The Administration of the Sultanate of Dehli c9.90

c9.90

Even this number was surpassed in Fīrūz Shāh's reign when a separate department was organized to deal with the slaves. The generals were encouraged to take numerous prisoners and to present them to the sultan after proper training; one hundred and eighty thousand slaves are said to have been collected and entrusted with different kinds of work. The sultan's personal guard absorbed a large number. Whenever the monarch marched out, several thousands of these slaves would accompany him divided into bodies of archers and soldiers, some of them walking, some riding Arab and Turkish horses and some even on the backs of specially trained buffaloes. There was no department of the household or administration where they were not in evidence: the capital and the provinces were alike full of them. Even so the administration could not absorb them all; the sultan distributed many amongst schools and colleges for general and religious education. No less than twelve thousand were taught different arts and crafts so that they might set up as independent artisans; some were even sent to Mecca to spend their lives in prayer and meditation.¹ The slaves in the royal household received a salary of 20 to 125 tankahs in cash, in addition to food and clothing.² In view of their numbers it is not surprising that the slaves had to be administered by an independent department with its own officers, accounts office and treasury.³ The large number of slaves acquired by Fīrūz Shāh is a measure of his success in pacifying the sultanate after insurrection had raised its head in every nook and corner owing to Muḥammad bin Tughluq's harshness. These slaves were prisoners of war, captured rebels, and their multitude is an index to the progress of the royal arms in the refractory areas.⁴ Fīrūz Shāh displayed great sagacity in dealing with the captives. Instead of destroying them, he trained the prisoners to be useful and loyal citizens. Their lives had been spared and they had been well treated; naturally they became faithful supporters of the régime; large numbers were settled in outlying areas to form a nucleus of loyal citizens in every district which had hitherto been particularly recalcitrant.¹ These men enriched the life of the empire in every sphere and probably played a considerable part in bringing about the prosperity which was such a marked feature of the reign.²