History of the Khaljis, A.D. 1290–1320 c1.4

c1.4

Pub by the Indian Press Limited Allahabad ed to grip it with all his might. He held the office of Vakil-i-dar⁹ and posing as an attached servant of the state had won the confidence of the king. As time passed, all the duties of the government devolved upon him. He found a very good assistant in Malik 'Umdatul-mulk Qivāmuddin 'Alā Dabīr.¹⁰ Qivāmuddin had no equal in learning and eloquence of style and held the post of Naib Vakil-i-dar.¹¹ Nizāmuddin himself was very industrious, discreet, penetrating and talented, and fared well with the task of administration. But his manoeuvres were soon known to the people at large. Several of the leading nobles—some on account of the fear that no immunity could be expected from Nizāmuddin if he became too powerful, and some others through sheer ambition—also began to aspire for power for themselves. But Nizāmuddin was not to be caught napping. He reflected that prince Muhammad who had a talent for command was dead, and Nāsiruddīn Bughra was wasting away his energies in the insalubrious retreats of Bengal. So the only thorn in his side which could prove a source of trouble later on was Kai Khusrau, now in exile at Multan. He, therefore, instigated Mu'izzuddin to murder Kai Khusrau, forwarding the plea that if even a few of Balban's officers fraternised with him it would not take him a day to push the king aside and usurp the throne.¹² Kai Khusrau also seems to have made an attempt for the crown for which he had a legitimate claim. He had gone as far as Ghaznī to seek assistance from the Mongols but they were busy otherwise and could not help him in marching on to Delhi. The chagrined prince had returned to Multan but his moments were communicated to Muizzuddin who ordered his death.¹³ In short the prey of Nizāmuddīn’s machinations was summoned from Multan and beheaded at Rohtak on his way to Delhi.¹⁴ Having got rid of one enemy Nizāmuddīn tried his hands on others. He charged Khwājā Khatīr Muʻizzuddīn’s minister, with some trivial offence and got him paraded through the city seated on an ass. He ordered a wholesale massacre of the Mughal converts, better known as neo-Muslims, on the charge that they had plotted against the monarch, and banished their families to distant fortresses.¹⁵ Next Malik Shahik, feudatory of Multan, and Malik Tuzaki, feudatory of Baran, both trusted barons of Balban, were summoned to the court and killed on one pretext or the other. Nizāmuddīn even went to the extent of attempting on the king’s life. He added poison into his potions and this fact was responsible for the king’s early if not immediate death.¹⁶ But in spite of these excesses, Nizām enjoyed unflinching confidence of the king. In fact Muʻizzuddīn was, for all practicle purposes, playing into his hands. If anybody insinuated nefrous motives to his designs the sultan would forthwith mention to Nizām: "So and so has told me such and such things about you." The man would then be called and suffer from the implacable revenge of the wily councillor. In this way Nizāmuddīn destroyed many useful ministers and officials. Such was his ascendancy that his wife was designed as "the honorary mother of the sultan and the directress of female apartments." Owing to his unchallangeable position and unshakable power "the nobles and officers became completely obsequious and subservient to him ... and his threshold become the asylum of high and low."¹⁷