Indian History: Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526)

The Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526) ruled North India for 320 years through five successive dynasties. Kerala PSC frequently asks about rulers, battles, reforms, and architectural contributions. These notes cover all five dynasties with exam-focused facts.

Five Dynasties of Delhi Sultanate

Dynasty	Period	Founders/Key Rulers
Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty	1206-1290	Qutb-ud-din Aibak, Iltutmish, Razia Sultan, Balban
Khilji Dynasty	1290-1320	Jalal-ud-din Khilji, Alauddin Khilji
Tughlaq Dynasty	1320-1414	Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, Muhammad bin Tughlaq, Firoz Shah Tughlaq
Sayyid Dynasty	1414-1451	Khizr Khan, Mubarak Shah
Lodi Dynasty	1451-1526	Bahlul Lodi, Sikandar Lodi, Ibrahim Lodi

Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty (1206-1290)

Ruler	Reign	Key Facts
Qutb-ud-din Aibak	1206-1210	Slave of Muhammad Ghori; founded Delhi Sultanate; began Qutb Minar; built Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque; known as “Lakh Bakhsh” (giver of lakhs); died playing polo
Aram Shah	1210	Brief rule; overthrown by Iltutmish
Iltutmish	1211-1236	Completed Qutb Minar; introduced silver tanka and copper jital; first sultan to receive investiture from Abbasid Caliph; divided empire into iqtas; nominated daughter Razia as successor
Razia Sultan	1236-1240	First and only female ruler of Delhi Sultanate; removed purdah; appointed Jamal-ud-din Yaqut (Abyssinian) as Master of Horses; killed by nobles
Balban	1266-1287	Introduced sijda (prostration) and paibos (kissing feet); theory of kingship based on fear; destroyed the “Group of Forty” (Chalisa); established military department (diwan-i-arz)

Khilji Dynasty (1290-1320)

Ruler	Reign	Key Facts
Jalal-ud-din Khilji	1290-1296	First Khilji ruler; lenient policy; murdered by nephew Alauddin
Alauddin Khilji	1296-1316	Greatest Khilji ruler; conquered Gujarat, Ranthambore, Chittor, Malwa, Deccan; market control system; maintained permanent standing army

Alauddin Khilji — Reforms and Conquests

Category	Details
Market Reforms	Fixed prices for all goods; four separate markets (grain, cloth, horses/cattle, miscellaneous); appointed controllers (shahna-i-mandi); severe punishment for cheating
Military Reforms	Permanent standing army; branding of horses (dagh) and descriptive rolls of soldiers (chehra); banned social gatherings of nobles
Revenue Reforms	Land tax raised to 50% of produce; house tax (ghari) and grazing tax (charai) on Hindus
Deccan Conquests	General Malik Kafur conquered Devagiri, Warangal, Dwarsamudra, Madurai (1306-1311)
Repelled Mongols	Successfully repelled multiple Mongol invasions

Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1414)

Ruler	Reign	Key Facts
Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq	1320-1325	Founded dynasty; built Tughlaqabad fort; killed when a wooden pavilion collapsed (planned by Muhammad)
Muhammad bin Tughlaq	1325-1351	Most controversial sultan; brilliant but impractical schemes
Firoz Shah Tughlaq	1351-1388	Benevolent ruler; irrigation canals; reduced taxes; established hospitals (dar-ul-shifa)

Muhammad bin Tughlaq — Five Famous Experiments

Experiment	Details	Outcome
Transfer of Capital	Shifted capital from Delhi to Daulatabad (Devagiri)	Failed — distance too great, people suffered; shifted back
Token Currency	Introduced bronze/copper coins at par with silver tanka	Failed — widespread forgery; state had to withdraw coins at huge loss
Taxation in Doab	Increased taxes heavily in fertile Doab region	Failed — famine struck; peasants fled
Khorasan Expedition	Raised army of 370,000 for conquest of Khorasan	Abandoned — soldiers disbanded, treasury lost
Qarachil Expedition	Military campaign to Kumaon hills (Himalayas)	Failed — army destroyed in mountains

Firoz Shah Tughlaq — Key Contributions

Contribution	Details
Irrigation	Built 5 major canals including from Yamuna to Hissar
Cities	Founded Firozabad, Jaunpur, Fatehabad, Hissar
Taxes	Imposed only 4 taxes sanctioned by Quran (kharaj, khams, jizya, zakat)
Education	Established 30 madrasas
Slavery	Maintained 180,000 slaves
Ashoka Pillars	Brought two Ashokan pillars to Delhi (from Topra and Meerut)

