The Delhi Sultanate

BY: SHAUNA DEBNATH

NAME: SHAUNA DEBNATH
ROLL NO :18
CLASS: 7D
SUBJECT:HISTORY
TOPIC:THE DELHI SULTANATE
 The Delhi Sultanate was an
Islamic empire based in Delhi that
stretched over large parts of
the Indian subcontinent for 320
years (1206–1526). The context
behind the rise of the Delhi
Sultanate in India was part of a
THE 5 DYNASTY'S wider trend affecting much of
the Asian continent, including the
whole of southern and western
1. TheSlave Dynasty(1206-1290) Asia: the influx of nomadic Turkic
peoples from the Central
2. The KhiljiSultans(1290-1320) Asian steppes. This can be traced
3. TheTughlaqSultans(1320-1413) back to the 9th century, when the
Islamic Caliphate began
4. TheSayyid Dynasty(1414-1451) fragmenting in the Middle East,
5. The Lodhi Dynasty(1451-1526) where Muslim rulers in rival states
began enslaving non-Muslim
nomadic Turks from the Central
Asian steppes, and raising many of
them to become loyal military
slaves called Mamluks
TURKISH INVASION

Turks in India comprise Turkish expatriates and Turkish-origin people living in India.

They were the feudatories of the Caliphs and they started assuming that they were
independent. They all started attacking India under the leadership of Mahmud. He
attacked India 17 times in the course of 25 years from 1001 to 1025 AD.
Timeline

(1206-1290) (1290-1320) (1320-1413) (1414-1451) (1451-1526)

Slave Khilji Tughlaq Sayyid Lodhi
dynasty dynasty dynasty dynasty dynasty
The
slave
dynasty
1206-1290
 QUTB –UD-DIN-AIBAK(1206-1210)

Qutb -ud-Din Aibak (1206–1210) was a general of the Ghurid king Moniz ad-Din

Muhammad Ghori. He was in-charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India,
and after Moniz ud-Din's death, he became the ruler of an independent
kingdom that evolved into the Delhi Sultanate ruled by the Mamluk dynasty.
INVASIONS:
 Ajmer
 Meerut
 Doab
 The city of Badaun
HIS CHARACTERS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Aibak was one of the generals of Ghurid army that was defeated by the forces of the Chahamana
ruler Prithviraja III at the First Battle of Tarain in India. At the Second Battle of Tarain, the Ghurids emerged
victorious.
• After the death of Prithviraja, Aibak appointed his son Govindaraja IV as a Ghurid vassal. Sometime later,
Prithviraja's brother Hariraja  invaded the Ranthambore Fort, which Aibak had placed under his subordinate
Qawamul Mulk. Aibak marched to Ranthambore, forcing Hariraja to retreat from Ranthambore as well as the
former Chahamana capital Ajmer.
•  Aibak returned to Kuhram, and made preparations to invade the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. In 1192, he took
control of Meerut and Baran(modern Bulandshahr), from where he would later launch attacks against
the Gahadavala kingdom. He also took control of Delhi in 1192, where he initially retained the
local Tomara ruler as a vassal. In 1193, he deposed the Tomara ruler for treason, and took direct control of
Delhi.
ILTUTMISH (1210-1236)

Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was the second of the

ghurid kings who ruled over the northern territories
if India. Sold into slavery as a young boy,
 the Ghurid slave-commander Qutb ud-Din
Aibak purchased him in Delhi, thus making him the
slave of a slave. Iltutmish rose to prominence in Aibak's
service, and was granted the important iqta' of Badaun.
  Territorial expansion:
• Eastern India and Rajasthan
• Annexation of Qabacha's empire
CHARACTERS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF ILTUTMISH

Achievements
• Organization of the Group of Forty Slaves
• Defeat of Yildiz
• The Conquest of Bengal
• Investiture from the Caliph

