Late Medieval India

~1200- 1526 AD/CE

This period follows the Muslim conquests of the Indian

subcontinent and the decline of Buddhism.

The founding of the Delhi Sultanate establishes Indo-Islamic

architecture and Islamic religious influence. End of the period sees
the rise of the world's major trading nation: the Bengal Sultanate.
Seuna (Yadava) Dynasty (1190–1315 AD/CE): Ruling from it’s capital in
Devagiri, at the height of power they controlled the regions stretching from
the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers.

A Kannada-Maratha speaking dynasty that had been feudal nobles of the

Western Chalukya Dynasty until declaring their independence. Although
the Kingdom’s name was Seuna, and was recorded as such by
neighboring powers, it is often called the Yadavas Dynasty also.

The rulers claimed

ancestry from the
ancient Yadava People,
and so their kings used
the title “Yadavas of
Devagiri”.
The Yadavas were the first major dynasty to use Marathi
as an official language (~1300). Both Sanskrit and
Kannada were used in all earlier official inscriptions.

Patrons of art and literature, like their many neighbors,

the Yadavas used the panchayatana layout in temple
building.

The Seuna-Yadava rulers were eventually overthrown by the invading Muslim Sultanate of Delhi a fate shared
with their southern neighbors: the Hoysala dynasty.
The last Yadava Ruler, Raja Ramchandra (1291-1309 AD/CE), was forced to surrender in battle and the
Seuna Kingdom was made to pay a high ransom for his life: 600 maunds of pearls and two maunds of
diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Maund = 88.18 pounds/ 40 kilograms
Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526 AD/CE): was made up of five short-lived Islamic dynasties holding power
from the capital Delhi, all with Persian as the official language, which eventually fell to the Mughal Empire
in 1526.

The Sayyid Dynasty (1414-1451)

succeeded the Tughlaq Dynasty until
the Lodhi Dynasty replaced them.
Mamluk Dynasty (1206-1290 AD/CE): Also called the Slave Dynasty, the Mamluk Dynasty at Delhi was
founded by Mamluk ‘slave-general’ Qutb ud-Din Aibak after the fall of the Ghurid Empire.
The Ghurid Empire fell when Sultan Muhammad of Ghor was assassinated without an heir. His Empire was
fractured into smaller sultanates ruled by his Mamluk generals.

Making Lahore his capital, he consolidated his control over North

India through an administrative hold over Delhi. As a convert to
Islam, he also initiated the construction of Delhi's earliest Muslim
monuments.

In 1210, he died due to injuries received from an accident while playing a game of polo in Lahore when his
horse fell and he was impaled on the pommel of his saddle.
Khalji Dynasty (1290-1320 AD/CE): Power transitioned to Turkic-Afghans, minor muslim nobles in the Mamluk
Dynasty, under the rule of Sultan Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji after overthrowing the 17 year old Sultan Muiz ud din
Qaiqabad.

One by one the Mamluk officers were murdered, and the last ruler of the Turkic Mamluk
dynasty was killed in the Kailu-gheri Palace during the coup by Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji.

Jalaluddin Firuz Khalji, who was around 70 years old at the time of his ascension, was
known as a mild-mannered, humble and kind monarch to the general public.

Alauddin Khalji was the paternal nephew, and son-in-law, of Jalal-ud-din. Alauddin was
unhappy with his wife as she became controlling and arrogant after becoming a Princess,
and was under strict watch by his mother-in-law, who was suspicious that he had
intentions of setting up his own kingdom.

Alauddin, if he did not initially have intentions to take leadership other than in a military
capacity, was prompted and supported by nobles that were unhappy with Jalaluddin’s
perceived “weak rule”.

Returning home from a military expedition in 1296 Alauddin murdered Jalaluddin,

assumed power as Sultan, and appointed his Indo-Muslim allies to high government
positions such as Minister of War, Wazir of Delhi, and Master of the Horse.
Tughlaq Dynasty (1320-1413 AD/CE): The dynasty expanded its territorial reach through a military campaign
led by Muhammad ibn Tughlaq, and reached its height of power from 1330 to 1335 when it ruled most of the
Indian subcontinent.
After the Khalji Dynasty’s Alauddin Khalji's death from illness in 1316, a series of palace arrests and
assassinations of all Khalji family members ended after the son of Alauddin Khalji, who was known to be
morally and legally corrupt, was killed. Reverting from Islam, the general Khusro Khan became Sultan.
In 1320, Ghazi Malik, at the invitation of Delhi’s elite, launched an attack and killed Khusro Khan to assume
power and took the throne name Ghiyath al-Din Tughlaq.

