The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c15.2

c15.2

The primary need in those troubled days was protection from barbarous Mongol hordes without and from anarchy within; hence the necessity of a strong ruler. The Law required the people to elect their leader; Turkish tradition adhered to the principle of heredity. Practical men compromised by electing a member of the ruling dynasty; but if he did not prove capable, a new monarch, whose experience and prowess held out promise of the coveted security, was acclaimed. The state flourished if the politically conscious elements succeeded in discovering able leaders; the throne of Dehlī was not a bed of roses, it required men of strong determination and iron will. In form the Sultanate was a monarchy, partially elective, partially hereditary; in reality it was a dictatorial bureaucracy.