The Sultanate of Delhi, 711–1526 A.D. c22.s2.t7.4

c22.s2.t7.4

As a ruler, Sikandar attained more than ordinary success. While his father had been content with the position of *primus inter pares*, Sikandar's ideal of kingship was more akin to the Turkish and Hindu conception of sovereignty than to that of the Afghans. He rightly believed that the Afghan conception of kingship could not be applicable to India, as India was not Afghanistan. In view of this, Sikandar attempted to undo the effects of divided sovereignty and brought his brother, Barbak Shah of Jaunpur, under his complete control. He curbed the individualistic tendencies of his Afghan nobles and compelled them to submit their accounts to the State audit. The highest of the Afghan peers were obliged to show formal respect to the king and to obey his orders. Not only did it become impossible for any noble, however highly placed he might be, to defy the Sultan’s orders but none even dared to show disrespect to his *farmans* which had to be received with ceremony. Sikandar was, thus, able to infuse vigour and discipline in the administration. The prestige of the Sultanate as well as of the crown, which had fallen low during the days of the later Tughluqs, was restored.