The Delhi Sultanate Notes 7th Social Science

The Delhi Sultanate Notes 7th Social Science

7th Social Science Lesson 2 Notes in English

2. The Delhi Sultanate

1. What were the various dynasties of Delhi Sultanate?

• Slave Dynasty (1206 – 1290)
• Khalji Dynasty (1290 – 1320)
• Tughluq Dynasty (1320 – 1324)
• Sayyid Dynasty (1414 – 1451)
• Lodi Dynasty (1451 – 1526)

2. How Delhi Sultanate Started?

Muslim rule in India was established by Muhammad Ghori in 12th century A.D. (CE). As he had no sons, he nurtured special slaves called bandagan (a Persian term used for slaves purchased for military service). These slaves were posted as governors and they were later raised to the status of Sultans.

3. Who founded Slave Dynasty?

After Ghori’s death in 1206, one of his slaves Qutb-ud-dinAibak who had been left behind by Muhammad Ghori to govern the territories he had conquered, proclaimed himself ruler of the Turkish territories in India. He laid the foundation of the Slave Dynasty.

4. What does the word Mamluk Mean?

Slave dynasty is also known as Mamluk dynasty. Mamluk is an Arabic word meaning ‘‘slave’’.

5. Who were the Great sultans of Slave Dynasty?

Qutb-ud-din-Aibak, Shamsud-din-Iltutmish and Ghiyas-ud-din-Balban were the three great Sultans of this dynasty.

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6. How many years does slave dynasty ruled?

The Slave Dynasty ruled over the sub-continent for about 84 years.

7. Who was Qutb-ud-din-Aibak?

Qutb-ud-din-Aibak (1206 – 1210) began his rule by establishing Lahore as the capital of his kingdom. Later he shifted his capital to Delhi. He was active all through his rule in Delhi conquering new territories and suppressing rebellions.

8. Who was his care taker?

He personally led military campaigns to the central and western Indo-Gangetic plain (north India) and left the conquest of the eastern Gangetic Plain (Bihar, Bengal) to the care of Bakhtiar Khalji.

9. Which is the oldest Mask in India?

Aibak built the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid (mosque) in Delhi. This mosque is considered to be the oldest in India.

10. State the history of Qtub-Minar?

He also laid the foundation of the Qutb-Minar, but he was unable to complete it. It was later finished by his son-in-law and his successor Iltutmish.

11. How was Aibak died?

Aibak died of injuries received during an accidental fall from a horse, while playing polo in 1210.

12. Why was Iltutmish made as sultan?

Aibak’s son Aram Shah proved incompetent and so the Turkish nobles chose Iltutmish, the son-in-law of Aibak as the Sultan, who served as a military commander of Aibak.

13. Importance of Iltutmish:

• Iltutmish (1210 – 1236) firmly established his control over the territories by suppressing rebellions.
• It was during his reign that the threat of Mongols under Chengiz Khan loomed large over the frontiers of India.
• He averted the impending danger by refusing to provide shelter to the Kwarezm Shah Jalalud-din, who had been driven out by Chengiz Khan.

14. What is corps of Forty?

In order to counter the possible attack of the Mongols, Iltutmish organised Turkish nobility into a select group of 40 nobles known as chahalgani or The Forty. Iltutmish granted iqtas (land) to members of his army.

15. Who was Iqtadar?

Iqta is the land granted to army officials in lieu of a regular wage. The iqta holder is called the iqtadar or muqti who had to provide the Sultan with military assistance in times of war.

16. What was the functions of Iqtadar?

The iqtadar collected revenue from his iqta to meet the cost of maintaining his troops and horses.

17. When was Iltutmish died?

Iltutmish died in April 1236 after ruling for 26 years.

18. Who was Razia?

Razia (1236 – 1240): As the most capable son of Iltutmish, Rukn-uddin-Firuz, was dead, Iltutmish nominated his daughter Razia Sultana as his successor to the throne of Delhi.

19. State the Achievements of Razia:

• Razia was an able and brave fighter.
• But she had a tough time with Turkish nobles as she favoured non-Turkish nobles.
• She also faced the situation of the ferocious Mongols raiding Punjab during her reign.

20. Why was Razia Murdered?

Razia made an Ethiopian slave named Jalal-ud-din Yakut as her personal attendant and started trusting him completely. This led to a revolt of the Turkish nobles who conspired against her and got her murdered in 1240.

21. Who was the successor of Balban?

After Razia, three weak rulers in succession ascended the throne. After them came Ghiyasud-din Balban(1266 – 1287).

22. Who abolished corps of forty?

Balban abolished The Forty as it was hostile to him.

23. Importance of Balban:

He established a department of spies to gather intelligence about the conspirators and the trouble makers against his rule. He dealt with insubordination and defiance of royal authority sternly.

