Khalji dynasty: Difference between revisions
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The '''Khilji dynasty''' ({{lang-fa|سلسله خلجی}}; [[Hindi]]: सलतनत ख़िलजी) or ''Khalji'' was a [[Muslim]] dynasty of turko-Afghan origin. |
The '''Khilji dynasty''' ({{lang-fa|سلسله خلجی}}; [[Hindi]]: सलतनत ख़िलजी) or ''Khalji'' was a [[Muslim]] dynasty of turko-Afghan origin. The Khiljis ruled large parts of [[South Asia]] between 1290 and 1320.<ref>[http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V02_403.gif Dynastic Chart] [[The Imperial Gazetteer of India]], v. 2, ''p. 368.''</ref> They were the second dynasty to rule the [[Delhi Sultanate|Delhi Sultanate of India]]. Led by their ruler, [[Ala-ud-din Khilji]], they are noted for having repeatedly defended India against the [[Mongol invasions of India]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The state at war in South Asia |last1=Barua |first1=Pradeep |authorlink=|coauthors=|volume=illustrated|year=2005|publisher=U of Nebraska Press |location=|isbn=0-8032-1344-1, 9780803213449|page=29|page=437|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=FIIQhuAOGaIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s |accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref> |
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=={{anchor|Origin of the dynasty}}Origins== |
=={{anchor|Origin of the dynasty}}Origins== |
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Revision as of 22:03, 8 October 2012
Khilji Sultanate سلسله خلجی | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1290–1320 | |||||||||
 Khilji dynasty | |||||||||
| Capital | Delhi | ||||||||
| Common languages | Persian (official)[1] | ||||||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Sultanate | ||||||||
| Sultan | |||||||||
• 1290–1296 | Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji | ||||||||
• 1296–1316 | Alauddin Khilji | ||||||||
• 1316 | Shihab ad-Din Umar | ||||||||
• 1316–1320 | Qutb ad-Din Mubarak | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1290 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1320 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| History of the Turkic peoples pre–14th century |
|---|
 |
The Khilji dynasty (Template:Lang-fa; Hindi: सलतनत ख़िलजी) or Khalji was a Muslim dynasty of turko-Afghan origin. The Khiljis ruled large parts of South Asia between 1290 and 1320.[2] They were the second dynasty to rule the Delhi Sultanate of India. Led by their ruler, Ala-ud-din Khilji, they are noted for having repeatedly defended India against the Mongol invasions of India.[3]
Origins
The Encyclopædia Britannica states that "this dynasty, like the previous Slave dynasty, was of Turkic origin, though the Khiljī tribe had long been settled in what is now Afghanistan..."[4] "The sultans of the Slave Dynasty were Turkic Central Asians, but the members of the new dynasty, although they were also Turkic, had settled in Afghanistan and brought a new set of customs and culture to Delhi".[5] "The Khilji dynasty was named after a village in Afghanistan. Some historians believe that they were Afghans, but Bharani and Wolse Haig explain in their accounts that the rulers from this dynasty who came to India, though they had temporarily settled in Afghanistan, were originally Turkic".[6] "The Khiljis were a Central Asian Turkic dynasty but having been long domiciled in Afghanistan, and adopted some Afghan habits and customs. They were treated as Afghans in Delhi Court".[7]
