Medieval Indian History

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Delhi Sultanate (1206–1526)

⏱ 4 min read🧩 6 question types🎯 13 practice Q

The idea in one minute

The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526 under five dynasties: Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi. Exams ask which ruler did what, such as Alauddin's market control or Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency. Learn the dynasty order first. Then attach one signature fact to each ruler.

Five dynasties in order

Dynasty	Years	Founder
Mamluk / Slave (Ilbari)	1206-1290	Qutb-ud-din Aibak
Khalji	1290-1320	Jalal-ud-din Khalji
Tughlaq	1320-1414	Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq
Sayyid	1414-1451	Khizr Khan
Lodi	1451-1526	Bahlol Lodi

The Lodis were the only Afghan dynasty.

Tip: Order: Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi. Start years: 1206, 1290, 1320, 1414, 1451. The end is 1526.

The Slave dynasty

Ruler	Signature facts
Aibak	Called Lakh Baksh (generous giver). Began the Qutub Minar. Built the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (Delhi) and Adhai Din ka Jhonpra (Ajmer). Capital Lahore. Died playing chaugan (polo), 1210.
Iltutmish	Real consolidator. Shifted the capital to Delhi. Began the iqta system. Formed the Turkan-i-Chahalgani (Group of Forty). Issued the silver tanka and copper jital. Completed the Qutub Minar. Got recognition from the Abbasid Caliph (1229).
Razia	Only woman ruler of Delhi (1236-40). Daughter of Iltutmish.
Balban	"Blood and iron" policy. Court customs sijda and paibos. Started Nauroz. Created Diwan-i-Arz. Crushed the Chahalgani.

The Khalji dynasty

Alauddin Khalji is the star. His measures:

Market control, with price fixing under the Shahna-i-Mandi.
A standing army paid in cash.
Dagh (branding of horses) and chehra (descriptive roll of soldiers).
Land revenue of 50%.
Alai Darwaza (1311) and Siri Fort.
General Malik Kafur raided the south.

Watch: Market control was Alauddin's. Balban never fixed prices.

The Tughlaq dynasty

Ruler	Signature facts
Ghiyas-ud-din	Built Tughlaqabad. Died when a pavilion collapsed (1325).
Muhammad bin Tughlaq	Moved the capital to Daulatabad (Devagiri), 1327. Issued token currency in bronze and copper (1329-30). Set up Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi (agriculture). Ibn Battuta was his qazi of Delhi.
Firoz Shah	Dug canals (Yamuna, Sutlej). Set up Diwan-i-Khairat (charity) and Diwan-i-Bandagan (slaves). Extended jizya to Brahmins. Founded Firozabad, Hisar and Jaunpur. Brought Ashokan pillars from Topra and Meerut.

Muhammad bin Tughlaq's tokens were forged, and both his experiments failed. Timur invaded in 1398, under Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Tughlaq. His sack of Delhi broke the dynasty.

Sayyids, Lodis and the end

Khizr Khan founded the Sayyids after Timur's raid.
Sikandar Lodi founded Agra (1504) and introduced the Gaz-i-Sikandari (measuring yard). His pen-name was Gulrukhi.
Ibrahim Lodi, the last Sultan, was killed at the First Battle of Panipat, 1526.

How the state ran

Iqta: land revenue assigned to a noble (muqti). He collected tax and kept troops. It was not ownership.
Diwans: Wizarat (finance), Ariz (army), Risalat (foreign and religious), Qaza (justice), Insha (letters).
Barids and munihiyan: spies and news-writers. Persian was the court language.

Rule: Iqta means revenue in return for service, not ownership of land.

Land tax, jizya and the writers

Kharaj (land tax) could reach one third to one half of the produce. Jizya fell on non-Muslims. Firoz Shah extended it to Brahmins.

Three historians recorded the age:

Minhaj-us-Siraj: Tabaqat-i-Nasiri.
Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi and Fatawa-i-Jahandari.
Amir Khusrau: Khazain-ul-Futuh and Tughlaqnama.

Question types you will see

Each type: how to recognise it, the method step by step, and one question to try.

Type 1very common2 practice Q

Dynasty, founder and landmark chain

How to spot it:

"Which dynasty came after...", "founder of...", or a ruler matched to a dynasty.

Method

Write the ladder with start years.
Attach the founder: Aibak, Jalal-ud-din, Ghiyas-ud-din, Khizr Khan, Bahlol Lodi.
Pick the option that fits both the position and the founder.

Why it works:

The dynasty order never changes, so position alone often decides the answer.

Try this

Which dynasty ruled Delhi immediately before the Lodis? (a) Tughlaq (b) Khalji (c) Sayyid (d) Slave

Show solution

The order is Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi.
The Sayyids (1414-1451) came just before the Lodis.

Answer

Type 2very common2 practice Q

Administration and economy: iqta, diwans, market control

How to spot it:

Words like iqta, muqti, Diwan-i-Ariz, Shahna-i-Mandi, chehra or dagh.

Method

Iqta means revenue assignment for service, not ownership.
Diwans: Wizarat finance, Ariz army, Risalat foreign and religious, Qaza justice, Insha letters.
Alauddin's army tools: chehra (roll), dagh (horse branding).

