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Eternal India
encyclopedia
LURE - THRU THE AGES
TUGHLAQ DYNASTY
1320 1414 A.D.
Overview
*
Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the first ruler of
the Tughlaq dynasty, set himself the task
of restoring the administration which had
collapsed because of the extravagances of
Mubarak and Khusrau, the last Khilji
rulers.
*
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, the successor of
Ghyas-ud-din. His schemes though sound
in theory proved impracticable in
operation
and brought disaster to his kingdom.
*
Feroze Shah's reign was marked by peace
and prosperity but his indiscriminate
generosity and concessions contributed
greatly to the dismemberment of the Delhi
Sultanate.
Chronology
*
Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq I (1320-1325)
*
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq (1325-1351)
*
Feroze Tughlaq (1351-1388)
*
Ghyas-ud-din II (1388-1389)
*
MohmedI (1389-1394)
*
Mohmedll (1394-1412)
*
Sack of Delhi by Timur (1398)
*
Regency of Daulat Khan (1412-1414)
Wars
*
Capture of Warrangal and Bengal by
Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq I.
*
Mongol invasion and its repulsion by
Mohammad-Bin Tughlaq; capture of
Devagiri.
*
In
1328-29
the
Chaghatai
chief,
Tarmashivia Khan of Transoxiana,
invaded India, ravaged Punjab and
reached the outskirts of Delhi but he
was beaten back by Mohammad Bin
Tughlaq.
Ghyas-ud-din Tughlaq 1320-25
Original name Ghazi Malik. He was se-
lected as the ruler of Delhi by the nobles, he
had a mild and liberal disposition. He re-
stored administrative order by removing the
abuses of the preceding regime. He reor-
ganised the postal system of the country.
The military department was made efficient
and orderly. He conquered the Kakatiya
kingdom of Warangal. He marched towards
Bengal and made it a part of his empire.
However on reaching Delhi he died from the
collapse of a wooden pavilion which his
son Jauna had built.
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq : After the death
of Ghyasuddin Tughlaq his son Jauna Khan
succeeded him, assuming the title
Sultan
Mohammad Bin Tughlaq.
He was one of the
most learned and accomplished scholars of his
time. He was proficient in logic, philosophy,
mathematics, astronomy and the physical sci-
ences. He was a brilliant calligraphist. He had
a great knowledge of Persian poetry. In his
private life he was simple, humble and gener-
ous. He was lavish in distributing gifts and
presents. But he lacked practical judgement
and common sense. His schemes though sound
in theory proved impractical in actual opera-
tion.
After his accession, he was confronted
almost immediately by a Mongol invasion.
It was repulsed. He made Devagiri as his
second capital and renamed it as Daulata-
bad and ordered his people to proceed to the
new capital. The Sultan enforced his orders
relentlessly, causing great hardship to the
Delhi populace. The long journey of 700
miles caused many to die of fatigue.
The Sultan, having at last realised his
folly, revised his policy and ordered a return
march to Delhi. Very few survived to return
and Delhi had lost its former prosperity and
grandeur.
In order to prevent further Mongol incur-
sions he planned to extend his boundaries
beyond Peshawar.
In 1329-30 the Sultan introduced a token
currency which remained in circulation until
1331-32. He issued bronze coins at par with
the value of the silver tanka coins.
In 1328-29 he immediately increased the
land tax on the Doab farmers. Additional taxes
were also levied. Barni says that the Hindus
(farmers) set fire to their grain fairs and drove
their cattle'from their houses. Grain became
increasingly scarce. Delhi was ravaged with
famine. The Sultan immediately sold six
months supplies from the royal granary to the
Delhi populace at cheap rates. Large sums
were advanced to enable the cultivators to buy
seed, to sink wells and to extend cultivation.
Widespread rebellions broke out against
the Sultan. The famine assumed dreadful
proportions. In Punjab people roasted and ate
the limbs of corpses. The foundation of the
Hindu Vijayanagar kingdom in 1336 and the
subsequent independence of Warangal and
Kampli were severe blows to the Sultan's
prestige. Between 1338 and 1341 both eastern
and western Bengal became independent.
Bahmani kingdom became independent in
1347. While being occupied in chasing the
rebels in Sindh, the Sultan was attacked with
fever near Tattah and died in March 1351.
The Sultan though endowed with
extraordinary intelligence, lacked the basic
qualities of a statesman and his ill-advised
measures in disregard of popular will, sealed
the demise of his empire.
Feroze Shah Tughlaq 1351-88 : After
the death of Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, his
cousin Feroze Shah Tughlaq was chosen as
Sultan by the nobles.
His long reign of 37 years may be divided
into two parts. The first period of about 20
years is marked by new legislation to restore
peace and prosperity, the last seventeen years
saw a precipitious decline in the strength and
prosperity of the Sultanate. Until his death in
1368-69 the vizier Khan-i Jahan Maqbul, an
Islamicized Telingani Hindu, successfully
maintained the prestige of the Sultan and
governed the country wisely.
Decline
*
The weak successors of Feroze Shah
encouraged Timur to invade India in 1398
A.D.
"His soldiers killed 100,000 male
captives in cold blood. He left Delhi after
15 days inflicting on India more misery
than had ever before been inflicted by any
conqueror in a single invasion."
He
completed the disruption of the Tughlaq
kingdom. The dynasty came to an end in
1414.