The Tapestry of Time, From Myth to Metropolis
Qutub-ud-din\ Aibak, the pioneer of the Slave or Mamluk dynasty (1206 CE to 1290 CE), died in a tragic accident in Lahore in 1210 CE.
As per popular belief, Aibak was blessed with three daughters and did not have a male heir. Additionally, many powerful figures in the Sultanate had originated from slavery and were thus bound to their lords and their families. In the absence of a ruler to whom they could transfer their loyalty, their own hidden ambitions of wearing the crown were ignited. A faction that was loyal to Aibak, known as the Qutbi faction, supported Aram\ Shah as the Sultan because he appeared the most lawful in their eyes. Historian Minhaj-i-Siraj, in his Tabaqat-i-Nasiri, described Aram\ Shah as the son of Aibak, but elsewhere he has also narrated that Aibak had only three daughters.
However, the Turkish nobles from various parts of the Sultanate opposed the appointment of Aram\ Shah. The kingdom was also invaded by the neighboring ruler, Nasir-ud-Din\ Qabacha of Multan.
To put forward their choice to head the Sultanate, a group of nobles led by the military justiciary Ali-Yi Ismail invited Shams-ud-din\ Iltutmish (reign 1211 CE to 1236 CE). Iltutmish was a former slave, the Governor of Badaun, and was considered extremely close to Aibak, having married his daughter.
Iltutmish marched to Delhi and seized power, defeating Aram\ Shah’s army at Bagh-i-Jud. It is unclear whether Aram\ Shah was martyred in the battle or was taken as a prisoner of war.
Shams-ud-din\ Iltutmish (1192 CE – 1236 CE) was the third of the Mamluk kings who ruled over the Ghurid territories in Northern Bharat. He made Delhi his capital and effectively ruled from there. Thus, he can be addressed as the founder of the Delhi Sultanate. His predecessors had captured Delhi and kept it under their jurisdiction, but their hub was Lahore. Iltutmish changed this, and Delhi came into prominence as the capital of the Ghurid territories.
The handsome and intelligent Iltutmish was born into a financially well-off family. His father, Ilaam Khan, led the Turkic Ilbari tribe. However, his personality ignited jealousy in his brothers’ hearts, and they planned to sell the young boy to a slave dealer to get rid of him.
Essentially, what seemed like an appalling event turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Iltutmish. He was brought to Bukhara and resold to the local Sadr-i-Jahan. As narrated in Isami, he also came into contact with noted Persian Sufi poets and mystics in Baghdad, such as Auhaduddin Kirmani and Shahab al-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi. This confluence of experiences inspired a religious inclination in Iltutmish.
Shams-ud-din\ Iltutmish was sold into slavery at a young age and had spent his early life in Bukhara and Ghazni under multiple masters. As soon as the news of this good-looking and sharp-minded slave’s arrival in Ghazni reached the Ghurid king Muhammad\ Ghori, he offered to buy Iltutmish and another slave named Tamghaj for 1,000 gold coins. The merchant, Jamaluddin, refused the offer. The angry Ghurid king banned the sale of these slaves in Ghazni. Jamaluddin migrated to Bukhara with them and spent three years there. Three years later, they returned to Ghazni, where Muhammad Ghori’s slave commander, Qutb-ud-din\ Aibak, noticed Iltutmish and sought permission from Muhammad Ghori to buy Iltutmish and Tamghaj. Since Muhammad himself had banned the sale of these slaves in Ghazni, he directed them to Delhi, where both were purchased from Jamaluddin by Aibak for 10,000 jitals. (Jitals were silver or copper coins). In Delhi, Tamghaj was appointed as the muqta (provincial governor) of Tabarhind (modern-day Bathinda) in Punjab, and Iltutmish was made Sar-Jandar (head of the bodyguards).
In 1190 CE, the Ghurid slave commander Qutub-ud-din\ Aibak purchased him in Delhi and made him his own slave. Hence, Iltutmish became the slave of a slave.
According to Ibn\ Battuta, a Maghrebi traveler, explorer, and scholar from Morocco, after ascending the throne, Iltutmish was regarded as a just and learned ruler who had been appointed by the public consent of the people.
Iltutmish’s name has a profound meaning: “maintainer of the kingdom.” His roots in slavery and his journey to the throne as ruler of the Sultanate affirmed the meaning of his name.
Three years later, they returned to Ghazni, where Muhammad Ghori’s slave commander, Qutb-ud-din\ Aibak, noticed Iltutmish and sought permission from Muhammad Ghori to buy Iltutmish and Tamghaj. Since Muhammad himself had banned the sale of these slaves in Ghazni, he directed them to Delhi, where both were purchased from Jamaluddin by Aibak for 10,000 jitals. (Jitals were silver or copper coins). In Delhi, Tamghaj was appointed as the muqta (provincial governor) of Tabarhind (modern-day Bathinda) in Punjab, and Iltutmish was made Sar-Jandar (head of the bodyguards).
In 1205-1206 CE, the conflict between Mu’izz\ ad-Din (Muhammad Ghori) and the Khokhar rebels was ignited. During this campaign, Iltutmish’s armed forces from Badaun exhibited exceptional courage and slaughtered the Khokhar rebels in the middle of the Jhelum river. Muhammad was extremely pleased and presented him with a robe of honour.
Minhaj (Minhaj-al-Din\ Abu\ Amr\ Othman\ ibn\ Siraj-al-Din\ Muhammad\ Juzjani), popularly known as Minhaj-i-Siraj\ Juzjani, was a Persian historian born in Ghur in the thirteenth century. In 1227 CE, he migrated to Delhi via Uch. He was considered the principal historian of the Mamluk Sultanate. He penned the Tabaqat-i-Nasiri (1260 CE) and passed away in 1266 CE in Delhi.
Muhammad Ghori also ordered that Iltutmish be liberated (manumitted) from slavery. Thus, officially, Iltutmish, the then-slave of a slave, Qutb-ud-din\ Aibak, was freed from slavery before his own master was.
Sources of Information:
History of Mediaeval Hindu India
By C V Vaidya
प्राचीन भारत का इतिहास
वी. डी. महाजन कृत
