Delhi Sultanate

delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Important Rulers of Delhi Sultanate

• Mamluk / Slave / Ilbari (1206-90) – 84 years
  • Aibak
  • Iltutmish
  • Razia
  • Balban
  • Kaiqubad
• Khilji Dynasty (1290-1320) – 30 years
  • Jalaluddin
  • Alauddin
  • Mubarak
  • Khusru
• Tughluqs Dynasty (1320-1414) – 94 years
  • Ghiyasuddin
  • Muhammad bin
  • Firuz Shah
  • Mahmud
• Sayyids (1414-51) – 37 years
  • Khizr Khan
  • Alam Shah
• Lodi Dynasty (1451-1526) – 75 years
  • Bahlul
  • Sikandar
  • Ibrahim

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Mamluk or Slave Dynasty

Qutb ud din Aibak (1206-10)

• Muhammad of Ghori appointed Qutb ud-din Aibak as his commander.
• Qutb ud din aibak is the founder of the Mamaluk Dynasty. 
• In Quranic term Mamaluk means slave.
• He prevented the Shah of Khwarizm from occupying Ghazni and Delhi.
• Qutb ud din Aibak also built Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque at Ajmer.
• He built Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, to the north-east of minar in 1198.
• Muslim writers call Aibak Lakh Baksh or giver of lakhs because he gave liberal donations to them.
• He patronised Hasan Nizami writer of Taj-ul-Maassir.

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Iltutmish (1211-36)

• Iltutmish was sold as slave to Qutb-ud-din-Aibak and later become son-in-law of Aibak.
• He killed Aram Shah, the son of Aibak and became king in 1211.
• Iltutmish was the real founder of Turkish Kingdom in India.
• He captured Bihar and Bengal.
• Iltutmish put down the revolt of Khilji Maliks of Bengal in 1230.
• His authority recognised by Caliph of Baghdad in 1229, he received the mansur (letter of recognition).
• Iltutmish nominated his daughter Raziah as his successor before his death. 
• He set up Iqta system under Iqtadars or Muqtis.
• Their duties were to lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in their Iqtas.
• Iltutmish’s army was maintained by Chahalgani or Chalisa or ‘A Group of Forty’.
• He was the first Turkish ruler to introduce Arabic coinage.
• Tanka – silver coin, an Arabic inscription on it and Jital – Copper coin.
• He patronised Minhaj-i-Siraj – writer of Tahaqqat-i-Nasuri.

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Qutub Minar

• In 1192, Qutb ud din aibak  began the construction of Qutb Minar Mehrauli area in Delhi.
• Iltutmish completed the construction of the minar.
• It was named in the memory of sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki.
• It is the tallest minaret in the world made up of bricks.
• Its design is based on the Minaret of Jam, Afghanistan.
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq replaced the damaged storey, and added one more.
• Sher Shah Suri also added an entrance to this tower.

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Rukn-ud-din (April-Nov, 1236)

• Eldest son of Iltutmish who was put on the throne by nobles.
• Another son of Iltutmish rebelled in Avadh Ruknud-din marched out of the capital to suppress the rebellion.
• This gave Raziya the opportunity to seize the throne and put her brother to death.

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Sultana Razia (1236-40)

• Raziah was the 1st woman only ruler of medieval India.
• She successfully restored the prestige of the Turkish Kingdom in India.
• Her rule ended in 1240 because of a conspiracy by the Turkish nobles.
• The fall of Raziya made the clique of Turkish nobles dominant in the court, and they started a scramble for supremacy.

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Bahram Shah (1240-42)

• Malik naib or naib-i-mamlakat, who was intended to be the de-facto ruler while the Sultan would only be a de jure ruler.
• When Bahram’s attempts to assert his authority failed, he was taken captive and put to death.

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Alaud-din Masud (1242-46)

• Masud, son of Rukn-ud-din, was made the next Sultan.
• Balban conspired with Nasirud-din Mahmud’s mother, Malik- i-Jahan, to overthrow Masud.

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Nasir-ud-din Mahmud (1246-64)

• He had no alternative but to leave the administration in Balban’s hands.
• In 1249 the Sultan married Balban’s daughter and made him the malik naib (regent).
• Balban was also awarded the title of Ulugh (Great) Khan.
• According to Isami’s Futuh-us-Salatin, Balban later poisoned Nasir-uddin and captured the throne.

