Delhi Sultanates Slave dynasty March 2
QTS1. Who was the first Muslim Ruler of Delhi?
(A) Qutbuddin Aibak
(B) Iltutmish
(C) Razia
(D) Balban
Ans: (A)
Exp:-
Though he ruled for only four years, Qutubuddin Aibak's main claim to fame rests on his being the first Muslim ruler of Delhi.
He was the founder of the Slave Dynasty, the first of the five Muslim dynasties, is known as Delhi Sultanate.
He is also famous as the builder of Qutub Minar in Delhi, a signature monument in the capital of India.
When Muhammad of Ghori died in 1206, Qutub-ud-din, who was his slave (Mamluk), assumed the title of Sultan and became the ruler of Indian territories won by his master.
The dynasty which he founded came to be known as Mamluk Dynasty (Slave Dynasty). He belonged to the Aibak tribe. A Turk, Qutub-ud- din Aibak died in 1210 of a sudden fall from a horse at Lahore while playing polo (Chaugan).
QTS2. The Capital of Qutub-ud-din Aibak was-
(A) Lahore
(B) Delhi
(C) Ajmer
(D) Lakhnauti
Ans. (A)
Exp:-
Qutubuddin Aibak was a slave of Muhammad Ghori, who made him the Governor of his Indian possessions.
On July 24 1206, Qutub-ud-din-Aibak was crowned in Lahore upon the death of Muhammad of Ghor.
After the second Battle of Tarain in 1192 CE, through which the Turks attained a number of Indian territories, Muhammad left for Khurasan leaving Aibak in charge of annexing territories in northwest India.
Aibak established his headquarters in Delhi and was quick in occupying the Doab region between the Ganga and the Yamuna.
In 1206 CE, Muhammad of Ghor was assassinated in Lahore and it was natural that Aibak would declare himself the next king of the Delhi Sultanate.
As the new king of the Delhi Sultanate, Aibak shifted his base from Delhi to Lahore (now in Pakistan), where he got into a disagreement with Tajuddin Yildoz of Ghazni, also a slave of Muhammad of Ghor, who wanted a share of Ghor's Indian territories.
Aibak craftily dealt with this situation by marrying Yildoz's daughter and, through other such carefully planned arranged marriages, he came to control a much larger territory than he had before. In 1208 CE, Aibak defeated Yildoz, but was soon compelled to leave again.
QTS3. Which Sultan of Delhi Sultanate is known as "Lakh Baksh"?
(A) Iltutmish
(C) Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq
(B) Balban
(D) Qutbuddin Aibak
Ans. (D)
Exp:- Born to a Central Asian Turk family, Qutubuddin Aibak was captured and sold as a slave when he was a child. Muhammad Ghori bought him. When Ghori died in 1206, the Turkish Amirs and Generals elected Aibak as the new Sultan. Aibak could not rule for long and died in 1210 after falling from a horse while playing polo. Aibak was known as Lakh Baksh' because of his generosity. He was also a pious Muslim. Historians have praised his evenhanded justice. He patronized Nizami and Fakh-i-Mudabbir, both of whom dedicated their works to Aibak
QTS4. How did Sultan Qutub-ud-din Aibak die?
(A) He was treacherously stabbed to death by one of his ambitious nobles.
(B) He was killed in a battle with Tajuddin Yildoj, the ruler of Ghazni who entered into a contest with him over the capture of Punjab.
(C) He sustained injuries while besieging the fortress of Kalinjar in Bundelkhand and succumbed to them later.
(D) He died after a fall from his horse while playing chaugan.
Ans. (D)
Exp:- Qutubuddin Aibak died in 1210 AD when, playing polo, he fell down from the horse and died of the subsequent wounds. Muhammad Ghori died in 1210 CE leaving no heir but he was succeeded by a horde of capable generals who carried the heavy responsibilities of the empire left by him. Aibak ruled only for four years after the death of his master Shahabuddin Ghori. But his administrative qualities can be seen in the life of Ghori who showered his favors on him due to his valor and loyalty. His tomb lies in Anarkali Bazar of Lahore.
QTS5. Who was called 'slave of a slave?
(A) Mohd. Ghori
(B) Qutubuddin Aibak
(C) Balban
(D) Iltutmish
Ans. (D)
Exp:-
Iltutmish was sold to a merchant of Bukhara and the latter sold him to Qutub-ud-Din Aibak. Iltutmish rose step by step till he was made Governor of Badaun.
O He was also married to the daughter of Qutub-ud- Din. He won his spurs in the battle against the Khokhars. In recognition of his service, Iltutmish, by the orders of Muhammad Ghori, was manumitted and given the rank of Amir-ul-umara.
