Delhi Sultanates: Slave Dynasty

Mamluk is an Arabic term that means “owned.”
It served as a means of separating the lower-class imported Turkish slaves intended for military duty from the higher-class slaves employed as domestic workers or artisans.
The Mamluks were the first emperors of the Delhi Sultanate.
Ghori’s dynasty broke up after he died in 1206 CE, with Qutb-uddin Aibak taking over as Sultan of Delhi and establishing the Slave Dynasty.
From CE 1206 to CE 1290, India was controlled by the Muslim Mamluk dynasty.

He is regarded as the true founder of the Delhi Sultanate and the first independent Muslim leader in Northern India.
Because of his generosity, he became known as Lakha Baksh Sultan or the Giver of Lakhs.
Aibak was a generous patron of learning, supporting writers such as Hasan-Un-Nizami and Fakhruddin.
Qutb-ud-din Aibak started the construction of Qutb Minar (in commemoration of famed Sufi saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki), which was completed by his successor, lltutmish, after his death.
He also built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in Delhi and Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.
In 1210, Aibak died from injuries sustained in a fall off his horse while playing chaugan (polo).

He belonged to the Ilbari tribe, hence the name Ilbari dynasty.
Aibak had chosen him as the iqtadar of Gwalior.
Real consolidator of Turkish control in India and Delhi.
He shifted the capital from Lahore to Delhi.
He defeated the ruler of Khwarizmi.
Introduced Arabic coins into India. In medieval India, silver tanka became the primary coin, with copper Jital also being created.
A new ruling elite of forty formidable military leaders, known as the forty (Turkan-i-chahalgani), was established.
He nominated Raziya as his successor. Thus, the Delhi Sultanate has a hereditary succession.

Razia Sultana succeeded Iltutmish, becoming the first Muslim woman ruler in Indian history.
She was an excellent administrator, maintaining total law and order during her term. Razia successfully put down rebellions in Multan, Lahore, and Hansi.
She placed an African (Abyssinian) slave named Yakuth in charge of the cavalry.
Her authority caused disagreements among the Chahalgani (40 nobility).
She married Altuniya, the governor of Bhatinda, and the two were later slain in a Chahalgani coup.

Nasir-ud-din Mahmud was the youngest son of lltutmish and was proclaimed ruler of the Sultanate from 1246 CE to 1266 CE.
He was believed to be a kindhearted and God-fearing king. He spent most of his time jotting down verses from the Quran.
Unlike many of his predecessors and successors, Mahmud adhered rigorously to monogamy. Nasir-ud-din Mahmud married Balban’s daughter and delegated all power to his prime minister, Balban.
According to Ibn Battuta and Islami, Balban poisoned Nasir-ud-din before ascending the throne.

Balban was the most powerful ruler of the Slave Dynasty and he abolished the Chahalgani, believing that the Forty posed the most serious threat to the throne.
He brought Persian customs and traditions and formed the Diwan-i-Ariz, or defense agency.
Balban took serious actions against robbers and dacoits, making Delhi’s highways safe to traverse.
He pursued a bloody policy against the Mongols and fortified the Western boundaries.
He sent his son, Mahamud, to face the Mongols in the western frontier, where he died.
Balban, devastated by this catastrophe, became ill and died in 1286.
Following his death, Kalimullah and Qaimus succeeded him as Sultans, with Qaiqubad/Kaiqubad becoming the Slave Dynasty’s final Sultan.