The Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate ruled a major portion of the Indian sub-continent for 320 years from 1206 to 1526. As the name itself says, the capital of the empire was Delhi. The Sultanate consisted to five major dynasties that took over Delhi in a sequential order i.e., the Mamluq dynasty, Khilji (or Khalji) dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, Sayyid dynasty and Lodi dynasty.
The Mamluq dynasty was formed in the year 1206. The name Mamluq was derived from the Arabic word Mamluk with means 'owned' on a literal basis. The first ruler from this dynasty was Qutb ud-Din Aibak. Aibak was initially a slave of Mohammad Ghori of the Ghruid Empire. His reign lasted till his death in 1210. Few of the most notable rulers from the Mamluq dynasty are Illtutmish and Razia Sultana. Illtutmish ruled from 1211 to 1236 and was recognized for expanding the Sultanate and bringing about revolutionary changes in its policies. Razia Sultana was the daughter of Illtutmish who ruled from 1236 to 1240. She is known to be the only female ruler during the Mamluq dynasty. There were multiple leaders from the Mamluq dynasty like Ghiyas ud-Din Balban who played a major role in the flourishing of the dynasty.
The declining of the Mamluq dynasty with the death of the last ruler in 1290 let to the formation of the Khalji dynasty. The dynasty ruled the Indian sub-continent from 1290 to 1320. The first ruler was Jalaluddin Khalji. He was said to to be a fair and kind hearted ruler unlike his successor Allauddin Khalji, who took over the Delhi Sultanate after killing Jalaluddin Khalji in 1296. He was said to be a powerful ruler who defended his country but was very ruthless. His rule came to an end with his death in 1316. The Khalji empire declined in 1320, four years after Alauddin Khalji's death.
The Tughlaq dynasty took over from the Khalji dynasty in 1320. It was the most flourishing empire to rule from Delhi during the Delhi Sultanate. The empire lasted till 1414. The initial ruler was Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq who ruled the Sultanate till 1325. He was a just ruler but was harsh towards Mongols. He was succeeded by his son Mohammad bin Tughlaq who ruled till his death in 1351. He was known for his failure as a ruler and also for shifting the capital of the Sultanate from Delhi to Daulatabad. He was succeeded by his cousin Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah was in fact, forced to rule after the death of his cousin but later, took his rule to an advantage by improving the infrastructure of the empire. His rule lasted till 1388. After this, multiple rulers came and went till the declination of the empire in 1414.
The Tughlaq dynasty was succeeded by the Sayyid dynasty. Not much is known about this dynasty but it was the only dynasty in the Delhi Sultanate to last for a short span of time. It lasted from 1414 till 1451. The only known ruler was Khizr Khan who joined hands with Taimur during his invasion on the Tughlaq dynasty in 1398.
The last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate was the Lodi dynasty. It was a flourishing dynasty with notable rulers. The first ruler was Bahlul Lodi who ruled from 1451 to 1489. He spent most of his reign in conquests and battles, the most famous one being the conquest of Jaunpur. He was succeeded by his son Sikandar Lodi who was a passive and successful ruler. He had a passion towards writing poetry. He is said to be the founder of Agra. His rule ended in 1517 and his son Ibrahim Lodi took over. Ibrahim was a great warrior but was a hasty decision maker.
The Delhi Sultanate came to an end in 1523 along with the end of the Lodi dynasty when Babur invaded a king-less Delhi, thus leading to the rise of the Mughal Empire.
The Mamluq dynasty was formed in the year 1206. The name Mamluq was derived from the Arabic word Mamluk with means 'owned' on a literal basis. The first ruler from this dynasty was Qutb ud-Din Aibak. Aibak was initially a slave of Mohammad Ghori of the Ghruid Empire. His reign lasted till his death in 1210. Few of the most notable rulers from the Mamluq dynasty are Illtutmish and Razia Sultana. Illtutmish ruled from 1211 to 1236 and was recognized for expanding the Sultanate and bringing about revolutionary changes in its policies. Razia Sultana was the daughter of Illtutmish who ruled from 1236 to 1240. She is known to be the only female ruler during the Mamluq dynasty. There were multiple leaders from the Mamluq dynasty like Ghiyas ud-Din Balban who played a major role in the flourishing of the dynasty.
The declining of the Mamluq dynasty with the death of the last ruler in 1290 let to the formation of the Khalji dynasty. The dynasty ruled the Indian sub-continent from 1290 to 1320. The first ruler was Jalaluddin Khalji. He was said to to be a fair and kind hearted ruler unlike his successor Allauddin Khalji, who took over the Delhi Sultanate after killing Jalaluddin Khalji in 1296. He was said to be a powerful ruler who defended his country but was very ruthless. His rule came to an end with his death in 1316. The Khalji empire declined in 1320, four years after Alauddin Khalji's death.
The Tughlaq dynasty took over from the Khalji dynasty in 1320. It was the most flourishing empire to rule from Delhi during the Delhi Sultanate. The empire lasted till 1414. The initial ruler was Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq who ruled the Sultanate till 1325. He was a just ruler but was harsh towards Mongols. He was succeeded by his son Mohammad bin Tughlaq who ruled till his death in 1351. He was known for his failure as a ruler and also for shifting the capital of the Sultanate from Delhi to Daulatabad. He was succeeded by his cousin Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Firoz Shah was in fact, forced to rule after the death of his cousin but later, took his rule to an advantage by improving the infrastructure of the empire. His rule lasted till 1388. After this, multiple rulers came and went till the declination of the empire in 1414.
The Tughlaq dynasty was succeeded by the Sayyid dynasty. Not much is known about this dynasty but it was the only dynasty in the Delhi Sultanate to last for a short span of time. It lasted from 1414 till 1451. The only known ruler was Khizr Khan who joined hands with Taimur during his invasion on the Tughlaq dynasty in 1398.
The last dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate was the Lodi dynasty. It was a flourishing dynasty with notable rulers. The first ruler was Bahlul Lodi who ruled from 1451 to 1489. He spent most of his reign in conquests and battles, the most famous one being the conquest of Jaunpur. He was succeeded by his son Sikandar Lodi who was a passive and successful ruler. He had a passion towards writing poetry. He is said to be the founder of Agra. His rule ended in 1517 and his son Ibrahim Lodi took over. Ibrahim was a great warrior but was a hasty decision maker.
The Delhi Sultanate came to an end in 1523 along with the end of the Lodi dynasty when Babur invaded a king-less Delhi, thus leading to the rise of the Mughal Empire.
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