When Qutub-ud-Din Aibak died in 1210 he was succeeded by Aram Shah.
As he was found to be most incompetent, the nobles of Delhi decided to invite Iltutmish to the throne and their choice was in the best interest of the infant empire.
Iltutmish was slave of Qutub ud Din Aibak, who in turn was slave of Muhammad Ghori. Hence Iltutmish is also referred as 'Slave of a Slave'.
QTS6. Iltutmish appointed his first subedar in Bihar-
(A) Aivaj
(B) Nasiruddin Mohammad
(C) Alimardan
(D) Malik Jani
Ans. (D)
Exp:-
The conquest of Bengal was an important achievement for Iltutmish. After the death of Qutub-ud-din, Ali Mardan had declared himself as independent and therefore the province of Bengal was lost by the Delhi Sultanate.
Iltutmish, being busy in the North West, could not pay attention towards the affairs in Bengal. But as soon as he felt secure in the north-west, he proceeded towards Bengal.
Ghiyasuddin accepted his suzerainty without fighting and gave him presents.
Iltutmish came back after appointing Malik Jani as governor of Bihar. But as soon as Iltutmish turned back Ghiyasuddin reasserted independence and turned out Malik Jani from Bihar.
Nasir-ud-din, the son of Iltutmish killed Ghiyasuddin and once again Bengal and Bihar became part of the Delhi Sultanate which remained so till the death of Iltutmish.
QTS7. On whose coins the name of the last caliph of Baghdad appeared for the first time?
(A) Qutubuddin Aibak
(B) Hiravijaya Suri
(C) Pushpadanta
(D) Yasobhadra
Ans.(*)
Exp:-
Beginning in 1219 with Chingiz Khan's invasion of Transoxiana, it brought destruction to large cultivated areas, ruin to libraries and madrasas, and endless slaughter of men, women, and children.
It culminated in the sack of Baghdad, and the end of the Abbasid caliphate at the hands of Hulagu Khan in 1258.
To give it a legal basis in the eyes of the orthodox, Iltutmish is said to have sought confirmation of his royal title from the Abbasid caliph of Baghdad.
On February 19, 1229, the caliph's envoy arrived with a robe of honor and delivered to Iltutmish a patent which conveyed recognition of his title as the sultan of India.
The caliph's recognition was largely a formality, and this seems to be one of the two occasions when a ruler of Delhi troubled himself about obtaining foreign recognition, but in the initial stages of Muslim rule this step was useful.
It confirmed the sovereignty of Delhi. The name of the caliph was inscribed on the coins issued from the royal mint.
QTS8. Who was the medieval king responsible for introducing the silver coin called "tanka" in North India?
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Razia
(C) Alauddin Khilji
(D) Muhammad Tughlaq
Ans.(A)
Exp:-
Iltutmish introduced Silver Tanka and Copper Jital, the two coins of the Delhi Sultanate.
The coins prior to Iltutmish were introduced
by the invaders which bear the Sanskrit characters and even Bull and Shivalinga. Iltutmish was the first to introduce a "Pure Arabic Coin" in India.
The Coins were engraved with "The Mighty Sultan, Sun of the Empire and the Faith, Conquest-laden, Iltutmish," after he received an investiture of Sovereign Sultan of Delhi from the Caliph of Baghdad.
The Silver Tanka issued by Iltutmish was weighing 175 grains.
Gold Tanka of the same weight was later issued by Balban.
QTS9. Which of the following Sultans has called himself the 'Helper of a Caliph' in his inscription on the walls of the Mosque at Garhmukteshwar?
(A) Balban
(B) Kaikubad
(C) Jalaluddin Khilji
(D) None of the above
Ans. (D)
Exp:-Amongst the Delhi Sultans, Iltutmish was the first to receive a robe of honor from the Caliph in Baghdad. This act connected the Caliphate to the fledgling Sultanate, providing Iltutmish with formal recognition of his sovereignty that was necessary to entrench his rule in the newly conquered territory. The connection was emphasized by Iltutmish by adopting the title 'Nasir Amir-ul- Momineen'. The title literally meant that Iltutmish was claiming to be the 'helper' of Amir-ul-Momineen - the Abbasid Caliph.
QTS10 . Who of the following was the first woman ruler of medieval India?
(A) Razia Sultan
(B) Chand Bibi
(C) Durgavati
(D) Noorjahan
Ans.(A)
Exp:-
Razia Sultan, a brave sultan belonged to Slave Dynasty and was the first Muslim woman to rule India and only woman to occupy the throne of Delhi.
D She succeeded her father Shams-ud-din Iltutmish to the Sultanate of Delhi in 1236. One of Iltutmish sons, Ruknuddin Firuz occupied the throne. He ruled Delhi for about seven months.
