Twilight of the Sultanate c6.s2.39

c6.s2.39

During the course of these events Sultan Mahmūd visited Bayana and Gwalior, leaving Muqarrab Khan, the Vakīl-us-Sultanat, as the regent at Delhi. S'aādat Khan, the Barbak (Lord Chamberlain) was in the royal camp. When the King was at Gwalior some nobles headed by Mallū Khan, a brother of Sārang Khan, jealous of S'aādat Khan's influence on the young Sultan, conspired against him. Getting scent of the plot, S'aādat Khan got the conspirators put to death, but Mallū Khan escaped to Delhi and joined Muqarrab Khan. Muqarrab was an old enemy of S'aādat, and when the Sultan returned to Delhi, Muqarrab Khan fearing reprisals closed the gates of the city against him.⁵⁶ S'aādat Khan, with the Sultan in his camp, laid siege to the fortress. The siege of Delhi went on for three months after which Muqarrab Khan, to outwit his rival, invited the Sultan into the city. Mahmūd had got weary of the siege and his humiliating position. He forsook S'aādat and entered Delhi in November, 1394 (Muharram, 797 H).⁵⁷ But the Sultan's action did not impair S'aādat's strength who had all the army still under his control. He even determined to teach a lesson to Sultan Mahmūd himself. Proceeding to Fīrōzābād, he invited from Mewat another prince of the royal blood, Nusrat Khan, son of Fateh Khan and grandson of Fīrōz Shāh,⁵⁸ and enthroned him under the title of Nasīruddīn Nusrat Shāh in December, A. D. 1394 (Rabiul-Avval 797 H). There were now two titular kings, Nasīruddīn. (Mahmūd) at Delhi and Nasīruddīn (Nusrat) at Fīrōzābād. Badaonī's cryptic remark is very significant. He says that as in the game of chess neither could win nor be removed;⁵⁹ both remained mere puppets in the hands of their patron-nobles.