The three sultans of the Khalji dynasty were noted by historians for their faithlessness and ferocity.[4] Originating in upper Central Asia, they came into contact with the multi-ethnic population of Khorasan and the native ruling class (the Ghaznavids and, later, the Ghurids). The latter Islamized them and taught them their culture, language and civilization. During the Ghaznavid period the Khiljis were ruled for a short time by the Seljuqs, who expanded their Khorasanian empire until they were driven out by the alliance of Ghurids. Under both the Ghaznavids and Ghurids, the Khiljis had a slave status and played a role in the Ghurids' slave army, Bardagân-e Nezâmi (or Ghilman).[8]
Ikhtiar Uddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiar Khilji was a servant of Qutb-ud-din Aybak, who was an ex-slave of the Ghurids with a Turkic background.[9] Khilji was an Indo-Ghurid Shah (king) and founder of the Delhi Sultanate, which conquered Bihar and Bengal in the late 12th century CE. From this time, the Khiljis became servants and vassals of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi. From 1266 until his death in 1290, the Sultan of Delhi was called Ghiyas ud din Balban,[10] another servant of Qutab-ud-din Aybak. Balban’s immediate successors, however, were unable to manage either the administration or the factional conflicts between the old Turkic nobility and the new forces led by the Khaljis. After a struggle between the two factions, Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji was installed as sultan by a noble faction of Turkic, Persian, Arabic and Indian-Muslim aristocrats at the collapse of the last Mumluk sultan, Kay-Qubadh. Their rise to power was aided by outsiders (some of them Indian-born Muslims)[11] who might enhance their positions if the hold of the followers of Balban and the "Forty" (the members of the royal Loya Jirga) were broken.[11] Jalal-ud-din was old, and for a time he was so unpopular that he dared not enter the capital because his tribe was thought to be close to the nomadic Afghans. During his short reign (1290–96), some of Balban's officers revolted due to this assumption of power; Jalal-ud-din suppressed them, led an unsuccessful expedition against Ranthambhor and defeated a Mongol force on the banks of the Sind River in central India.[11]
Ali Gurshap, his nephew and son-in-law, was ordered by his father to lead an expedition of between 4,000 and 7,000 men into the Hindu Deccan (where many rulers had refused to submit) and capture Ellichpur and its treasure. Upon his return in 1296 (having gained status and power) he killed his uncle.
With the title of Ala ud din Khilji, Ali Gurshap reigned for 20 years and is considered the greatest member of the dynasty. He captured Ranthambhor (1301) and Chittorgarh (1303), conquered Māndu (1305) and captured the wealthy Hindu state of Devagiri,[12] also repelling two Mongol raids. Ala-ud-din’s lieutenant, Malik Kafur (a Muslim Indian), was sent on an expedition to the south in 1308 which led to the capture of Warangal, the overthrow of the Hoysala Empire south of the Krishna River and the occupation of Madura in the south.[12] Malik Kafur returned to Delhi in 1311. The empire fell into political decadence, and the sultan died in early 1316; Malik Kafur’s attempted usurpation ended in his death. The last Khalji (Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah) was murdered in 1320 by a former Indian slave who had risen to become his chief minister and friend, Khusraw Khan. Power was then assumed by Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, the first ruler of the Turkic Tughluq dynasty. A remnant of the ruling house of the Khaljis ruled in Malwa from 1436 to 1530 (or 1531), until the Sultan of Gujarat purged the nobility.
To some extent, the Khilji usurpation was a move toward the recognition of a shifting balance of power attributable to the developments outside the territory of the Delhi Sultanate (in Central Asia and Iran) and to the changes which followed the establishment of Turkic rule in northern India.
