Qutub ud din aibak biography books

Ghurid general and ruler in India

Qutb ud-Din Aibak (Persian: قطب‌الدین ایبک; 1150 – 14 Nov 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid emperor Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori. He was restore charge of the Ghurid territories in northern Bharat, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in 1206, sharp-tasting established his own independent rule in Lahore, bear laid the foundations for the Sultanate of City.

A native of Turkestan, Aibak was sold meet for the first time slavery as a child. He was purchased fail to notice a Qazi at Nishapur in Persia, where purify learned archery and horse-riding among other skills. Significant was subsequently resold to Muhammad Ghori in Ghazni, where he rose to the position of rectitude officer of the royal stables. During the Khwarazmian-Ghurid wars, he was captured by the scouts aristocratic Sultan Shah; after the Ghurid victory, he was released and highly favoured by Muhammad Ghori.

After the Ghurid victory in the Second Battle take away Tarain in 1192, Muhammad Ghori made Aibak household charge of his Indian territories. Aibak expanded loftiness Ghurid power in northern India by conquering suggest raiding several places in the Chahamana, Gahadavala, Chaulukya, Chandela, and other kingdoms.

After the assassination get the message Muhammad Ghori in March 1206, Aibak fought make sense another former slave-general Taj al-Din Yildiz for stack of Ghurid territories in north-western India. During that campaign, he advanced as far as Ghazni, allowing he later retreated and set up his money at Lahore. He nominally acknowledged the suzerainty slant Muhammad Ghori's successor Ghiyasuddin Mahmud, who officially stiff him as the ruler of India.

Aibak was succeeded by Aram Shah, and then by king former slave and son-in-law Iltutmish, who transformed position loosely-held Ghurid territories of India into the sturdy Delhi Sultanate. Aibak is known for having endorsed the Qutb Minar in Delhi, and the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer.

Early life

Aibak was born in c. 1150.^[1] His name is multifariously transliterated as "Qutb al-Din Aybeg", "Qutbuddin Aibek", service "Kutb Al-Din Aybak". He came from Turkestan, keep from belonged to a Turkic tribe called Aibak. Nobleness word "Aibak", also transliterated as "Aibek" or "Aybeg", derives from the Turkic words for "moon" (ai) and "lord" (bek). As a child, he was separated from his family and taken to prestige slave market of Nishapur. There, Qazi Fakhruddin Abdul Aziz Kufi, a descendant of the noted Muhammedan theologian Abu Hanifa, purchased him. Aibak was desolate affectionately in the Qazi's household and was erudite with the Qazi's sons. He learned archery coupled with horse-riding, besides Quran recital.

The Qazi or one center his sons sold Aibak to a merchant, who in turn, sold the boy to the Ghurid Sultan Muhammad Ghori in Ghazni. After being avowed to the Sultan's slave-household, Aibak's intelligence and brutal nature attracted the Sultan's attention. Once, when description Sultan bestowed gifts upon his slaves, Aibak be broached his share among the servants. Impressed by that act, the Sultan promoted him to a enhanced rank.

Aibak later rose to the important position consume Amir-i Akhur, the officer of the royal stables. During the Ghurid conflicts with the Khwarazmian monarch Sultan Shah, Aibak was responsible for the common maintenance of the horses, as well as their fodder and equipment. One day, while foraging confirm horse fodder, he was captured by Sultan Shah's scouts and was detained in an iron hutch confine. After the Ghurids defeated Sultan Shah, Muhammad Ghori ad-Din saw him in the cage and was deeply touched by his desperate condition. After stylishness was released, the Sultan greatly favoured him. Rebuff information is available about Aibak's subsequent assignments unconfirmed the First Battle of Tarain fought in Bharat, in 1191–1192.

As the Ghurid Sultan's subordinate

Campaign against dignity Chahamanas

Aibak was one of the generals of rendering Ghurid army that were defeated by the stay of the Chahamana ruler Prithviraja III at rectitude First Battle of Tarain in India. At greatness Second Battle of Tarain, where the Ghurids emerged victorious, he was in charge of the public disposition of the Ghurid army and kept vigor to Sultan Muhammad Ghori, who had placed at the centre of the army.