Characteristics
• Organization of Army
• Iltutmish organized the army of the sultanate and made it the “King’s army” which was centrally recruited
and centrally paid.
• Coins: Tanka and Jital
• Iltutmish introduced Silver Tanka and copper Jital, the two coins of the Delhi Sultanate.
• The coins prior to Iltutmish were introduced by the invaders which bear the Sanskrit characters and even
Bull and Shivalinga. Iltutmish was the first to introduce a “Pure Arabic Coin” in India.
 RAZIA SULTANA(1236-1240)
Razia Sultana, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern
part of the Indian subcontinent. She is notable for being the first
female Muslim ruler of the Indian Subcontinent. Razia's ascension
was challenged by a section of nobles, some of whom ultimately
joined her, while the others were defeated. Iltutmish nominated
Razia as his heir. Iltutmish was succeeded by Razia's half-
brother Ruknuddin Firoz, whose mother Shah Turkan planned to
execute her. During a rebellion against Ruknuddin, Razia instigated
the general public against Shah Turkan, and ascended the throne
after Ruknuddin was deposed in 1236.  her appointments of non-
Turkic officers to important posts, led to their resentment against
her. She was deposed by a group of nobles in April 1240, after
having ruled for less than 4 years..
GHIYAS UD DIN BALBAN (1266-
1286)
Ghiyas ud Din was the wazir of the last Shamsi sultan, Nasiruddin
Mahmud. He reduced the power of the treacherous nobility and
heightened the stature of the sultan. Despite having only few
military achievements, he was the most powerful ruler of the
sultanate between Shamsuddin Iltutmish and Alauddin Khalji.
Ghiyas made several conquests, some of them as vizier. He routed
the Mewats that harassed Delhi and reconquered Bengal, all while
successfully facing the Mongol threat, a struggle that cost his son
and heir's life. So it came to pass that upon his death in 1287, his
grandson Qaiqubad was nominated sultan, undermining the
achievements of his grandfather. Balban's reign, according
to Ziauddin Barani, was to install "Fear of the governing power,
which is the basis of all good government." Furthermore, he
"maintained that the Sultan was the 'shadow of God' and introduced
rigorous court discipline." He depended upon Turkish nobility but
formed an army of 2 lakh made up of all castes. A portion of this
army was made up of commandos.
The
khilji
sultans
1290-1320
 JALAL UD DIN KHILJI (1290-1296)
Jalal-ud-din Khilji was the founder and first Sultan of the Khilji
dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1290 to 1320. As a
Sultan, he repulsed a Mongol invasion, and allowed many Mongols
to settle in India after their conversion to Islam. He
captured Mandawar and Jhain from the Chahamana king Hammira,
although he was unable to capture the Chahamana
capital Ranthambore. Jalal-ud-din, who was around 70 years old at
the time of his ascension, was known as a mild-mannered, humble
and kind monarch to the general public. During the first year of his
reign, he ruled from Kilokhri to avoid confrontations with the
old Turkic nobles of the imperial capital Delhi. He meted out lenient
punishments to the rebels, except in case of a dervish Sidi Maula,
who was executed for allegedly conspiring to dethrone him. Jalal-
ud-din was ultimately assassinated by his nephew Ali Gurshasp, who
subsequently ascended the throne as Alauddin Khilji.
ALA-UD-DIN-KHILJI(1296-1316)
Ala-ud-din-khilji born as Ali Gurshaps was the most powerful
emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in
the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of
significant administrative changes, related to revenues, price
controls, and society. He is noted for repulsing the Mongol
invasions of India. Alauddin was a nephew and a son-in-law of
his predecessor Jalaluddin. When Jalaluddin became the Sultan
of Delhi after deposing the Mamluks, Alauddin was given the
position of Amir-i-Tuzuk. Alauddin obtained the governorship
of Kara in 1291 after suppressing a revolt against Jalaluddin,
and the governorship of Awadh in 1296 after a profitable raid
on Bhilsa. In 1296, Alauddin raided Devagiri, and acquired loot
to stage a successful revolt against Jalaluddin. After killing
Jalaluddin, he consolidated his power in Delhi, and subjugated
Jalaluddin's sons in Multan.
CONQUESTS

•  Gujarat (raided in 1299 and annexed in 1304),

• Ranthambore (1301)
•  Chittor (1303)
•  Malwa (1305)
•  Siwana (1308)
•  Jalore (1311). 
ADMISTRATION OF ALA-UD-DIN-KHILJI

