12 Topics.
0 of 19 Concepts Done
What to Study: For how many years did the Delhi Sultanate last, and which five dynasties ruled it, in order? Understand how far its rule spread beyond North India, and the areas of life in which it brought change.
What to Study: What does "Mamluk" mean, and why is the Slave dynasty also called by this name? Remember the three dynasties that ruled within 1206–1290, with their dates and founders.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2003
What to Study: Remember Aibak's link to Muhammad Ghori and the post he held under him. How did he become independent, and what title and capital did he take? Also know how his short rule ended and who followed him.
What to Study: Why do Muslim writers call Aibak "Lakh Baksh"? Remember the scholar he patronised. Know which famous tower he began in Delhi and who completed it.
What to Study: Remember Iltutmish's tribe, how he went from slave to son-in-law of Aibak, and the post he held at Gwalior. When did he defeat Aram Shah and become Sultan, and which capital change followed?
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 2001UPSC 2021
What to Study: Which Mongol leader was invading Central Asia in this period, and which ruler fled to India to escape him? Understand what Iltutmish refused to do, and why this helped keep the Mongols out of India.
What to Study: Which regions did Iltutmish bring back under control or annex, including the Rajput forts? Remember the one expedition that failed.
What to Study: What was the manshur, who sent it, and in which year? Understand what it gave Iltutmish in law. He also named his daughter Raziya as successor. Why was the nomination of a daughter a notable step?
What to Study: Which kind of coinage did Iltutmish bring into India, and which silver coin became the standard coin of the period? Understand the link that is often drawn between this coin and the modern rupee.
What to Study: Who were the Forty, and who created this group? Understand how they rose to power after Raziya, and why Balban later saw them as the real danger to the monarchy.
What to Study: Which scholars adorned Iltutmish's court? Be sure to recognise Minhaj-us-Siraj. Know what Iltutmish completed at Delhi, what he added to the mosque at Ajmer (Adhai Din ka Jhonpra). Which religious teachers came to India in his reign?
What to Study: Who was first placed on the throne after Iltutmish, and by whom? Understand how a revolt in Multan gave Raziya her opening, and who supported her in seizing the throne.
What to Study: Remember Yakuth's post and the changes in dress and court practice that angered the Turkish nobles. Who revolted in 1240, what happened to Yakuth and Raziya, and how did Raziya's end come about?
What to Study: Which Sultans ruled in the six years after Raziya? Understand the struggle between Sultans and nobles in this time. Who placed Nasiruddin Mahmud on the throne in 1246?
What to Study: Balban was also known as Ulugh Khan. What post did he hold under Nasiruddin Mahmud, and which marriage tie strengthened him? Remember the year he became Sultan, and do not confuse him with other men who bore the title Ulugh Khan.
Asked in UPSC PrelimsUPSC 1997
What to Study: How did Balban see the position of the Sultan? Understand this idea, and remember the court customs and the Persian festival he introduced to support it. Also learn how he treated Turkish nobles and Indian Muslims, and why he used spies.
What to Study: Why did Balban treat the Forty as a danger, and how did he deal with them? Remember what happened to the governors of Badaun, Oudh and Bhatinda, namely Malik Baqbaq, Haybat Khan and Sher Khan.
What to Study: Did Balban give more attention to expanding his kingdom or to strengthening it? Remember the separate military department he set up and its name. How did he deal with the Mewatis and with robbers?
What to Study: Remember Tughril Khan's revolt in 1279, what happened to Prince Mahmud against the Mongols, and the year Balban died. How is his overall record judged, and where did it fall short? Who followed him, and who ended the dynasty in 1290?