The Delhi Sultans

Delhi first became an important capital under the Tomara Rajputs, who were defeated in the middle of the twelfth century by the Chauhans of Ajmer. Delhi became the capital of a large kingdom under the Delhi Sultans, beginning in the early thirteenth century. Five dynasties ruled the Sultanate: the early Turkish rulers (1206-1290), including Qutbuddin Aibak, Iltutmish, his daughter Raziyya and Balban; the Khaljis (1290-1320); the Tughluqs (1320-1414); the Sayyids (1414-1451); and the Lodis (1451-1526). Historians learn about them from inscriptions, coins, buildings and tawarikh, histories written in Persian by learned men. The early Sultans controlled garrison towns and gradually expanded from the hinterland to the frontier. Land was divided into territories called iqtas, given to military commanders called muqtis, who collected revenue and maintained soldiers. To resist Mongol attacks, Alauddin Khalji raised a huge standing army, built the garrison town of Siri and controlled market prices. Muhammad Tughluq shifted people from Delhi to Daulatabad and introduced token currency, but both experiments failed. The Sultanate ended when Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at Panipat in 1526.

Detailed Worksheet: The Delhi Sultans Section A - Definitions (10 marks) 1. What were tawarikh? In which language were they written? (2 marks) 2. What was an iqta? Who was a muqti? (2 marks) 3. What were garrison towns? (2 marks) 4. Distinguish between the hinterland and the frontier of the Sultanate. (2 marks) 5. What was token currency? Who introduced it? (2 marks) Section B - Calculations and Applications (15 marks) 6. Arrange the dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in chronological order with their dates: Lodi, Tughluq, early Turkish, Sayyid, Khalji. (3 marks) 7. (i) For how many years did the Delhi Sultanate last, from 1206 to 1526? (ii) Which dynasty ruled the longest? (iii) For how many years did it rule? (3 marks) 8. Raziyya ruled from 1236 to 1240 and Alauddin Khalji from 1296 to 1316. (i) How long did each rule? (ii) Why was Raziyya removed from the throne? (iii) Name one measure of Alauddin. (3 marks) 9. Compare the policies of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Tughluq on the army, capital and currency. (3 marks) 10. Name the builder of (i) the Quwwat al-Islam mosque (begun) (ii) Siri (iii) Jahanpanah (iv) Tughluqabad (v) the Qutb Minar completion (vi) Hauz Khas tank (first built). (3 marks) Section C - Diagrams (10 marks) 11. On an outline map of India, mark Delhi, Daulatabad, Panipat, Multan, Lahore and Devagiri, and shade the approximate extent of the Sultanate under Muhammad Tughluq. (4 marks) 12. Draw a timeline from 1200 to 1530 marking the start of each Sultanate dynasty and the battle of Panipat. (3 marks) 13. Draw a flowchart showing how the iqta system worked: Sultan -> muqti -> peasants -> revenue -> army. (3 marks) Section D - Analysis and Higher-order Thinking (15 marks) 14. Minhaj-i Siraj wrote that Raziyya was more able and qualified than her brothers, but he was not comfortable with a queen as ruler. (i) Who was Raziyya? (ii) Why did nobles oppose her? (iii) What does this tell us about attitudes to women then? (iv) Name another woman ruler of the period, such as Rudramadevi. (v) Do you think this was fair? (5 marks) 15. The Mongols under Genghis Khan attacked Transoxiana and later the Delhi Sultanate. (i) How did Alauddin respond? (ii) How did Muhammad Tughluq respond? (iii) Why were Alauddin's measures more successful? (iv) What did the people of Delhi suffer when the capital was shifted? (5 marks) 16. Muhammad Tughluq introduced copper token coins. (i) Why did he do so? (ii) Why did the experiment fail? (iii) What is token money today? (iv) Why does modern token money work? (5 marks) Instructions: Time allowed 2 hours. Attempt all sections. Write dates correctly and use CE. Draw maps neatly with a key.