Delhi Sultanate

India, 1206–1526. Draft, not yet reviewed

The Delhi Sultanate was a late medieval empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries. The sultanate was established in 1206 in the former Ghurid territories in India. The Central Asian king Timur made a devastating raid on Delhi in 1398. In 1526 Babur invaded northern India and conquered the sultanate, leading to its succession by the Mughal Empire.

Seat of power: Delhi

Rulers

Qutb-ud-din Aibak

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1206–1210

He was a Turkic general of the Ghurid emperor Muhammad Ghori and was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India. After Muhammad Ghori's assassination in 1206, he established his own independent rule in Lahore, laying the foundations for the Sultanate of Delhi.

Portrait of Qutb-ud-din Aibak: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Iltutmish

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1211–1236

He was the first Muslim sovereign to rule from Delhi and is considered the effective founder of the Delhi Sultanate. After Aibak's death, he dethroned Aibak's unpopular successor Aram Shah in 1211 and set up his capital at Delhi.

Portrait of Iltutmish: CNG Coins, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Razia Sultana

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1236–1240

She was the first female Muslim ruler of the Indian Subcontinent, and the only female Muslim ruler of Delhi. The Turkic nobles who supported her expected her to be a figurehead, but she increasingly asserted her power. She was deposed by a group of nobles in April 1240, after having ruled for less than four years.

Portrait of Razia Sultana: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Muiz ud din Bahram

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1240–1242

He declared himself king with the support of forty chiefs, but the chiefs who had supported him became disordered and constantly bickered among each other. He was murdered by his own army in 1242, during a period of unrest.

Portrait of Muiz ud din Bahram: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Ala-ud-Din Masud Shah

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1242–1245

In practice, the Turkish nobles known as the Forty held all real power, leaving Masud-Shah only the Sultan's title. By June 1246, Masud-Shah was deposed, and Nasir-ud-din Mahmud took the throne.

Portrait of Ala-ud-Din Masud Shah: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Nasir ud din Mahmud

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1245–1266

His father-in-law Ghiyas ud din Balban handled the state affairs during his reign. The Tabaqat-i Nasiri, written by the court historian Minhaj-i-Siraj, is dedicated to him.

Portrait of Nasir ud din Mahmud: Drnsreedhar, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Ghiyas ud din Balban

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1266–1287

He had been the regent of the last Shamsi sultan, Mahmud, until the latter's death in 1266, when he became sultan and ruled Delhi. He reformed civil and military lines, which earned him a stable and prosperous government. He routed the people of Mewat that harassed Delhi and reconquered Bengal, while successfully facing the Mongol threat.

Portrait of Ghiyas ud din Balban: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file

Muiz ud din Qaiqabad

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1287–1290

He became ruler although he was only 17 years old. After he became the Sultan, he indulged in the life of wine and women, and his courtiers followed his example.

Portrait of Muiz ud din Qaiqabad: You may select the license of your choice., CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1290–1296

He was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate of India from 1290 to 1320. As a Sultan, he repulsed a Mongol invasion, and allowed many Mongols to settle in India after their conversion to Islam. He was known as a mild-mannered, humble and kind monarch to the general public.

Portrait of Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji: c..1640 artist, Public domain, file

Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1389–1394

He was a member of the Tughlaq dynasty and the youngest son of Firuz Shah Tughlaq. In August 1390 he attacked Delhi and battled Abu Bakr Khan for the throne, and after the victory he imprisoned Abu Bakr in the fort of Meerut.

Portrait of Nasir ud din Muhammad Shah III: Mohammed Tariq, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Nàssir-ad-Din Mahmud Xah Tughluq

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1394–1413

He was the last sultan of the Tughlaq dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate. A war of succession with his relative Nusrat Shah lasted from 1394 until 1397, with Nasiruddin Mahmud ruling from Delhi and Nusrat Shah from Firozabad. In 1398 Timur invaded India, won a decisive battle near Delhi, entered the city and massacred the population.

Portrait of Nàssir-ad-Din Mahmud Xah Tughluq: Mohammed Tariq, CC BY-SA 4.0, file

Muhammad Shah

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1434–1446

He was the third monarch of the Sayyid dynasty, which ruled the Delhi Sultanate. For the first six months of his reign, true power lay in the hands of Sarvar-ul-Mulk.

Portrait of Muhammad Shah: Anita Mishra, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Bahlul Khan Lodi

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1451–1489

He was the chief of the Afghan Lodi tribe and the founder of the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. He became sultan on 19 April 1451, after the last claimant from the Sayyid dynasty abdicated.

Portrait of Bahlul Khan Lodi: Drnsreedhar1959, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Sikandar Khan Lodi

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1489–1517

Sikandar was a capable ruler who encouraged trade across his territory. He expanded Lodi rule into the regions of Gwalior and Bihar. In 1503 he commissioned the building of the present-day city of Agra.

Portrait of Sikandar Khan Lodi: Anupamg, CC BY-SA 3.0, file

Ibrahim Khan Lodi

Sultan of Hindustan (Sultan of Delhi), 1517–1526

He became Sultan in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar Khan. He was defeated and killed at the Battle of Panipat by Babur's invading army in 1526, giving way to the emergence of the Mughal Empire in India.

Portrait of Ibrahim Khan Lodi: c.1590 artist, Public domain, file

Culture

The sultanate drew the Indian subcontinent more closely into international and multicultural Islamic social and economic networks, as seen in the development of the Hindustani language and Indo-Islamic architecture.
The sultans generally accepted Hindu officials and vassals, as well as native Muslims converted from Hinduism, in the administration.
It was one of the few powers to repel attacks by the Mongols and saw the enthronement of one of the few female rulers in Islamic history, Razia Sultana.
After defeating Prithviraj Chauhan, Qutab-ud-din Aibak started the Qutb Minar victory tower but only finished its first level.

Picture

The Qutb Minar, mostly built between 1199 and 1220, is a victory tower with 399 steps.

Image: Wasir kasab, CC BY 4.0, file

Sources

Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.