Tughluq Dynasty founded by Ghazi Malik
The Tughlaq dynasty paved its way of growth on the ruins of the Khalji dynasty. The Khalji dynasty became weaker and weaker continuously after the death of Alauddin Khalji but its complete disintegration started after Khusrau Khan overthrew the throne.
Khan Khusrau Mubarak Khalji, the final emperor of the Khalji Dynasty, and other members of the Khalji family were killed to take the throne. Delhi's senior brass requested Ghazi Malik, a ruler in Punjab during the Khaljis (later known as Ghiyasuddin Tughluq), to depose Khusrau Khan.
From 1320 until 1413, the Tughlaq Dynasty governed the Delhi Sultanate. The Tughlaq dynasty represented a significant time in the history and culture of the Sultanate, coming after the Khalji dynasty, and before the Sayyids. The construction of karkhanas, or factories, hastened economic life, while irrigated canals assisted agriculture. The process of urbanisation was accelerated by inland and marine trade. Public buildings, schools, mosques, and urban centres were all widely distributed.
The Overthrow of the Khalji Dynasty
The governor of Dipalpur, Ghazi Malik (Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq), refused to recognise Khusrau Khan's ascendancy. He did not, however, take immediate action to obstruct the ascent since he was aware of the military might of the adversary. Fakhruddin Jauna, the akhur-bek in Khusrau Khan's administration and the son of Tughluq was dissatisfied with Delhi's leadership. He called a secret gathering of his allies, and on their recommendation, he asked his father for assistance in overthrowing Khusrau Khan.
Khusrau Khan's advisors counselled him to take action to thwart any future plots and destroy possible heirs to the throne as Tughluq built a larger army and acquired greater support. As a result, Khusrau Khan gave the order to have Alauddin's three sons, Bahauddin, Ali, and Usman, who had been blinded and imprisoned previously, killed.
Rise of the Ghiyasuddin Tughluq
Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq founded the Tughlaq family. He was frequently known by the name Ghazi Malik. Ghazi Malik's plan was exceedingly severe for the Mongols. It is said that Ghiyasuddin killed the messenger of Oljeitu, who ruled Iran and severely punished the Mongol POWs. The legendary Tughlaqabad Fort was also constructed by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq. Multanis presided over the government that Ghiyasuddin had established. This indicated his political support among Depalpuri and Punjabis.
Due to their belief in the supremacy of the Turkish race, the Turk tribes refused to submit to the authority of a converted Muslim. After ousting Khusrav, Ghiyasuddin rallied the nobles around him and assumed the role of Sultan. He put down the rebellious Hindu Rajas and pursued a program of territorial expansion. The Telingana kingdom in southern India was incorporated in 1323. In Odisha, the Tughluq army destroyed Jajnagar. While north Bengal remained a vassal state under Nasiruddin Ibrahim, east and south Bengal were incorporated into the Sultanate.
The collapse of a wooden pavilion erected in Sultan's honour in 1325 was the cause of his death. It was thought that the catastrophe may have been caused by his son Jauna Khan. Ghiyasuddin was a prosperous Sultan overall. He had increased the size of the kingdom, taken care of the needs of the populace, and stocked the government coffers.
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Its geographical reach peaked under Muhammad bin Tughluq’s leadership when the Delhi Sultanate momentarily engulfed the majority of the Indian subcontinent. Malwa, Gujarat, Mahratta, Tilang, Kampila, Dwarsamundar, Mabar, Lakhnauti, Chittagong, Sunarganw, and Tirhut were among the places he conquered and pillaged. Even though each of his distant campaigns cost money, the non-Muslim kingdoms he raided and attacked yielded fresh loot and ransom payments from prisoners. Rebellions spread over the Indian subcontinent regularly, making it impossible to maintain the expanding empire.
The Sultan supported the idea of ruling by Divine Right. He selected officials without regard to caste, creed, or religion, following a liberal policy. Additionally, he showed no prejudice towards his Hindu subjects.
Although the Sultan's plans were years ahead of their time, they frequently fell short due to poor execution and the unpopularity of the schemes. His subjects experienced severe suffering as a result of the establishment of a second capital at Daulatabad, taxes in the Doab area, the use of token currency, and other measures that sparked the rebellion. The Sultan's experiments, although having the finest of intentions, were a complete disaster.
Insurrections against Muhammad bin Tughluq started in 1327 and persisted throughout his reign. As a result, the Sultanate's territory gradually shrank, especially after 1335. There arose independent kingdoms like Malabar, Vijayanagar, and Bhamani. The Delhi Sultanate was already beginning to fall apart when he passed away in 1351.
The Sultan was unable to maintain his large dominion, despite having ruled over it. The most divisive character of medieval India, the erudite, liberal, and tolerant Sultan, was an ineffective ruler.
Firuz Shah Tughluq
Mahmud Ibn Muhammad, a distant relative, reigned for little more than a month after Muhammad ibn Tughluq passed away. Firuz Shah Tughluq, Muhammad ibn Tughluq's 45-year-old nephew, succeeded him and ascended to the throne. He ruled for 37 years.
The Sultan was a master builder of towns, monuments, and public structures while not being as skilled a military commander as his forebears. The four levies authorised by Islamic law, including the Jizya tax on non-Muslims, were enacted by the Sultan. The state was intolerant to Shias and Zimmis (non-Muslims), depending on the priestly classes or ulemas.
All individuals who were in the service of Muhammad were fired, according to court historian Ziauddin Barni, who worked under both Muhammad Tughluq and Firoz Shah Tughluq for the first six years of his rule.