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Balban (1265-87)

• Balban believed in the Divine Right Theory of Kingship (representative of God on earth).
• He was one of the most notable of the forty Turkic nobles of Delhi, or the Chalissa.
• Balban destroyed the ‘Group of Forty’.
• He started Iranian method Sijda and Paibos (kissing his feet in the court)  to the court in India.
• He also introduced the Persian festival Navroz (meaning New year).
• Balban himself called the Niyabat-i-Khudai.
• He introduced a well-organized spy system.
• A separate military department called Diwan-i-arz was established.
• Many military posts were set up at Bhojapur, Patiali, Kampil and Jalali.
• Balban suppressed Tughril Khan, who declared his independence and recovered Bengal.
• He patronized Amir Khusrau who is called as the ‘Parrot of India’ and Amir Hasan.

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Kaiqubad

• Grandson of Balban succeeded him.
• He was soon struck with paralysis and was finally killed by the Khalji maliks.

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Chalisa or Chalgani

• After ascending to the throne Iltutmish realised that Turkish nobles were not trustworthy.
• They could conspire against sultan to overthrow his rule.
• Therefore, Iltutmish had a group of faithful slaves to protect him.
• This group was known as Amir-i-Chahalgani or the Forty.
• They were assigned important posts and became very influential and powerful as time passed.
• After Iltutmish’s death, they became notorious and intrigued against nearly all his successors.
• They wanted to keep every new ruler under their thumb in order to keep on enjoying the full taste of power.
• Balban, one among of the Forty, assumed power.
• He fully realised that he could not become the real ruler in presence of other members of the group.
• He carefully made a plan and started to eliminate them one by one, not sparing even his cousin.
• With the elimination of the Forty, the role of the Turkish slaves in the Indian politics came to an end.

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Khilji Dynasty

Jalaluddin Khilji (1290-96)

• Jalaluddin Khilji was the founder of Khilji Dynasty.
• He was the first sultan to have a kind attitude towards Hindus.
• Jalaluddin Khilji avoided harsh punishments, even to those who revolted against him.
• He was also called as “Clemency Jalal-uddin” as he followed peace and wanted to rule without violence.
• Alauddin khilji was his son-in-law and also nephew.
• He appointed Ala-ud-din Khilji as the Governor of Kara.
• In 1292, Jalal-ud-din defeated the Mongols who had come up to Sunam.
• Invasion of the Yadava kingdom was done by his nephew, Ala-ud-din.
• It was the first Muslim incursions on Deccan.
• Jalal-ud-din was treacherously murdered by Ala-ud-din Khilji his son-in-law.

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Alauddin Khilji  (1296-1316)

• Alauddin khilji succeeded Jalal-ud-din Firoz Khilji.
• Alauddin khilji’s  generals namely, Ulugh Khan and Nusrat Khan conquered Gujarat.
• He captured Ranthambore and killed Hamir Deva its ruler.
• In 1303 the Sultan himself marched against Chittor.
• Chittor rajputs fought valiantly, but finally the ruler, Raja Ratan Singh, submitted.
• He also captured Malwa, Dhar, Mandu, Ujjain, Marwar, Chanderi and Jalor.
• Alauddin khilji was the 1st Sultan who attacked South India.
• He sent his general Malik Kafur against the rulers of the south.
• Prataprudra-II of Warangal, Ramachandra Deva, the Yadava king of Devagiri, and Vira Ballala-III the Hoysala king were defeated.
• The kingdoms of the south acknowledged the power of Alauddin Khilji and paid his monetary tributes.
• Ala-ud-din successfully resisted the Mongol invasion more than 12 times.
• He wanted to conquer the whole world.
• Alauddin Khilji adopted the title of Sikandar-i-Sani (Alexander the Second).
• He constructed a mosque in Rameswaram.
• Alauddin khilji constructed a new capital at Siri
• He also constructed Alai Darwaza, the Palace of a thousand pillars and the Fort of Siri.
• He gave Amir Khusrau the title of Tuti-i-Hind (Parrot of India).
• Amir Khusrau and Amir Hasan was in his court.
• All grants of tax-free land and seized Muslim religious endowments.
• He banned social parties and drinking liquor (were the root causes of rebellion).
• Included non-Turks in his service.

