5 Dynasties at a Glance
Slave / Mamluk1206–1290 CE
· 84 years · Ruler counts vary
Khilji1290–1320 CE
· 30 years
Tughlaq1320–1414 CE
· about 94 years · Longest
Sayyid1414–1451 CE
· 37 years
Lodi (Afghan)1451–1526 CE
· 75 years · Last
Important Departments (Diwan)
| Department |
Function |
Introduced by |
| Diwan-e-Wizarat |
Finance and revenue — headed by the Wazir |
— |
| Diwan-e-Risalat |
Religious affairs and charitable grants; diplomatic functions varied |
— |
| Diwan-e-Insha |
Orders & Correspondence |
— |
| Diwan-e-Arz |
Military administration (officer: Ariz-i-Mamalik) |
Balban |
| Diwan-e-Amir-Kohi |
Agriculture department |
Muhammad bin Tughlaq |
| Diwan-e-Khairat |
Charity department |
Firoz Shah Tughlaq |
| Diwan-e-Bandagan |
Slave department |
Firoz Shah Tughlaq |
| Dar-ul-shifa |
State Hospital |
Firoz Shah Tughlaq |
Market Control Officers (Alauddin)
| Officer |
Role |
| Barid-e-Mandi |
Market Inspector |
| Shahna-e-Mandi |
Market Superintendent |
| Diwan-e-Riyasat |
Market Controller |
| Munhiyans |
Secret Agent |
| Rai-i-Parwana |
Officer of Sarai Adl (cloth market) |
Slave Dynasty — Overview
Also Known As
Mamluk / Ilbari Dynasty
Founder
Qutub-ud-Din Aibak
Duration
1206–1290 CE (84 years)
Total Rulers
Ruler counts vary
Qutub-ud-Din Aibak1206–1210
CE
- Titles: Lakh Bakhsh, Malik, Sipahsalar
- Slave of Muhammad Ghori
- Capital: Lahore (initially)
- Death: while playing Chaugan (Polo) at Lahore, 1210 CE
- Court scholars: Hasan Nizami and Fakhr-i-Mudabbir
- Built Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque (Mehrauli, Delhi)
- Started construction of Qutub Minar
- Built Adhai Din Ka Jhopra (Ajmer)
Iltutmish1211–1236 CE
- Governor of Badaun; son-in-law of Qutub-ud-Din Aibak
- Organized the iqta system of revenue assignments
- Wazir: Nizam-ul-Mulk Junaidi
- Formed group of 40 nobles → Turkan-i-Chahalgani
- Issued: Silver coins = Tanka | Copper coins = Jital
- Important coin inscriptions were in Arabic; this describes language, not metal purity
- Capital shifted to Delhi
- Title: Sultan-e-Azam
- Added three storeys to Qutub Minar; its present height is about 73 metres
- Suppressed Bengal rebellion in 1225 CE
- Immediate successor: Ruknuddin Firuz; Razia succeeded later in 1236
- Built Sultangarhi Tomb — in memory of son Nasiruddin
- Iltutmish Tomb built in 1235 CE
Razia Sultana1236–1240
CE
-
First Muslim woman ruler of medieval India
- Daughter of Iltutmish
- Rejected purdah, adopted Kuba (coat) and Kulah (turban)
- Wazir Nizam-ul-Mulk Junaidi opposed her
- Close associate: Yaqut Khan (Abyssinian)
- Rebellion by Governor of Bhatinda — Altuniya
- Yaqut Khan killed; Razia imprisoned → later married Altuniya
- Patronized Minhaj-i-Siraj; his later Tabaqat-i-Nasiri was dedicated to Nasiruddin Mahmud
- Killed near Kaithal (Haryana), October 1240; the killers’ precise identity is uncertain
Balban1266–1287 CE
- Previously served as Naib (Deputy) of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud
- Titles: Ulugh Khan, Zil-e-Ilahi (Shadow of God)
- Caste: Ilbari Turk
- Claimed descent from the legendary Turanian king Afrasiyab
- Introduced Sijda (prostration) and Paibos (kissing feet)