24. Why did Balban built fort?

Balban built forts to guard his empire against the Mongol attacks.

25. Whom did he patronised?

He patronised the famous Persian poet Amir Khusru.

26. When did Balban died?

Balban died in 1287. Balban’s son Kaiqubad turned out to be weak.

27. Who ruled the kingdom after the death of Balban?

In 1290 Malik Jalal-ud-din Khalji, the commander of the army, assumed the office of Naib (a deputy to the Sultan) and ruled the kingdom in the name of Kaiqubad.

28. How did Khalji dynasty formed?

Then one day, Jalal-ud-din sent one of his officers and had Kaiqubad murdered. Jalal-ud-din then formally ascended the throne. With him began the rule of Khalji dynasty.

29. Administration of Jalal-ud-din:

Jalal-ud-din Khalji (1296 – 1316): There were many military campaigns during the reign of Jalal-ud-din.

30. Who took care of Jalal-ud-din Administration?

They were mostly organised and led by his nephew, Ala-uddin, the governor of Kara. One significant military expedition was against the Deccan kingdom Devagiri.

31. Whom did Ala-ud-din defeated?

Ala-ud-din, after defeating the Yadava king Ramachandra, plundered the city and returned with huge wealth.

32. How did Ala-ud-din captured the throne?

Alaud-din treacherously killed Jalal-ud-din after buying off the prominent nobles and important commanders with the wealth he had brought from the Deccan and declared himself as the Sultan of Delhi in 1296.

33. Conquests of Ala-ud-din:

Ala-ud-din Khalji (1296 – 1316 )consolidated the Delhi Sultanate. The range of his conquests is impressive: in the Punjab (against the Mongols), in Rajasthan and in Gujarat.

34. Expedition in South:

• With his northern frontiers secure, he sent his chief lieutenant Malik Kafur into the southern parts who took even the distant Madurai in 1310.
• The Yadavas of Devagiri, the Kakatias of Warangal, the Hoysalas of Dwarasamudra and the Pandyas of Madurai accepted Ala-ud-din’s suzerainty.

35. What were the Importance of Ala-ud-din Administration?

• Ala-ud-din’s political and administrative reforms were as impressive as his military conquests.
• Ala-ud-din under took a survey of the agrarian resources around his capital and fixed a standard revenue demand.
• He entrusted the task of collecting the revenue to the military officers.

36. What were the new regulations of Ala-ud-din?

• Ala-ud-din established a system of forced procurement of food grains for Delhi and other garrison centres.
• The procurement prices were fixed and grain collected as tax was stored in state granaries.
• In order to ensure the enforcement of his new regulations, he employed spies who were responsible to report to him directly.

37. What was the State of the dynasty after his death?

Ala-ud-din died in 1316. The failure of his successors to retain power led to the seizure of power by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq, who founded the Tughluq dynasty.

38. What was the First actions of Ghiyas-ud-din?

One of the major tasks of Ghiyas-ud-din as the Sultan was to recover the territories that the Sultanate had lost during the turmoil following the death of Ala-ud-din.

39. Whom did Ghiyas-ud-din sent to warangal?

Ghiyas-ud-din Tughluq sent his son Jauna Khan to fight against Warangal. Jauna Khan defeated Pratabarudra of Warangal and returned with a rich booty.

40. Who founded Tughluqabad?

With this looted wealth, Ghiyas-ud-din is said to have laid the foundation of the city Tughluqabad near Delhi.

41. How did Muhammad-bin-Tughluq came to throne?

As Ala-ud-din treacherously killed his uncle, Jauna Khan was said to have killed his father and ascended the throne with title Muhammad-bin-Tughluq in 1325.

42. Give an account on Muhammad-bin-Tughluq:

• Muhammad-bin-Tughluq (1325 – 1351) was a learned man. Yet he was a person of cruelty.
• Ala-uddin had conquered, looted and left the old ruling families as his dependents.
• In contrast, Muhammad Tughluq dreamt of making the whole of the subcontinent his domain.

43. What was the first Mistakes made by Muhammad-bin-Tughluq?

• With the view to facilitating extended sovereignty, he shifted his capital from Delhi to the centre of the kingdom, namely Devagiri.
• He also changed its name to Daulatabad.
• When Muhammad himself decided that the move was a mistake, he ordered a return to Delhi as the capital again.

44. Ibn Battuta thought on shifting of Capital:

When Ibn Battuta, the Morocco traveller who was with the Sultan, returned to Delhi, he found Delhi ‘empty, abandoned and had but a small population’.

