THE SLAVE DYNASTY OF

DELHI SULTANATE
-KRISHANGEE BHATTACHARYYA
 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
 To analyze the causes those led to the downfall of the prevailing Rajput
kingdoms and comprehend the foundation of the Slave Dynasty in Delhi
Sultanate.

 To acquire the knowledge about the administrative policies of different

rulers of the Slave Dynasty and to understand the different strategies of rule
undertaken to establish stability in the dynasty.

 To understand the achievements of the rulers of the Dynasty.

 To discuss the administration and the theory of kingship of Balban and to

compare the characters of Balban and Illtutmish.

 To understand the involvement and the influence of ‘the Forty’ or the

‘Chihalgani’.
 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Q.1) What are the causes of the downfall of the prevailing Rajput Kingdoms?

Q.2) Discuss the administrative policies and the strategies undertaken by the
different rulers of the Slave Dynasty

Q.3) What was the influence of the ‘Forty’ or the ‘ Chihalgani’ in the
administration of the Slave Dynasty ?

Q.4) Compare the characters of Illtutmish and Balban.

 PREVAILING CONDITIONS OF
INDIAN SOCIETY
 India, at that period was divided into many smaller kingdoms both at
North and South that constantly fought against each other for fame and
extension of their territories.

 Lack of Unity and constant battle among each other for glory and
supremacy.

 Feudalism still existed.

 Divisions of Hindus into caste and sub-caste.

 Military was weak.

 INVASION BY SULTAN MAHMUD
GHAZNI
INTRODUCTION :
 Born in 971A.D, the ruler of the Ghaznavi Dynasty who claimed its origin
from the family of Persian rulers.

 Mahmud of Ghazni during his reign of 33 years invaded India 17 times. He

raided many temples of India and destroyed them by collecting huge
amount of wealth from these temples.

 First invasion in India was in 1000 A.D.

 Mahmud’s last famous invasion was the invasion of the Somnath temple,
located in Gujarat.

 This ended his invasion in India and Mahmud died in 1030 A.D.
CAUSES OF INVASION:
 Motive of Mahmud was to loot the wealth and use it to continue his policy
of expansion in Central Asia.

 Mahmud also desired fame and glory by his conquests and victories and
this constitute another reason for his invasion in India.

 It is accepted that one aim of Mahmud was to propagate Islam and to

establish its glory.
 Dr. A.B. Pandey had opined that another aim of Mahmud was to procure
elephants form India.
RESULT OF THE INVASION:
 Al Beruni wrote that: “Mahmud utterly ruined the prosperity of the
country and performed those wonderful exploits by which the Hindus
became like atoms of dust, scattered in all directions and like a tale of old
in the mouth of the people.”
 Anarchical conditions were prevalent.
 He destroyed the whole economic condition of the country.
INVASION BY SULTAN MUHAMMAD
GHORI
INTRODUCTION :
 Muhammad was from the family of Ghurs who repeated the adventure of
Mahmud of Ghazni in the 12th Century and laid the foundation of the
Turkish rule in India.

 Invaded India for 9 times ; First attack in Multan in 1175 A.D

 Fought 1st Battle of Tarain in 1191 A.D against Prithviraj Chauhan.

 Again, 2nd Battle of Tarain in 1192 A.D in which Ghori won the battle and
marked the foundation of the Turkish rule in India.
CAUSES OF INVASION :
 Muhammad was an ambitious ruler and wanted to extend his empire for
power and glory. So, he decided to conquer India.

 The royal families of Ghazni and Ghori were hereditary enemies. The
rulers of Ghazni still ruled Punjab. So, Ghori invaded India to provide a
sense of security to his kingdom.

 Probably, Muhammad also desired to plunder wealth from India and this
tempted him to invade India.
RESULT OF THE INVASION :
 It put to the end of the independent small kingdoms and replaced by
Iqtas.

 The Turkish conquest led to the revivals of Indian trade with Arab nations
which led to the growth in economy.

 There was a cultural synthesis between both the cultures.

 DOWNFALL OF RAJPUTS
 POLITICAL CAUSES

 RELIGIOUS CAUSES

 SOCIO-ECONOMIC CAUSES

 MILITARY CAUSES

 OTHER CAUSES
 ESTABLISHMENT OF DELHI
SULTANATE
QUTUB-UD DIN AIBAK :
 Founder of Slave Dynasty or Mamluk Dynasty in India.
 Played an important role in the expansion of the Turkish Sultanate in India
after the Battle of Tarain.
 He worked as a viceroy from 1192 to 1206 but after his master’s death, he
declared himself independent and had the khutba read in his name and
became the ruler.
 He died in November, 1210 as the result of an accident while playing polo.

ACHIEVEMENTS :
 Aibak was the real founder of the Turkish rule in India.
 Qutub-ud-din persuaded the Turkish nobles to accept his supremacy,
strengthened his position by matrimonial alliances.
 His liberty earned him the title ‘Lakh Buksh’.
 Ferishta writes that when people praised anybody of his generosity, they
called him as ‘Aibak of time.
 The construction of Qutub Minar of Delhi also started during his reign.

