The Delhi Sultanate was a Muslim sultanate that was existed between the 13th and 16th centuries. Based in Delhi, the territory of the Delhi Sultanate was mainly confined to the northern part of India, though at its peak, it was in control of much of the indian subcontinent. The Delhi Sultanate was administrated and governed as per the laws stated in the holy Quran. This Quranic law was the supreme law of the empire. The Caliph was the supreme leader according to the Islamic theory. And all the Muslim rulers in the world were to be his subordinates. Over the course of its history, the Delhi Sultanate was ruled by five different dynasties - the Mamluk Dynasty, the Khalji (spelled also as Khilji) Dynasty, the Tughlaq Dynasty, the Sayyid Dynasty, and the Lodi Dynasty. When the last sultan of the Lodi Dynasty was killed in battle, the Delhi Sultanate came to an end and led to the foundation of the Mughal Empire. This comprehensive book on Delhi Sultanate will be an important resource guide for students and researchers.

Narayana Misra is Guest Faculty, Department of History, B.R.A. Bihar University, Muzaffarpur. His several research papers have been published in reputed journals. He has also attended many national seminars

The Delhi Sultanate was a Muslim sultanate that was existed between the 13th and 16th centuries. Based in Delhi, the territory of the Delhi Sultanate was mainly confined to the northern part of India, though at its peak, it was in control of much of the Indian subcontinent. The Delhi Sultanate was administrated and governed as per the laws stated in the holy Quran This Quranic law was the supreme law of the empire. The Caliph was the supreme leader according to the Islamic theory. And all the Muslim rulers in the world were to be his subordinates. Over the course of its history, the Delhi Sultanate was ruled by five different dynasties-the Mamluk Dynasty, the Khalji (spelled also as Khilji) Dynasty, the Tughlaq Dynasty, the Sayyid Dynasty, and the Lodi Dynasty. When the last sultan of the Lodi Dynasty was killed in battle, the Delhi Sultanate came to an end and led to the foundation of the Mughal Empire. Prior to the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, Muslim armies from Central Asia were regularly raiding the kingdoms of northern India. This trend continued until the reign of Muhammad of Ghor, the Churid sultan who sought to establish a permanent Muslim state in northern India, instead of merely pillaging these lands. Muhammad of Chor had no sons, and when he was assassinated in 1206, his empire was divided amongst his Turkic slaves. One of these was Qutbu l-Din Aibak, who became the ruler of Delhi, thus establishing the Delhi Sultanate.

The first dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate has been referred to as the Mamluk Dynasty, also known as the Slave Dynasty, or the Ghulam Dynasty. This dynasty continued Muhammad of Ghor's expansionist policy, and by the middle of the 13th century, the authorities were the masters of northern India from the Khyber Pass in the west to Bengal in the cast. The Mamluk Dynasty came to an end in 1290, as there was in-fighting amongst the nobility, and its last ruler, Muiz ud din Qaiqabad, was assassinated by Jalal-ud-din Khalji, who founded the Khalji Dynasty. One of the most remarkable figures in the Mamluk Dynasty was Razia Sultana, one of the very few female rulers in Islamic history, and the only one to have ruled the Delhi Sultanate. The last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate was the Lodi Dynasty, whose rulers were of Afghan origin. The founder of this dynasty was Bahlul Lodi, who had served as the governor of Punjab, and seized power when the last Sayyid ruler died in 1451. The Lodi sultans were unable to stem the tide of decay, and the Delhi Sultanate finally came to an end during the reign of the dynasty's third ruler, Ibrahim Lodi. This sultan is recorded to have been weak and corrupt, and one of his regional governors, who was also a member of the ruling dynasty, actually invited Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, to invade the Delhi Sultanate, thus bringing it to an end.

This comprehensive book on Delhi Sultanate will be an important resource guide for students and researchers.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages