Establishment of the
Delhi Sultanate Empire by Iltutmish
Iltutmish was a Turk of the Albary tribe. He was a slave
of a Bukhara (a city in present-day Uzbekistan) Merchant. He was beautiful to
look at and impressive in his abilities and intelligence. Qutubu-din Aibak was
attracted to his abilities and looks and bought him from the Bokhara merchant.
Soon, Iltutmish rose in Aibak's esteem and was promoted to a higher post. A
historian has observed that he was unequalled in beauty, virtue, intelligence,
and nobleness of character.
Iltutmish
had won Muhammad Gauri's and Qutubu-din Aibak's appreciation as he proved his
loyalty to both. Qutubu-din Aibak married his daughter to him. Aibak appointed
Iltutmish as the Governor of Guwahati. On the death of Qutubu-din Aibak, his
son, Azam Shah, sat on the throne. However, the ministers and nobles replaced
Azam Shah on the throne with Iltutmish in 1211.
Conquests and main
events of the reign of Iltutmish.
The
accession of Iltutmish to the throne with the full support of the leading
nobles and ministers did not secure his position. He faced some significant
difficulties.
Firstly,
the leading nobles, referred to as Maliks, also in the good books of Qutubu-din
Aibak, aspired to acquire the throne.
Secondly,
according to Muslim law, Iltutmish was declared an enslaved person and, as a
result, was unqualified to become a king.
Thirdly,
some more influential Turkish nobles like Tajuddin Yuldoz in Ghazni, Nasiruddin
Qabacha in Sindh and Khiljis of Bengal revolted against him. They were strong
contenders for the throne. It was the achievement of Iltutmish that he faced
all the opposition with courage.
With
courage and boldness, he finally established his claim on the throne. To
achieve it, he adopted the following policy.
1. Suppression of Maliks.
It
was a significant achievement that Iltutmish suppressed the revolts of the
principal chiefs of Qutbudin Aibbak. They were addressed as Maliks, and
Iltutmish gradually removed them from the court and his territory.
2. Defeat of Yaldoz of Gazni.
Tajudin
Yaldoz in Gazni was a strong contender and opponent of Iltutmish at Delhi.
Tajudin Yaldoz was a slave of Muhammad Gauri, just like Qutubu-din Aibak. After
the death of Muhammad Gauri in 1206, Yaldoz became more successful than others
and established his rule at Ghazni. After that, he gave Qutub-din Aibak, who
ruled from Lahore, a tough time. Yaldoz was a brave and able ruler. In short,
he had the upper hand over Qutubu-din Aibbak and Iltutmish. In 1214, Yaldoz
defeated Qabacha of Sindh and acquired control over Punjab. Iltutmish
courageously faced the army of Yaldoz in Punjab. In 1215, on the battlegrounds
of Terrain, Iltutmish was able to give a crushing defeat to Yaldoz. Iltutmish
captured Yaldoz and killed him. It was a significant success for Iltutmish as
it laid the grounds for consolidating his Empire.
3. Nasurudin Qabacha of Sindh was defeated.
Nusiruddin
Qabacha in Sindh, another leading power since the times of Gauri, ruled as an
independent power on Multan and Uch. He had not accepted Iltutmish as a ruler
of Punjab. Iltutmish also feared the existence of Nasiruddin Qabacha because
the Muslim population could revolt against him under the leadership of Qabacha
of Sindh. Iltutmish declared war against Qabacha in 1217. Iltutmish succeeded
in removing Qabacha from Punjab, But Naseeruddin Qabacha continued to rule as
an independent ruler in Sindh. In 1227, Iltutmish marched against him for the
second time and conquered Uch. Qabacha fled to the safety of Bhakkar. Iltutmish
besieged Qabacha at his place of shelter, from where Qabacha escaped but
drowned in the River Indus. The danger of Qabacha ended for Iltutmish.
4. Established rule of Delhi over Bengal
On
the death of Qutubudin Aibak, the Khilji family in Bengal declared its
independence from Lahore. Gradually, Ali Mardan became the ruler of Bengal. Ali
Mardan died in 1212 and was succeeded by Abbas, who acquired the title of
Gyasudin and declared himself independent in Bengal. It created another danger
for the prestige of Iltutmish as a ruler of Muslim rule in India. In 1220,
Gyasudin accepted the recognition of Iltutmish as the king of Delhi when
Iltutmish sent an army against him. However, soon after, Gyasudin ended his
allegiance to Delhi, and it became a challenge to the existence of Iltutmish.