Sayyid Dynasty (1414-1451)

Ruler	Reign	Key Facts
Khizr Khan	1414-1421	Founded by claiming descent from Prophet; did not assume title of Sultan; acknowledged Timurid suzerainty
Mubarak Shah	1421-1434	Only Sayyid ruler to assume title of Shah
Muhammad Shah	1434-1445	Weak ruler; territory reduced to Delhi and surroundings
Alam Shah	1445-1451	Last Sayyid; voluntarily surrendered throne to Bahlul Lodi

Lodi Dynasty (1451-1526)

Ruler	Reign	Key Facts
Bahlul Lodi	1451-1489	First Afghan dynasty; conquered Jaunpur; treated nobles as equals (“among equals”)
Sikandar Lodi	1489-1517	Shifted capital to Agra (1504); patronized learning; composed poetry under pen name “Gulrukhi”; intolerant religious policy
Ibrahim Lodi	1517-1526	Last Delhi Sultan; alienated Afghan nobles; defeated and killed by Babur at First Battle of Panipat (1526)

Key Battles of the Delhi Sultanate

Battle	Year	Between	Result
First Battle of Tarain	1191	Muhammad Ghori vs Prithviraj Chauhan	Ghori defeated
Second Battle of Tarain	1192	Muhammad Ghori vs Prithviraj Chauhan	Ghori won; opened path to Delhi
Battle of Chandwar	1194	Muhammad Ghori vs Jaichand of Kannauj	Ghori won
First Battle of Panipat	1526	Babur vs Ibrahim Lodi	Babur won; Delhi Sultanate ended

Administration of Delhi Sultanate

Official/Department	Function
Sultan	Head of state; supreme authority
Wazir	Prime Minister; headed Diwan-i-Wizarat (finance)
Diwan-i-Arz	Military department
Diwan-i-Insha	Department of correspondence
Diwan-i-Risalat	Department of religious affairs
Qazi-ul-Quzat	Chief Justice
Barid-i-Mumalik	Head of intelligence/postal system
Iqta System	Land grants to officers in lieu of salary (introduced by Iltutmish)

Architecture of Delhi Sultanate

Monument	Built By	Features
Qutb Minar	Aibak (begun), Iltutmish (completed)	72.5 m tall; 5 storeys; named after Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque	Qutb-ud-din Aibak	First mosque built in India after Islamic conquest
Alai Darwaza	Alauddin Khilji	First true arch and dome in India
Tughlaqabad Fort	Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq	Massive fortified city
Hauz Khas	Alauddin Khilji (tank), Firoz Shah (complex)	Reservoir and madrasa complex
Siri Fort	Alauddin Khilji	Second city of Delhi
Jahanpanah	Muhammad bin Tughlaq	Fourth city of Delhi
Kotla Firoz Shah	Firoz Shah Tughlaq	Fifth city of Delhi
Lodi Gardens	Sikandar and Ibrahim Lodi period	Tombs in octagonal style

Important Books and Scholars

Scholar/Book	Period	Details
Amir Khusrau	1253-1325	”Parrot of India”; poet in courts of 8 sultans from Balban to Khilji; invented sitar and tabla (traditionally attributed); pioneered Urdu poetry
Ziauddin Barani	Tughlaq period	Wrote Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi (history) and Fatwa-i-Jahandari (political theory)
Ibn Battuta	Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s reign	Moroccan traveller; appointed Qazi of Delhi; wrote Rihla (account of travels)
Isami	14th century	Wrote Futuh-us-Salatin

Frequently Asked PSC Questions — Quick Recall

Question	Answer
Who started the Iqta system?	Iltutmish
Who introduced silver tanka?	Iltutmish
First female ruler of Delhi?	Razia Sultan
Who built Alai Darwaza?	Alauddin Khilji
Who shifted capital to Daulatabad?	Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Who introduced token currency?	Muhammad bin Tughlaq
Last ruler of Delhi Sultanate?	Ibrahim Lodi
Who completed Qutb Minar?	Iltutmish
Who founded the city of Agra?	Sikandar Lodi
Who is called “Lakh Bakhsh”?	Qutb-ud-din Aibak
Amir Khusrau was a poet in whose courts?	From Balban to Alauddin Khilji (8 sultans total)
Ibn Battuta visited during whose reign?	Muhammad bin Tughlaq