Historians have given the name of the Slave dynasty to the early period of Delhi Sultanate (1206 AD-1290 AD). However, the rulers of this period belonged to the Ilbari dynasty and the Mamulak dynasty. In this period, successively, power came in the hands of the slaves, that is, those who became the successors were the slaves of the former rulers. For example, Qutbuddin Aibak was a slave of Muhammad Ghori who later became the ruler of Delhi. After this Iltutmish became the ruler, he was also a slave bought by Qutubuddin Aibak. His later rulers were related to his family. For the first time the rule of Muslims started in India. This period (1206 AD - 1526 AD) is known as Delhi Sultanate. After this the Mughal rule started which continued till the revolt of 1857. However, by then the British had occupied India. Thus after the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan, India was trapped in the shackles of slavery. India got complete independence in 1947.
Qutbuddin Aibak
Qutbuddin Aibak was the first ruler of Delhi Sultanate. With the ascension of Qutbuddin Aibak in 1206 AD, the foundation of the slave dynasty was laid. As a ruler, he ruled for only 4 years (1206 AD - 1210 AD). Earlier he was the slave and general of Muhammad Ghori. After defeating Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192 AD, Muhammad Ghori appointed him as the guardian of Delhi. He fulfilled his responsibilities well till the death of Muhammad Ghori in 1206 AD. As a general, he played an important role in the India campaigns of Muhammad Ghori. Qutbuddin Aibak got the Qutub Minar built in Mehrauli, Delhi. Its construction work was started in 1199 AD, which was later completed by Iltutmish and his successors. Apart from this, a two-and-a-half day hut (Adhai Din ka Jhopra) was built by him in Ajmer
Early Life of Qutubuddin Aibak
Qutbuddin Aibak was born in 1150 AD in Turkistan. His childhood name was Aibak. In Turkish, this word means 'god of the moon'. In his childhood, Aibak was separated from his parents. Qutbuddin Aibak was of Turkic caste. In those days the trading of Turk slaves was done as a business. A merchant brought Qutbuddin Aibak to sell in the market of Nishapur (Paris) where Qazi Fakhruddin Aziz Kufi bought it. Qazi Sahib took care of him and taught him archery and horse riding. Qutubuddin Aibak was a gifted boy. He gradually acquired proficiency in all the arts. He used to recite the Quran in a very melodious voice, due to which he was also known as Quran Khan. After the death of Qazi Fakhruddin Aziz Kufi, his sons again sold Qutubuddin Aibak to a merchant. The merchant brought him to Ghazni where he was finally bought by Muhammad Ghori.
Qutbuddin Aibak was a wise and devoted man. Soon he became a confidant of Muhammad Ghori. Muhammad Ghori made him his commander and gave him all the experience related to administration. Qutbuddin Aibak played an important role with Muhammad Ghori in the wars of Ghazni, Multan, Lahore, Gujarat, Tarain, Kannauj and other small and big wars. After winning the Second Battle of Tarain, Muhammad Ghori appointed Qutbuddin Aibak as the governor of Delhi. In his India campaigns, he suppressed many rebellions like Ajmer and Meerut. In 1195 AD, he again attacked Gujarat but he was expelled from there. Even before this, in 1178 AD, he had attacked Gujarat with Muhammad Ghori, but even then he was unsuccessful. Gujarat was then ruled by Bhimdev II, the ruler of the Chandela dynasty. In 1197 AD, Qutubuddin Aibak again attacked Gujarat and defeated Bhimdev II and captured the capital Anhilwara. This war caused great destruction.
Thousands of soldiers were killed and taken prisoner. The capital Anhilwad was plundered fiercely. However, the rights of Muslims remained here only for a few years. In 1201 AD, Bhimdev II again took control of Gujarat. In 1202 AD, he attacked Bundelkhand and defeated the ruler Parmardidev and captured Kalinjar, Mahoba and Khajuraho. Bakhtiar Khilji was sent under the direction of Qutubuddin Aibak in Bihar and Bengal, who consolidated the roots of the Delhi Empire (Muslim Empire) in the Northeast by conquering many important sites there.
Coronation of Qutbuddin Aibak
In March 1206 AD, Muhammad Ghori was assassinated. The Delhi Sultanate began with the accession of Qutbuddin Aibak on 25 June 1206. Thus Qutubuddin Aibak became the first Muslim ruler of Delhi. However, Qutbuddin Aibak had not yet become an independent ruler of Delhi. He received formal recognition of power and emancipation letters in 1208 AD. Muhammad Ghori had not announced any successor before his death, so it was possible that there would be a succession struggle for rights over Ghazni and other territories conquered by Muhammad Ghori.