Why it works:

Each department and each term has one meaning that the options test.

Try this

Which department of the Delhi Sultanate looked after the army?

Show solution

Ariz means the military branch.
The department is Diwan-i-Ariz.

Answer

Diwan-i-Ariz

Type 3very common2 practice Q

Sultans' landmark acts and experiments

How to spot it:

"Token currency", "capital shift", "canals", "jizya on Brahmins", "Qutub Minar completed".

Method

Name the act, then recall its ruler from the table.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq: Daulatabad (1327), token currency (1329-30).
Firoz Shah: canals, charity and slave departments, jizya on Brahmins.

Why it works:

Each big act belongs to one ruler, and neighbours in the list are the traps.

Try this

Muhammad bin Tughlaq's token currency failed mainly because:

Show solution

Tokens were made of copper and bronze.
They were easily forged, so the scheme was withdrawn.

Answer

Copper tokens were easily forged

Type 4common2 practice Q

Foreign invasions and the Sultanate's end

How to spot it:

Words like Timur, 1398, Siri, Mongol, Panipat or 1526.

Method

Mongols: Alauddin built Siri against them.
Timur 1398: sacked Delhi, broke the Tughlaqs, then the Sayyids came.
1526: First Battle of Panipat ends the Sultanate.

Why it works:

Three events mark the ends of the story: Mongol pressure, Timur and Panipat.

Try this

Which sultan built the fort of Siri as a shelter against the Mongols?

Show solution

Siri is linked with the Khalji dynasty.
The builder was Alauddin Khalji.

Answer

Alauddin Khalji

Type 5very common

Which ruler did this? (signature fact match)

How to spot it:

A list of rulers on one side and famous facts on the other, or "Lakh Baksh", "blood and iron".

Method

Tick the sure matches first: Aibak-Lakh Baksh, Razia-woman ruler, Balban-blood and iron.
Then place Alauddin (market), MBT (tokens) and Firoz (canals).
Cross out the options that repeat a ruler.

Why it works:

Sure matches shrink the list, so the last pairs fall into place.

Try this

Which Sultan is known as "Lakh Baksh" and began the Qutub Minar?

Show solution

Lakh Baksh means generous giver.
The first Slave ruler began the Qutub Minar.

Answer

Qutb-ud-din Aibak

Type 6common

Historians and their books

How to spot it:

"Tabaqat-i-Nasiri", "Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi", "Khazain-ul-Futuh" or a match-the-column list.

Method

Minhaj-us-Siraj: Tabaqat-i-Nasiri.
Barani: Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi, Fatawa-i-Jahandari.
Amir Khusrau: Khazain-ul-Futuh, Tughlaqnama.

Why it works:

Three authors cover the whole set, so learn each with its two books.

Try this

Who wrote the Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi?

Show solution

The book is named after Firoz Shah.
Its author is Ziauddin Barani.

Answer

Ziauddin Barani

Shortcuts that save time

⚡ Who did what: first-letter hooks

Iltutmish = Iqta. Balban = Bow down (sijda, paibos). Alauddin = All prices fixed. Muhammad bin Tughlaq = Move capital and Money tokens. Firoz = Fields and canals.

Example

Which sultan is linked with token currency and the shift of capital to Daulatabad?

Show solution

Token money and a new capital are the two experiments of one ruler.
He is Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Answer

Muhammad bin Tughlaq

⚡ Dynasty order: Sabka Khana Tum Sab Lo

Slave, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi. "Tum Sab Lo": Sayyid comes just before Lodi.

Mistakes to avoid

Where most students lose marks on this subtopic.

Mistake 01

Giving token currency and Daulatabad to Firoz Shah.

Both belong to Muhammad bin Tughlaq.

Mistake 02

Crediting Balban with market control.

Market control was Alauddin Khalji's.

Mistake 03

Saying Iltutmish built the whole Qutub Minar.

Aibak began it and Iltutmish completed it.

Mistake 04

Thinking every Sultanate dynasty was Turkish.

The Lodis were Afghans. The Sayyids claimed descent from the Prophet.

Mistake 05

Placing Timur's invasion at the start of Tughlaq rule.

Timur came in 1398, near the end, and it led to the Sayyids.

Quick revision

Read this the night before the exam.

Slave 1206, Khalji 1290, Tughlaq 1320, Sayyid 1414, Lodi 1451, end 1526 (Panipat).
Iltutmish: tanka and jital, Chahalgani, Qutub Minar. Balban: sijda, paibos, blood and iron.
Alauddin: chehra and dagh, market reforms (Shahna-i-Mandi), Malik Kafur's raids, Siri.
Muhammad bin Tughlaq: Daulatabad shift and token currency. Both failed.
Firoz Shah: canals, Diwan-i-Khairat, Diwan-i-Bandagan, jizya on Brahmins.
Iqta is revenue for service. Diwan-i-Ariz runs the army. Timur came in 1398.

Practice: 13 questions

Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Every answer has a step-by-step explanation.

Topic test · 13 questions

Suggested time 5 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.

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