Category Social Sciences

           By the time Firuz Shah, cousin of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq came to power in 1351, the empire had become too large. There were hardly any loyal nobles because of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq’s notorious policies. Many provinces had asserted independence as well.

           Firuz wanted to keep his army, nobles and priests happy. He gave back their hereditary rights and land to the nobles and the army. He gave the ulamas – religious scholars- high offices. He also persecuted those whom they did not like.

           Firuz abstained from administering harsh punishments and focussed on building hospitals, canals, rest-houses and towns. He also worked to improve farming. As a result of all these, trade flourished. Though his reign was marked by peace and prosperity, his authority and control reduced significantly. No strong kings emerged from the Tughlaq dynasty after his death.

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           Ghazi Malik established a new dynasty that came to be known as Tughlaq and took the titular name, Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq.

           History repeated itself when Ghazi Malik ascended the throne in 1320. The nobles revolted and the provinces began asserting their independence again. But, he slowly gained the support of the nobles as he let them retain their privileges.

           When it came to military matters, he continued Alauddin’s policies. In order to keep the Mongol invasions in check, he fortified the North-Western border. His son Ulugh Khan was sent on an expedition to the Kakatiya capital Warangal which resulted in the annexation of the city.

           The manner of the death of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq is quite suspicious; he died due to the collapse of a wooden pavilion while he was returning from Bengal after putting down a revolt there.

           Though his death seemed natural, some historians believe that he died because of a conspiracy hatched by his son Ulugh Khan.

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           Alauddin’s was the largest empire since Ashoka, but things were not so smooth when he ascended the throne. Many provinces had gained independence, frequent revolts disturbed peace and his nobles started plotting against him. In an attempt to reduce the power enjoyed by the nobles, he cancelled their land grants and took away their extra wealth. He spied on them; they were not allowed to mingle with each other, have parties, or arrange marriage alliances.

          Alauddin’s conquests were nothing less than other great emperors; the kings of the south used to pay tributes to him in gold. He conquered Gujarat, Ranthambore, Siwana, Malwa, Chittor, Jalor and Bengal. He is said to have had a large army consisting of 300,000 soldiers. His horses were branded so that it was easy to identify them.

           Alauddin controlled the markets and fixed prices for all goods. He also made notable changes in tax collection. His reign of terror came to an end in 1316 with the death of the ruthless ruler. Four years later, Ghazi Malik, a noble who proclaimed himself Sultan ascended the throne.

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           Ghiyas-ud-din Balban was once a slave of Iltutmish who later became a minister because of his hard work and intelligence. Balban later took over the throne in 1266 to became the tenth sultan from the Slave dynasty. Though he defended his territory from the Mongols, he had to put down many rebellions to retain power.

           Balban tried to tighten the grip of his authority: his nobles had to wear special dress into the court, and bow down before him. He had a powerful army that silenced any voices of dissent by killing all males of a particular area!

           However, he ruled his empire ably with the help of a balanced administrative system. He reorganized the army, built new forts, cleared dense forests and made the roads safe for travel. Unlike Balban, his successors were weak and the Slave Dynasty eventually declined with the rise of the Khaljis.

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           The Khaljis, who took over from the Slave kings became the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. Jalaluddin Khalji, the first Khalji Sultan was seventy years old when he took over the throne in 1290.

           The Khaljis were of Afghan origin unlike the Slave kings who were Ilbari Turks. After ascending the throne, Jalaluddin was kind enough to allow the Turkish nobles to retain their posts and pardoned most of his enemies who had been fighting for the throne.

           Alauddin, Jalaluddin’s son-in-law and nephew, helped him to put down the unrest that prevailed in the kingdom and defended the area from the Mongols. But, Alauddin was not as naive as he seemed; he wanted the throne for himself. So, he killed Jalaluddin and had his head carried through the provinces!

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