Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 3

 Continued From: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 2

Origin Of Khilji Dynasty

 

Malik Firuz of Turk-Afghan origin was a servant of the Delhi Sultan Balban. The Sultan himself had been one of the 40 famous Turkish Slaves of Sultan IIltutmish.Royal lineages take pride in their ancestry, but in the case of the Delhi Sultanate, the line passed from master to slave. There was not a drop of royal blood in the line of Sultans. The Sultans of these new dynasties lacked the qualities required of a ruler; sophistication, diplomacy and above all compassion. They solely believed in tyranny and in the survival of the fittest. They fought tooth and nail to retain their claim on the throne. After the death of Balban, his grandson Qaiqubad was nominated as Sultan, but because of the untimely death of Qaiqubad, his three-year old son Shamsuddin Kayumars was selected as the Sultan by Malik Firuz who was only waiting for an opportune moment. When that moment  presented itself, Malik Firuz murdered the child Shamsuddin Kayumars and usurped the throne. Malik Firuz changed his name to Jalal-ud-din Khilji, the first sultan of the Khilji dynasty; so, the Khilji dynasty too is but a Slave Dynasty.

 

Jalal-ud-din  Khilji became the first Sultan of the Khilji dynasty after usurping the throne from the Mamluk Dynasty. His rule was short-lived. He ruled for only 6 years and succumbed to the plot weaved by his nephews. Jalal-ud-din  gave his daughters in marriage to his nephews Ali Gurshasp and Almas Beg. His nephews due to their humble origin were uneducated and like their predecessors, lacked sophistication; nevertheless, they were employed to high offices of the Sultanate. Ali was made the governor of Awadh and Khara by the Sultan.  Ali Gurshasp was an illiterate who dreamed of controlling the throne of Delhi. He was an adventurer and knew that fortune favours the bold. In those days, as we have seen, it was not impossible for someone of humble means to control the throne. All one needed was dare and cunning.

Continued On: The Forgotten Empires Of India: Foreign Invasion of Medieval India - Part 4