Delhi Sultanate

Delhi Sultanate Rulers

Across 320 years of history and five different dynasties, the Delhi Sultanate had many different rulers. Some ruled for less than a year, others for decades.

The Founder of the Delhi Sultanate

The Delhi Sultanate's history begins with an invasion. By the 10th century, Islamic Turks of the Ghaznavid Dynasty were raiding throughout Northern India, jabbing at defenses and spreading Turkic culture, but never settling on the land. Later, a Sultan of the Persian Ghurid Dynasty named Muhammed of Ghor sought to take a permanent stake in Northern India. From 1173 to 1206, Muhammed of Ghor pressed into Northern India. His conquest ended in his own assassination, but his dream did not die.

Grave of Qutb al-Din Aibak. Source: Muhammad Umair Mirza, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

One of Muhammed of Ghor's Mamluk generals, a man named Qutb al-Din Aibak, took power in Northern India and officially became the first sultan of Delhi. Aibak garnered a positive reputation for his generosity and the loyalty of his fighting soldiers, but historians still debate how exactly the Mamluk came to inherit power in India. Aibak was either appointed by Muhammed of Ghor before his death in 1206 or took the position by a mix of diplomacy and force. In any case, Aibak's reign ended in 1210 and was followed by a chaotic struggle for succession. Because of Aibak's Mamluk roots, the first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate is known as the Mamluk Dynasty.

The Delhi Sultanate Under Tughluq Rule

The Sultanate of Delhi can be considered to have reached its peak in the 1320s, the year in which the state reached its greatest territorial extent. Simultaneously, the 1320s were the beginning of the Tughluq Dynasty, established by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq. Ghiyath al-Din suppressed rebellions, conquered Bengal, and maintained relative peace and prosperity within his state. His successor, Muhammad bin Tughluq, led a more controversial rule that spanned 26 years. Sultan Muhammed inspired the rise of many enemies, ordered a failed invasion of China, and implemented detrimental tax policies.

A coin issued by the Delhi Sultanate during the Tughluq Dynasty. Source: CNG Coins, CC-BY-SA-3.0-migrated, Wikimedia Commons.

The Tughluq Dynasty also experienced one of the most devastating invasions of the Delhi Sultanate's history. In 1398, the mighty Turkic-Mongol warlord Timur the Lame descended upon northern India. Timur the Lame, also known as Tamerlane, famously set camels on fire and rushed them towards the forces of the Delhi Sultanate to cause disruption among the ranks and frighten the sultanate's elephants. The capital of Delhi fell to Timur that same year. Through conquest, Timur had laid the groundwork for the future downfall of the Delhi Sultanate at the hands of his descendants.

The Last Rulers of the Delhi Sultanate

The Lodi Dynasty was ruled by an Iranic people of the Lodi Tribe called Pashtuns. The Delhi Sultanate was already declined by the time the Lodi obtained power. Sultan Sikandar Lodi relocated his sultanate's capital to the city of Agra, a city which would later develop and flourish past the end of the Delhi Sultanate. Sikandar's son, Ibrahim Lodi, would be the last true ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Political tensions during Ibrahim Lodi's reign culminated in the 1526 Battle of Panipat, where the future Mughal Emperor Babur would defeat Ibrahim Lodi and establish his own dynasty in India.

Delhi Sultanate Innovations

The Delhi Sultanate is not renowned for its significant mechanical innovations or inventions. Rather, historians are fascinated by the innovative establishment of an Islamic state within an otherwise Hindu territory. By land, Northern India is difficult to access: most of it is capped off by the Himalayan mountains. The geographical barriers and warm climate previously prevented a Mongol invasion under Genghis Khan. Muhammed of Ghor's invasion of India was innovative in unprecedented success.

But when the invasions of the Ghurid Dynasty finally gained a foothold in India, the Islamic faith marched alongside them. Islam contrasted many of the core tenets of Hinduism, mainly in that it was a monotheistic religion rather than a polytheistic religion. There was one aspect of Islam that sparked the imagination of many Hindu practitioners: the idea of equality under God. The Hindu religion asserted a strict hierarchical society with little vertical movement; those born at the very bottom of society saw an opportunity in Islam to be free of their caste-driven subjugation.

While somewhat tolerant of Hinduism, many of the Delhi Sultanate's rulers were not exactly content with considering it equal to Islam. During every Delhi Sultanate dynasty, multiple major Hindu temples were desecrated, and their stones were sometimes used to construct Islamic mosques. While not necessarily innovative in this destruction of religious monuments, the firm hold that Islam obtained in Northern India has captivated historians for years.

Delhi Sultanate Architecture

The Delhi Sultanate oversaw the construction of many Islamic tombs and mosques throughout Northern India. Arches and domes were characteristic of Delhi architecture. These structures were a novelty in the Indian subcontinent, but ubiquitous styles of the Middle East. Perhaps the most famous and still-standing representation of Delhi Sultanate architecture is the Qutub Minar in Delhi, India, a 73-meter tall minaret tower (pictured below).

Photograph of Qutub Minar in Delhi, India. Source: Indrajit Das, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Delhi Sultanate Significance

The Delhi Sultanate was significant in how drastically it reshaped Northern India during the late Medieval Era. In converting large swathes of the population to Islam and inserting foreign cultures into the region, the Delhi Sultanate saw Northern India's economy and population flourish as they never had before. New technologies brought from the Middle East, expanding cities, and enhanced agricultural techniques modernized India, preparing it for centuries of global economic dominance as the Mughal Empire during the Early Modern Period.