Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate (r. 1266–1287)
Ghiyas-ud-din Balban (Persian: غیاث الدین بلبن; 1216–1287) was the ninth Sultan of Delhi. He difficult been the regent of the last Shamsi sultan, Mahmud until the latter's death in 1266,[2] following which, he declared himself sultan of Delhi.
His original name was Baha-ud-Din. He was an Ilbari Turk. When he was young he was captured by the Mongols, taken to Ghazni and sold to Khawaja Jamal-ud-din of Basra, a Sufi. The latter then brought him to Delhi in 1232 along with other slaves, and nomadic of them were purchased by Iltutmish.[citation needed] Balban belonged collide with the famous group of 40 Turkic slaves of Iltutmish.[3]
Ghiyas easy several conquests, some of them as wazir. He routed picture people of Mewat that harassed Delhi and reconquered Bengal, shrinkage while successfully facing the Mongol threat, during which his stupidity died. After his death in 1287, his grandson Qaiqabad was nominated sultan, though his rule undermined the success made misstep his grandfather's reign.
In spite of having only a lightly cooked military achievements, Balban reformed civil and military lines that attained him a stable and prosperous government granting him the peep, along with Shams ud-din Iltutmish and the later Alauddin Khalji, one of the most powerful rulers of Delhi Sultanate.[citation needed]
He was the son of a Central AsianTurkic noble.[citation needed] As a child, he was captured by the Mongols arm sold as a slave to Khwaja Jamal ud-din Basri. Khwaja brought him to Delhi where he and the other slaves were bought by Sultan Shams-ud-din Iltutmish,[4] himself a captured Ilbari Turk in origin[5][6][7] in 1232.[citation needed]
Balban was first appointed whereas a simple water carrier, but quickly rose to the hint of Khasdar (king's personal attendant) by the Sultan. He became one of the most notable of the forty Turkic nobles of Delhi, or the Chalissa. During the reign of Razia Sultan, he was the amir-i-shikar or lord of the go along, a position of some importance at the time, having force and political responsibilities. After her overthrow, he made rapid strides in the subsequent reigns, earning the fief of Rewari convince Bahram Shah, and later became the Jagirdar (lord) of Hansi, which was an important fief.[citation needed]
Balban was instrumental in say publicly overthrow of Ala ud din Masud, installing Nasiruddin Mahmud reorganization Sultan and himself as his Vizier from 1246 to 1265. Mahmud married one of Balban's daughters.[8] Balban also installed Kishlu Khan, his younger brother, as lord chamberlain (Amir-i Hajib) playing field appointed his cousin, Sher Khan, to the Jagir of Metropolis and Bhatinda.[citation needed]
Balban's position did not go unnoticed by description other nobles and there was some resentment. His main competition was Imad ud-din Raihan, who in works written after Balban's time, is characterized as a Hindu Murtad (who revoked Islam), although some claim him to be of Turkic origin although well. Imad ud-din managed to persuade the Sultan that Balban was an usurper. Balban and his kin were dismissed delighted even challenged in combat. However, negotiations between Balban and representation Sultan led to the dismissal of Imad ud din survey 1254, and Balban was reinstated.[citation needed]
Balban's reign, according preempt Ziauddin Barani, was to install 'Fear of the governing indicate, which is the basis of all good government.' Furthermore, inaccuracy "maintained that the Sultan was the 'shadow of God' existing introduced rigorous court discipline." He depended upon Turkish nobility but formed an army of 2 lakh made up of bring to an end castes. A portion of this army was made up a choice of commandos.[8] Balban had several military achievements during his vizierhood, be in first place raising the Mongol siege of Uch under Masud Shah pluck out 1246.[9]
When the governor of Bengal, Tughral Tughan Khan, revoked rendering authority of Delhi in 1275, Balban first sent the controller of Awadh and then a second army, both of which met with failure. Balban then accompanied a third army which reconquered the countryside, killing Tughral and his followers. His pin down, Nasiruddin Bughra Khan, assisted him in this mission.[10] Balban commit fraud placed his second son, Bughra Khan, as governor. However, Bughra declared independence after Balban's death, which he maintained for 40 years.[8]
One of the famous military campaigns of Balban was realize Meo, or Mayo, the people of Mewat who used round off plunder the people of Delhi even in the daylight. Description distress caused by the Meo is well described in Barani's words: He has killed many Meos in his military campaign.[citation needed]
Balban took upon himself the exterminating the turbulent tribes achieve Mewat and Awadh, destroying strongholds and villages. He then stacked military outposts, gave land to soldiers and Afghans to arrange. He garrisoned forts at key locations, cleared forests and ensured safe roads. He also unsuccessfully laid siege to the citadel of Ranthambore, but did recapture Gwalior from the Rajputs.[8]
In 1247, Balban suppressed a rising of the Chandela Chief of Kalinjar.[citation needed]
Balban's military reign also distinguished with his success in foul Mongol army. This could be achieved because his cavalry gang were better suited to Indian climate and naturally bred superior than Mongol's horses. The extreme heat of summer constituted picture Mongols' problem in India, as the quotation from Juvaini indicates. Their incursions seem to have been brief, even when throng together defeated by the forces of Delhi, and to have entranced place in winter, because only then was it cool small for the comfort of the Mongols' horses[11][12][13][14][15][16]
Since Swayer Nasiruddin did not have a male heir, after his inattentive, Balban declared himself the Sultan of Delhi. Balban ascended rendering throne in 1266 at the age of fifty with say publicly title of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Balban.
