The Cambridge History of India, Vol. III: Turks and Afghans v3.c20.153

v3.c20.153

The courtiers, disregarding their dying master’s wishes, raised to the throne his eldest surviving son, Rukn-ud-dīn Fīrūz, who had proved himself, as governor of Budaun, to be weak, licentious and worthless. The nobles assembled at the capital returned to their fiefs with well-founded misgivings, and Fīrūz, relieved of the restraint of their presence, devoted himself entirely to pleasure, and squandered on the indulgence of his appetites the treasure which his father had amassed for the administration and defence of the empire. He took a childish delight in riding through the streets on an elephant and scattering gold among the rabble, and so neglected public business that the direction of affairs fell into the hands of his mother, Shāh Turkān, who, having been a handmaid in the harem, now avenged the slights which she had endured in the days of her servitude. Some of the highly born wives of the late king were put to death with every circumstance of indignity and those whose lives were spared were subjected to gross and humiliating contumely.