A Short Note On Tughlaq Dynasty

Introduction

The Tughlaq dynasty rulers came up during the mediaeval; period, and their origin was sourced from Turkish. The dynasty had its major uprising and rule over the Delhi Sultanate. Their origin started in 1320 and briefly ended in 1413, which is quite brief. During this time, they were ruled by several rulers, such as the first ruler of the Tughluq dynasty, Ghazi Malik and Muhammad-bin-Tughluq, etc. India did undergo many changes in its administrative policies. Domestic or foreign during the Tughlaq dynasty reign.  The Tughluq dynasty rulers had a major expansion in territories via a campaign led by militaries under Muhammad bin Tughluq and reached its maximum potential was between 1330 and 1335. 

Origin of Tughlaq Dynasty Rulers

Although Tughluq’s etymology is not known according to historians, it was due to the corruption of the word Qutlugh. But all the evidence indicated one thing: Tug Literary; numismatic and epigraphic evidence makes it clear that Tughlaq was the one thing for sure; Tugluq was the name of Tughluq dynasty ruler and founder  Ghiyath al-Din. Although Tughluq was used to designate the whole dynasty, the Tugluq dynasty rulers did not have the surname Tughluq as the name called only Ghiyath al-Din’s son Muhammad bin Tughluq. The ancestors of the Tughlaq dynasty rulers have been the centre of much debate among historians because various sources indicate different stories related to the same. Badri Chach, a Tughluq poet, made a brief attempt to find a genealogy of a royal Sassanian for the dynasty, especially from the Nahram ancestry, but this seemed to be a general case of flattery.  Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan origin traveller, stated that Tughlaq dynasty rulers were from the Turkish tribe “Qarauna” who belong to the hilly regions between Sind and Turkestan. 

Although these still can’t be confirmed by all historians.  Tughluq despised the Qara’unas as they were of Mongolian origin, so it is very unlikely that Tughlaq dynasty rulers were Qarauna. Amir Khusrau, another Tugluq court poet, stated that Tughluq described himself as a man of no importance during the early stages of his life. Ferishta was a historian who stated that according to inquiries held at Lahore, the dynasty’s foundation was that Tugluq’s father was a Balban enslaved person and the mother’s origin was a Jatt. However, this statement also has very little to no evidence. Amir Khusrau’s assertion stated otherwise, stating that he was loyal to the Khalji regime via which he entered military service. According to Peter Jackson, a historian, Tughlaq was of Mongol.

Power Uprising of Tughlaq Dynasty Rulers

The Khalji dynasty ruled the Delhi Sultanate for quite a dominant run before 1320. Khalji dynasty’s last ruler, namely Khusro Khan, was of  Hindi origin and an enslaved person who was converted to Islam and briefly served Delhi as its army general. Malik Kafur and Khusro Khan led many campaigns to expand the Khalji empire under Alauddin Khalji and eradicated and looted non-Muslim origin kingdoms. 

After the death of Alauddin Khalji from an illness, many assassinations and arrests were conducted, which led to the shift of power to Khusro Khan in June of 1320. Mubarak Khalji commenced a massacre by killing all of Alauddin Khalji’s family. However, this stunt leads him to low support from nobles and aristocrats. Ghazi Malik from the Delhi sultanate, who was governor in Punjab, was approached for removing Khusro Khan. After initiating an attack on Khusro Khan, Ghazi Malik killed him along with the Khokhar tribesman army and claimed power and lead power in the Tughlaq dynasty rulers’ hands. 

The Downfall of the Tughlaq Dynasty

Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud Shah Tughluq ruled over the Delhi sultanate and was one of the Tughlaq dynasty rulers from 1394 – February 1413 CE. He was known as the last sultan of the Tughlaq Dynasty. The son of Nair ud din Muhammad Shah III, Nasiruddin Mahmud ruled over Delhi from a period of  1390 to 1394. After his death, Ala ud-din Sikandar Shah, his older son, took over the throne, but he too died soon after due to illness in 1394, and after this, his younger brother took the reigns. 

Nusrat Khan challenged the succession, which led to a war of taking reign lasting the battle for almost 1397, which lasted three years. At this time, the City of Delhi was under Nasiruddin Tughluq, and the city of Firozabad was under the rule of Nusrat Shah. In the tenure of Nasiruddin Tughluq, the Chagatai ruler named Amir Timur also led an invasion of India, which led to him looting a good amount of loot from Delhi and the nearby area after this invasion marked the end of the Tughlaq dynasty rulers.

Conclusion

The Tughlaq Dynasty rulers ruled over the Delhi sultanate and Indian subcontinent from the year 1320 to 1413 briefly. The Tughlaqs rose to power during the mediaeval period, and they were believed to have originated from Turk-India. Tughluq dynasty had its fair share of rulers, Ghazi Malik, Muhammad-bin-Tughluq, and others. During the Tughlaq dynasty rule, foreign, internal, and external policies had a variety of changes over time. The invasion by the Chagatai ruler named Amir Timur of the Indian subcontinent and Delhi sultanate particularly led to him looting from Delhi and the nearby area and marking the end of the Tughlaq dynasty.