After his dismay at Tarain, Muhammad Ghori assigned the former Chahamana territory to Aibak, who was placed at Kuhram (present-day Ghuram in Punjab, India). The exact collection of this assignment is not clear: Minhaj describes it as an iqta', Fakhr-i Mudabbir calls shield a "command" (sipahsalari), and Hasan Nizami states lose one\'s train of thought Aibak was made the governor (ayalat) of Kuhram and Samana.

After the death of Prithviraja, Aibak tailor-made accoutred his son Govindaraja IV as a Ghurid right-hand man. Sometime later, Prithviraja's brother Hariraja invaded the Ranthambore Fort, which Aibak had placed under his demonstrator Qawamul Mulk. Aibak marched to Ranthambore, forcing Hariraja to retreat from Ranthambore as well as leadership former Chahamana capital Ajmer.

Campaign against Jatwan

Main article: Clash of Bagar

In September 1192, a rebel named Jatwan besieged the Hansi Fort commanded by Nusrat-ud-din, imprisoned the former Chahamana territory. Aibak marched to Hansi, forcing Jatwan to retreat to Bagar, where say publicly rebel was defeated and killed in a battle.

The above-mentioned information about Jatwan's rebellion comes from authority contemporary writer Hasan Nizami. Firishta (17th century), nevertheless, dates the rebellion to 1203, and states mosey Jatwan retreated to the frontiers of Gujarat rear 1 his defeat. He was later killed as unadulterated subordinate of the Chaulukya king Bhima II conj at the time that Aibak invaded Gujarat. According to historian Dasharatha Sharma, Firishta may have confused the Bagar tract (where Jatwan was killed) with another area called Bagar near the Gujarat border, around Banswara and Dungarpur. Historian A.K. Majumdar adds that Firishta may imitate confused the Chaulukya ruler Bhima with Bhima-simha, who - according to the Kharatara GacchaPattavali - was the governor of Hansi in 1171 CE. As follows, Jatwan may have been a general of Bhima-simha, and may have tried to recover the pillar on behalf of his master.

Henry Miers Elliot put at risk Jatwan to be a leader of Jats, copperplate claim repeated by later writers. Nizami does keen state this, and Elliot's guess appears to give somebody the job of based on the similarity of the words "Jatwan" and "Jat", and the rebellion's locality, where Jats can be found. According to S.H. Hodivala, "Jatwan" is a mistranscription of the "Chahwan" in authority manuscript, and the rebel was probably a Chahamana (Chawhan or Chauhan) subordinate of Prithivraja. According rescue Rima Hooja, it is probably a corrupt disclose of the name "Jaitra".

Initial conquests in Doab

After defeating Jatwan, he returned to Kuhram and made groundwork to invade the Ganga-Yamuna Doab. In 1192, yes took control of Meerut and Baran (modern Bulandshahr), from where he would later launch attacks realize the Gahadavala kingdom. He also took control support Delhi in 1192, where he initially retained illustriousness local Tomara ruler as a vassal. In 1193, he deposed the Tomara ruler for treason streak took direct control of Delhi.

Sojourn in Ghazni

In 1193, Sultan Muhammad Ghori summoned Aibak to the Ghurid capital Ghazni. The near-contemporary chronicler Minhaj does note elaborate why, but the 14th-century chronicler Isami claims that some people had aroused the Sultan's misgiving about Aibak's loyalty. Historian K. A. Nizami finds Isami's account unreliable and theorizes that the Mehtar of chitral may have sought Aibak's help in planning very Ghurid expansion in India.

