Delhi Sultanate

Chapters for Module II

Satish Chandra
5. The Age of Conflict (Circa 1000–1200)
6. The Delhi Sultanat—I (Circa 1200–1300)
7. The Delhi Sultanat— (Circa 1300–1400)
8. Government, and Economic and Social Life under the Delhi
Sultanat

NCERT VII
3. The Delhi Sultans
 Topic

•Polity

•Administration

•Economy and Market Reforms

•Tughlaq Experiments

•Society

•Pre Mughal Polities

Polity
 Mamluk Dynasty (1206-1290)

Qutub ud-
Iltutmish Razia
Din Aibak

Muiz-ud-din
Ghiyas-ud-
Muhammad
din Balban 
Qaiqabad
 Qutub ud-Din Aibak (1206-1210)
• He had played an important part in the
expansion of the Turkish Sultanate in India
after the battle of Tarain.

• A n o t h e r s l a v e o f M u i z z u d d i n , Ya l d u z ,
succeeded at Ghazni.

• As the ruler of Ghazni, Yalduz claimed to rule

over Delhi as well. This, however, was not
accepted by Aibak who ruled from Lahore

• He was granted the title Lakh Bakhsh and

Kuran Khan.

• Died in 1210 while playing Chaughan (Polo).

 Iltutmish (1210 – 1236)

•The real consolidator of Turkish conquests.

•He saved the Delhi Sultanate from the invasion of the Mongols

•He introduced the currency system, Tanka of silver and Jittal of copper.

•He organized the Iqta System

•He set up the Chahalgani system – nobility of 40 members (Dal chalisa).

•1218- Chengiz Khan

•1227- Death of Chengiz Khan

•1241

•1292

•1297
 Razia (1236 – 1240)
 Her period marked the beginning of a struggle for power between the monarchy
and the Turkish chiefs- ‘the forty’ or the chahalgani.

 She discarded the female apparel and started holding court with her face unveiled.
She even hunted, and led the army in war.

 She sent an expedition against Ranthambhor to control the Rajputs, and

successfully established law and order in the length and breadth of her kingdom.

 Rebellions broke out at Lahore and Sirhind. Razia personally led an expedition
against Lahore, and compelled the governor to submit.
 On the way to Sirhind, an internal rebellion broke out in which Yaqut Khan was
killed, and Raziya imprisoned at Tabarhinda. However, Raziya won over her
captor, Altunia, and after marrying him made a renewed attempt on Delhi. Raziya
fought valiantly, but was defeated and killed in a forest by bandits while she was in
flight.
 Balban (1266 – 1287)
• A strong and centralized government was established.

• He broke the strength of Chahalgani to restore the powers of the Monarchy. He established
Diwan-i-Arz, military department towards a strong army.

• Balban constantly sought to increase the prestige and power of the monarchy. Balban tried
to strengthen his claim to the throne by declaring that he was the descendant of the
legendary Iranian king Afrasiyab.

• He embraced a policy of blood and iron to restore law and order.

• He refused to entertain for important government posts anyone who did not belong to a
noble family. Excluded Indian Muslims from all positions of power and authority. He insisted
on the ceremony of Sijada and Paibos. He took up the title Zil-i-illahi (shadow of God)
•1218-

•1227

•1241- Tair Bahadur and Halaku

•To keep himself well informed, Balban appointed spies in every department.

•He also organized a strong centralised army, both to deal with internal
disturbances, and to repel the Mongols who had entrenched themselves in the
Punjab

•Although Balban had a strong army, he did not lead any distant expeditions except
the one to Bengal, or to expand the empire for fear of Mongol attack on Delhi.

•Balban died in 1286. By asserting the power of the monarchy, Balban

strengthened the Delhi Sultanate.
Khiljis
 Jalal-ud-din
Firoz Khilji
(1290-1296)

Ala-ud-din
Khilji (1296-
1316)

•Qutb-ud-din
Mubarak Shah
(1316-1320 )

•Nasir-ud-din
Khusrav Shah
(1320)
 Jalal-ud-din Firoz Khilji (1290-1296)

•Khilji Revolution-• The Khaljis were of a mixed Turkish— Afghan

origin, did not exclude the Turks from high offices, but the rise of the
Khaljis to power ended the Turkish monopoly of high offices.

