Cause of Rapid Dynastic Changes during Delhi Sultanate

If we make a comparative study of the period of the Delhi Sultanate and of the Mughal Empire, we shall note a specific difference between the two. During the Mughal reign only one dynasty ruled over India for about 250 yeas whereas during Sultanate period from A.D. 1206 to 1526 various dynasties ruled over India. The following were the reasons of the rapid dynastic changes during this period.

1. There was no law of succession among the Turk and Afghan ruler. Every Muslim was entitled to reach the throne by dint of his courage and sagacity without any distinction of caste or creed. Hence every ambitious person tried to get the throne on the basis of this principle whether he had any connection with the royal family or not. During this period various powerful provincial governors tried to capture the throne. Before becoming the rulers of Delhi Sultanate, Iltutmish, Jalaluddin Khanji, Allauddin Khalji, Ghiasuddin Tughluq and Bahlol Lodi had been provincial governors and none of them except Alauddin Khalji was connected with the royal family. All the revolts which took place during this period were also motivated by the absence of the law of succession as everybody felt that if he could wield the sword and made a bit of effort, the throne would have been in his possession.

2. The central government was quite weakened. It was based on the personal capability of the Sultan and there was no guarantee that the successor of worthy ruler would be an efficient one. On the other hand, it was often noted that the successors of powerful rulers often proved weak and unworthy as they were brought up in the dirty atmosphere of the royal palaces where comforts and luxuries were in profusion. As the Turks were foreigners, they had to face active resistance of the Hindus, hence whenever a weak successor got the throne, disintegration set in. hence the nobles always preferred a powerful person to be enthroned without considering whether he was connected to the royal family or not.

3. The Slave system which gave birth of Sultans like Aibak, Iltutmish and Balban degenerated with the passage of time. The number of slaves increased very much and it was not possible to educate them all in administration or army but they used to get enough of money and leisure because of being royal slaves. They were also treated properly in comparison to other slaves. As a result, they became pleasure loving and lazy. Thus, a good system became corrupt and failed to produce salves like Aibak and Iltutmish in the long run. On the other hand, the treachery of Malik Kafur and Malik Khusrau Khan brought bad name to the sultanate. They acted against the interests of their masters. Malik Kafur conspired against the life of Alauddin Khalji and perhaps got him killed through poison. He also blinded the sons of Alauddin and had he not been killed, he would have destroyed the entire family of Alauddin. Malik Khusrau Khan murdered his master Mubarak shah and captured the throne. Thus, the slave system contributed to the rapid dynastic changes during Delhi Sultanate.

4. The Sultans of Delhi did not possess a powerful army. During the period of Delhi Sultanate the rulers seldom maintained a permanent army. Alauddin Khalji was the first ruler who organized a permanent army but his successors failed to maintain this practice and they again depended on the help of the provincial armies. Thus the powerful soldiers became the makers of Sultans and the post of commander became a stepping stone for capturing the throne and weak rulers became puppets n the hands of powerful provincial Governors. Thus various provincial Governors occupied the throne of Delhi.

5. The Hindu feudal were anxious to cast away the yoke of Muslim slavery. Contemporary Persian chroniclers write that the rulers of Ajmer, Sambhar and Gujarat tried again and again to gain their independence against Qutubuddin Aibak. Powerful revolts of Hindus broke out during the reign of Iltutmish and continued for years together. Balban had to move heaven and earth in order to save the infant Sultanate from the invasions of Hindu nobles and the people. Alauddin Khalji tried to suppress the Hindus but as soon as the breathed his last the Hindus again started revolting against the Sultanate. Thus only those powerful persons were enthroned, who could face the resurgence of the Hindus.

6. The incessant invasions of the Mongols also contributed to the rapid dynastic changes during Delhi Sultanate. The Mongols first of all appeared on the north-west frontier of India during the time of Iltutmish. With the passage of time, the frequency of their invasions increased and they penetrated the interior of Multan and Punjab. After the death of Balban they invaded the central part of Hindustan and besieged even Delhi during the reign of Alauddin Khalji. Therefore, the Sultans of Delhi had to pay attention to the safety of north-west frontier and they built some forts there. The Sultans of Delhi could not spare enough time to attend to the internal problems due to incessant invasions of Mongols.

Besides, the invasions of Mongols encouraged the dissatisfied elements. Whenever the Mongols invaded, the rebellious Hindu nobles and Amirs also raised the standard of revolt. Only a powerful Sultan could face these invasions. But a new problem emerged when in the 14^th century the Mongol invasions ceased. It affected the morale of the army adversely. Now there was no need to keep the army fighting fit for facing any invasion. After Muhammad Tughluq none of the Muslim rulers was a commander of high military capability. Hence the revolts of the officials continued and helped the process of dynastic changes.

7. The Governor of sultans was based on power and not on the will of the subjects. It had only two motives. First, to establish law and order and second, to realize the revenue. None of the Sultans had morality orientation and the people often revolted against their autocratic rule. The resistance of the Hindus weakened the Sultanate, making way for dynastic changes.

Milan Tomic

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