STRATEGIES TO RULE :
 He first strengthened his position in Delhi and Lahore.
 He persuaded the Turkish nobles to accept his subordination and also
strengthened his position through matrimonial alliances.
 He followed a policy of diplomacy and negotiation.

ILLTUTMISH :
 He ascended the throne by defeating Aibak’s son, Aram Shah.
 Illtutmish must be regarded as the real consolidator of the Turkish
conquests in North India.
 K.A. Nizami writes: “It was he who gave the country a capital, and an
independent state, a monarchical form of government and a governing
class.”
 He was a clever diplomat and used his diplomatic skills to consolidate his
empire.
ACHIEVEMENTS :
 He was the real consolidator of the Turkish conquests in North India.
 He suppressed the revolt of the chiefs and also defeated Yulduz and
Qubachah.
 He was a great builder and completed the building of the Qutub Minar.
 He also used his diplomatic skills to ward off the attack by the Mongols.

RAZIYA SULTAN :
 She showed great qualities of administration and organization.
 She suppressed by suitable intrigues rather than a force of arms a serious
rebellion of the Forty who hesitated to acknowledge her.
 She cast off her female garments and tied her best to play the kind.
 She is credited with having raised the laws and reformed the abuses of the
government.
STRATEGIES TO RULE :
 Raziya tried to concentrate power in her own hands and succeeded.
 Her primary aim was to make the Turkish slave nobles subservient to the
throne. She made fresh appointment of the governors and redistributed
the high offices the state.
 Raziya succeeded in bringing about submissions of all nobles and thus she
became the mistress of all the territories.
 Raziya also saved the kingdom from the invasion of the Mongols in the
same diplomatic way.

ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Razia was the first and the last ruler of Illtutmish’s dynasty to dominate
the politics of the sultanate by sheer force of her ability and character.
 She was the first Turkish ruler to have imposed the royal will upon the
Amirs and Maliks.
 She was a good administrator.
BALBAN :
 He rose to the position of personal attendant of the Sultan and was enrolled as
in the famous corps of the ‘Forty’.
 Balban proved a very capable minister and for twenty years he served his
master .
 During Nasir-ud-din’s reign, the affairs of the state were managed by Balban
himself.
BALBAN’S THEORY OF KINGSHIP:
 Sultan as a representative of God on Earth.
 Dictatorship of Sovereignty
 Respect and Dignity of the Sultan

ACHIEVEMENTS:
 Balban’s achievements entitle him to a high place among the Sultan of Delhi.
 His great contribution to the stability of the Sultanate was to ensure respect
for the Kingly office and to restore that a fear of the governing power which
had deported from the hearts .
 He was a stern ruler and his policy of administration was of pitiless terrorism.
CONCEPT OF ‘THE FORTY’ OR ‘THE
CHIHALGANI’
 Illtutmish created his own group of nobles who were loyal to him.

 They were given respectable position in the court and also they were able
to influence the court. These groups of nobles were called “Turkan-i-
Chihalgani”.

 All these nobles were depended on Illtutmish because they were there
because of him only.
 COMPARISION AND CONTRAST OF
CHARACTER OF BALBAN AND
ILLTUTMISH
SIMILARITIES :
 Same circumstances and problems in the beginning of the two Sultans.

 Equality in valour.

 Parity of Conduct

DIFFERENCES:
 Bases of Ability and Experience

 Difference in the status of the Empire

 Difference in the ways of Succession

 Differences in Policy.

 Difference in elements of State Revenues.

 CONCLUSION
 At the end of the project, the research scholar could interpret the reasons
behind the invasion by Mahmud Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori in India.
 The Slave Dynasty did not follow the hierarchical line of succession .
 This dynasty also saw the first women Muslim ruler, Raziya who ruled the
Slave dynasty for quite some time.
 Balban followed the theory of kingship in order to discipline his subjects.
 The research scholar tries to explain the different strategies undertaken by
different rulers to strengthen his empire like matrimonial alliances.
 There was also new group of people called ‘The Forty’ who had a
influence on the court of the king.
 The research scholar tries to compare the two great Sultans of the Slave
dynasty- Balban and Illtutmish and on careful analysis, it can be cleared
that Illtutmish was the real founder of the empire as he saved the infant
Muslim empire of a juncture when it was surrounded by serious external
and internal dangers. Balban inherited the kingdom in an organised state.
 BIBILOGRAPHY
 Saharan MS, Medieval Indian History (Black Prints India Inc., Delhi, 2013)

 Animesh Mullick, Medieval Indian History (Dominant Publishers and

Distributors(P)Ltd., New Delhi, 2011)

 Nanda S.P. , History of Medieval India (Dominant Publishers and

Distributors(P)Ltd., New Delhi, 2012)

 Chaurasia R.S., History of Medieval India (Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, New
Delhi, 2002)