Medieval and Islamic History

It is an important historical work on medieval India. It was written by Ziauddin Barani, a historical and a political thinker who lived in India during the reign of Mohammad bin Tughluq and Firuz Shah. 

The Hauz Khas, a royal tank was constructed by Alauddin Khilji for supplying of water to the Siri Fort area. The word Hauz Khas in the Urdu language is derived from the words 'Hauz' means 'water tank' and 'Khas' means 'royal'.

Five dynasties ruled over Delhi Sultanate sequentially, the first four of which were of Turkic origin: the Mamluk dynasty (1206–90), the Khilji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1414), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–51), and the Afghan Lodi dynasty (1451–1526).

When Akbar's father Humayun was out of the country, it was Sher Shah Suri who played an important role in establishing the Suri dynasty. Sher Shah is considered a brilliant administrator who worked on creating a strong political province in the North of India. Hence, this laid the foundation for Akbar and with him the coming back of the Mughal rule. 

The lowest stratum of the society of Delhi Sultanate was peasants. They lived in villages, paid taxes to state as land revenue. Peasants life was in severe poverty.

During the Sultanate period, Islam was opposite to the Hinduism of the day as it talked of equality, brotherhood, and monotheism. Hence many lower class people attracted to Islamic principles and converted to Islam.

Durgadas Rathore, a prominent Rathore Rajput general, spent his final years in Ujjain, where he also passed away. A cenotaph dedicated to him is located on the banks of the Shipra River in Ujjain.

Shamsuddin Iltutmish was one of the powerful rulers of slave dynasty. The rulers of this dynasty were also called "Mamluk Sultans". The term "Mamluk" in Arabic means "Owned". Iltutmish organised the Iqta system. He granted land to his army. These granted lands were known as Iqta. The iqta holders were known as Iqtadar or Muqti. In return of Iqta, Iqtadar had to give military help to the Sultan at the time of war.

Malik Muhammad Jayasi was an Indian Sufi poet. His best-known work is the epic poem Padmavat which is the story of king Ratan Singh, his queen Padmini of Mewar and  Alauddin Khalji desire for Padmini.

After the fall of Chittor to Akbar in 1568, Maharana Udai Singh II established a new capital at Udaipur, which he had founded earlier to provide a more secure base for the Mewar kingdom.

Alauddin Khalji was the powerful ruler. He extended the boundaries of Delhi sultanate beyond Vindhyas up to the Deccan. He was a great administrator. To maintain his army, Alauddin Khalji gave the order to measure all land which was under cultivation. The land was divided and land revenue fixed according to its fertility. He also began the audit of the accounts of his officers.

In 1398, Timur invaded northern India, attacking the Delhi Sultanate ruled by Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah Tughluq of the Tughlaq Dynasty. 

Iltutmish was the first Sultan of Delhi to issue regular currency and declare Delhi as the capital of his empire. He was the second ruler of the Delhi Sultanate (1211 – 1236), belonging to the Mamluk dynasty.

The nobles were a powerful force in the Sultanate period. Most of the nobles were Turkish in origin. Most of the provincial governors, military commanders and high ranking officials in the government came from this noble class.

Alauddin Khalji implemented strict agrarian reforms, including the collection of land revenue at the rate of 50 percent of the produce, to maintain a large standing army and control inflation.