Ghiyas ud din Balban

Introduction

The history of India is characterised by a lot of invasions from foreign countries and their reigns which sometimes lasted for a few centuries. Before the British and otherwise westerners showed any interest in India, the Mughals, Turks, and Afghans had taken over India.

The Sultanate of Delhi had always attracted the attention of many great leaders. The Turks were one of them. Ghiyas ud din Balban was one of the remarkable rulers of the throne of Delhi. He is remembered for his military campaigns and achievements. Let’s take a detailed look at the history of Balban.

Ghiyas ud din Balban

The name Ghiyas ud din Balban sounds much similar to Ghiyath al-din Tughluq. However, Ghiyas ud din Balban and Ghiyath al-din Tughluq were both the rulers of the Delhi sultanate but from different dynasties and ruled during a different time. Ghiyas ud din Balban reigned about a few years prior to Ghiyath al-din Tughluq . The tomb of Balban is a monument dedicated to Ghiyas ud din Balban.

Ghiyas ud din Balban was the 9th Sultan of Delhi. He was born in 1216 in the Central Asia Turkic tribe. Balban belongs to the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi. He acted as the regent of Nasiruddin Mahmud, the last Shasmi Sultan. Ghiyas ud din Balban was very competitive and took extreme measures to get rid of his rivals and predecessor Imaduddin Raihan.

However, Ghiyas ud din Balban wasn’t his original name. His original name was Baha ud Din. He belongs to the Ilbhari Turks. Balban was captured by the Mongols at a very young age and taken to Ghazni. He was enslaved and went through a chain of being sold to different people and was finally purchased by Iltutmish.

He was one of the 40 Turkish slaves Iltutmish had. Balban made several conquests as Vizier. He took care of the Mewats, reconquered Bengal, and successfully fought off the Mongol threat. This series of conquests made him one of the most famous rulers of Delhi.

The Early Life of Balban

After he was brought to the Sultan of Delhi as an enslaved person, she was appointed as a simple water carrier. He better become the lord of the hunt, which came with many political and military responsibilities.

Balban played a very important role in overthrowing Ala ud din Masud as the Sultan of Delhi and replacing him with Nasiruddin Mahmud and then appointing himself as his Vizier. Some people and the royals in the court accused Balban of being a usurper. The Sultan took notice of all these rumours and dismissed Balban, and he was challenged in combat. However, Ghiyas ud din Balban managed to negotiate with the Sultan and reinstall himself as the wazir.

The Military Campaigns of Ghiyas ud din Balban

Ghiyas ud din Balban undertook only a few military campaigns; however, how Balban reformed the civil and military lines made him more powerful.

Balban’s reign was based on fear of governing power. He made the people believe that the Sultan was the shadow of God and introduced rigorous court discipline.

Balban’s army mostly consisted of people of Turkish origin, but later, he formed an army made up of all castes. Most of Balban’s military achievements had been during his wazirhood.

When the governor of Bengal revokes the authority of Delhi, Balban reconquered Bengal and killed the governor of Bengal, and placed his second son as the governor.

One of the most famous military achievements of Balban was against the people of Mewat. The people of Mewat used to harass the people of Delhi in broad daylight.

Balban exterminated the tribes of Mewat and destroyed their villages. Balban took away their lands and then gave them to the Afghans for settling down. He unsuccessfully tried to besiege the fortress of Ranthambore, however successful in capturing Gwalior from Rajputs.

Balban was also successful in suppressing the rising of Chandela, chief of Kalinjar, in 1247.

Balban repelled the Mongol army away from his territory. This was achieved as the cavalry horses of Balban were better suited to the Indian climate than the Mongolian horses.

The extreme heat during the summer in India also made it hard for the Mongolians to fight the forces of Balban. Such was the early life, rise to power, and the military achievements of Balban.

Conclusion

Many great rulers could be found in the history of India, as India was always prone to foreign invasions and internal conflicts. The throne of Delhi attracted a lot of attention from internal leaders and foreign invaders. Many remarkable rulers have ascended the throne of Delhi.

Ghiyas ud din Balban was one of the rulers of the Sultanate of Delhi. He took the throne after the death of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud. His reign was full of terror among the nobles and public equally. He successfully recaptured Bengal and fought the invasion of the Mongol forces.