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Military Reforms of Alauddin Khilji

• Alauddin khilji was the first to introduced a permanent standing army.
• He introduced of dagh, branding of horses.
• He also started chahra, descriptive roll of soldiers and insistence on a regular muster of the army.
• Alauddin khilji abolished the Iqtas of the royal troopers and started paying the salaries in cash.
• He organised an spy system to report all secret transactions in houses of the nobility to the Sultan.

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Market Control & Economic Reforms

• Alauddin khilji introduced strict price-control measures based on production costs.
• Merchants have to register themselves for business.
• He appointed Shahana-i-mandi (market controller), Barids (intelligence officers), and Munhias (Sultan’s secret agents).
• Established four separate markets in Delhi for separate commodities.
• Growers were ordered to sell their grain for cash in their fields at fixed prices and were not allowed to take any grain home for private sale.
• Land revenue was 50% of the gross produce and he eliminated all middle-men.
• The diwan-i-mustakhra was the new department for collection of taxes.
• Alauddin khilji  started rationing system during drought or times of scarce rainfall.

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Mubarak Shah (1316-1320)

• In 1315, Kafur, as regent, seized the reins of government  and imprisoned Mubarak Khan.
• The Sultan gave Hasan the title Khusrau Khan and transferred Malik Kafur’s iqta and army to him.

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Khusrau Shah (1320)

• Khusrau sent an army to fight Ghazi Malik.
• Khusrau was beheaded, and Ghazi Malik ascended the throne under the title of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq.

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Malik Kafur

• Malik Kafur was the slave general of Alauddin Khilji.
• Malik Kafur was originally a Hindu slave who fell into the hands of the Muslims at Cambay after the conquest of Gujarat.
• Alauddin’s general Nusrat Khan had paid 1,000 dinars to buy him, so Malik Kafur is also known as the “Hazardinari”.
• Sultan raised him to the position of the ‘Vazir’ or the Chief Minister for his abilities.
• Soon he was made the Commander-in-Chief of the royal forces that were sent for the conquest of the Deccan.
• Within a short time he won the Deccan states of Warangal, Dwarasamudra, Devgiri, and Madura.
• Because of this achievement his influence over Alauddin Khilji increased abnormally.
• Malik Kafur told the Sultan that his wife and sons were conspiring against him and consequently he got Malika Jahan and Alauddin’s two sons imprisoned.
• Malik Kafur got his rival and heavily punished under the orders of the Sultan.

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Genghis Khan  (1162-1227)

• Genghis Khan was born around 1162 and first known as Temujin
• Genghis Khan was the son of the chief of the Yakka Mongols.
• When he was 10, his father was poisoned and he became chief.
• However, the tribe deserted him’ and he was forced to live alone, and survived by digging roots for food and  keeping sheep.
• Three years later he was able to form alliances and organise an army.
• He became famous for his strict discipline and training and for the superiority of his army.
• Chingiz Khan invade India in 1221 and defeated Jalal ad-Din in Battle of the Indus.
• He never crossed the Indus himself.
• He was soon became the ruler of Mongolia, then set out to conquer China.
• China was made up of three main empires, Xi Xia, the Qin, and Na-Chung.
• He defeated all of them.
• Genghis Khan then moved his armies Northward, and defeated the Russian army.
• Genghis Khan’s Empire was the largest ever established.
• It extending from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Japan, with over 700 tribes and cities under his rule.

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Tughlaq Dynasty

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25)

• Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq or Ghazi Malik was the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty.
• He gave more importance to postal arrangements, judicial, irrigation, agriculture, and police.
• He brought Bengal, Utkala or Orissa, and Warangal under his control.
• Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq established the city Tughlaqabad.
• In 1325 Ghiyas-ud-din was crushed to death while attending an event for his victories in Bengal.