- Celebrated the Persian New Year festival Nauroz at court
- Reduced the political influence of Turkan-e-Chahalgani (Group of 40)
- Spy system — spies called Barid
- Established Diwan-e-Arz (military department)
- Policy of Blood and Iron
- Emphasized strict justice even against powerful nobles
Qaiqabad and Kayumars → End of Slave Dynasty1290 CE
- After Qaiqabad’s reign and Kayumars’ brief rule, Jalaluddin took power in 1290 CE
- End of Slave Dynasty → Beginning of Khilji Dynasty
Khilji Dynasty (1290–1320 CE)
Jalaluddin Firoz Khilji1290–1296 CE
-
Founder of Khilji Dynasty
- Known for relative leniency toward opponents
- Gave death punishment to Sidi Maula (Iranian Pir)
- Abandoned Balban's Blood and Iron policy
- Capital: Kilokhari (Delhi)
- Title given by Qaiqabad: Shaista Khan
⭐ Alauddin Khilji1296–1316
CE
- Title: Sikandar-e-Sani (Second Alexander)
- Original name: Ali Gurshasp
- Court poet: Amir Khusro → Book: Khazain-ul-Futuh
- Amir Khusro gave him the titles “Shepherd of the People” and “Conqueror of an Age”.
- Major General: Malik Kafur (Hazaar Dinari — bought from Gujarat campaign)
Northern India Campaigns
| Region |
Year |
Ruler |
Result |
| Gujarat |
1299 |
Rai Karn |
Fled |
| Ranthambore |
1301 |
Hammir Dev |
Defeated |
| Chittor |
1303 |
Rana Ratan Singh |
Defeated (Padmavat) |
| Malwa |
1305 |
Mahlak Dev |
Defeated and killed |
| Marwar (Siwana) |
1308 |
Shital Dev |
Defeated |
| Jalore |
1311 |
Kanha Dev |
Defeated |
Southern India Campaigns
| Region |
Year |
Ruler |
| Devagiri |
1307 |
Ramchandra (Defeated) |
| Warangal |
1309–10 |
Prataparudra II — submitted in 1310; Kohinoor identification uncertain |
| Hoysala (Dwarasamudra) |
1311 |
Vira Ballala III |
| Pandya Kingdom |
1311 |
Pandya country raided amid the Sundara–Vira Pandya conflict |
Key Reforms
💰 Economic
- Milk = privately held property or land
- Waqf = land for religious purposes
- Curtailed privileges and revenue exemptions of Khut, Muqaddam, Chaudhary
- Booty (Khums): 1/5 to soldiers, 4/5 to treasury
- Masahat = land measurement; Diwan-e-Mustakhraj = recovery of revenue arrears
⚔️ Military
- Standing army system
- Cash salary to soldiers
- Branding horses: Dagh system
🏪 3 Markets
- Food items market: Mandi
- Cloth market: Sarai Adl
- Market for horses, sheep, goats, slaves
📋 Taxes and Revenue
- Jizya — poll tax on liable non-Muslim subjects
-
Kharaj — land tax
-
Ghari tax — house tax
-
Charai tax — pasture tax
Tughlaq Dynasty — Longest (1320–1414 CE)
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq1320–1325
CE
-
Founder of Tughlaq dynasty; Title: Ghazi
- Built Tughlaqabad Fort
- Policy of reconciliation with nobles
- Campaign of 1324 CE — intervened in Bengal; defeated Harisimhadeva in Tirhut
- Restored rights of Khut, Muqaddam, Chaudhary
- Prohibited production & sale of alcohol
- Relations NOT good with Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya
Muhammad bin Tughlaq1325–1351
CE
- Original name: Malik Fakhruddin Juna Khan
- Nickname: Abul Mujahid
- Founded Jahanpanah; Begumpuri Mosque’s precise patronage is debated
-
First Sultan to visit Dargah of Ajmer
- Founded the agricultural department Diwan-i-Kohi
