Complete Biography of Iltutmish the Sultan of Slave Dynasty

Iltutmish was the greatest of the slave kings. He was the slave who rose to eminence by sheer dint of merit. He was a Turk of Ilbari Tribe in Turkestan. He belonged to a noble family. As a child, he was very beautiful and showed signs of intelligence and sagacity. He excited the jealousy of his brothers who managed to deprive him of his paternal home and care.

He was sold to a merchant of Bukhara and the latter sold him to Qutb-ud-Din Aibak. Iltutmish rose step by step till he was made Governor of Badaun. He was also married to the daughter of Qutb-ud-Din. He won his spurs in the battle against the Khokhars. In recognition of his service, Iltutmish, by the orders of Muhammad Ghori, was manumitted and given the rank of Amir-ul-Umara.

When Qutb-ud-Din Aibak died in 1210 he was succeeded by Aram Shah. As he was found to be most incompetent, the nobles of Delhi decided to invite Iltutmish to the throne and their choice was in the best interest of the infant empire.

The election of Iltutmish was opposed by the commander of the guards of Qutb-ud-Din but his opposition collapsed as there was no serious backing. The jurists headed by Qazi Wajih ud-Din opposed Iltutmish on the ground that he was not a free man. When Iltutmish showed them the letter of manumission, they also kept quiet.

Not Usurper

Iltutmish was not a usurper as there was nothing to usurp. There was no sovereign in India at that time. The sovereign power of Iltutmish was based on three things. In the first place, he was elected by the officials. Secondly, he could claim by the right of conquest and the power to enforce. In the third place, he was formally recognized by the Khalifa of Baghdad.

It is not clear whether Iltutmish made any special request to the Khalifa or the Khalifa himself gave the same to him voluntarily. The Khalifa confirmed Iltutmish in the possession “of all the land and sea which he had conquered” as Sultan-i-Azam or Great Sultan.

The act “fastened the fiction of Khilafat on the Sultanate of Delhi and involved legally the recognition of the final sovereignty of the Khalifa and authority outside the geographical limits of India but instead that vague yet nonetheless real brotherhood of Islam.” On his coins, Iltutmish described himself as the Lieutenant of the Khalifa.

Difficulties of Iltutamish

When Iltutmish became the ruler in 1211, he had a large number of difficulties to face. Instead of being disheartened by them, he faced them boldly and overcame them all. He took prompt action against Qutbi and Muizzi Maliks and gave them a crushing defeat in the neighbourhood of Delhi. He consolidated his position in the area around Delhi. He also secured a letter of manumission from Yildoz.

Yildoz

Taj-ud-Din Yildoz was a formidable foe of Iltutmish. He considered himself to be the successor of Muhammad Ghori and was not prepared to allow the Muslim Empire in India to be independent. In 1214, Yildoz came to Lahore and occupied the same. This was too much for Iltutmish. He marched against Yildoz and defeated him in the Battle of Tarain near Thanesar. Yildoz was made a prisoner and sent to the fortress of Badaun where he was later on put to death. It was in this way that Iltutmish was successful in disposing of one of his enemies.

Qabacha

Iltutmish was also successful against Nasir-ud-din Qabacha who ruled over Uch and Multan. After the death of Qutb-ud-Din, Qabacha had occupied even a portion of the Punjab. As Qabacha refused to recognize Iltutmish as overlord, lltutmish declared war against him in 1217 and he was successful in driving him out of the Punjab. As the power of Qabacha was not completely crushed,’ he managed to remain independent for another decade.

In 1227, Iltutmish once again marched against him and was successful in capturing Uch without much resistance. Qabacha escaped from Uch and took shelter in Bhakkar. When Bhakkar also was besieged by Iltutmish, Qabacha lost heart and asked for peace. He sent his son Masud Bahram to negotiate the terms but he was impirisoned.

Qabacha was so much upset that he tried to escape from Bhakkar but was drowned in the River Indus. One view is that he was killed in an accident. Still another view is that he committed suicide. Whatever the truth, Iltutmish captured Bhakkar and appointed Vizir Muhammad Junaidi to complete the conquest for Lower Sindh.

Bengal

After the death of Qutb-ud-Din Aibak, Ali Mardan declared himself independent in Bengal and took up the title of Ala-ud-Din. However, he died after two years. He was succeeded by his son Hisam-ud-Din Iwaz. The latter took up the title of Ghias-ud-Din and struck coins in his own name. Even the Khutba was read in his name. This was too much for Iltutmish to put up with such defiance. No wonder, he sent an expedition against him in 1225 and he followed the same.

Ghias-ud-Din heard the approach of Iltutmish, he at once submitted and agreed to lay a huge sum as tribute. The submission of Ghias-ud-Din was not a lasting one and after some he once again raised the standard of revolt. Another expedition was sent against him.

