HISTORY
DELHI: 12
TH TO 15 TH
CENTURY
Important Notes:
The defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan by Muhammad Ghori in the Second Battle of Tarain in 1192 was a turning point in the history of Medieval India. It enabled the foundation of Delhi Sultanate. The successors of Muhammad Ghori ruled the subcontinent from 1206 till 1526. These rulers called themselves, Sultans.Therefore, this period is called the Sultanate Period. Most of the rulers were of Turkish origin and came from Central Asia.The Slave Dynasty (1206-1290) The first dynasty of Delhi Sultanate was called the Slave or Mamluk dynasty.The word ‘Mamluk’ means ‘slave warriors’.When Muhammad Ghori defeated Prithiviraj Chauhan, he allowed his successor Govind Rai to rule in Delhi and Ajmer for some time. However, many rebellions started being against Govind Rai for accepting the Turkish authority.So, Muhammed Ghori sent his trusted slave, Qutub-ud-din Aibak to occupy Delhi in 1192. Muhammed Ghori died in 1206. He had no sons so after him, Qutub-ud-din Aibak, laid the foundation of the Slave Dynasty. The Slave Dynasty ruled for 84 years.Qutub-ud-din Aibak (1206-1210) Qutub-ud-din Aibak’s rule was more or less an army rule. The local administration was left in the hands of native officers. He did not change the old rules and regulations. The people were happy and the roads were free from robbers. In 1210, he died of horse fall while playing Polo. Qutub-ud-din was a 1 / 2
lover and patron of arts. In Delhi, he built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. He started the construction of Qutub Minar but could not complete it because of his accidental death. Qutub-ud-din Aibak was the first Sultan of Delhi. He was a great general who won many victories. He started his career as a slave and rose to the position of a Sultan.Iltutmish (1210-1236) After the death of Qutub-ud-din Aibak, his son Aram Shah succeeded on the throne. But he was weak, so he was deposed by Iltutmish in 1211. He was Aibak’s slave and son-in-law. He was the governor of Badaun at that time.When Iltutmish succeeded to the throne, there were revolts all around. The Rajputs challenged the new ruler. Yaldoz of Iran had his eyes on Delhi. Many nobles at Delhi were against him. Iltutmish faced many problems but dealt with them very strongly. Iltutmish died in 1236.He completed the construction of Qutub Minar. It was built using red sandstone and marble. Iltutmish has many sons, but none were capable of being his successor, so his daughter Razia became the successor.Razia Sultan (1236- 1240) Razia fell in love with an African slave Yakut. She made him a general. The nobles rose against her. Her rule was short and full of problems. The nobles did not like her because they thought it was below their dignity to take orders from a woman. So, they plotted and made plans to kill her. Soon afterwards she died in 1240.In 1246, Nasir-ud-din Mahmud, the youngest son of Iltutmish, became Sultan.He reigned for 20 years. He was a pious man. He left the task of his government in the hands of his father-in-law. His name was Ghiyas-ud-din Balban. After the death of Nasir-ud-din, Balban became the Sultan.Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (1266-1287) Ghiyas-ud-din Balban succeeded to the throne of Delhi in 1266 He was a very powerful ruler and had been an important nobel since the time of Iltutmish. He reorganized the army, he repaired old fortresses and also constructed new forts. Balban died in 1286. He introduced the Persian custom of Sijdah and Paibos. The people were against this as they felt these customs were for God alone.
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