- Honoured the Jain scholar Jinaprabha Suri
- Got Abbasid Caliph (Egypt) name inscribed on coins
- Royal permission for sati was required, as recorded by Ibn Battuta
- Pre-accession name and title: Juna Khan; Ulugh Khan
Key Sources
| Author |
Book |
Special |
| Ziauddin Barani |
Tarikh-i-Firozshahi |
— |
| Ibn Battuta |
Kitab-ul-Rehla |
Appointed Qazi of Delhi after arriving in India; sent envoy to China (1342) |
Famous Reforms (& Failures)
| Reform |
Result |
| Increased Doab taxation |
Higher demands during famine contributed to distress and rebellion |
| Capital shift |
Delhi → Devagiri — plan failed, shifted back |
| Khorasan Campaign |
Proposed invasion abandoned before the expedition took place |
| Karachil Campaign |
Heavy losses — campaign failed |
| Token Currency |
Copper/brass coins — failed (counterfeit; no public trust) |
Firoz Shah Tughlaq1351–1388
CE
- Source: Tarikh-i-Firozshahi by Shams-i-Siraj Afif
- Known for canal works and charitable departments
- Temur’s invasion: 1398 CE, after Firoz Shah’s reign
- Introduced Jizya tax on Brahmins
- Irrigation tax: Haq-e-Sharb
- Irrigation levy on land benefiting from state canals — distinct from general land revenue
- Waived Takavi loans (agriculture loans) of farmers
- Established Employment Bureau
- Construction of canals
- Banned women from visiting mazars (tombs)
- Hereditary appointment to military & civil posts
- Sponsored extensive public works, including canals and towns
- Authored autobiography: Futuhat-e-Firozshahi
- Departments introduced: Diwan-e-Khairat, Diwan-e-Bandagan, Dar-ul-shifa
Sayyid Dynasty (1414–1451 CE)
Khizr Khan's Title
Rayyat-e-Ala
Lineage Claim
Descendants of Prophet Muhammad
Meaning of “Sayyid”
Claimed prophetic descent; not by itself a sect label
Rulers
| Ruler |
Period |
Special Fact |
| Khizr Khan |
1414–1421 |
Founder; Title: Rayyat-e-Ala |
| Mubarak Shah |
1421–1434 |
Court historian: Yahiya-Bin-Ahmed-Sirhindi → Tarikh-e-Mubarak Shahi |
| Muhammad Shah |
1434–1445 |
— |
| Alauddin Alam Shah |
1445–1451 |
Last Sayyid ruler |
Lodi Dynasty (1451–1526 CE) — Last Dynasty
Status
Last Delhi Sultanate dynasty
Bahlol Lodi1451–1489 CE
- Title: Ghazi
-
First Afghan dynasty to rule Delhi
- Conquered Jaunpur state — merged into Delhi Sultanate
- Issued the Bahloli coin; silver coinage already existed
Sikandar Lodi1489–1517
CE
- Title: Sultan
- Considered greatest ruler of Lodi dynasty
- Founded Agra in 1504 CE and developed it as a seat of government
- Land-measurement standard: Gaz-e-Sikandari
- Banned women from visiting mazars
- Levied Jizya on liable non-Muslim subjects
- Music treatise: Lajjat-e-Sikandar Shahi (by Umar Yahya al-Kabuli)
- Persian poetry pen name: Gulrukhi
Ibrahim Lodi — Last Sultan1517–1526 CE
- Last ruler of Lodi Dynasty (& Delhi Sultanate)
- Succeeded his father Sikandar Lodi in 1517 CE
-
First Battle of Panipat — 21 April 1526
- Defeated by Babur (Mughal Emperor)
- Died valiantly on the battlefield
⚠️ Exam Traps — Delhi Sultanate
Trap #1 — Qutub Minar — Started vs Completed
Aibak began Qutub Minar; Iltutmish added three storeys. Firoz Shah Tughlaq later rebuilt its damaged upper part. The present tower is about 73 metres high.