Iltutmish deputed his son, Nasiruddin, to punish Gyasudhin in Bengal. Gyasudhin
was killed in battle, and the rule over Bengal was brought under the control of
Delhi. Iltutmish's strategy was to remain camped in Delhi to consolidate his
rule. Iltutmish avoided marching outside Delhi during the period. After some
years, another revolt took place again. Iltutmish marched in command of an army
this time and reoccupied Bengal. Thus, his rule was consolidated in Delhi.
5. Other Conquests of Iltutmish - Malwa
After
suppressing the Muslim opponents, Iltutmish directed his attention to the
Indian rulers, which he had intentionally avoided earlier. His strategy was to
consolidate his rule over Delhi and protect the frontiers of Punjab. Iltutmish
occupied Gwalior in 1231. The ruler was Mangal Dev. He had established his
independence during the short tenure of Shah Azam Shah. The ruler of Gwalior,
Mangal Deva, gave tough resistance to Iltutmish. It took 11 months for
Iltutmish to end the rule of Mangal Dev and occupy the territory of Gwalior.
The second significant victory was in Malwa. The capital of Malwa, since the
Guptan rule, was Ujjain. He attacked Malwa and destroyed Mahakali Temple after
conquering Ujjain. He directed his attention to Ranthambore and Mandu. He
occupied Ranthambore and Mandu before he died in 1235.
6. Invasion of Changiz Khan in 1221. A crucial danger that Iltutmish
managed with diplomacy:
In
1212, Changaz Khan, whose original name was Tamuzin, arrived on the frontiers
of India for the first time. Changaz Khan was a Mongol who had won Mongolia,
North China and Turkistan. He also occupied Khawarizm. In Khawarizm, which
Jalaluddin ruled over. Jalaluddin escaped his country and reached Afghanistan.
Changaz Khan followed Jalaluddin of Khawazarizm and conquered Afghanistan,
Herat and Peshawar at this juncture. Jalaluddin of Khawarizm sought help from
Iltatmush. Itutmish politely refused help and asked him not to enter the
territory beyond the Indus as the climate was unfit for his contingent. In the
meantime, Changaz Khan defeated Jalaluddin of Khawarizm on the banks of the
river Indus. However, Changez Khan did not cross the river Indus to enter India
because of the climate, which was not conducive for his contingent and moved
towards the western part, leading him to the Middle East. In this manner,
Iltutmish was able to save his territory from the invasion of Changez Khan.
Lanepoole, a European historian who wrote Islamic history while living in the
Middle East, remarked Changez Khan was a new incalculable danger that threatened
all of Asia. The tumult was tremendous, but the storm passed away as quietly as
it came.
7. Investiture by the Khalifa of Baghdad in 1228
Khalifa
of Baghdad recognised the Iltutmish as the Muslim ruler in India. It was
crucial and politically important for Iltutmish to receive recognition from
Khalifa of Baghdad. It helped Iltutmish to end the Muslim revolt against his
dominion in India. He became an authorised ruler of Muslim dominion in India.
8. Iltutmish introduced a new currency
Iltutmish
introduced new gold and silver coins. It differed from the famous silver and
gold coins that Hindu rulers issued. The gold and silver coins had inscriptions
in Arabic on them. Iltutmish was the first to introduce purely Arabic coins.
9. Delhi, the capital of the Empire and naming of Delhi Sultanate
Before
the death of Qutbudin-Aibak, Lahore was the capital of new Muslim rule in
India. To safeguard his territory, Iltutmish shifted his capital from Lahore to
Delhi to seek better protection for his territory. While so, Iltutmish made
Delhi the center of new Muslim rule in India. Therefore, he is also called the
founder of the Delhi Sultanate.
Before
his death, Iltutmish appointed his daughter Razia Begum as his successor. It
was a revolutionary step from Muslim political arrangements. Iltutmish is
credited with establishing the Delhi Sultanate and consolidating the rule of
Muslims in India.
