Page 29 - SST Class 07

After Bahram Shah, the strict and did not spare the nobles while deliver-
‘Corps of Forty’ managed ing justice. To keep himself well-informed,
to make Masood Shah Balban appointed spies in every department. He
(1242-46), the Sultan of also organised a strong centralised army both to
Delhi. The Sultan was deal with internal disturbances and to repel the
forced to delegate all his Mongols who posed a serious threat to the Delhi
power to the ‘Corps of Sultanate. Balban was very particular in main-
Forty’. A conspiracy was taining law and order and he gave harsh punish-
hatched against the Sultan ments to robbers and dacoits. These harsh
and he was murdered. methods of Balban were called the policy of

After the deposition of Nasir-ud-Din Mahmud “Blood and Iron” and they helped him to control
Masood, the ‘Corps of the situation. Moreover, in order to impress the
Forty’ made Nasir-ud-Din the youngest son of people, Balban maintained a grand court.
Iltutmish, as the Sultan of Delhi. Balban one of Whenever, he went out he was surrounded by a
the ‘Corps of Forty’ became so powerful that he large contingent of bodyguards. To emphasise
assumed all the real powers of the Sultan. Nasir- that the nobles were not his equals, he insisted
ud-Din remained the Sultan in name only. that when the nobles came to the court, they had
The new Sultan knew the power of the Turkish to lie down on the floor and kiss the monarch’s
nobles and was aware of the fact that his two feet. Balban was one of the main architects of the
predecessors who had dared to challenge the Delhi Sultanate. By asserting the power and
authority of the nobles were murdered. Balban prestige of the monarchy, he strengthened the
was the ‘Naib’ or the Deputy to the Sultan and Delhi Sultanate.
enjoyed vast powers. He married his daughter to KHALJI (KHILJI) DYNASTY (1290-1320)
the Sultan. The second of the Delhi Sultanates, the Khilji

ERA OF BALBAN (1266-1287) Dynasty, was named after Jalal-ud-dïn Khilji,
The struggle for power between the monarchy who assassinated the last ruler of the Mamluk
and the Turkish nobles continued, till balban Dynasty, Moiz-ud-din Qaiqabad in 1290. Like
captured power after the death of Nasir-ud-Din many before (and after) him, Jalal-ud-din’s rule
Mahmud and finally ascended the throne in was short-lived — his nephew Ala-ud-din Khilji
1265. Balban introduced strict discipline and murdered Jalal-ud-din six years later to claim
strengthened the power of rulership over the dynasty.
the monarchy, because he Ala-ud-din became known as a tyrant, but also
was convinced that, this for keeping the Mongols out of India. During his
was the only way to face 19-year reign, Ala-ud-din’s experience as a
the internal and external power-hungry general led to rapid expansion
dangers confronting him. over much of central and southern India, where
In order to raise the he increased taxes to further strengthen his army
power of the King, Balban and treasury.
was determined to break After his death, in 1316, the dynasty started to
the power of the Turkish crumble. The eunuch general of his armies and
nobles. So, he was very Hindu-born Muslim, Malik Kafur, attempted to
Balban

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