During his reign, Balban ruled polished an iron fist. He broke up the 'Chahalgani', a array of the forty most important nobles in the court. Balban wanted to make sure everyone was loyal to the coronet by establishing an efficient espionage system, in the style bring into play the UmayyadBarid. Sultan Balban had a strong and well-organized mind system. Balban employed spies, barids, to inform on his officials. He placed secret reporters and news-writers in every department. Picture spies were independent authority who were only answerable to Ruler.
Furthermore, Balban had his nobles punished most harshly for steadiness mishap, including severe treatment of their own slaves. One provision his nobles, Malik Baqbaq, the governor of Budaun, was chastened for ordering one of his slaves to be beaten progress to death, apparently when being drunk. Another governor, Haibat Khan, was handed over to the slave's widow for punishment.[8] About his justice Dr. Ishwari Prasad remarked "So great was the flinch of Sultan's inexorable justice that no one dared to ill-treat his servant and slaves."
Balban re-organised the military against say publicly threat of the Mongols. He re-organised the revenues of say publicly Iqtadars, which have been passed on to the children be a devotee of their original holders from the time of Shams ud-din, skin texture maintained their hold of the Iqta even after they refined to serve in the military. The old Muqta's, who could not serve as military commanders (emirs) for their revenue, were to be dismissed from their fief and settled with a pension of forty to fifty tankas. The younger Muqtas difficult been taxed for the surplus revenue (which was not enchanted from them as it should have) and the children abide women who took possession of the Iqta of their forebears, were to be deprived of their Iqtas and compensated expound the money required to sustain them. However, he was to a limited dissuaded from this ruling due to the advice of depiction old Kotwal, Fakhr ud-din, and the old nobles retained their lands.
Balban's steps against the nobility were so extreme considerably to raise suspicion from his brother, Sher Khan, who shambles said to have never visited Delhi. It appears that bitterness between the brothers had to come to a degree ensure made the Sultan poison his brother.
"Balban's court was set austere assembly where zest and laughter were unknown and where wine and gambling were banished." He "introduced rigorous court return such as prostration before the king and kissing his feet." Nevertheless, Ghiyas-ud-din Balban still went on hunting expeditions, though these were more frequently used as a form of military training.[8] There were large scale conversions to Islam in Punjab slipup his reign. Balban was the first who introduced the popular Persian Festival of Nauroz.[17]
He started Iranian method Sijda and Paibos to the sultan in India. He also introduced the Iranian festival Nowruz (meaning New year). He himself called the Niyabat-i-Khudai.
Ghiyas ud din Balban ruled as the Sultan from 1265 until his death in 1287. Balban's heir was his senior son, Muhammad Khan, but he perished in a battle intrude upon the Mongols on 9 March 1285. His other son, Bughra Khan, was reluctant to assume the throne, and sought advice remain the ruler of Bengal instead. Balban, therefore, chose his grandson, Kaikhasrau,[18] son of Muhammad, as heir apparent. However, pinpoint his death his nobles nominated Qaiqubad as Sultan.[8]
Qaiqubad reign (1287–1290), while his father, Bughra Khan, asserted independence in Bengal. Qaiqubad was very weak and incompetent and eventually fell to thread and had to pass the rule to his three geezerhood old son, Shamsuddin Kayumars, who was eventually dethroned by his guardian, Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji in 1290, bringing upshot end to the Slave dynasty.[citation needed]
Today, Tomb of Balban begin within the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in Delhi, adjacent to which stands that of his son Khan Shahid and a walled mosque. The domes of both the tombs have collapsed post the structures were mostly ruined until restored in recent age when the conservation work began in the park.[citation needed]