In large measure, the dislocation in the regions beyond the northwest assured the establishment of an independent Delhi Sultanate and its subsequent consolidation. The eastern steppe tribes’ movements to the west not only ended the threat to Delhi from the rival Turks and Iranians in Ghazna and Ghur, but also forced a number of Central Asian Muslims to migrate to northern India. Almost all the high nobles (including the Forty in the 13th century) were of Central Asian origin (primarily Tajiks and Turkic people, many of whom were slaves purchased from bazaars). This phenomenon also led to the destabilization of the core of the Turkic Mamluks. During the Mongol plunder of Central Asia and eastern Iran (now modern Afghanistan, Samarkand, Bukhara, Gorgan, Khwarezm, Merv, Peshawar, Swat, Quetta and the border lands), many more members of the political and religious elite of these regions were thrown into northern India, where they were admitted into the military and administrative cadre by the early Delhi sultans.[11]
Position in Turkic Indian society
The Khilji Turks were not recognized by the older nobility as coming from a pure Turkic stock, even in Singam and Kuselan (since they had intermarried with non-Turks: Indians, Afghans (Pashtun) and Arab Bedouins); their customs and manners were seen as different from those of other Turks. Although they had played a role in the success of the Turkic armies in India, they had always been looked down upon by the leading Turks (the dominant group during the Slave dynasty). This tension between the Khiljis and other Turks (kept in check by Balban) surfaced in the following reign, and ended in the displacement of the Ilbari Turks.[13]
Khalji people
Before their expansion into India, the Khaljis were mainly concentrated in Turkestan.[14][15][16] In the writings of Al-Biruni, Ibn-Batuta, Ibn-Khaldun, Al-Khwarezmi, Masudi, Varahamihira and Juzjani's Hudud ul-'alam min al-mashriq ila al-maghrib, they are presented as a group of Turkic origin which formed one of the older members of the Hephthalite confederation, and included many nomads near Bactria (in Turfan) and east of modern Ghazni. Many migrated to Iran, and possibly to Armenia, Iraq, Anatolia, Turkmenistan, the Punjab and what are now modern Pakistan and Afghanistan, (especially around the Sulaiman Mountains, then under the control of the Ghaznavids.[17] In Iran they migrated mainly to Pars, where they settled an isolated region which is called today Khaljistan ("land of Khaljis"). However, Persian-speakers in Iran also use the term Khalji to describe nomads of Turkic background in their country.[17] The Khilji people of Iran and Afghanistan, the Ghilzai and the Khaldji people of Bengal and Sindh claim to be descendants of medieval Khilji clans, although they have intermarried with other groups and share few physical similarities with the original Khiljis.[citation needed] Most modern Khilji people and tribes have few cultural links with the original Turkic tribe (except for the Khiljis of Iran and Afghanistan, who speak a Khalaj dialect of the Khalaj language group).[citation needed] The modern Khalji people are not comparable to past Khalji tribes who were of pure Turkic stock. For example, in India the modern Khalji people became ethnic Indians, losing their east-Asian features and their Turkic identity. In Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq they have intermarried or (in the case of the Turkmen Khalji tribe) they retained their Turkish identity while becoming cultural Iranians and Indians. Because of this, the modern Khalji people and tribes have no ties or identity tracing them to the Turks (except for the Khaljis of Iran and Afghanistan).[citation needed]
Language
The official and court language of the Khiljis was Persian.[1] Other languages that were often used include Arabic, a dialect of Turkic and some northern-Indian dialects. Although it was not their native language, the Khilji sultans encouraged the use of Persian. The co-existence of different languages gave birth to an early form of Urdu.
Propagation of Islam
According to Ibn Batuta, the Khiljis encouraged conversion to Islam by making it customary to have the convert presented to the sultan (who would place a robe on him and reward him with gold bracelets).[18] During Ikhtiyar Uddin Bakhtiyar Khilji's control of Bengal, Muslim missionaries in India achieved their greatest success in the number of converts to Islam.[19]
List of Khilji rulers of Delhi (1290–1320)
| Titular Name | Personal Name | Reign | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jalal-ud-din جلال الدین |
Malik Feroze Khilji ملک فیروز خلجی |
