History: Dynasties of Delhi Sultanate

Dynasty

Period of Rule

Prominent rulers

Mamluk or Slave dynasty

1206 - 1290

Qutubuddin Aibak, Iltutmish, Razia Sultan, Ghiyasuddin Balban

Khilji dynasty

1290 - 1320

Alauddin Khilji

Tughlaq dynasty

1321 - 1413

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, Firoz Shah Tughlaq

Sayyid dynasty

1414 - 1450

Khizr Khan

Lodhi dynasty

1451 - 1526

Ibrahim Lodhi

Ruler

Related facts

Qutubuddin Aibak

·       He was a slave of Mohammad Ghori.

·       He was the first Sultan of Delhi and founder of the Ghulam dynasty (Mamluk Sultanate) of India

·       He ruled for only four years, from 1206 to 1210 AD. He died while playing polo in Lahore.

·       He built the Quwwat Al Islam mosque in Delhi and the Adhai-din-ka-Jhonpra mosque in Ajmer.

·       He started the construction of Qutb Minar in Delhi, which is dedicated to a famous Sufi Saint of the time, Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki.

·       He is also remembered as lakhbaksh or giver of lakhs, because of his generosity.

Iltutmish

·       He was the first to issue regular currency and declare Delhi as the capital of his empire.

·       He introduced the silver tanka and the copper jital - the two basic coins of the Sultanate period

·       He introduced Iqtadari system: division of empire into Iqtas, which were assigned to the nobles and officers in lieu of salary.

·       He built the Hauz-i-Shamsi reservoir in Mehrauli

·       He completed the Qutub Minar started by Qutubuddin Aibak.

·       Sultan Ghari which is considered the first Islamic Mausoleum in Delhi, was constructed by him in memory of his eldest son, Prince Nasiru'd-Din Mahmud.

·       He was the longest serving Slave ruler who ruled for 25 years.

Razia Sultan

·       She was the first woman to sit on the throne of Delhi

·       She took over after the death of her father Iltutmish in 1236.

Ruler

Related facts

Balban

·       His original name was Baharuddin.

·       He is considered the greatest Sultan of slave dynasty.

·       He was a slave bought by Sultan Iltutmish.

·       He introduced the Persian culture of Zaminbos

·       He adopted a policy of blood and iron against rebels, traitors and robbers.

·       He got the title of Ulagh Khan for defeating the Mongols.

·       He broke up the Chahalgani, a group of the forty most important nobles in the court.

Ala-ud-din Khilji

·       He was the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty in India and is considered the most powerful ruler of the dynasty.

·       He became the Sultan after murdering his uncle Jalaluddin Khilji.

·       He was the first Sultan to maintain a standing army.

·       Alauddin Khilji seized the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond from the ruler of Malwa.

·       He is known for his economic reforms and price control system

·       He was the first Sultan to conquer the Deccan.

·       He created the third city of Delhi known as Siri.

Ghiyas ud-Din Tughluq

·       He founded the city of Tughluqabad.

·       His original name was Ghazi Malik.

·       He died when a pavilion built for him collapsed.

Muhammad bin Tughluq

·       He was a scholar versed in logic, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and physical sciences.

·       He had knowledge of medicine and was skillful in dialectics.

·       He was also a calligrapher.

·       He was well versed with several languages like Persian, Arabic, Turkish and even Sanskrit.

·       He introduced token currency using brass or copper coins backed by silver or gold in treasury.

·       However, the measure led to heavy losses to the treasury.

·       He shifted his capital from Delhi to Devagiri, which he renamed as Daulatabad, but as the plan failed, he shifted back to Delhi.

·       Ibn Batuta, the famous Moroccan traveler, visited him during his reign.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq

·       He is best known for the construction of a network of canals.

·       He founded several cities, including Jaunpur, Firozpur, Firoz Shah Kotla and Hissar-Firoza.

·       He rebuilt the top two floors of the Qutub Minar which were damaged by lightning in 1368 AD.

·       One of his hunting lodges, Shikargah, also known as Kushak Mahal, is situated within the Teen Murti Bhavan complex, Delhi.

·       Tughlaq Road in Delhi is named after him.

Sikandar Lodhi

He founded the modern city of Agra.

Ibrahim Lodhi

The last of Delhi Sultans, he was defeated and killed in the 1st Battle of Panipat against Babur in 1526.