Pramāṇa · Search · About · API

A History of Agriculture in India v2.c55.s6: The Slave Dynasty—A.D. 1206-1290

A History of Agriculture in India v2.c55.s6

Language
English

Contents

The Slave Dynasty—A.D. 1206-1290

v2.c55.s6.1

Muhammad Ghori was assassinated in A.D. 1206 on the banks of the Indus. Qutb-ud-din Aibek, the Commander-in-Chief of Ghori's army, was elected Sultan by the Turkish army officers. He is remembered for the construction of the victory pillar, known after his name as Qutb Minar, and for the mosque called Quwat-ul-Islam which was built with stones taken from twenty-seven Hindu temples. Both these monuments are in Mehrauli, a suburb of Delhi. Qutb-ud-din Aibek died in a polo accident in A.D. 1210.

Iltutmish—A.D. 1210-1236

v2.c55.s6.t1.1

The next king was Iltutmish, son-in-law of Qutb-ud-din, who completed the Qutb Minar. He was a builder as well as a conqueror and administrator. During his reign India was threatened by the heathen Mongol hordes of Chingiz Khan, whose real name was Temujin. Chingiz Khan was his official title. Minhaju-s Siraj, the author of the Tabakat-i-Nasiri, thus describes the physical appearance and character of Chingiz Khan. ‘Trustworthy persons have related that the Chingiz Khan, at the time when he came into Khurasan, was sixty-five years old, a man of tall stature, of vigorous build, robust in body, the hair on his face scanty and turned white, with cat’s eyes, possessed of great energy, discernment, genius, and understanding, awe-striking, a butcher, just, resolute, an overthrower of enemies, intrepid, sanguinary, cruel.’ Fortunately, the Mongols deterred by summer heat turned back at Peshawar and proceeded to Western Asia and on to the banks of the Dnieper. The Mongols conquered the whole Chinese Empire. They reduced west-central Asia including Afghanistan and Iran and invaded eastern Europe, overrunning southern Russia, Poland, and Hungary. In A.D 1227, when Chingiz Khan died, his empire extended from the Pacific to Black Sea (Fig. 3). In A.D. 1258, the Mongols overthrew the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad and attacked the Moslems in Syria. Wherever they penetrated, whether into Moslem or Christian lands, they recklessly destroyed life and property. As Jawaini, the Persian chronicler observed, ‘They came, burnt, slaughtered, plundered and departed.’

v2.c55.s6.t1.2

FIG. 3. The Mongol Empire in 1290 (shown in white). It embraced China, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and a good bit of Russia. The principal trade routes between China and Europe are shown.

The Sultan Raziya—A.D. 1236-1240

v2.c55.s6.t2.1

Realizing that his sons were worthless, Iltutmish nominated his daughter Raziya as his successor as he discerned in her countenance the signs of power and bravery. In *Tabakat-i-Nasiri* she is described as a great monarch, who was wise, just, generous, the protector of her subjects, and the leader of her armies. Minhaju-s Siraj comments that though she was endowed with all the qualities befitting a king, she was not born of the right sex, and so all these virtues were worthless. The Sultan Raziya discarded the dress and veil of women and put on a coat and a cap, and thus clad rode on an elephant to show herself to her people. She appointed Yakut, an Abyssian, as her personal attendant. This led to jealousies among her Turkish amirs, and in A.D. 1240 they deposed her. Later she married Altuniya, the Governor of Bhatinda. Her husband attempted to occupy the throne, but both husband and wife were killed in October 1240.

Nasir-ud-Din—A.D. 1246-1266

v2.c55.s6.t3.1

Nasir-ud-din, a kind and scholarly person, who patronized scholars, was made Sultan in A.D. 1246. He was the patron of the historian Minhaju-s Siraj, who named his work, *Tabakat-i-Nasiri*, after him. Nasir-ud-din appointed him Kazi of Delhi. In A.D. 1259, a campaign was carried against Meos of Aravalli hills on the outskirts of Delhi. The Meos led by their chief named Malka, plundered the goods of Moslems, stole cattle, and ravaged the villages in the districts of Haryana and Bayana. It is for the first time that we hear about Haryana in history of Mediaeval India. They were severely punished by Ulugh Khan Balban, Nasir-ud-din’s father-in-law and minister, who was virtually the ruler. About 12,000 Meos, men, women, and children, were slaughtered. To hold the Meos down, Balban built a fort and a line of police posts.

Balban—A.D. 1266-1267

v2.c55.s6.t4.1

On the death of Nasir-ud-din in A.D. 1266, Balban, who was virtually in command of State affairs, succeeded him. He was a stern man, who ruled ruthlessly. He liquidated the clique of Turkish amirs who were a constant source of trouble. He put down brigands who plundered caravans. He refortified Lahore to ensure its safety from the Mongols. In his court were fifteen refugee kings and princes from Turkistan and adjoining area which had been occupied by the Mongols.

v2.c55.s6.t4.2

The Doab was in disorder. He distributed the land in Doab in fiefs to Turkish nobles, who were asked to clear the jungles and to root out the Hindu rebels. Balban died in A.D. 1286.

v2.c55.s6.t4.3

THE KHALJIS A.D. 1290-1320 THE PRICE CONTROL REGULATIONS AND REVENUE ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES OF ALA-UD-DIN KHALJI WRETCHED CONDITION OF THE PEASANTRY

v2.c55.s6.t4.4

JALAL-UD-DIN FIROZ (A.D. 1290-1296), a seventy-year-old man, was the founder of the Khaljis Dynasty. The Khaljis were a Turkish tribe domiciled in Afghanistan. Jalal-ud-din was a mild old man, a poor administrator who knew neither how to punish his foes nor reward his friends. A thousand thugs arrested by his army were transported to Bengal and set free. He was murdered in A.D. 1296, and his successor was his nephew, Ala-ud-din Khalji (A.D. 1296-1316), a vigorous but unscrupulous man. He restored order by curbing the power of rebellious chiefs. Grants of land given to them were confiscated. He developed a system of espionage which kept him informed about the intentions of his officials. Drinking of wine and dinner parties were prohibited.

v2.c55.s6.t4.5

In A.D. 1297, Gujarat was conquered by the army of Ala-ud-din and the renovated temple of Somnath was demolished. Ranthambor was captured in A.D. 1301, and its Rajput ruler Hamir Dev executed. The fort of Chitor was captured in A.D. 1303. The Raja of Malwa was defeated in A.D. 1305, and Ujjain, Mandu and Dhar were annexed. In A.D. 1308, Malik Kafur, Ala-ud-din's general, invaded south India and looted hoardes of gold and precious stones from the temples. He captured Devagiri, and the Kakatiya capital, Warangal. In A.D. 1311, Malik Kafur defeated the Hoysala King Ballala III, and invaded the Pandyan country, Ma'bar.

Linked texts (3)