Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah

DELHI SULTANATE AFTER THE DEATH OF RAZIA SULTAN

When the dethroning of Razia Sultan was being planned, The Chahalgani nobles decided to put Bahram Shah on the throne. As Razia was defeated and imprisoned in Bhatinda by Altunia, Bahram Shah was put on the throne and was expected to be the figurehead of Chahalganis to the throne. His reign lasted for 2 years, but this could be considered the dark period for the Delhi Sultanate as it became too weak during his reign. Even the First Mongol invasion took place during his reign and Mongols were successful in invading the Punjab region. He was put to death by Chahalganis themselves in 1242.

The seventh Sultan was Alauddin Masud Shah, who was once again put on the throne by the Chahalgani nobles to act as the puppet ruler. He was the grandson of Iltutmish, but an unworthy ruler who was fond of wine and entertainment. In 1246, he too was executed by the Chahalgani nobles as was greedy for power.

All this led to the appointment of Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah as the new Sultan. There has been controversy about him being the son or the grandson of Iltutmish but had a link to the royal family as per the texts of Minhaj.

THE REIGN OF NASIRUDDIN MAHMUD SHAH

Nasiruddin Mahmud took over the throne at the age of 17. He is neither said to be capable nor was he said to be an incapable ruler. Though he owed the throne to the nobles, he still had a great influence on the Delhi Sultanate. He was clear about the ambitions of his Turkish aristocracy and his powerful father-in-law Balban but could not act accordingly due to a lack of power in the hand. Hence, he resigned all of his powers to Turkish nobility and particularly to Balban.

Nasiruddin Mahmud is said to live a simple life. Being a religious person he spent most of his time copying the Holy Quran. The tales of his simplicity were well-known in his empire. Leading a simple life, he did not allow his wife to have a maid-servant and even when his wife asked for the maid-servant he replied that he was merely a trustee of the state and he could not spend money on personal comforts. Such a story has been declined by historians as the wife of Nasiruddin Mahmud was the daughter of Balban, and may not be a lady to live without a lavish lifestyle.

He sat on the throne with great enthusiasm and from a young age wanted to retain the entire power in his hands. Being a farsighted person, he waited for a suitable time to challenge the authority of Balban. And gradually in 1253, the time came when Balban became a little unpopular among the nobles and the Sultan took the opportunity to expel Balban and replace him with Imad-ud-Din Raihan. It was during the time of Raihan i.e. 1253-54 that the Sultan had the power and ruled the Delhi Sultanate. But within 18 months, Balban regained power and authority and deported Raihan. And Sultan had no hesitation in doing what Balban ordered him.

During his 20-year reign, he also showed his great energy and skills by leading seven campaigns to the neighbouring territories. These campaigns show that despite being a religious and simple ruler, he was no less ambitious than the rulers of that time. The true character of this Sultan could be portrayed as being part of the conspiracy to depose Masud Shah. Historians consider him a truly political and diplomatic person as he managed to be the Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate in such vulnerable circumstances that probably no other men could.

MONGOL RAIDS DURING THE REIGN OF NASIRUDDIN MAHMUD

The reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud also had to deal with several Mongol raids that were laid upon the North Western region of Multan and Lahore. A huge plunder of gold and silk was made by the Mongols in this region. Eventually, in 1246, Sultan along with the army crossed the Ravi River and then sent Balban towards the Salt Range to punish Khokars and deal with the threat of Mongols. Balban and Delhi forces were camped at the banks of River Jhelum, where they faced the Mongol forces but the latter retired watching Balban prepare for the combat. In this way, the Mongol threat was prevented in the time of Nasiruddin Mahmud.

Another revolt that was held during the time of Nasiruddin Mahmud was the revolt led by Kishlu Khan, the brother of Balban and the governor of Multan and Uch. He was appointed as the governor by Raihan and as Raihan was deposed, he revolted against the authority of the Delhi Sultanate and accepted the suzerainty of Mongols. Hence Multan was now part of Mongol provinces. Qutlugh Khan, the Amir of Bayana moved to Punjab and joined the forces of Kishlu Khan. And their combined forces marched upon the fort of Samanah. But even the combined forces of Kishlu Khan and Qutlugh Khan could not stand in front of the Delhi forces and were defeated.

Just a few months after the revolt, once again the Mongol army under the leadership of Nuyin Salin invaded the respective region and was joined by Kishlu Khan. The defence of Multan was destroyed but the Mongol army once again retired as soon as Balban made preparations for the attack on the Mongols.

OTHER ISSUES

Tughan Khan, the governor of Bengal disclaimed the authority of Delhi and also invaded Awadh. This was the period around the 1250s. This was managed by Balban through small battles and diplomacy.

Once again in 1257, Arslan Khan, the governor of Kara decided to rule Bengal as an independent ruler and continued to rule till the end of Nasiruddin Mahmud’s reign.

Also, harsh steps were taken by Balban under the name of the Sultan while suppressing the Hindu and Rajput rebels. His steps included the slaughter of Hindu people and women and children were made slaves. He suppressed the rising of Chandela Chief of Kalinjar and led an excursion against the ruler of Gwalior.

DEATH OF NASIRUDDIN MAHMUD

There are lesser-known facts about how the reign of Nasiruddin Mahmud ended. Several historians consider Balban guilty of poisoning the Sultan and all the young princes to clear his way to the throne. Balban established very close relations with the royal family. He was the father-in-law of both – Masud and Mahmud and also his son Bughra Khan was married to the only daughter of Mahmud. Hence, Balaban faced no opposition to the throne. And after the accession, he took many steps to establish his true authority on the throne