The Nāṣirī Generations 189.2

189.2

When Sultan Kutb-ud-Din, I-bak, passed to the Almighty’s mercy, ’Ali-i-Mardan assumed a canopy of state, and read the Khutbah in his own name; and they styled him by the title of Sultan ’Ala-ud-Din. He was a bloodthirsty and sanguinary man. He sent armies in different directions, and put the greater number of the Khalj Amirs to death. The Raes of the adjacent parts became awed of him, and sent him wealth and tribute. He began granting investitures of different parts of the realm of Hindustan, and the [most] futile bombast began to escape his lips. Both in the assembly, and in the audience-hall, he would declaim about the country of Khurasan, of ’Irak, of Ghaznin, and of Ghur, and idle nonsense he began to give tongue to, to such degree, that they used [in jest] to solicit from him grants of investiture of Ghaznin and of Khurasan. and he would issue commands accordingly [as though they were his own].