Get Complete Information on the Successors of Masud

Masud was succeeded by his son, Maudud. He defeated Muhammad, his uncle who was responsible for the death of his father. Maudud was succeeded by many weak rulers. During their reigns, the pressure of the Saljuqs continued. Qazi Minhaj tells us that during the reign of Ibrahim who ascended the throne in 1059 A.D., a fresh, vigour came in the administration.

“The troubles and disorders which had befallen upon that empire, through the vicissitubes of the times and continual warfare, were all, during his reign, remedied and rectified and the affairs of the empire of the great Mahmud assumed fresh vigour.”

The advance of the Saljuq Turks continued. Arslan, the last independent ruler of Ghazni, was defeated by the Saljuq Turks. He ran away to India where he died in the year 1117 A.D. The Saljuq Turks established themselves at Ghazni and controlled Bahram, the Ghaznavide Ruler. As a matter of fact, Bahram owed the crown to the Turks. Unfortunately, quarrels arose between Bahram and the Maliks of Ghor.

A Suri prince vyas put to death by the orders of Bahram. The brother of the deceased attacked Ghazni but was defeated and killed. Alba-ud-Din Hussain of Ghor, another brother, took a vow to have revenge upon the house of Ghazni. He marched upon Ghazni at the head of a large army and won a victory in 1155 A.D. against Bahram. After the victory, men were slaughtered in thousands and women and children were ensalved. “

Of all the double buildings with which the kings had enriched their stately captial hardly a stone was left to tell of its grandeur. The very graves of the hated dynasty were dug up and the royal bones scattered to the curs-but even Afghan vengeance spared the tomb of Mahmud, the idol of Muslim soldiers.

The tomb and two lofty minarets, at a little distance from the modern town, alone stand to show that Ghazni was. On one of the minarets one may still read the resonant titles of the idol-breaker and on the marble tomb an inscription entreats: God’ mercy for the great Amir Mahmud”. Alba-ud-Din Hussain earned for himself the title of Jahan-soz, the World Burner.

King Bahram had escaped from Ghazni to India after its fall before Ala-ud-Din Hussain but after some time, he went back to Ghazni and recovered his lost power. After his death his son Khusrau Shah came to the throne. He was thoroughly incompetent to deal with the situation. He loved pleasure. No wonder, the administration fell into disorder. It becomes difficult to control the Amirs.

The power of the house of Ghazni declined and that of the house of Ghor rose. After the death of Ala-ud-Din Jahan-soz’s son in 1163 A.D., his nephew Ghiyas-ud Din bin Sam succeeded to the territory of Ghor. He brought Ghazni under his control and gave it to his brother Muhammad Ghori. Muhammad Ghori led many attacks upon India. In 1181 A.D. he appeared before the gates of Lahore and forced Khusrau Malik to make peace with him and also hand over his son as security for the fulfilment of the obligations under the treaty. He once again besieged Lahore and over-ran the whole of the country. The fort of Sialkot was captured and garrisoned.

In 1186 A.D., Lahore was captured. Khusrau. Malik was persuaded to come out of the fort to receive his own son who was alleged to have been released by Muhammad Ghori. When Khusrau Malik did so, he was taken a prisoner and sent to Ghazni. After some years of imprisonment, he was put to death. Thus ended the rule of the successors of Mahmud.