45. Various Mistakes made by Muhammad-bin-Tughluq:

• Tughluq changed the Ala-ud-din’s system of revenue collections in grain and ordered that land revenue, which was increased, should henceforward be collected in money.
• This proved disastrous during famines. When he discovered that the stock of coins and silver was inadequate for minting, he issued a token currency in copper.
• Tughluq increased land tax in the Doab region, which triggered peasant revolts.

46. What happened when token currency was introduced?

• Counterfeiting soon became order of the day and, as a result, the entire revenue system collapsed.
• Trade suffered as foreign merchants stopped business.
• This forced Sultan to withdraw the token currency and pay gold and silver coins in exchange. This move led the state to become bankrupt.

47. What was the end of Muhammad-bin-Tughluq?

Its founder after whom it was named, was a soldier formerly in Tughluq service. Madurai was proclaimed a separate sultanate in 1334. Bengal became independent in 1346.Tughluq died on 23 March 1351.

48. Who was Firoz?

Firoz (1351 – 1388), the son of Ghiyas-ud-din’s younger brother, succeeded Muhammad-bin-Tughluq.

49. What was the attitude of Firoz?

Firoz could neither suppress revolts nor win back the provinces that had broken away. He also showed no interest in re-conquering the southern provinces.

50. Various good deeds of Firoz?

• Firoz rewarded Sufis and other religious leaders generously and listened to their advice.
• He also created charities to aid poor Muslims, built colleges, mosques, and hospitals.
• He adopted many humanitarian measures.
• He banned inhuman punishments and abolished taxes not recognised by Muslim law.

51. What were the measures taken by Firoz on Agriculture?

He promoted agriculture by waiving off the debts of the agriculturalists and constructing many canals for irrigation. He laid out 1200 new gardens and restored 30 old gardens of Alaud-din-Khalji.

52. Who were the Various towns built by Firoz?

He had built new towns such as Firozabad, Jaunpur, Hissar and Firozpur.

53. How did Feroz died?

His own son Muhammad Khan revolted against him and Firoz Shah died in September 1388, at the age of 83.

54. When did Timur came to India?

Timur’s Invasion (1398): The sacking and massacre by Tamerlane or Timur of Delhi came a decade after Firuz Shah Tughluq died.

55. Who was Timur?

As a ruler of the region around Samarkand in Central Asia, Timur had occupied some parts in the north-west of India.

56. When did Timur Attacked Delhi?

Taking advantage of India’s weakness, he entered India in December 1398 and plundered Delhi. Punjab, besides the Delhi city, was the province that suffered most by Timur’s raid.

57. What did Timur take away from india?

Timur, apart from carrying huge wealth in the form of gold, silver, jewels, also took along Indian artisans like carpenters and masons to work on monuments in Samarkand.

58. What happened after the Timur Invasion?

Though the Sultanate fragmented into a number of independent kingdoms, it endured for 114 years more, till the Mughal invasion.

59. Whom did Timur left behind to rule delhi?

Before leaving Delhi, Timur had left behind his representative Khizr Khan as the governor of the territories he had conquered (Delhi, Meerut and Punjab).

60. Who was the founder and the last ruler of Sayyid Dynasty?

He founded the Sayyid Dynasty in 1414, which lasted till 1451. The last ruler of this dynasty, Ala-ud-din Alam Shah, abdicated the throne in 1451.

61. Who was Sikandar Lodi?

In 1489, Bahlol Lodi was succeeded by his son Sikandar Lodi.

62. What were the achievements of Sikandar lodi?

Sikandar was a patron of arts and learning. He founded the city of Agra and made it his capital.

63. How did delhi sultanate came to end?

Sikandar died in 1517 and was succeeded by his son, Ibrahim Lodi, who was defeated by Babur in 1526 in the Panipat battle.

64. What was Sack of Chittor (1303)?

When Ala-ud-din’s army overwhelmed the Rajput army in Chittor and in the context of threat of defeat, the men and women of the fortress, in accordance with their old custom, performed the rite of jauhar. According to this custom, left with no other way to survive, the men would go out and die in the field of battle and women would burn themselves on a pyre.

65. Islamic Art and Architecture:

The mansions of high-ranking Muslim nobles, soldiers and officials were built first in cities and the neighbourhoods. Around them, the mosques in the imperial style were constructed by successive Muslim regimes in Delhi.

66. What is called Indo-saracenic Style?

The graceful decorations of doorways and walls with lines from the Koran made a distinct appearance in these buildings. The shape of all these buildings was Persian, while the decoration was Indian. So, it is called Indo-Saracenic architecture.

67. Important Monuments of Sultanate period:

Qutb Minar, Alai-Darwaza, Quwwat-ul Islam Masjid, Moth-ki-Masjid, the tombs of Iltutmish, Balban and the forts of Daulatabad and Firozsabad were all constructed in this style.

68. Show the Extent of Tughluq Dynasty: