The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c14.1.4

c14.1.4

in spite of the setbacks received owing to the weakness of the successors of Īltutmish and to dynastic revolutions, centralization steadily increased until it reached its climax in the earlier part of Muḥammad bin Tughluq's reign.¹ This monarch, however, was a stranger to the saving grace of moderation; his eccentric severity demolished the edifice his own ability and the foresight of his predecessors had built.² Fīrūz could stem the ebbing tide only for a while; power was swept away through the incapacity of his successors and because of Tīmūr's invasion, and the Lodīs had to start afresh. The inexperienced and impatient Ibrāhīm lost his throne in the endeavour to gain respect for his ideal of a centralized monarchy; even the capable Sher Shāh and the impetuous Islām did not reach the level attained by Muḥammad bin Tughluq, though they inspired widespread and wholesome respect for the central government. The tribal principle introduced by the Lodīs of reliance upon hereditary chiefs and heads of clans for the maintenance of peace in provincial areas survived even under the Sūrs whose civil administration was mostly centralized.³ Sher Shāh and Islām Shāh curbed Afghān tribalism by maintaining large standing armies and supervising the relations between the soldiers and their commanders.¹