The Rulers of Delhi

Delhi became the capital of a kingdom for the first time under the dynasty of Tomara Rajputs. The Tomaras were later defeated by the Chauhans of Ajmer. Since Delhi was the capital city of the vast kingdom, the Delhi Sultanate began rising in the early 13th century. The language of the administration was Persian, and a lot of scriptures have been found written in it. They are our main sources of information on the Delhi Sultanate period. During the early 13th century, the Delhi sultanate merely consisted of strongly fortified small areas that were occupied by the garrisons. Soon afterwards, the authority of these forts was challenged by the governors and the Mongols. The expansion, establishment, and rise of the Delhi Sultanate can be credited to Balban, Alauddin Khilji, and Mohammad bin Tughluq.

The Rulers of Delhi

Delhi was inhabited by a majority of the Jaina merchants. They were known for the construction of various temples. The coins of this era were known as dehliwal. They were minted in the city and widely circulated everywhere. The coins, inscriptions, and the architecture of this era tell us a lot about this period. The other rich source of information is the “histories” written in Persian during this period. They were called Tarikh (singular) and Tawarikh (plural). Persian was the language of the administration during this period. 

These histories were written by the scholars, learned men, administrators, secretaries, courtiers, poets, and travellers who visited the kingdom during this period. They were competitively written for the ruling Sultans with an expectation of rewards or favours from the ruler. 

In 1236, the daughter of Sultan Iltutmish, Raziyya, became the Sultana of Delhi. She was shortly dethroned in 1240 because the nobles could not accept being ruled by a woman. Minhaj-i-Siraj, a famous chronicler of that period, recognised her ability as a ruler and compared her to her brothers. 

Minhaj-i-Siraj believed that Raziyya was a more able ruler than her brothers. She was dethroned not for her inability to rule effectively but just because she was a woman. 

The 13th century saw no significant expansion of Delhi until Balban, Alauddin Khilji, and Mohammad bin Tughluq took the throne. The expansion process was aggressive and quick. Vast areas of forests were cleared around the Ganga and Yamuna doab. The hunter-gatherers who occupied these areas were expelled, and the lands were given to the peasants to encourage agricultural activities and farming. This led to the promotion of regional trades. The peasants had to pay taxes to the Sultan, which was a major part of the revenue for the ruler. 

Slavery was a common practice during this period. Enslaved people were bought and sold for military services as well as to serve the masters. The slaves were purchased by administrators, governors, noblemen, courtiers, and other wealthy and powerful people. They were completely dependent on their masters for everything, and were therefore loyal and obedient to their masters. 

The administration system of this period was unique compared to the other dynasties. Only the men of noble birth were given important positions in the administration. This led to political instability since there was a lot of competition for succession. It also gave rise to classism. 

The military organisation of this period was quite similar to the previous dynasties. The rulers appointed a head who was the military leader. The leaders were called “iqtadar” or “muqti” and their territories were called “iqtas.” The iqtadars were responsible for their iqtas and their military campaigns. 

There were accountants appointed to keep track of the revenue that was collected. They would also report to the king if anyone collected more taxes than were allowed. Each state was allowed to have only as many armies as prescribed by the ruler. The army size was proportional to the size of the state. 

The Khilji Dynasty

Jalauddin Khilji ruled from 1290 to 1296 and Alauddin Khilji ruled from 1296 to 1316. 

Jalauddin Khilji overthrew Balban’s successors in war and established the Khilji dynasty. It was the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. The official languages of the Khilji dynasty were Persian and Arabic. The intermingling of various dialects of these two languages gave birth to the Urdu language. 

Conversion of religion to Islam was a common practice during this period. Those who were converted to Islam were presented to the king. The king would reward them by giving them a robe and golden bracelets. 

The third and last ruler of the Khilji dynasty was Qutb-ud-Din Mubarak Shah. He was the weakest ruler of the dynasty. He was murdered by Khusru Khan, which led to the end of the Khilji dynasty.  

The Tughluq Dynasty

The three important rulers of the Tughluq dynasty were Ghiyath-ud-Din Tughluq who ruled from 1320 to 1324, Mohammad bin Tughluq who ruled from 1324 to 1351, and Firoz Shah Tughluq who ruled from 1351 to 1388. 

During the Tughluqs’ rule, many attacks were carried out against Hindu kingdoms. The capital city was changed from Delhi to Daulatabad during this period. A new token currency was also introduced. Afterwards, Amir Taimur invaded the country, which marked the end of the Tughluq dynasty.

The Sayyid Dynasty

Khizr Khan ruled from 1414 to 1421. It was during Khizr Khan’s rule that Delhi and Punjab were reunited. 

During this period, the king attacked the raja of Etawah four times. He also attacked Gwalior and Katihar thrice as well as many small communities twice. After Khizr Khan’s death, the kingdom was given to his son. 

Soon after the downfall of the Sayyid dynasty, the Lodi dynasty rose to power.  

Afterwards

Babur invaded the Delhi sultanate and killed Ibrahim Lodi in 1526 during the Battle of Panipat. Religious hatred was prevalent during this period, and the communities were not united. This led to the non-cooperation of the citizens, and Babur’s invasion was the end of the Delhi Sultanate. 

Conclusion

With the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate at the beginning of the 13th century, Delhi was transformed into a city that dominated wide portions of the subcontinent. The Delhi Sultans established a number of cities in the region that is now known as Delhi.