Firuz Tughluq and Patronage of Slavery

The Sultan was interested in the promotion of learning. He patronized the Shaikhs and learned men and gave them a hearty reception in his Palace of Grapes. He gave pensions and gratuities to the learned. The Sultan was fond of history.

Zia-ud-Din Barani and Shams-i-Shiraj Afif wrote their work under his patronage. Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi was also written during his reign. The autobiography of the Sultan is known as Fatuhat-i-Firuz Shahi. When the Sultan conquered

Nagarkot, a large number of Sanskrit books fell into his hands. 300 of these books were translating into Persian by Aazz-ud-Din Khalid Khani under the title of Dalail-i-Firuz Shahi.

A large num’ of colleges and monasteries were established where men devoted themselves to prayers an meditation. A mosque was attached to each college for worship. Two well-known professors we attached to these colleges. One of them was Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Rumi. He lectured on and Islamic jurisprudence. The other was a preacher from Samarkand.

Patronage of Slavery

Shams-i-Siraj Afif tells us that “the Sultan was diligent in procuring slaves and he carrii his case so far as to command his great fief-holders and officers to capture slaves whenever th were at war and to pick out and send the best for the service of the court. Those chiefs brought many slaves recieved the highest favour.

About 12,000 slaves became artisans of variou kinds. Forty thousands were in readiness to attend as guards in the Sultan’s equipage or at Palace. Altogether, in the city and in the various fiefs, there were 1, 80,000 slaves for who maintenance and comfort the Sultan took special care.

The institution took root in the very cent of the land and the Sultan looked upon its due regulation as one of his incumbent duties. Sultan set up a separate treasury, a separate Jao-Shughuri and deputy Jao-Shughuri and a separati Diwan.

We are told that as many as 1, 80,000 slaves poured into the capital. They were given training in different vocations. Some of them became artisans and craftsmen; some joined the army an became warriors; some were employed in the Royal Karkhanas; a few of them mounted guard the Royal palace.

There were some who occupied such old jobs as ewer bears, curtain bearer weapon bearers, keepers for medicines and libraries and some held the charge of elephants precious birds and hunting panthers. Some of them were appointed Amirs and Maliks.

Some of the slaves had fixed salaries ranging from 10 to 100 Tankas per head. There went others who were remunerated through assignments and grants of villages. These slaves amassei wealth for themselves and their kinsfolk.

It is stated that a slave named Bashir Sultani appointed Muqti fo Rapri but he paid no state dues for several years. When the matter was reported to the Sultan, h^ observed thus: “What difference does it make whether it is my property or the property of Bashir?”

These slaves became undistinguishable from the military aristocracy of the Turks. Their carried the germs of corruption into the higher classes of society.

All the Departments of the Government were affected by this vice. The slaves were neither attached to the person of the Sultan nor to his dynasty. It is well-known that these very slaves cut of ruthlessly the heads of the children of the Sultan and displayed their bodies in public.