In 1236, Razia Sultan defeated her brother with the support of the people of Delhi. Razia Sultan was keen on curbing their powers and started appointing non-Turks in state posts, thus forming her own coterie.
QTS11. In which year Razia Sultan became the ruler?
(A) 1236 AD
(C) 1266 AD
(B) 1240 AD
(D) 1210 AD
Ans. (A)
Expl:- Same as explained above.
QTS 12. Who was behind the dethroning of Razia Begum?
(A) Afghans
(B) Mongols
(C) Turks
(D) Arabs
Ans. (C)
Exp:- Razia Sultan was the only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Razia was the daughter of Shams- ud-din Iltutmish.
O Although Razia's reign as Sultan was short, only four years, and unsuccessful, she was known to possess the political acumen to become a successful monarch.
She was largely opposed by the Muslim nobles. When she was trying to curb a rebellion against her by the Turkish Governor of Bhatinda, the Turkish nobles who were against such female throne, took advantage of her absence at Delhi and dethroned her.
Her brother Bahram was crowned. To save her own head, Razia sensibly decided to marry Altunia, the governor of Bhatinda and marched towards Delhi with her husband.
On October 13, 1240, she was defeated by Bahram and the unfortunate couple was put to death the very next day.
QTS13 . Who among these was not from the Slave Dynasty ?
(A) Balban
(B) Iltutmish
(C) Qutubuddin Aibak
(D) Ibrahim Lod
Ans. (D)
Exp:-
Qutubuddin Aibak, Iltutmish and Balban were the ruler from Slave dynasty. But Ibrahim Lodi was not from the Slave dynasty.
Ibrahim Lodi became the Sultan of Delhi in 1517 after the death of his father Sikandar. He was the last ruler of the Lodi dynasty. Ibrahim was an ethnic Pashtun. He attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar, but was not blessed with the same ruling capability.
He faced a number of rebellions. The Mewar ruler Rana Sangram Singh extended his empire right up to western Uttar Pradesh and threatened to attack Agra.
There was a rebellion in the East also. Ibrahim
Lodi also displeased the nobility when he replaced old and senior commanders by younger ones who were loyal to him. His Afghan nobility eventually invited Babur to invade India.
In 1526, the Mughal forces of Babur, the king of Kabulistan (Kabul, Afghanistan), defeated Ibrahim's much larger army in the Battle of Panipat. Ibrahim was killed during the battle.
QTS 14. After consolidating his power, Balban assumed the grand title of
(A) Tute-i-Hind
(B) Kaiser-i-Hind
(C) Zil-i-Ilahi
(D) Din-i-Ilahi
Ans. (C)
Exp:
Balban was a despotic ruler and the re- establishment of the prestige of the crown was the immediate need before him. He strengthened absolute monarchy by suppressing all opposition.
He tried to create a halo of superiority around him and declared himself a descendant of Afrasiyab dynasty.
Balban exploited the religious feelings of the people in order to strengthen his position. He introduced the practice of Sizda or prostration and Paibos or kissing of the feet of the Sultan and thus tried to impose his superiority over his subjects.
He assumed the title of Zil-i-Ilahi. He did not permit his courtiers to take their seats so long as he remained in the court. He appointed black, tall and fearsome guards around him.
QTS15 . The full name of Sultan of Delhi, Balban was-
(A) Jalaluddin
(B) Iltutmish
(C) Ghiyasuddin
(D) Qutbuddin
Ans. (C)
Exp:-
Balban ruled India as the Sultan of Delhi from 1266 to 1287 CE. Balban ascended the throne by assuming the title of Ghiyasuddin Balban.
His original name was Bahauddin. He was an Ilbari Turk. When he was young, he was captured by the Mongols and carried to Ghazni and sold to Khwaja Jamal-ud-Din of Basra, a man of piety and learning.
The latter brought him to Delhi in 1232 CE along with other slaves and all of them were purchased by Iltutmish.
Balban belonged to the famous band of Turkish slaves of Iltutmish known as "The Forty (Chahalgani)." He played the role of a kingmaker. As a great warrior, he also successfully repelled a Mongol invasion during the period of Bahram Shah.
Similarly he was instrumental in deposing Masood and raising Nasir-ud-din Mahmud to the throne of Delhi.
Nasir-ud-din rewarded him by offering the post of principal adviser to the Sultan. As Nasir-ud- din had no heir to the throne, he had nominated Balban to be his successor.
QTS 16. Which one of the following statements is not true about Balban?
(A) He propounded the theory of Niyabat-e-khudai.
(B) He introduced the Iqtadari System.
(C) He eliminated the power of Turkan-e-chahalgane.
(D) He quelled down the revolt of Bengal.
Ans. (B)
Exp:-
Iqtadari system was introduced by Iltutmish The iqtadari was a unique type of land distribution and administrative system evolved during the Sultanate period.
Under this system, the whole empire was divided into several large and small tracts of land, called the Iqta, which were assigned to nobles, officers and soldiers for the purpose of administration and revenue collection.
The iqtas were transferable, i.e., the holders of iqtas-iqtadars were transferred from one region to another every three to four years.
It means that the grant of iqta did not imply a right to the land. It was just an administrative unit
All the remaining statements are correct with respect to the reign of Sultan Balban,
QTS 17 . The Mongol under Genghis Khan invaded India during the reign of
(A) Balban
(B) Firuz Tughlaq
(C) Iltutmish
(D) Muhammad-Bin-Tughlaq
Ans. (C)
Exp:-
During the times of Iltutmish, the Mongols attacked under Genghis Khan. The Mongols were able to conquer the area around Indus River and crossed to invade Punjab.
The forces of Genghis Khan first appeared on the bank of river Indus around 1221. King of Khwarizm, ruler of area around Indus was overpowered. He seeked refuge in the court of Delhi which was ruled by Iltutmish at this point of time.
Iltutmish was aware of the fact that such course of action would bring him and his nascent state under the Mongol depredation. He refrained from getting into direct conflict with the Mongols. Subsequently he denied the refuge to the beleaguered King. As summer set in, Mongols withdrew.
QTS 18. The original name of Changez (Genghis) Khan was-
(A) Khabul Khan
(B) Yesugei
(C) Temuchin(Temujin)
(D) Ogadi
Ans.(C)
Exp:-
Genghis Khan was born to the head of a Mongol clan in the mid-12th century near Ulaanbaatar. Records of the Great Khan's early life are sparse and contradictory.
He was likely born in 1162, though some sources give it as 1155 or 1165. We know that the boy was given the name Temujin.
His father Yesugei was the chief of the minor Borjigin clan of nomadic Mongols, who lived by hunting rather than herding.
He was the third of five sons. After his father died, he and his brothers were too young to succeed him, so his family was discarded and, therefore, lived in poverty for several years.
At about the age of 10, he is rumored to have murdered his older half-brother, with whom he frequently quarreled, by shooting him with a bow and arrow.
QTS 19 . Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion [A] and the other as Reason [R]: Assertion [A]: Balban made his government firm, stable and centralized all authority in his hand.
Reason [R]: He wanted to protect North-West frontier against Mongol invasions.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Codes:
(A) Both [A] and [R] are true, and [R] is the correct explanation of [A].
(B) Both [A] and [R] are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of [A].
(C) [A] is true, but [R] is false.
(D) [A] is false, but (R) is true.
Ans. (B)
Exp:-
Ghiyasuddin Balban (reigned 1266-1287) was the Sultan of Mamluk Dynasty of Delhi. He was the wazir and heir to the last Shamsi Sultan, Nasir- ud-Din.
He reduced the power of the treacherous nobility and heightened the stature of the Sultan. Balban made his government firm, stable and centralized all authority in his hands.
Balban had several military achievements during his vizierhood, first raising the Mongol siege of Uch under Masud Shah in 1246, so he constructed strong forts at the northwest border to defend the attacks of Mongols. Assertion [A] and reason [R] both are correct, but [R] is mot the correct explanation of [A].
QTS 20. The famous Persian festival of Nauroz was introduced by-
(A) Iltutmish
(B) Balban
(C) Firoz Tughlag
(D) Razia
Ans. (B)
Exp:-
Balban claimed himself to be a descendant of the mythical Turani Afrasiyab, but he used Nauroz celebration as a perfect tool to create awe in the heart of his subjects through a lavishly splendid court and to show his glory. For Nauroz, the entire palace would be decorated and the participants served food, drink and betel leaves (tanbul).
The poets recited their poems for him which were mostly panegyric in content.
Apart from a short passage in Barani's Tarikh i Firozshahi, there is no record of how Nauroz was celebrated by Balban.
QTS21. What is the height of the Qutub Minar?
(A) 100 m
(C) 85.5 m
(B) 150 m
(D) 72.5 m
Ans. (D)
Exp:-
Aibak laid the foundation of Qutub Minar in 1199 CE for the use of the mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Iltutmish (CE 1211- 36).
All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the Minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honey-comb design, more conspicuously in the first storey.
Numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the Minar reveal the history of Qutub.
According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-88) and Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517).
Qutub Minar in red and buff sandstone is the highest tower in India. It has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m on the top with a height of 72.5 m.