Trap #2 — Aibak's Death
Qutub-ud-Din Aibak died while playing Chaugan (polo), not in battle. He died at Lahore in 1210 CE.
Trap #3 — Turkan-i-Chahalgani
Iltutmish formed Turkan-i-Chahalgani, the group of forty nobles. Balban later reduced their political power to strengthen royal authority.
Trap #4 — Razia Sultana's Death
Razia and Altuniya were killed near Kaithal, Haryana, in October 1240, after failing to regain Delhi. The killers’ precise identity is uncertain.
Trap #5 — Longest Dynasty
The Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414 CE) ruled the Delhi Sultanate for the longest period, not the Slave or Lodi dynasty.
Trap #6 — Two Books Named "Tarikh-i-Firozshahi"
Barani’s Tarikh-i-Firozshahi covers reigns from Balban to early Firoz Shah. Afif’s work of the same title chiefly concerns Firoz Shah’s reign; they are different histories.
Trap #7 — Kohinoor Diamond
Malik Kafur secured Prataparudra II’s submission at Warangal in 1310, during the 1309–10 campaign. Identifying a tribute diamond specifically as the Kohinoor is uncertain.
Trap #8 — Token Currency Failed
Muhammad bin Tughlaq introduced copper and brass token currency, but the reform failed because of widespread counterfeiting and a lack of public trust. It was not a successful reform.
Trap #9 — Firoz Shah’s Public Works
Firoz Shah Tughlaq sponsored canals, towns and charitable departments. A comparison with Akbar is a later evaluation, not an official title, and modern PWD terminology is anachronistic.
Trap #10 — Agra founded by?
Sikandar Lodi founded Agra in 1504 CE and developed it as an important seat of government.
⚡ Quick Recall Cards
5 Dynasties — Quick
Alternative name of the Slave dynasty?
Mamluk / Ilbari Dynasty
Longest dynasty?
Tughlaq (1320–1414 CE)
Last dynasty?
Lodi (Afghan) — 1451–1526 CE
First Battle of Panipat — date?
21 April 1526 — Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi
Slave Dynasty — Key Rulers
How did Aibak die?
While playing Chaugan (polo) — 1210 CE, Lahore
Who issued the Tanka and Jital?
Iltutmish (Silver=Tanka, Copper=Jital)
Qutub Minar height?
About 73 metres; Aibak, Iltutmish and Firoz Shah contributed to its construction
Where was Razia assassinated?
Near Kaithal, Haryana — October 1240
Name of Balban’s spy system?
Barid (spies)
Balban’s policy?
Blood and Iron; Sijda; Paibos; Nauroz
Alauddin Khilji
Original name?
Ali Gurshasp
Title?
Sikandar-e-Sani (Second Alexander)
Court poet?
Amir Khusro → Khazain-ul-Futuh
Who led the Warangal campaign?
Malik Kafur — 1309–10; Kohinoor identification uncertain
Which devotional music tradition did Amir Khusro help develop?
Qawwali music form
What was the Dagh system?
Branding of horses — military reform
Tughlaq Dynasty
Original name of Muhammad bin Tughlaq?
Malik Fakhruddin Juna Khan
Book written by Ibn Battuta?
Kitab-ul-Rehla
Capital shift — from where to where?
Delhi → Devagiri — plan failed
Sultan associated with canals and charitable departments?
Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Autobiography of Firoz Shah?
Futuhat-e-Firozshahi
Which Sultan sponsored extensive public works?
Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Temur's invasion?
1398 CE, after Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Sayyid & Lodi
Sayyid dynasty founder?
Khizr Khan — Title: Rayyat-e-Ala
Court historian of Mubarak Shah?
Yahiya-Bin-Ahmed-Sirhindi → Tarikh-e-Mubarak Shahi
Who founded Agra?
Sikandar Lodi — 1504 CE
Persian pen name of Sikandar Lodi?
Gulrukhi
How did Ibrahim Lodi die?
On the battlefield — First Battle of Panipat (1526)