A supporter of education, Firuz founded three colleges as well as 30 madrasas (Islamic schools). He ordered the translation of holy texts into Persian notwithstanding his intolerance towards Hindus. He built philanthropic hospitals and orphanages as part of his humanitarian efforts. His building activities included founding a large number of villages, carrying out irrigation projects, and digging public wells. Famous structures like the Qutb Minar, Jama Masjid, and the mausoleums of some of the former sultans were maintained and repaired with particular care by Firuz. Among the cities that prospered during the Sultan's rule were Jaunpur, Hissar, Fatehabad, and Firozpur. The remains of Firoz Shah Kotla, the city that Firuz lived in when it was still being built in Delhi, are still visible.
The civil conflicts and internal squabbles over the throne's destiny made the Sultan's final years unhappy, and the death of his firstborn son Faterh Khan in 1374 nearly made him insane. After his passing, his grandson Tughluq Shah succeeded him as Sultan.
In 1359, Firoz Shah Tughluq engaged in an 11-month battle with Bengal to reclaim the former kingdom's borders. Bengal, however, resisted the attack and remained independent of the Delhi Sultanate. Firuz Shah Tughluq had some military weaknesses, mostly as a result of the army's poor leadership.
Civil wars and political instability
The first civil war began in 1384 AD, four years before the ailing Firoz Shah Tughluq passed away, while the second one began in 1394 AD, six years after Firoz Shah's demise.
The beloved grandson of Firuz Shah Tughluq passed away in 1376. With the aid of his wazirs, Firuz Shah thereafter searched for and adhered to Sharia more than ever. In 1384, he became sick himself.
Khan Jahan II, a wazir in Delhi and the favourite wazir of Firuz Shah Tughluq ascended to power following his father's passing in 1368 A.D. The son of Firuz Shah Tughluq, Muhammad Shah, and the young wazir were open rivals. As he appointed more amirs and bestowed favours, the wazir's authority increased.
The Sultan was convinced to designate his great-grandson as his heir by him. Next, Khan Jahan II attempted to persuade Firuz Shah Tughluq to expel his lone surviving son. The Sultan fired the wazir rather than his son. The crisis that ensued resulted in a civil war, the wazir's arrest and death, a revolt, and a civil war in and around Delhi. In 1387 AD, Muhammad Shah was also driven out. Firuz Shah Tughluq, the last Sultan, passed away in 1388.
Tughluq Khan came into power but perished in battle. Abu Bakr Shah took over in 1389, but he also passed away within a year. Under Sultan Muhammad Shah, the civil war persisted, and by 1390 AD, it had resulted in the capture and execution of every Muslim noble who had sided with Khan Jahan II or was thought to have done so.
Hindus had reclaimed their independence in the Lahore region and northwest South Asia (now Pakistan) in 1394. Humayun Khan served as Muhammad Shah's principal commander when he gathered an army to attack them. Sultan Muhammad Shah passed away in Delhi in January 1394 as preparations were being made. Humayun Khan, who succeeded him as ruler, was assassinated two months later. Nasir-al-din Mahmud Shah, the brother of Humayun Khan, ascended to power, although he had little help from the amirs, wazirs, and other members of the Muslim elite. By October 1394 AD, Muslim noble groups had developed in Delhi, starting the second civil war.
In late 1394, Tartar Khan established Nasir-al-din Nusrat Shah as the second Sultan at Firozabad, just a few miles from the former Sultan's centre of authority. The two Sultans, each of whom had a small army under the command of a group of Muslim aristocracy, asserted their legitimate dominion over South Asia. There were battles every month, amirs frequently switched sides, and the civil war between the two Sultan groups persisted through 1398, right up to Timur's arrival.
Timur’s Invasion
The Turko-Mongol conqueror Timur (Tamerlane), who destroyed four Sultanate armies in 1398, marked the dynasty's low point. Sultan Mahmud Khan escaped the attack as Tamerlane approached Delhi. Delhi was pillaged for eight days, its populace was slain, and more than 100,000 captives were also killed.
Khizr Khan, who would go on to form the Sayyid dynasty, was chosen by Timur to serve as his viceroy in Delhi. Khizr Khan was initially only able to establish his rule over Multan, Dipalpur, and some of Sindh. He soon began his war against the Tughlaq dynasty, and on June 6, 1414, he triumphantly reached Delhi.
The end of Tughlaqs
The Tughluq dynasty was ultimately overthrown as a result of Muhammad Tughluq's experiments, Firuz's frailty, the succeeding inept heirs, the depletion of state resources, and the conflicts in south India.
The ultimate blow from which the dynasty was unable to recover was the 1398 destruction and plunder of Delhi by the Mongol leader Timur (1336–1405). Additionally, the Rajput states expelled the Ajmer governor and consolidated their rule over Rajputana. Before Khizr Khan, the Tughluqs' former governor of Multhan, overthrew them, their power had been steadily eroding resulting in the Sayyid Dynasty being the New Delhi Sultanate's ruling family.
The most crucial development – Architecture
The development of Indo-Islamic architecture is assigned to the Sultans of the Tughluq dynasty, notably Firoz Shah Tughluq.
The Sultanate's architecture was primarily centred on the capital of Delhi. The city of Tughlaqabad, Firozabad, the mausoleum of Firuz, and other monumental constructions were among those erected by the Sultans. Between 1321 and 1325, Ghiyasuddin Tughluq built the Delhi fortress city of Tughlaqabad. It was the nation's capital and a formidable stronghold built for defence. The palace-fortress enclosure was built by regulating the Jamuna River's flow, which led to the development of an artificial lake that encircled the city in the fort's eastern direction.
Tughluqbad was located inside a sizable rectangular area that was bounded by walls with a thickness of around 10 meters and a height between 15 and 30 meters. The mosque, audience rooms, tombs, and palace were all encircled by massive bastions of two levels. The batter, or sloping walls, were unique to Tughlakabad.