• Military Reforms:
1. Alauddin Khilji maintained a strong and huge standing army to safeguard
his empire.
• Revenue Reforms:
1. Alauddin Khilji introduced scientific method of measurement of land for
the assessment of land revenue.
2.He imposed heavy taxes on the Sardars, Jagidars and Ulemas.
• Economic Reforms (Market Regulations):
1.Alauddin Khilji introduced the market regulations to help soldiers and to
make ends meet. Prices of all articles of common use were fixed. Separate
department and special officers were appointed to regulate the market. The
price fixed in the capital was applicable to all towns.
CHARACTERS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• His first two years of reign of Alauddin Khilji were spent in the suppression of the revolts headed by his rival
claimants to the throne. The rebels were suppressed in a relentless manner.
• Besides these internal revolts, Sultan Allauddin had also deal with the threat of Mongol invasion from outside.
• Alauddin strengthened the defenses and kept the invaders at a safe distance from his frontiers.
• Alauddin Khilji possessed an unlimited lust of conquest and achieved success at wars. His ideal was Alexander
the great whose example he wanted to emulate.
• His reign is famous for a series of brilliant conquests leading to the expansion of Muslim arms to South India.
Alauddin Khilji was fortunate to have at his disposal some of the most brilliant generals of his time
The
Tughlaq
Sultans
1320-1413
 GHIYAS-UD-DIN-TUGHLAQ(1320-1325)
 Ghiyas-ud-din-Tughlaq, was the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty
in India, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1320 to
1325. He founded the city of Tughlaqabad. His reign was cut short
after five years when he died under mysterious circumstances in
1325.
Death:
In 1324, Tughlaq turned his attention towards Bengal, currently in
the midst of a civil war. After victory, he placed Nasiruddon on the
throne of West Bengal as a vassal state, and East Bengal was
annexed. On his way back to Delhi, he fought with Tirhut
(north Bihar). At Afghanpur in February 1325, the wooden pavilion
used for his reception collapsed, killing him and his second son
Prince Mahmud Khan. Ibn Battuta claimed it was a conspiracy,
hatched by his vizier, Jauna Khan.
DIFFICULTIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Ghiyas-ud-din faced both internal and external problems. The administrative setup established by Ala-ud-din
was destroyed by his successors while no steps were taken to establish a new one. The nobles and the
courtiers had become negligent towards their responsibilities and engaged themselves in physical pleasures.
The Sultan had lost his prestige both among the nobility and the subjects.
• The first task of Ghiyas-ud-din was to strengthen his position on the throne and for that he tried to conciliate
the nobles and the people.
• Ghiyas-ud-din attempted to improve the finances of the state and for that purpose, pursued the policy of
encouraging agriculture and protecting cultiva­tors. 
• In case of famine, the peasants were exempted from paying the revenue. More- land has expressed that in
case of failure of crop and absence of good production on newly cultivated lands, the peasants were not asked
to pay the revenue. 
 MUHAMUD-BIN-TUGHLAQ(1325-1351)
  Muhammad bin Tughlaq was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to
1351. He was the eldest son of Ghiyas -ud -Din -Tughlaq, the
founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. He was born in New Delhi.His wife
was the daughter of the Raja of Dipalpur. Ghiyas-ud-din sent the
young Muhammad to the Deccan to campaign against
king Prataparudra of the Kakatiya dynasty whose capital was
at Warangal in 1321 and 1323.  His mother was known by the title
Makhduma-i-Jahan, who was known for being a philanthropist,
having founded many hospitals.He had been a man of
controversies and crisis. He faced attacks of Mongols, dissension
within his own support group, and rebellions from a very large and
diverse population. In an effort to adapt to his growing empire, he
attempted to shift his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, which was
supposed to be a more central location, but it was a disastrous
decision and was costly.
SHIFTING OF CAPITAL
• In 1327, Tughlaq passed an order to move his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (in present-
day Maharashtra) in the Deccan region of India. Tughlaq said that it would help him to establish control
over the fertile land of the Deccan plateau and to create a more accessible capital since his empire had
grown more in the south.He also felt that it would make him safe from the Mongol invasions which
were mainly aimed at Delhi and regions in north India. However, in 1334 there was a rebellion in Mabar.
While on his way to suppress the rebellion, there was an outbreak of bubonic plague at Bidar due to
which Tughlaq himself became ill, and many of his soldiers died. While he retreated back to
Daulatabad, Mabar and Dwarsamudra broke away from Tughlaq control. This was followed by a revolt
in Bengal. Fearing that the sultanate's northern borders were exposed to attacks, in 1335, he decided
to shift the capital back to Delhi, allowing the citizens to return to their previous city.
Its impacts:
This shifting of capital caused many deaths as the distance between delhi and daulatabad was too much due to which while going
and coming back many people died.
“A SEARCH WAS MADE AND A BLIND MAN
AND A CRIPPLE MAN WERE FOUND. THE
CRIPPLE MAN WAS PUT TO DEATH WHILE
THE BLIND MAN WAS TIED WITH THE TAIL
OF A HORSE AND WAS DRAGGED TO
DAULATABAD WHERE ONLY HIS ONE LEG
REACHED.”