Ghias-ud-Din was defeated and killed and Bengal was completely brought under the throne of Delhi. When Nasir-ud-Din who had conquered Bengal died in 1229, the Khalji Maliks revolted in lengal under Balka. Iltutmish himself went to Bengal at the head of the army and defeated Balka id put Ala-ud-Din Jani in charge of Bengal.

The Rajputs

After the death of Aibak, the Rajputs did their best to drive away theTurks.The Chandelas covered Kalinjar and Ajaigarh. The Pratiharas drove away the Muslim Garrisons from Gwalior d reoccupied the city. They also occupied Narwar and Jhansi. The Chauhan Ruler of Ranthambhor rends out the Turkish troops and brought under his control Jodhpur and the adjacent areas.

The hauhans of Jalor conquered once again Nadol, Mandor, Bharmer, Ratnapur, Sanchor, Radhadhara, hera, Ramasin and Bhinamal. Jadon Bhattis established their sovereignty in Northern Alwar, Bayana and Thangir put an end to Turkish supremacy and became independent.

Iltutmish could not be expected to allow the Rajputs to remain independent for long. In 1226, he besieged Ranthambhor, captured it and regarrisoned it. Mandor, capital of the Parmara Rajputs, was also captured and regarrisoned. Next he besieged Jalor. Udai Singh, its ruler, offered stiff Resistance.

Ultimately, he was made to surrender. However, he was allowed to continue as ruler, on the condition of his payment of tribute. Bayana and Thangir were also recaptured. Ajmer was captured after stiff resistance. Nagair in Jodhpur was recovered. In 1231, Gwalior was besieged. Malayavarma Deva, it ruler, fought bravely but ultimately surrendered.

Trilokyavarma, the ruler of Kalinjar, abandoned Kalinjar and the same was plundered. However, the Chandelas were able to trun out the Muslims once again. Iltutmish led the attack on Nagada in person. However, he was defeated by Ksetra Singh, its ruler and Iltutmish suffered heavy losses. Iltutmish tried to subdue jthe Chalukyas of Gujarat but he was unsuccessful.

In 1234-35, Iltutmish led an expedition to Malwa. He plundered Bhilsa and Ujjain. He also destroyed the temple of Mahakal at Ujjain. The contention of Sir Wolseley Haig is that Iltutmish conquered and annexed Malwa but it appears that it was merely a raid and not a war of conquest.

The Doab

Badaun Kanauj, Banaras and Katehar (Rohilkhand) etc., asserted their independence in the time of Iltutmish. However, as soon as Iltutmish was able to re-establish his authority, he took
action against them. One by one, Badaun, Kanauj and Banaras were recaptured.

The same was the case with Katehar. An expedition was sent to Bahraich and the same was captured. Avadh was also brought under Delhi after stiff resistance. It was found difficult to defeat a local tribe which was fighting under their chief named Bartu or Pirthu.

The Turks were defeated by them on many occasions and more than a lakh of the troops were destroyed by them. It was only after the death of Prithu that the local tribes were subdued. Expeditions were also sent against Chandwara and Tirhut.

The Mongols

In the year 1221, the Mongols appeared for the first time on the banks of the river Indus under their famous leader Changiz Khan who had overrun the countries of Central and Western Asia with lightning rapidity.’ When he attacked Jalal-ud-Din Mangabami, the last Shah c^rKhwarizm of Khiva, the latter fled to the Punjab. He asked Iltutmish to give him shelter.

Iltutmish felt that by helping Jalal-ud-Din he would be inviting trouble from Changiz Khan. Consequently he wrote back saying that although he had no objection to giving him shelter, he was afraid that the climate of the Punjab would not suit him.

This was a very polite way of refusing the request. The result was that Jalal-ud-Din entered into an alliance with the Khokhars. He defeated Nasir-ud-Din Qabacha of Multan and plundered Sindh and Northern Gujarat. After that he went away to Persia.

The Mongols also retired. Thus, the infant Muslim Empire in India was saved. The last expedition of Iltutmish was directed against Banian. According to Raverty, this was situated in hill tracts of the Sindh Sagar Doab or in the country immediately West of the Salt Range. Iltutmish was attacked on the way by such a severe illness that he had to be carried back to Delhi in a litter. The disease proved fatal and he died on 29 April, 1236.

The famous Qutb Minar near Mehrauli in Delhi was got completed by Iltutmish in the year 1231 -1232. It stands as a testimony to the greatness of Iltutmish. The Qutb Minar was not named after Qutb-ud-Din Aibak but after Khwaja Qutb-ud-Din-a native of Uch near Baghdad who had come to live in Hindustan and was held in great esteem by Iltutmish and others. Out of gratitude, Iltutmish got the names of his patrons, Qutb-ub-Din Aibak and Sultan Muiz-ud-Din, inscribed on it. A magnificent mosque was also built by the orders of the Sultan.