1290–1296 | He usurped the throne from Kayumars the last Sultan of the Mamluk Dynasty of Delhi. He re-organized the administration of the government placing his confidants and family members in important positions. He crushed the rebellions of Malik Chhajū Kishli and Raja Bairam Dev. He also managed to arrange a peace treaty with an invading Mongol army in 1292 in which a great grandson of Genghis Khan named Alghu embraced Islam. By 1296 Jalal-ud-din had invaded and brought into his control many Indian territories. His nephew and son-in-law Ali Gurshasp Khilji, had recently invaded Deogiri and obtained tremendous treasure without permission. Although Jalal-ud-din was warned several times about the possibility of Ali Gurshasp Khilji's intentions to overthrow him, he deflected such accusations as mere jealousy of his protege. The Sultan was tricked into visiting his nephew with a small disarmed cortege near Karra-Manikpur where his nephew held a banquet for him. He was assassinated when they shook hands by men waiting for signal to attack. He was beheaded and the head placed on a spear and paraded in several cities. |
| Ala-ud-din علاءالدین |
Ali Gurshasp Khilji علی گرشاسپ خلجی |
1296–1316 | Considered one of the greatest of the Sultans of Delhi, he came to power in a bloody coup. He was a brilliant strategist and an outstanding military commander who was known for his ruthlessness. He repeatedly defeated the invading Mongols. He prefixed the title of Sikandar Sani which means the Second Alexander. |
| Shihab-ud-din شھاب الدین |
Umar Khan Khilji عمر خان خلجی |
1316 | As a minor he briefly ascended the throne when his father died with the help of Malik Naib who failed to garner support and was assassinated. Shihab-ud-din was moved to Gwalior where he died the same year. His reign was 3 months and a few days. |
| Qutb-ud-din قطب الدین |
Mubarak Khan Khilji مبارک خان خلجی |
1316–1320 | Qutb-ud-din was 18 years old when he became Sultan. He mismanaged state affairs, assassinated and replaced many nobleman and appointed one person who would change the fate of the Khilji dynasty namely, Khusro Khan. He invaded Deogiri in 1318 CE and flayed Harpal Dev. Gradually he indulged in alcohol and debauchery, ignoring state affairs. Khusro Khan gradually took over the government and appointed his Bawariya clansmen. Eventually, he hatched a plot to assassinate the Sultan, which he did. |
| Khusro Khan ended the Khilji dynasty in 1320. | |||
Khalji Sultans of Malwa (1436–1531)
- Mahmud Khilji (1436–1469)
- Ghiyas ud din Khilji (1469–1500)
See also
- Kilij
- Ghilzai
- Khalaj people
- Hepthalites
- Turkic people
- History of India
- Ikhtiyar Uddin Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khalji
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
References and footnotes
- ^ a b "Arabic and Persian Epigraphical Studies - Archaeological Survey of India". Asi.nic.in. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ Dynastic Chart The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 368.
- ^ Barua, Pradeep (2005). The state at war in South Asia. Vol. illustrated. U of Nebraska Press. p. 437. ISBN 0-8032-1344-1, 9780803213449. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Khalji Dynasty. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 23 August 2010.
- ^ Cavendish, Marshall (2006). World and Its Peoples: The Middle East, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Vol. illustrated. Marshall Cavendish. p. 320. ISBN 0-7614-7571-0, 9780761475712. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Thorpe, Showick Thorpe Edgar (2009). The Pearson General Studies Manual 2009, 1/e. Vol. illustrated. Pearson Education India. p. 1900. ISBN 81-317-2133-7, 9788131721339. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Chaurasia, Radhey Shyam (2002). History of medieval India: from 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D. Vol. illustrated. Atlantic Publishers & Distributors. p. 337. ISBN 81-269-0123-3, 9788126901234. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
{{cite book}}: Check|isbn=value: invalid character (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Ghilmans And Eunuchs". Voi.org. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ "Slave Dynasty: 1206-1290". Thenagain.info. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ "Ghiyas-ud-din Balban [1200-1287]". Storyofpakistan.com. 1 June 2003. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d "India :: The early Muslim period - Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ a b Sastri (1955), pp 206–208
- ^ Frances Pritchett. "V. Expansion in the South: The Khaljis and the Tughluqs". Columbia.edu. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, p. 326
- ^ Eran, Land zwischen Tigris und Indus, 1879, p. 268
- ^ The Pathans: 550 B.C.-A.D. 1957, by Olaf Kirkpatrick Caroe
- ^ a b The Cambridge History of Iran, 1968, p.217 by William Bayne Fisher, Ehsan Yarshater, Ilya Gershevitch and Richard Nelson
- ^ The preaching of Islam: a history of the propagation of the Muslim faith By Sir Thomas Walker Arnold, pg. 212
- ^ The preaching of Islam: a history of the propagation of the Muslim faith By Sir Thomas Walker Arnold, pg. 227-228
Further reading
- The Oxford History of India, Clarendon Press, 1958.
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica - Khalji Dynasty
- Encyclopædia Britannica - The early Muslim period
- History of India - The Khilji Dynasty
- History of Pakistan
- The Delhi-Sultanat