Iltutmish or Altmash, the son-in-law of Aibak seized the throne of Delhi from Aram Shah, the son of Aibak. After becoming the ruler of Delhi, iltutmish busied himself in bringing the kingdom fully under his control. First of all he had to face the powerful Turk nobles who did not like him, for he was a slave. He defeated his rivals like Yaldoz, Qubacha and the Khiljis, and removed them from his path. While the Sultan was busy suppressing his rivals, Changez Khan, the Mongol leader appeared on the banks of Indus. The ruler of Khwarizm appealed to Iltutmish for help but the latter declined. By doing so, he pleased Changez Khan who did not come any further and returned to his country. Thus, the danger of being attacked by the Mongols was averted. After the Mongols went away, Iltutmish turned his attention towards the Indian rulers. He defeated the Rajputs and conquered Ranthambore, Mandu, Gwalior, Ujjain and Malwa. But he could not conquer Merwar. By the time of his death in A.D. 1235, he had become the undisputed master of northern India. His empire extended from the Himalayas in the north to the river Narmada in the south.