•Defeated the Mongols who invaded in 1292

•He checked the monopoly of Turkish nobility and followed a policy

of tolerance
•1218-

•1227

•1241

•1292- Abdullah

•1297- Dawa Khan and Qutlugh Khwaja

 Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316)

• Consolidator of Delhi Sultanate

• Alauddin Khalji adopted methods of utmost
severity and ruthlessness.
•S e v e r e p u n i s h m e n t s w e r e g i v e n t o t h e
rebellious members of his own family
• Alauddin framed a series of regulations to
prevent the nobles from conspiring against
him.
• They were forbidden to hold banquets or
festivities, or to form marriage alliances
without the permission of the sultan.
• To discourage festive parties, he banned the
use of wines and intoxicants.
• He also instituted a spy service to inform the
sultan of all that the nobles said and did.
Tughlaqs
 Ghiyas-ud-
din Tughluq Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq (1320 –
1325)
(1320 – 1325)

Muhammad- He was of mixed Turko-Indian origins; his mother was a Jat noble
bin-Tughlaq and his father was likely descended from Indian Turkic slaves.
(1325-1361)
• Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq ordered the construction of Tughlakabad,
a city near Delhi with fort to protect Delhi Sultanate from
•Firoz Shah
Tughlaq Mongol attacks.
(1351-1388)
• He rewarded all those maliks, amirs and officials of Khalji
dynasty who had rendered him a service and helped him come
•Ghiyas-ud- to power.
din Tughlaq
Shah II
• He had a conflict with Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin auliya.
• Reintroduced the food laws of Ala-ud-Din
•Abu Bakr
Shah • Organised a better postal system
• Encouraged agriculture
•Nasir-ud-din
Mohammed
Tughlaq
 Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (1325–1351)
• Most educated ruler- scholar of Persian & Arabic, Subjects - Astronomy, Mathematics &
Philosophy.

• He tried to introduce many administrative reforms.

• Increase of taxation in the doab with imposing Ghari or House tax and Charahi or
Pasture tax. Along with land taxes, dhimmis (non-Muslims) were required to pay crop
taxes by giving up half or more of their harvested crop. These sharply higher crop and
land tax led entire villages of Hindu farmers to quit farming and escape into jungles;
they refused to grow anything or work at all.

• Created Diwan-i-Kohi or Department of Agriculture to bring more land under cultivation

• Four Experiments
 Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-1388)
• Established of Diwan-i-Khairat (department for poor and needy people) and Diwan-l-Bundagan (department of
slaves)

• Making Iqtadari system hereditary. Trying to appease the nobility, army and theologians, he introduced the
hereditary system in the nobility and Iqtas, the army which led to many abuses

He collected four important taxes which are:

• Kharaj- 1/10 of the produce of the land
• Khams- 1/5 of the war booty
• Jizya
• Zakat-Tax on Muslims for specific religious purposes

• Establishment of four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.

• Construction of canals for irrigation from the Yamuna to the city of Hissar.
Administration
•The sultan’s office was the most important in the Sultanate and supreme political,
military, and even legal authority, was vested in him.

•The sultan was assisted by a number of ministers who were chosen by him and
remained in office at his pleasure. The number, powers and functions of the
ministers varied from time to time.

•A definite system of administration developed towards the end of the thirteenth

century. The key figure in administration was the wazir.

•The most important department of state, next to the wazir’s was the diwani-arz
or the military department. The head of this department was called the ariz-i-
mamalik.
 Iqta System
•The agricultural and land revenue system of the early Turkish Sultans rested on two
foundations viz. the Iqta (assignment of land revenue) and Kharaj (Land Revenue).

•The Iqta system was provided institutional status by Iltutmish.

•Under Iqta System, the land of the empire was divided into several large and small
tracts called Iqta and assigned these Iqtas to his soldiers, officers and nobles. The
duty of the muqtis was to lead military campaigns and maintain law and order in
their iqtas.

•In exchange for their military services, the muqtis collected the revenues of their
assignments as salary. They also paid their soldiers from these revenues. Care was
taken that the muqti collected only the taxes prescribed by the state and that he
kept the required number of soldiers.
• Accountants were appointed by the state to check the amount of revenue collected by the muqtis.

• There were two kinds of Iqtas viz. Large Iqtas and Small Iqtas. The holders of large Iqta were the provincial
governors, who had some administrative responsibilities also. On the other hand, the holders of the small Iqtas
were the small troops holders who had no administrative responsibilities. These small Iqta holders were called
Khuts/ and Muqaddams

• As the Delhi Sultans brought the hinterland of the cities under their control, they forced the landed chieftains –
the samanta aristocrats – and rich landlords to accept their authority. Under Alauddin Khalji, the rights of the
local chieftains to levy taxes were cancelled and they were also forced to pay taxes.

• The Sultan’s administrators measured the land and kept careful accounts. Some of the old chieftains and
landlords served the Sultanate as revenue collectors and assessors. There were three types of taxes: (1) on
cultivation called kharaj and amounting to about 50 per cent of the peasant’s produce, (2) on cattle and (3) on
houses.

• In the beginning, an Iqta was based upon salary. Later, under Firoz Shah Tughlaq it became hereditary.
 Diwan-i-Risalat Iqta i.e. Province Muqti or Wali
(Foreign Minister)- Diwan-i-Ariz- Diwan-i-Bandagan-
Department of Military department Department of slaves
Appeals Shiq i.e. Dist rict Shiqda r

Diwan-i-Qaza-i- Diwan-i-Isthiaq- Diwan-i-Mustakhraj- Paragana i.e. Taluka Cha u d h a r y and

Mamalik- Department of Department of
Amil
Department of justice pensions arrears

Gram i.e.Village Muqaddam,

Diwan- i- Khairat- Diwan-i- Kohi- Diwan-i- Insha- Khut
Department of Department of Department of
charity agriculture correspondence
 Economy
•Upward mobility

•Rise of construction and textile sector

•Agrarian Expansion through irrigation

• Urbanization

•Cosmopolitanism
 Cloth of fine quality was produced in other towns as well. Cambay in Gujarat was
famous for textiles and for gold and silver work.

 Sonargaon in Bengal was famous for raw silk and fine cotton cloth (called muslin
later on).

 There were many other handicrafts as well, such as leather work, metal work,
carpet weaving, wood-work including furniture, stonecutting, etc., for which India
was famous.

 Some of the new crafts introduced by the Turks included the manufacturer of paper.
 Market Reforms
•The Mongol threat

•In a series of orders after his return from the Chittor campaign,
Alauddin sought to fix the cost of all commodities

•For the purpose, he set up three markets at Delhi—one market for

foodgrains, the second for costly cloth, and the third for horses,
slaves and cattle.

•Each market was under the control of a high officer called shahna-i-
Mandi and spies called barids acted as oversight.
•He declared that the land revenue in the doab region, that is, the area
extending from Meerut near the Yamuna to the border of Kara near Allahabad
would be paid directly to the state.

•The land revenue was raised to half of the produce.

•Peasants were forced to sell their foodgrains at a low price to banjaras who
were to carry them to the towns, and to sell them at prices fixed by the state.

•To ensure that there was no hoarding, all the banjaras were registered, and
their agents and their family were held collectively responsible for any
violations.
 Muhammad-bin Tughlaq
Experiments
•Transfer of capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (1327)

•Token Currency: He introduced bronze coins which were to have

the same value as silver coins. But these coins were forged and
greatly lost its value in the market (1328)
•Khurasan expedition

•Qarachil expedition against the Chinese incursion in Kumaon hills,

Himalayas (1330)
 Society
•The traditional Brahmanical society

•Social Mobility

•There was little change in the position of women in the Hindu society. The old rules
enjoining early marriage for girls, and the wife’s obligation of service and devotion
to the husband continued.

•Purdah and Social Exclusion of Women

•Cosmopolitanism and Amalgamation- The Turks, Iranians, Afghans and Indian

Muslims
Summary
Summary
Summary
Summary
Summary