Medieval and Islamic History

Jalaluddin Khalji is historically noted for initiating diplomatic relations with the Mongol Empire and other regions, including China, to secure trade and political stability.

In 1303, the Delhi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji captured the Chittor Fort from the Rana Ratan Singh's forces after an eight-month-long siege. After his victory, Alauddin ordered a massacre of Chittor's population.

Mahmud Begarha was a powerful Sultan of Gujarat who sought to counter Portuguese naval power by forming alliances with the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire.

Captain William Hawkins visited the court of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1608 and was well-received, though he was initially unsuccessful in securing formal trading rights.

Afonso de Albuquerque captured Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate in 1510 with the support of the Vijayanagara Empire, specifically King Krishnadevaraya, who wanted to secure horse trade.

After the end of the Perumal rule in the beginning of the 12th century, the Naduvazhis came in to force. Basically Naduvazhis means the territorial divisions which consisted of nadus further ruled by naduvazhis, which were divided into desams ruled by desavazhis who were directly under naduvazhis and subject to their dictation.

Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan were the Mysore sultans who marched to Kerala. They ruled Malabar between 1766 and 1792.

The present Kodungallur and the surrounding areas were known as Mahodayapuram in those days. The Perumals were also known as Cheras and Cheramans. Some of these rulers adopted the title Kulasekara. Most regions in present Kerala were under the rule of the Perumals.

The socio-economic features of the region during the reign of the Perumals were as follows:

• Agriculture flourished in areas close to water resources.
• Brahmins established their power in agricultural villages.
• Temples developed as centres of power.
• The ownership of farmlands was vested with the Brahmins.
• Aaladiyars were the people who toiled in the soil.

The Perumals ruled Kerala during 800-1122 CE with their capital at Mahodayapuram. Perumals had a militia called Ayiram which means Thousand in Malayalam.

The persian ambassador who visited Vijayanagara empire in 1443 was Abdul Razak. He was a Persian, Timurid chronicler and a scholar who visited the Vijaynagar Kingdom at the time of Dev Raya II as an ambassador of Shah Rukh, the Timurid dynasty ruler of Persia. He gives an account of the reign of Devaraya II in his Matla as Sadain Wa Majma ul Bahrain.

Aliya Rama Raya was killed by Hussain Nizam Shah I in the Battle of Talikota (1565). This battle was a turning point where the Deccan Sultans allied against Vijayanagara. Aliya Rama Raya's death led to the destruction and decline of the Vijayanagara empire.

Ahmednagar, Bijapur, and Bidar were three of the five Deccan Sultanates. Raichur is a city and a region that was often contested between Vijayanagara and the Sultanates, but it was not a Sultanate itself.

The state of Hyderabad was founded by Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in 1724 A.D., during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangila, the 12th Mughal emperor (1719 A.D.-1748 A.D.). But after the death of Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah in 1748, Hyderabad fell prey to the disruptive forces.

Prithviraj Chauhan was the last ruler of Chauhan dynasty to sit on the throne of Delhi. During his reign, Muhammad Ghori invaded India in 1191. In the first battle of Tarain, Prithviraj defeated his army. The battle was fought near the town of Tarain near Thanesar in present-day Haryana.