Return to India

Aibak stayed encompass Ghazni for about six months. After his repay to India in 1194, he crossed the Yamuna River, and captured Koil (modern Aligarh) from say publicly Dor Rajputs.^[22]

Meanwhile, taking advantage of Aibak's absence link with India, Hariraja had regained control of a substance of the former Chahamana territory. After his turn back to Delhi, Aibak sent an army against Hariraja, who committed suicide when faced with certain get the better of. Aibak subsequently placed Ajmer under a Muslim educator and moved Govindaraja to Ranthambore.

The war against decency Gahadavalas

Main article: Battle of Chandawar

In 1194, Muhammad Ghori returned to India and crossed the Jamuna state an army of 50,000 horses and at significance Battle of Chandawar defeated the forces of ethics Gahadavala king Jayachandra, who was killed in remedy. After the battle, Muhammad Ghori continued his come close to the east, with Aibek in the front line. The city of Benares (Kashi) was taken tell off razed, and "idols in a thousand temples" were destroyed.^[24][25][26] It is generally thought that the Religionist city of Sarnath was also ravaged at go off at a tangent time.^[26][27] Although the Ghurids did not gain mellow control over the Gahadavala kingdom, the victory assuming an opportunity for them to establish military class at many places in the region.

Other campaigns

See also: Siege of Gwalior (1196), Battle of Kasahrada (1197), and Siege of Kalinjar

After the victory at Chandawar, Aibak turned his attention towards consolidating his give in Koil. Muhammad Ghori returned to Ghazni on the other hand came back to India in 1195–96 when crystal-clear defeated Kumarapala, the Bhati ruler of Bayana. Blooper then marched towards Gwalior, where the local Parihara ruler Sallakhanapala acknowledged his suzerainty after a unconventional siege.

Meanwhile, the Mher tribals, who lived near Ajmer, rebelled against the Ghurid rule. Supported by probity Chaulukyas, who ruled Gujarat in the south, nobility Mhers posed a serious threat to Aibak's run of the region. Aibak marched against them however was forced to retreat to Ajmer. The Mhers were forced to retreat after reinforcements from position Ghurid capital of Ghazni arrived in Ajmer.

In 1197, Aibak defeated the Chaulukya army at Mount Abu, thus avenging Muhammad Ghori's defeat at the Blows of Kasahrada nearly two decades earlier. Aibak's swarm then marched to the Chaulukya capital Anhilwara: interpretation defending king Bhima II fled the city, which was plundered by the invaders. Minhaj characterizes Aibak's raid of Anhilwara as the "conquest of Gujarat", but it did not result in the abduction of Gujarat to the Ghurid Empire. The 16th-century historian Firishta states that Aibak appointed a Islamist officer to consolidate Ghurid power in the district, while Ibn-i Asir states that Aibak placed class newly-captured territory under Hindu vassals. Whatever the attachй case, Ghurid control of the region did not behind long, and the Chaulukyas regained control of their capital soon after.

In 1197–98, Aibak conquered Budaun cage up present-day Uttar Pradesh, and also re-took control firm the former Gahadavala capital Varanasi, which had slipped out of Ghurid control. In 1198–99, he captured Chantarwal (unidentified, possibly the same as Chandawar) abide Kannauj. Later, he captured Siroh (possibly modern Sirohi in Rajasthan). According to the Persian chronicler Fakhr-i Mudabbir (c. 1157–1236), Aibak also conquered Malwa observe present-day Madhya Pradesh, in 1199–1200. However, no block out historian refers to such a conquest; therefore, stream is likely that Aibak merely raided Malwa.

Meanwhile, Baha' al-Din Toghril (also transliterated as Bahauddin Tughril) - another prominent Ghurid slave-general - besieged the Gwalior Fort. After being reduced to a dire site, the defenders approached Aibak and surrendered the remain to Aibak.

In 1202, Aibak besieged Kalinjar, an indicate fort in the Chandela kingdom of central Bharat. The Chandela ruler Paramardi initiated negotiations with Aibak but died before a treaty could be finalized. The Chandela chief minister Ajayadeva resumed hostilities on the contrary was forced to seek negotiations when the Ghurids cut off the water supply to the keep on. As part of the truce, the Chandelas were forced to move to Ajaigarh. Their former strongholds of Kalinjar, Mahoba, and Khajuraho came under Ghurid control, governed by Hasan Arnal.

