The Sultans of Delhi were the epitome of autocracy, and their ultimate source of power was military supremacy. The Sultanate’s substantial army was composed of the royal guards and capital forces. The Nobles’, Wali’s, and Iqtedar’s regiments. The Sultanate Reign was built on military power; accordingly, they had a well maintained and competent armed force. They used this huge force to lay down interior outbreaks, kill rebels, and fight external assaults.

The nobles provided the majority of the army for the early Sultans. Eventually, emperors such as Ala-ud-Din-Khilji discontinued the custom as it was unstable. The aristocrats and governors challenged the emperor multiple times, culminating in his eventual downfall.  

Ala-ud-Din Khilji adopted the system of upholding a permanent military to liberate himself from the influence of such nobles and governors. Ala-ud-Din Khilji’s army is believed to have an estimated number of 4,75,000 horses. Firoz Tughlak, on the other hand, renounced Ala-ud-Din Khilji’s methodology. He re-established the feudal structure and resumed relying solely on the troops furnished by the Jagirdars.

The Delhi Sultanate Reforms

Iltutmish 

Under, Iltutmish, the soldiers were hired, paid, and managed from a centralised location.

Balban

1. Balban developed two-pronged measures to counter the Mongols. he began by trading diplomats with the Mongol kingdoms. He also set up two defence units. Under Prince Muhammad, the province of Lahore, Multan, and Dipalpur was the first. His youngest son, Prince Buhgra Khan, established the second unit in Sunam, Samana, and Bhatinda.
2. In order to improve the monarchy, he restructured the central army body i.e., Diwan-i-Arz.
3. He also boosted Ariz-i-Mamalik’s reputation and authority.

Alauddin Khilji 

1. The Sultan who was the first to pay troops in cash.
2. Immediate hiring of warriors by Arz-i-Mamalik, as well as the keeping of military recruit data.
3. Established the idea of Daag (horse branding) and the Huliya or Chehra (descriptive military duties) system.
4. Three different categories of soldiers were introduced: foot soldiers, soldiers who had one horse (ek-aspa), and soldiers who had two horses (do-aspa).

Firozshah Tughlaq 

Warriors were given hereditary land holdings. Ranks were carried down via the generations.

The whole payment scheme was dependent on pricing regulation and his market norms, which were eventually abandoned by his predecessors. It was not ubiquitous even during his tenure. Even so, until Firoz Shah defined it, paying the military in cash continued to be popular.

The Sultans examined their forces on a daily basis in an attempt to eliminate army bribery. The custom of ‘Dag’ (horse branding) and ‘huliya’ (descriptive soldier duties) were adopted by Sultan Ala-ud-Din Khilji (descriptive rolls of soldiers). This technique was implemented in order to verify that only the emperor’s sanctioned men and horses were preserved and that no replacement soldiers were given.

During tranquillity, Ariz-i-Mumalik was only second to the Sultan in military operations. In times of conflict, he was second in command to the Commander-in-Chief who was chosen at the time. Amir Akhur, in charge of the royal bodyguards, was another significant army official.

The Renowned Army of The Delhi Sultanate Period

The Sultans’ military was composed of men from myriad cultural nationalities, notably Turks of different factions, Tajiks, Persians, Mongols, Afghans, Arabs, Abyssinians, Indian Muslims, and Hindus. It was a money-driven military group. The Sultan’s persona was the only factor that linked those diverse sections of people together.

The Sultanate’s standing army, as per Dr Kalikinkar Datta, comprised the royal guards and capital forces, that were supplemented in situations of emergency by troops sent by regional Viceroys and Maqtas, as well as Hindu regiments. The force was structured into serried ranks.

The Sultans’ force contained cavalry, infantry, and elephants. The cavalry was equipped with swords, daggers, and bows and arrows. The cavalry was the military’s most effective and powerful unit. In fact, the Sultans’ horses were the only cause they had an edge over the Indian army, consequently, it was only logical for them to focus on cavalry.

Conclusion

The Sultans of Delhi introduced innovative and revolutionary warfare tactics to India that they were taught in their native lands of Central Asia and Afghanistan. They engaged mounted archers as lighter soldiers to torment and mystify the foe by bow fire, provoking disorder in their ranks and then approaching them with a heavily armoured army. 

In addition, they brought about scientific warfare knowledge and skills to the battle methods. They employed wooden devices to hurl incredibly heavy rock balls at the surrounded forts and within the forts. Ariz-i-Mumalik was in command of the military administration’s management structure. He was in charge of maintaining the forces powerful and competent, as well as arranging for gear, animals, and meals.