The reign of Iltutmish saw the decline of Lahore and the rise of Delhi. Delhi gradually became the greatest centre of learning and culture in the East. Great scholars like Nur-ud-Din, Mohammad Aufi, Minhaj-us-Siraj and Hasan Nizami were assembled in his court. Likewise, many saints, artists and artisans also flocked to Delhi. The result was that Delhi became “Second Baghdad.”

Minhajus Siraj tells us that Changiz Khan was a tall, well built man, with a robust frame. He had eat-like eyes. He was extremely brave, wise, far-sighted, clever and just, excellent in administration and in over-throwing his enemies.

He was a terrible killer and a ferocious blood-shedder. His justice was so severe that no one except the owner had the courage to pick up a whip that had fallen by the road-side An idea of the havoc brought by Changiz Khan in his conquests is given by Juwayni in these words : “Wherever there was a king or a ruler or the Governor of a city that offered him resistance, Changiz Khan annihilated him together with his family and his followers, kinsmen and strangers, so that where there had been a hundred thousand people, there remained, without exaggeration, not a hundred souls alive, as a proof of which statement may be cited the fate of various cities. “

After capturing the town of Khwarizm which lay in shambles the Mongols drove the people into the open More than a hundred thousand craftsmen were selected and sent to the countries of the east. The children and the young women were taken away as captives Order was given for the rest to be slaughtered Every Mongol soldier had to execute 24 persons. No inhabitants were left.

After the fall of Nishapur. All of its inhabitants were brought out and slaughtered even cats and dogs were not spared. The result is that nothing remains now on the site to the great historic city. After the fall of the Fort of Taliqan all its inhabitants were massacred.

Even cats and dogs were not spared. “The wombs of pregnant women were cut open, the heads of babies were severed, and the ramparts, palaces and houses were levelled with the ground.” Prof. Habib says that the ruthlessness of Changiz Khan enabled him to unite the Steppeuluses into a homogeneous unit by the complete annihilation of all rival chiefs.

His high grade intelligence cannot be doubted, nor was his genius for organisation, but his military victory due primarily to his capacity for striking below the belt – to his meanness of character in attacking the civil population on a wholesale scale.

The Delhi Sultanate owes the outlines of its administrative system to Iltutmish. He organised the Revenue and Finance Departments. This was a task which had not been attempted by any other Muslim Ruler in India before him. An administrative structure could not be built without the support of the Turkish Nobility and that could be done either by fear or through favour.

The first was out of the question as the Muslim State in India was in its infancy and there was also the danger of Mongol invasions and opposition from the Hindus. No wonder, Iltutmish tackled the problem in a spirit of reconciliation and compromise.

He divided the Empire into several Iqtas which were assigned to various nobles. Every Iqtadar had to maintain law and order and collect revenue. After deducting his salary and the expenses of the Government, he sent the surplus revenue to the Central Government.

The Iqtadari system differed from the feudal system of Europe. The Iqtadars were not the owners of the land allotted to them. They were mere functionaries. They could be transferred from one assignment to another and could even be deprived of their Iqtas at the sweet will of the Emperor.

It is true that the Iqtadari system was not an ideal one but it suited the needs of the moment. The system also satisfied the vanity of the nobles and they could be prevented from frittering away their energy in mutual fights or in opposing the Emperor.

In order to check the tendency on the part of the nobles to become too powerful, Iltutmish set up an official nobility of slaves known as the Chahalgani or the corps of forty. As the members of the Chahalgani were the personal slaves of the Emperor, the latter could depend on their loyalty and allegiance and through them could keep a grip over the affairs of the Government.

It cannot be denied that by establishing peace and by curbing the centriftigal forces, Iltutmish created a sort of political unity and a centralised government which guaranteed protection to the. People both from foreign invasion and internal disturbances.

Iltutmish inscribed upon his coins the proud legend “The Mighty Sultan, Sun of the Empire and the Faith, Conquest laden Iltutmish” and “Aid of the Commander of the Faithful.” Before Iltutmish, the Muslim rulers issued small bullion coins of the native form and inscribed their names sometimes in Nagari script and sometimes in Arabic. Those coins also bore symbols familiar to the Hindus, such as the bull of Shiva and the horseman. Iltutmish was the first who introduced a purely Arabic coinage. He adopted as his standard coin the silver tanka, the ancestor of the rupee, weighing 175 grains. Gold tankas of the same weight were introduced later on by Balban.

Iltutmish was a pious Muslim. He was very particular about his five daily prayers. However, he was intolerant towards the Shias. No wonder, the Ismail-Shias revolted against him but their revolt was crushed. A large number of them were put to death.

His treatment of the Hindus was also not enlightened. He continued to persecute them. Iltutmish cannot be described as a constructive statesman. However, through his courage and bravery, he was able to save the infant Muslim empire in India. He continued the work started by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak.