UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » Medieval India » Alauddin Khilji’s Rule

Alauddin Khilji’s Rule

The article will briefly discuss Alauddin Khilji and his contributions to the Khilji Dynasty. Read to know more!

Alauddin Khilji was an emphatic ruler from the Khilji dynasty who used to rule the Delhi Sultanate. He was the son-in-law of Jalaluddin Khilji, the founder of the Khilji dynasty. He killed his father-in-law and centralised his power in Delhi. Alaudin Khilji evolved the Sultanate of Delhi and started annexing diverse kingdoms in India. Alauddin had a very successful administrative measure, and historians praised his reign for its low prices and efficient supplies of goods and services in the market. He successfully resisted the threat of Mongol invasions more than 12 times. Alauddin Khilji was the first Sultanate from the Khilji dynasty to attack South India.

Alauddin Khiliji

Jalaluddin khilji, the founder of the Khilji dynasty, was killed by his nephew and son-in-law, Alauddin Khalji, who carried on as the new ruler. Alauddin Khilji conquered the Delhi sultanate with many valiant achievements, and he reached out to triumph over the various parts of Gujarat. Alauddin was also able to implement startling economic reforms, although their effects were restricted to Delhi and its 100-mile radius. Alauddin re-organized by carrying out market reforms to ensure fixed prices of products and prevent shortages . He also developed warehousing facilities to guarantee ready stock of goods as the government penetrated the transportation business and facilitated the swift movement of goods. The division of the Alauddin house into two camps led to the collapse of the kilij dynasty. In 1316 he died due to a critical health condition. The Successors of Alauddin Khilji were weak, and Eventually, in 1320 A.D. The Governor of Punjab Ghazi Malik led a group of nobles to conquer Delhi and capture the throne.

Victories and Policies of Alauddin Khilji

  • Alauddin Khilji followed the Divine Right Theory of Kingship
  • To prevent repeated revolts, he introduced four ordinances
  • He seized lands from the nobility and also restructured the spy system He prohibited social parties and black marketing
  • He began the system of Horse branding and a descriptive roster of personal soldiers to hinder corruption
  • He established a permanent standing army that included 475,000 horse riders, according to the 16th-century chronicler Firishta
  • He managed a large army by paying relatively low salaries and introducing market prices to ensure that his soldiers’ low salaries were acceptable
  • He fixed basic prices for the necessary commodities
  • He imposed discrimination against the Hindus and the Jizya, a grazing tax, and a house tax on the Hindu community
  • Alauddin also destroyed the intermediary Hindu rural chiefs and began to collect the Kharaj directly from the cultivators
  • He did not impose any other taxes on agriculture and nullified the cut that the intermediates received for collecting revenue 

Khilji Dynasty

Jalaluddin Khilji was the founder of the Khilji Dynasty. The Khilji dynasty ruled large parts of South Asia between 1290 and 1320. The Khilji dynasty is the second dynasty to govern the Delhi Sultanate of India. It was named after a village in Afghanistan. Historians assume that they were Afghans, but Wolse Haig and Bharani claim that this dynasty’s rulers came to India. The Khilji dynasty was a Central Asian Turkic dynasty but had a hometown in Afghanistan and adopted some Afghan habits and customs. The Khilji dynasty was treated as Afghan in the Delhi Court. Historians noted the three sultans of the Khalji dynasty for their faithlessness and ferocity. The Khilji dynasty takeover was a movement toward the distinction of a balance of power attributable to the growth outside the territory of the Delhi Sultanate and to the modifications which followed the installation of Turkic rule in northern India. The founder of the Khalji Dynasty is from South Asia. Malik Firuz was initially the Ariz-i-Mumalik selected by Kaiqubad during the days of the descent of the Slave Dynasty. He took benefit of the political vacuum formed due to the incompetence of the inheritors of Balban. He only had to remove the newborn Sultan Kaimurs to occupy the throne. Malik Firuz ascended the throne of Delhi in 1290 on June 13 as Jalaluddin Firuz Shah. He maintained most of the officials by holding pivotal positions in the Slave Dynasty.

The last and the third ruler of the Khilji dynasty was Qutbuddin Mubarak Shah. He was the weakest ruler and abolished all taxes and penalties. Khusru Khan ultimately murdered him, ending the Khilji dynasty in India.

Conclusion

Though Alauddin Khilji captured the throne in an immoral way, the reforms brought by him are always remarkable to any other ruler. Alauddin Khaiji was an emphatic ruler from the Khilji dynasty who used to rule the Delhi Sultanate. Alaudin Khilji evolved the Delhi Sultanate and started annexing diverse kingdoms in India. Alauddin had a very successful administrative measure, and historians praised his reign for its low prices and efficient supplies of goods and services in the market. He was one of the most notable rulers in Indian history.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

Who was Alauddin Khilji?

Answer: Alauddin Khilji was an emphatic ruler from the Khilji dynasty who used to rule the Delhi Sultanate. H...Read full

Who founded the Khilji dynasty?

Answer: Jalaluddin Khilji was the founder of the Khilji Dynasty. The Khilji dy...Read full

What is Jizya?

Answer: Alauddin Khilji imposed discrimination against the Hindus and the Jizy...Read full

Who killed Jalaluddin Khilji?

Answer: Jalaluddin was killed by his nephew and son-in-law, Alauddin Khalji, w...Read full