Medieval History Notes: Delhi Sultanate Part -2

Emperor

Period

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

1320-24

Muhammad Tughlaq

1324-51

Firoz Shah Tughlaq

1351-88

Mohammad Khan

1388

Ghiyassuddin Tughlaq Shah II

1388

Abu Baqr

1389-90

Nasiruddin Muhammad

1390-94

Humayun

1394-95

Nasiruddin Mahmud

1395-1412

Ruler

Period of Rule

Important facts

Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq

1320-1325

1. Khusrau Khan, the last king of the Khilji dynasty was killed by Ghazni Malik, and Ghazni Malik ascended the throne assuming the title Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.
2. He died in an accident and his son Jauna (Ulugh Khan) succeeded him under the title Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq. 

Achievements of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq
1. Reintroduced the food laws of Ala-ud-Din
2. Supressed the rebellions in the distant provinces with strong hand and resorted the peace and order
3. Organised better postal system
4. Encouraged agriculture

Mohammad-bin Tughlaq

1325-1351

1. Prince Jauna, Son of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq ascended the throne in 1325
2. He tried to introduce many administrative reforms. He had 5 ambitious projects for which he has become particularly debatable.
Taxation in the Doab (1326)
Transfer of Capital (1327)
Introduction of Token Currency (1329)
Proposed Khurasan Expedition (1329)
Qarachil Expedition (1330)
3. His five projects have led to revolts all around his empire. His last days were spent in checking the revolts
1335 — Mudurai became independent (Jalaluddin Ahsan Shah)
1336 — Foundation of Vijayanagar (Harihar & Bukka), Warrangal became independent (Kanhaiya)
1341-47 — Revolts of Sada Amirs & Foundation of Bahamani in 1347 (Hasan Gangu)
He died in Thatta while campaigning in Sindh against Taghi, a Turkish slave.

Firoz Shah Tughlaq

1351-1388

1. He was a cousin of Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq. After his death the nobles and the theologians of the court selected Firoz Shah as the next Sultan.
2. Established of Diwan-i-Khairat (department for poor and needy people) and Diwan-l-Bundagan (department of slaves)
4. Making Iqtadari system hereditary.
5. Construction of canals for irrigation from Yamuna to the city of Hissar
6. From the Sutlej to the Ghaggar. From the Ghaggar to Firozabad
7. From Mandvi and Sirmour Hills to Hansi in Haryana.
8. Establishment of four new towns, Firozabad, Fatehabad, Jaunpur and Hissar.

After Firoz Shah Tughlaq

1388-1414

1. The Tughlaq dynasty would not survive much after Firoz Shah’s death. The Malwa, Gujarat and Sharqi (Jaunpur) Kingdoms broke away from the Sultanate.
2. Timur Invasion: (1398-99) Timur, a Turk, invaded India in 1398 during the reign of Muhammad Shah Tughlaq, the last ruler of Tughlaq dynasty. His army mercilessly sacked and plundered Delhi.
3. Timur returned to Central Asia, leaving a nominee to rule to Punjab which ended the Tughlaq dynasty.

Emperor

Period

Khizr Khan

1414-21

Mubarak Shah

1421-33

Muhammad Shah

1421-43

Alauddin Alam Shah

1443-51

Ruler

Period of Rule

Important facts

Khizr Khan

1414-1421

1. Timur’s nominee captured Delhi and was proclaimed the new Sultan and the first of the Sayyid Dynasty.
2. They ruled over Delhi and surrounding districts.

Mubarak Shah

1421-1434

1. He succeeded Khizr at the throne after his successful expeditions against Mewatis, Katehars and the Gangetic Doab area.
2. He was killed by the nobles in his own court.

Muhammad Shah

1434-1443

1. The nobles put Muhammad Shah on the throne, but could not survive the in-fighting among the nobles in the court.
2. He was authorized to rule a meagre area of around 30 miles and rest of the Sultanate was ruled by the nobles.

Alam Shah

1443-1451

The last Sayyid king descended in favour of Bahlol Lodhi and he retired. Thus began the Lodhi dynasty, which confined to Delhi and a few surrounding areas.

Ruler

Period of Rule

Important facts

Bahlol Lodhi

1451-88

1. Bahlol Lodhi was one of the Afghan sardars who established himself in Punjab after invasion of Timur
2. He founded the Lodhi dynasty. He founded the rule of the Lodhi dynasty by usurping the throne from the last of the Sayyid rulers.
3. He was a strong and brave ruler. He tried to restore the glory of Delhi by conquering territories around Delhi and after continuous war for 26 years, he succeeded in extending his authority over Jaunpur, Rewail, Itawah, Mewar, Sambhal, Gwalior etc.
4. He was a kind and generous ruler. He was always prepared to help his subjects.
5. Though he was himself illiterate, he extended his patronage to art and learning. He died in 1488.

Sikandar Lodhi

1489-1517

1. Sikandar Lodhi was the son of Bahlol Lodhi who conquered Bihar and Western Bengal.
2. He shifted his capital from Delhi to Agra, a city founded by him.
3. Sikandar was a fanatical Muslim and he broke the sacred images of the Jwalamukhi 4. Temple at Naga Kot and ordered the temples of Mathura to be destroyed.
5. He took a keen interest in the development of agriculture. He introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari (Sikandar’s yard) of 32 digits for measuring cultivated fields.
6. He was a staunch Sunni and a Muslim fanatic. He lacked religious tolerance. In the name of religion, he perpetuated untold cruelties on the Hindus.

Ibrahim Lodhi 

1517-26

1. He was the last king of Lodhi dynasty and the last Sultan of Delhi
2. He was the son of Sikandar Lodhi
3. The Afghan nobility was brave and freedom-loving people but it was because of its fissiparous and individualistic tendencies that the Afghan monarchy was weakened. Moreover, Ibrahim Lodhi asserted the absolute power of the Sultan.
4. At last Daulat Khan Lodhi, the governor of Punjab invited Babur to overthrow Ibrahim Lodhi; Babur accepted the offer and inflicted a crushing defeat on Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526.
5. No Sultan of India except Sultan Ibrahim had been killed on the battle field.

Department

Function

Diwan-i-Risalat (Foreign Minister)

Department of appeals

Diwan-i-Ariz

Military department

Diwan-i-Bandagan

Department of slaves

Diwan-i-Qaza-i-Mamalik

Department of justice

Diwan-i-Isthiaq

Department of pensions

Diwan-i-Mustakhraj

Department of arrears

Diwan-i-Khairat

Department of charity

Diwan-i-Kohi

Department of agriculture

Diwan-i-Insha

Department of correspondence

Post

Role

Wazir

The chief Minister of the State-in Charge of revenue and finances, controlled by other department.

Ariz-i-Mamlik

Head of Military department

Qazi

Legal Officer(dispensed civil law based on Muslim law Shariat)

Wakil-i-dar

Controller of the royal households.

Barid-i-mumalik

Head of the state news agency

Amir-i-majlis

Officer-in-charge of royal feasts, conference and festivals.

Majlis-i-am

Council of friends and officers consulted on important affairs of the state.

Dahir-i-mumalik

Head of the royal correspondence.

Sadr-us-sudur

Dealt with the religious matters and endowments.

Sadr-i-jahan

Officers-in-charge of religious and charitable endowment.

Amir-i-dad

Public prosecutors

Naib wazir

Deputy Minister

Mushrif-i-mumalik

Accountant general