1. Bahlol Lodhi was the founder of this dynasty (AD 1451-1489). He tried to restore the greatness of Delhi Sultanate, hence, conquered territories surrounding Delhi. The most successful war was against Mahmud Shah Sharqi of Jaunpur. 

2. Bahlol Lodhi Conquered Mewat (Ahmed Khan), Sambhal (Dariya Khan), Koll (Isa Khan), Suket (Mubarake Khan), Manipur and Bhongaon (Raja Pratap Singh), Rewari (Qutub Khan), Etawah and Chandwar. 

Sikandar Lodhi (AD 1489 - 1517) 

1. Bahlol Lodhi was succeeded by his able son Nizam Shah under the title of Sultan Sikander Shah in AD 1489. He was the ablest of the three Lodhi rulers. He conquered Bihar and Raja of Tirhut and concluded a friendship treaty with Ala-ud-din Hussain Shah of Bengal. Dariya Khan was appointed as the Governor of Bengal. He set-up an efficient espionage system and introduced the system of auditing the accounts. 

2. He relaxed restrictions on trade, which greatly promoted the economic prosperity of the people. He introduced 'Gaz-i-Sikandari' (Sikandar's yard) of 39 digits or 32 inches, for the measurement of agricultural land. He transferred his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city which was founded by him. The village of Sikandara, near Agra, where the tomb of Akbar stands, was named after Sikandar. 

3. He was staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance and levied Jaziya and Pilgrim's tax on Hindus. He was a liberal patron of arts and letters. He wrote verses in Persian under the pen name of Gulrukhi. 

Ibrahim Lodhi (AD 1517 - 1526) 

1. There were many revolts during his reign, Bihar declared its independence under Dariya Khan Lohani. His repressive policy towards the Lohani and Lodhi tribes and his unsympathetic treatment of Dilawar Khan, Governor of Lahore, turned the nobles against him.