The sultan’s reign was cut short after five years when he died
during the collapse of a pavilion built in his honour in 1325.
Debated by modern historians, ancient authors theorized that the collapse was a conspiracy of the Royal Vizier
and the eldest Prince. The theory was that the pavilion was purposely built without a foundation so that it would
collapse and kill the Sultan and his second son, the favorite son.
Sayyid Dynasty (1415-1450 AD/CE): Before taking power, Khizr Khan was placed as the deputy of Multan
after the Sultan Timur's 1398 Sack of Delhi.

Khizr Khan captured Delhi in 1414 thereby establishing the Sayyid dynasty. In allegiance to Sultan Timur, Khizr
Khan did not take up the title of Sultan, but continued to be a Rayat-i-Ala (vassal) of the Timurids through the
rule of the Turco-Mongol Timur and his son, Shah Rukh.

Khizr’s son and heir, Mubarak Khan, continued the

vassalage with the Timurid Empire, but unlike his
father he chose to take the ruler-suffix title of ‘Shah’
and became Mubarak Shah.

The last ruler of the Sayyids, Ala-ud-Din, abandoned the throne in 1448 by abdicating without an heir. He
retired to Badaun, leaving ministers in charge. In 1451 the Minster Hamid Khan invited Bahlul Khan Lodi to
occupy the throne of the Delhi Sultanate.
Lodi Dynasty (1451-1526 AD/CE): Established after Minister Hamid Khan invited him to occupy the Delhi
Sultanate throne after the last ruling heir of the Sayyid Dynasty abdicated without an heir.
The most important event of his reign was the conquest of Jaunpur. Bahlul spent most of his time in fighting
against the Sharqi dynasty and ultimately annexed it. He placed his eldest surviving son, Barbak, on the throne
of Jaunpur in 1486.
Sikandar Khan Lodi, the second son of Bahlul, was nominated
by his father to succeed him, and took up the title Sikandar
Shah when he was crowned sultan in 1489.

Sikandar Shah abandoned Delhi as the capital, founding and moving governmental power to Agra in 1504. He
built mosques, patronized trade and commerce, and was a poet of repute, composing under the pen-name of
Gulruk. He was also patron of learning and ordered Sanskrit work in medicine to be translated into Persian.
Bengal Sultanate (1352 to 1576 AD/CE): The Bengal Sultanate controlled large parts of the northern, eastern
and northeastern subcontinent during its five dynastic periods- reaching its peak under Hussain Shahi dynasty
(1494 to 1538).

The Bengal Sultanate was a Sunni Muslim monarchy with Turkic,

Bengali, Arab, Abyssinian, Pashtun and Persian elites.Known for
religious pluralism, where Muslim and non-Muslim communities
co-existed peacefully, Persian was the primary official, diplomatic,
and commercial language. This period was when Bengali first
received court recognition as an official language.

The Bengal Sultanate used overland trade routes as well as the Bay of Bengal for maritime routes, connecting
to states in Asia, Africa, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and Europe. Visitors from Europe and China
specifically recorded the Bengal Sultanate as a prosperous kingdom.
The Bengal Sultanate was an absolute monarchy ruling directly or over vassal
states. An important part of the Bengal Sultanate were Mint Towns, which
included Royal Capitals and Provincial Capitals. Designated urban places
where the nations’ Taka coins were minted.

People of Bengal
16th Century Portuguese illustration

Imperial Mosques served as royal

courts and included a built-in
“throne” seating area from which
the Sultan administered justice,
addressed subjects, and manage Tribute Giraffe with Attendant
Bengali envoy presents a giraffe
government affairs. to the Ming court (c. 1357–1434)
Vocabulary:

Sultan: As a title of authority it applied to rulers, or strong governors, who claimed almost full sovereignty
in practical terms over a region, without claiming the overall caliphate (Islamic state). Unlike the terms
‘King’ or ‘Emperor’, it is restricted to Muslim countries, where the title carries religious significance.

Shah: A title given to the emperors, kings, princes, and lords of Persian speaking nations.

Wazir/ Vizier: A high-ranking political advisor or minister.

Coup: A sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government.

Maund: A measurement of weight equalling 88.18 pounds/ 40 kilograms.