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Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325-51)

• Juna khan, (Ulugh Khan) the crown prince sworn the title Muhammad bin Tughluq.
• He was the only Delhi Sultan who had received a comprehensive literary, religious and philosophical education, as well as military training.
• Muhammad bin Tughlaq stood upright for administrative and political unity of India.
• He shifted his capital from Delhi to Devagiri (Daulatabad) to protect his capital in 1327.
• Muhammad dispatched an army to the Kangra region in (Qarachil expedition) 1329-30.
• After some initial victories in Kangra, the imperial army pressed on to Tibet, where the local hill men annihilated it.
• To fill the empty treasury, he raised taxes in the Doab region.
• Many people ran away to the forests to avoid heavy taxes.
• Due to this cultivation was neglected and severe food shortage occurred.
• Sultan has to give advance as Takkavi loans to enable the cultivators to buy seed, to sink wells, and to extend cultivation.

• An agriculture ministry called the diwan-i-kohi was established to bring barren land under cultivation.
• From 1339, he lived in a camp called ‘Svargadvari‘ for 2½ years on the bank of river Ganga.
• Sultan issued bronze (or copper) coins at par with the value of the silver tanka coins.
• The value of coins and foreign merchants naturally stopped all business dealings with India.
• Hence sultan had to withdraw the copper token currency.
• The decline of the Delhi Sultanate is claimed due to his makings of hasty decisions and out defective rules.

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Firoz Shah Tughlaq  (1351-88)

• Firoz Shah Tughlaq was the son of of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq’s younger brother.
• Compensation was paid to the heirs of all those whom Muhammad had executed.
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq seized Cuttack and destroyed the Jagannatha temple at Puri.
• He established
  • Department of slaves – Diwan-i-bandagan 
  • Department of Charity – Diwani-i-kherat
  • Free Hospitals – Dar-ul-shafa
  • Employment Bureau and marriage bureaus for poor Muslims
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq also set up a separate department of public works. 
• He also developed royal factories called karkhanas.
• He withdrew all Taquavi (agricultural) loans granted by Mohammed-bin-Tughluq.
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq  revived the Iqtadari system and made it hereditary.
• Soldiers were given land assignments, and their recruitment was made hereditary.
• He was the first Sultan to impose Sharb (irrigation tax).
• But at the same time, he built number of canals.
• He brought to an end to all unlawful and unjust taxes and collected only four types important taxes
  • Kharaj- 1/10 of the produce of the land,
  • Khams- 1/5 of the war booty,
  • Jizya-Poll Tax,
  • Zakat-Tax on Muslims for specific religious purposes
• Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed towns like Firozabad Hissar, Jaunpur, and Fatehabad.
• He also established Diwan-i-lstibqaq to give financial aid to the poor.
• Futuhat-i-Firoz Shahi is an autobiography of Firoz Shah Tughlaq.
• He patronized scholar Zia-ud-din Barani.
• During his reign a number of Sanskrit books on medicine, science and arts were translated into Persian.

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End of Tughlug Dynasty

• After Firoz’s death the sultanate disintegrated further.
• The Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur came into existence in 1394.
• Malwa and Gujarat also broke away.
• When Timur arrived on the scene in 1398-99, the fate of the Tughluq dynasty was sealed.

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Timur’s Invasion (1398)

• The fabulous wealth of Hindustan attracted Timur the ruler of Samarkand.
• During the period of Nasir-ud-din Mohammed Tughluq he invaded India.
• In 1398 Timur, he captured Delhi and caused annihilation by pillaging and slaughtering people.

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Sayyid Dynasty (1414-1451)

Khizr Khan (1414-21)

• Khizr Khan was the founder of Sayyid Dynasty.
• He was the Governor of Multan.
• Timur’s confinnation enhanced Khizr Khan’s prestige and enabled him to capture Delhi.
• In 1414 he occupied the throne of Delhi.

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Mubarak Shah (1421-34)

• Mubarak Shah crushed the local chiefs of the Doab region and the Khokhars.
• He is first Sultan ruler to appoint Hindu nobles in the court of Delhi.
• He constructed Mubarakbad City on the banks of the river Jamuna.

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Muhammad Shah (1434-45)

• Muhammad Shah defeated the ruler of Malwa with the help of Bahlul Lodi the Governor of Lahore.
• He conferred Bahlul Lodi with the title Khan-i-Khanan for helping in defeating the ruler of Malwa.
• He was ruling a territory which extended merely forty miles around his capital.

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Ala-ud-din Shah (1445-57)

• When he retired to Badaun in 1447, Bahlul Lodhi captured Delhi.
• The Sultan did not contest Bahlul’s usurpation and formally transferred the sovereignty of Delhi to him in 1451.
• The Sayyids had ruled in name only.

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Lodi Dynasty (1451 -1526)

Bahlul Lodi  (1451-89)

• Lodi dynasty was an Afghan dynasty.
• Bahlul Lodi was the founder of Lodi Dynasty.
• He never sat on the throne and he used to sit on the carpet in front of the throne with his nobles to gain their recognition and support.

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Sikandar Lodi  (1489-1517)

• Sikandar Lodi was the son of Bahlul Lodi.
• He set up a well-organized spy system.
• Sikandar Lodi developed agriculture and industry, and tried to control the market price.
• He founded Agra and shifted his capital in the year 1506.
• A work on music names “Lahjati-Sikandar Shahi” was created during his reign.
• He introduced the system of auditing the accounts.

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Ibrahim Lodi  (1517-26)

• Ibrahim Lod was an intolerant and adamant ruler.
• He had humiliated many nobles and killed some nobles cruelly.
• He also treated his son Dilwar Khan Lodi cruelly.
• Daulat Khan of Punjab and Rana Sanga of Mewar, invited Babur the ruler of Kabul to invade India.
• Babur invaded in India and defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the 1st battle of Panipat in 1526.

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Ministers to Sultan

• Wazir – Prime Minister and Finance Minister
• Diwani-I-Risalt – Foreign Affairs Minister
• Sadr-us-Suddar – Minister of Islamic Law
• Diwan-I-lnsha – Correspondence Minister
• Diwan-I-Ariz – Defence or War Minister
• Qazi-ul-quzar – Minister of Justice

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Land Revenue System of Delhi Sultanate 

• The lands were classified into three categories
  • Iqta land – Lands assigned to officials
  • Khalisa land – Land under the direct control of the Sultan
  • Inam land – Land granted to religious leaders or institutions.
• A class of khuts (smaller landlords) and Hindu rais (autonomous rajas) were emerged.
• Land tax Kharaj was main source of income to the state.
• Alauddin and Muhammad Tughluq took measures to fix land revenue.
• Another secular source of income to state was khams or the tax on mines, treasure-troves, etc.
• There were many other taxes, irrigation tax, grazing tax, customs and excise from traders and merchants, house-tax, etc.

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Industries

• Cotton Textile Industry Increased production for new techniques, such as spinning wheel, cotton-carder’s bow and weaver’s treadles.
• Silk Industry also had an increase in the production of silk cloth due to the introduction of sericulture.
• It made India less dependent on Iran and Afghanistan for raw silk.
• Paper Industry in India was started by the Turks and there was an extensive use of paper from the 14th and 15th centuries.
• Building Industry Introduction of new techniques, like the vaulted (arched) roofing and the cementing lime, made possible large-roofed brick structures.

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delhi sultanate slave khilji tughlaq sayyid lodi dynasty

Literature

• The Delhi Sultans patronised learning and literature.
• Many of them had great love for Arabic and Persian literature.
• Learned men came from Persia and Persian language got encouragement from the rulers.

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Ziauddin Barani

• iauddin Barani was son of a government officer.
• He was employed at the headquarters for 17 years in the reign of Muhammad Tughluq.
• Ziauddin Barani was 74 years old when he completed his work.
• Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, named after Firuz shah Tughluq.
• It begins with the first year of Balban’s reign (1266), leaving a clear gap of six years after the close of the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, and ends with the sixth year of Firuz Shah Tugluq’s reign (1357).
• Barani wrote another book, Fatawa-i-Jahandari.

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Amir Khusrau

• Khusrau was born in 1253 in Patiala.
• Tuti-i-Hind (Parrot of India) title was given by Allauddin Khilji
• Khusrau’s father served Sultan Iltutmish in a high position.
• With his second collection of verses, Wast-uLHayat, Amir Khusrau’s name spread from house to house, wide and far and he came to be known in Persia as well.
• The famous poet of Persia, Sa’di sent him compliments.
• In Nuh Sipihr (1318), Khusrau’s fascination with India’s birds and animals, flower, its languages and people finds an impassioned expression.
• His spiritual mentor, Nizamuddin Auliya.

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