-IBN BATUTA
TAXATION IN DOAB

• Doab was a fertile alluvial tract lying between the rivers Ganga and Yamuna.

Muhammad Tughlaq increased the taxes of the Doab region as he was in need of money for
raising a large army. Unfortunately, the increase in taxes coincided with a severe famine in
the region. The tax collectors however showed no signs of mercy and ruthlessly collected
taxes. Peasants unable to pay the taxes abandoned their lands and fled to forests. When the
plight of peasants reached Muhammad Tughlaq, he ordered several relief measures. He
opened free kitchens, distributed free grains etc., but these measures came too late and
agriculture in the region suffered. Thus, his taxation of Doab failed.

Achievements:
• He annexed several kingdoms around his land/territories
• He defeated the Mongols, who attacked the Delhi Sultanate. 
• He created federal financial offices to keep check of the financial activity.
 FIROZ-SHAH-TUGHLAQ(1352-1388)

Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was

a Turkic Muslim ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty. His father's
name was Rajab (the younger brother of Ghazi Malik) who
had the title Sipah salar. He succeeded his
cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death
at Thatta in Sindh, where Muhammad bin Tughlaq had gone
in pursuit of Taghi the ruler of Gujarat. He was 45 when he
became Sultan of Delhi in 1351. At his succession, after the
death of Muhammad Tughlaq, he faced many rebellions,
including in Bengal, Gujarat and Warangal. Nonetheless he
worked to improve the infrastructure of the empire building
canals, rest-houses and hospitals, creating and refurbishing
reservoirs and digging wells. He founded several cities
around Delhi,
including Jaunpur, Firozpur, Hissar, Firozabad, Fatehabad.
HIS POLICIES

Firoz was a fervent Muslim. He made a number of important concessions to theologians. He imposed
Jizya tax on all non-Muslims and did not even exempt Brahmins and beggars as done by his
predecessors. He tried to ban practices that the Ulemans (orthodox theologians) considered un-
Islamic, an example being his prohibition of the practice of Muslim women going out to worship at the
graves of saints. He persecuted a number of Muslim sects which were considered heretical by the
theologians. Tughlaq took to heart the mistakes made during his cousin Muhammad's rule. He decided
not to reconquer areas that had broken away, nor to keep further areas from taking their
independence. He was indiscriminately benevolent and lenient as a sultan. He decided to keep nobles
and the Ulemans happy so that they would allow him to rule his kingdom peacefully. Rather than
awarding position based on merit, Tughlaq allowed a noble's son to succeed to his father's position
and jagir after his death. The same was done in the army, where an old soldier could send his son, son-
in-law or even his slave in his place. He increased the salary of the nobles. He stopped all kinds of harsh
punishments such as cutting off hands. He also lowered the land taxes that Muhammad had raised.
Tughlaq's reign has been described as the greatest age of corruption in medieval India: he once gave a
golden Tanka to a distraught soldier so that he could bribe the clerk to pass his sub-standard horse.
ATTAINMENTS OF FIROZ-SHAH-TUGHLAQ
Firoz Shah Tughlaq worked majorly for development of infrastructure in his kingdom. He built schools, hospitals,
river canals, reservoirs, rest houses among other things. He also repaired the Qutub Minar which had been
damaged by an earthquake.
• He established the Diwan-I-Khairat -- office for charity
• He established the Diwan-I-Bundagan -- department of slave
• He established Sarais (rest house) for the benefits of merchants and other travelers
• He adopted the Iqtadari framework
• He is known to establish four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar
• He established hospitals known as Darul-Shifa, Bimaristan or Shifa Khana
 INVASION OF AMIR TIMUR(1398-1405)