In 1206 AD, a Khilji chieftain named Ali Mardan Khilji killed Bakhtiyar Khilji and declared himself an independent ruler of Bengal and Bihar. There the Khilji chieftains of the second class (Malik Husamuddin Awaj Khilji and Muhammad Sheeran) opposed Ali Mardan and imprisoned him and put him in prison. Ali Mardan somehow escaped from the prison and reached Lahore near Qutubuddin Aibak. Reaching Lahore, he requested Qutbuddin Aibak to intervene in Bengal's affairs. Qutbuddin Aibak, with the help of General Kaimas Rumi, repressed these Khilji chieftains and recaptured Bengal. Ali Mardan was given the right to rule the whole of Bengal including Lakhnauti.
Till 1206 AD, the Indian territories occupied by Muhammad Ghori and other Turk slaves included Delhi, Ajmer, Sialkot, Lahore, Multan, Tarab-Hind, Tarain, Uchch, Purshore, Naharwala, Sarsuti, Meerut, Badaun, Gwalior, Banasar, Kannauj, Hansi. , Kalinjar, Awadh, Bihar and Lakhnauti etc. were included. The three strong contenders to rule these Indian territories were Yaldauj, Qutubuddin Aibak and Nasuruddin Qubacha, but before that the successor had to be chosen for Ghazni.
A situation of conflict arose between the Ghor Amirs and the slaves of Muhammad Ghori regarding the successor of Ghazni. The Ghor Amirs supported the Bamiyan branch i.e. Jalaluddin Ali and Alauddin Muhammad, the sons of Sultan Bahauddin Sama, while the slaves of Muhammad Ghori supported Ghiyasuddin Mahmud (Ghiyasuddin Muhammad's son and Muhammad Ghori's nephew). This struggle for power continued for four months, in the end the Ghor Amirs were defeated. Representatives of the Bamiyan branch were killed. The influence of the Bamiyan branch ended forever. In the end Ghiyasuddin Mahmud occupied the provinces of Ghor, Gargistan, Talikan etc. After this, Yalduj, Qutubuddin Aibak, Qubacha and other slaves of Muhammad Ghori sent their messengers to the court of Ghiyasuddin Mahmud, asking for emancipation and seeking permission to rule in Indian territories. Sultan Ghiyasuddin Mahmud made Yalduj the ruler of Ghazni. Later the Sultan also gave the right to rule over the Indian provinces to Qutbuddin Aibak.
Qutbuddin Aibak's problems were aggravated by Yalduj's control over Ghazni.Because its Indian territories were earlier part of the Ghazni Empire. ?Due to the strengthening of the position of Yalduj in Ghazni, he could become a challenge to these Indian territories. However, Kuchaba who was the son-in-law of Qutbuddin Aibak accepted his sovereignty. But on the other hand Jalaluddin Khwarizm Shah, the Sultan of Khawarism along with Yalduj, had his eyes on Ghazni and Delhi. In order to express his legitimate authority over these territories occupied in India and to take Punjab under his direct control, Yalduj left Ghazni with his army. In 1208 AD, there was a conflict between the two, in which Yalduj was defeated and had to flee to Kohistan. Qutubuddin Aibak captured Ghazni but he had to return to Lahore due to the opposition of the people there. Yalduj again captured Ghazni which could again create problems for Qutubuddin Aibak. For this reason, Qutbuddin Aibak shifted his capital from Delhi to Lahore.
Evaluation and death of Qutubuddin Aibak
Qutbuddin Aibak was a great general. He won many conquests during the time of Muhammad Ghori and expanded the Ottoman Empire. after 1206 AD, he left the policy of conquest of the latest regions and paid attention to the security and organization of the Sultanate. He was a generous and charitable person. He was called Lakhbakhsh because of his charity. He was the patron of scholars. Scholars like Fakh-i-Mudbir and Hasan Nizami were sheltered in his court. He was also a patron of the arts. In Delhi, he built mosques called Quwat-al-Islam near Qutubuddin Minar and Adhai Din Ka Jhopra in Ajmer. However, it would not be fair to say that he was generous to the Hindus as well. In the battles of Anhilwara and Kalinjar, he had enslaved many Hindus and built mosques instead of temples. Qutubuddin Aibak died after falling from a horse while playing Polo in Lahore in 1210 AD.
Aramshah (1210 AD-1211 AD)
After Qutbuddin Aibak, his son Aram Shah sat on the throne of Delhi. Some historians believe that Iltutmish became the ruler of Delhi after the death of Qutbuddin Aibak. Due to the sudden death of Qutbuddin Aibak, he did not announce any successor. So it is disputed whether there was a person named Aramshah who was sitting on the throne of Delhi. However, according to the information, there was a conflict between Aramshah and Iltutmish at a place called Jaad near Delhi, in which Aramshah was defeated. Aramshah was taken prisoner and later he was murdered. Thus after Qutubuddin Aibak, Iltutmish of Ilbari dynasty became the ruler of Delhi in 1210 AD.
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