In 1398AD Amir Timur or Tamerlane invaded India and brought many

miseries to people. His main aim was to attack the people and
collect all the precious gold ,silver ,pearls and other expensive
artifacts. On his way back he carried many
crafters ,artisans ,carpenters and cutters of the land. H e marched
the Meerut, Haridwar ,and Jammu and then left for Afghanistan.
Before leaving India, Timur appointed Khizr Khan as his Governor at
Lahore. The invasion of India by Timur had a great impact on Indian
history. Timur led destruction to India's agricultural fields and crops,
and granaries were plundered, trade and commerce fell sharply.
India lost most of its riches, its glory, its people due to this invasion
of Timur.
The
Sayyid
Dynasty
1414-1451
 KHIZR KHAN(1414-1421)
  Sayyid Khizr Khan ibn Malik Sulaiman was the founder of
the Sayyid dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in
northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of
the Tughlaq dynasty.
Khan was Governor of Multan under the Tughlaq ruler, Firoz Shah
Tughlaq, and was known to be an able administrator. He did not
take up any royal title due to fear of Amir Timur (better known
historically as Tamerlane) and contended himself with the titles
of Raiyat-I-Ala (Sublime Banners) and Masnad-i-Aali or (Most High
Post). During his reign, coins were continued to be struck in the
name of previous Tughlaq rulers. After his death on 20 May 1421, he
was succeeded by his son Mubarak Khan, who took the title
of Muizz-ud-Din Mubarak Shah.
MUBARAK SHAH(1421-1434)
Mubarak shah was the monarch of the Sayyid
dynasty which ruled India. He succeeded his
father, Khizr Khan to the throne. The Sayyids
were subservient to Timur's successor, Shah
Rukh, and while Khizr Khan did not assume the
title of sultan, Mubarak Shah was acknowledged
as one by Sirhindi. However, it is also known that
Mubarak Shah received a robe and a chatr (a
ceremonial parasol) from the Timurid capital
of Herat which indicates that the fealty continued
in his time. He was murdered in 1434 and
succeeded by his nephew, Muhammad Shah.
The
Lodhi
Dynasty
1451-1526
 BAHLUL LODHI (1451-1489)
Bahlul khan Lodhi was the nephew of and son-in-law of Malik Sultan
Shah Lodi, the governor of Sir hind in (Punjab), India and succeeded
him as the governor of Sir hind during the reign of Sayyid dynasty
ruler Muhammad Shah. Muhammad Shah raised him to the status of
an Tarun-Bin-Sultan. He was the most powerful of the Punjab chiefs
and a vigorous leader, holding together a loose confederacy of Afghan
and Turkish chiefs with his strong personality. He reduced the
turbulent chiefs of the provinces to submission and infused some vigor
into the government. After the last Sayyid ruler of Delhi, Ala-ud-Din
Alam Shah voluntarily abdicated in favor of him, Bahlul Khan Lodi
ascended the throne of the Delhi sultanate on 19 April 1451.The most
important event of his reign was the conquest of Jaunpur. Bahlul spent
most of his time in fighting against the Sayyid dynasty and ultimately
annexed it. He placed his eldest surviving son Barbak on the throne
of Jaunpur in 1486.
SIKANDER LODHI(1489-1517)

Sikandar Lodi (died 21 November 1517), born Nizam

Khan, was the Sultan of Delhi between 1489 and 1517. He
became the next ruler of the Lodi dynasty after the death
of his father Bahlul Lodi in July 1489. Sikandar was the
second son of Sultan Bahlul Lodi, a Pashtun ruler of Lodi
Sultanate. His mother was the daughter of a Hindu
goldsmith.
 IBRAHIM LODHI(1417-1426)
Ibrahim was an ethnic Pashtun. He attained the throne upon the
death of his father, Sikandar, but was not blessed with the same
ruling capability. He faced a number of rebellions. Ibrahim Lodi also
displeased the nobility when he replaced old and senior commanders
with younger ones who were loyal to him. His Afghan nobility
eventually invited Babur to invade India.
In 1526, the Mughal forces of Babur, the king of Kabulistan (Kabul,
present Afghanistan), defeated Ibrahim's much larger army in
the Battle of Panipat. He was killed in the battle. It is estimated that
Babur's forces numbered around 12,000–30,000 men and had
between 20 and 24 pieces of field artillery. Ibrahim Lodi had around
100,000–120,000 men along with at least 300 war elephants.
BATTLE OF PANIPAT(1426)

The First Battle of Panipat, on 21 April 1526,

was fought between the invading forces
of Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi of the Lodhi
dynasty. It took place in north India and
marked the beginning of the Mughal Empire
and the end of the Delhi Sultanate. This was
one of the earliest battles
involving gunpowder firearms and field
artillery in the Indian subcontinent which were
introduced by Mughals in this battle
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