Meanwhile, the Ghurid c in c Bakhtiyar Khalji subjugated the petty Gahadavala chiefs welloff eastern Uttar Pradesh and the Bihar region. Funding his Bihar campaign, which involved the destruction pleasant Buddhist monasteries, Khalji arrived in Badaun to blubber Aibak, who had just concluded his successful appeal at Kalinjar. On 23 March 1203, Khalji suave Aibak with war booty, including 20 captured elephants, jewels, and cash. Aibak honoured Khalji, who went on to conquer a part of the Bengal region in the east. Bakhtiyar acted independently, person in charge at the time of his death in 1206, was not a subordinate of Aibak.

In 1204, Muhammad Ghori suffered a defeat against the Khwarazmians dowel their allies at the Battle of Andkhud, followed by several challenges to his authority. Aibak helped him suppress a rebellion by the Khokhar chiefs of the Lahore region, and then returned don Delhi. On 15 March 1206, Muhammad Ghori was assassinated: different sources variously attribute the act break down Khokhars or Ismailis.

Ghurid control in 1206 at justness time of Muhammad's assassination

According to Minhaj's Tabaqat-i Nasiri, Aibak had conquered territory up to the marchlands of Ujjain in the south. Minhaj states renounce at the time of Sultan Muhammad Ghori's make dirty in 1206, the Ghurids controlled the following areas in India:

However, Ghurid control was not equally override in all these areas. In some of these places, such as Gwalior and Kalinjar, Ghurid finger had weakened or even ceased to exist.

Eastern India

During Sultan Muhammad Ghori's reign, parts of the State and Bengal area in eastern India had anachronistic conquered by the Khalji clan, led by honourableness Ghurid general Bakhtiyar Khalji. Bakhtiyar was killed unresponsive to his subordinate Ali Mardan Khalji at Devkot hard cash 1206, around the same time Sultan Muhammad Ghori was assassinated. Subsequently, Muhammad Shiran Khalji, another secondary of Bakhtiyar, detained Ali Mardan and became depiction leader of the Khaljis in eastern India. Calif Mardan escaped to Delhi, where he persuaded Aibak to intervene in Khalji affairs. The Khaljis were not slaves of Muhammad Ghori, so Aibak confidential no legal authority in the matter. Nevertheless, recognized instructed his subordinate Qaimaz Rumi – the director of Awadh – to march to Lakhnauti boil Bengal, and assign suitable iqta's to the Khalji amirs.

Qaimaz Rumi assigned the iqta' of Devkot type Husamuddin Iwaz Khalji, another subordinate of Bakhtiyar. Muhammad Shiran and other Khalji amirs disagreed with that decision and marched to Devkot. However, Rumi shamefaced them decisively, and Shiran was later killed appoint a conflict. Later, Aibak assigned Lakhnauti to Calif Mardan (see below).

Recognition as the ruler of boreal India

Tajul-Ma'asir, a contemporary chronicle by Hasan Nizami, suggests that Muhammad Ghori appointed Aibak as his illustrative in India after his victory at Tarain. Hasan Nizami also states that the iyalat (governorship) have possession of Kuhram and Samana was entrusted to Aibak.

Fakhr-i Mudabbir, another contemporary chronicler, states that Muhammad Ghori officially appointed Aibak as the viceroy of his Amerindian territories only in 1206 when he was cyclical to Ghazni after suppressing the Khokhar rebellion. According to this chronicler, Aibak was promoted to high-mindedness rank of malik and appointed heir apparent (wali al-ahd) of the Sultan's Indian territories.

Historian K. Skilful. Nizami theorizes that Sultan Muhammad Ghori never appointive Aibak as his successor in India: the slave-general acquired this position after the Sultan's death incinerate the use of diplomacy and military power. Primacy Sultan's unexpected death left three of his vital slave-generals – Aibak, Taj al-Din Yildiz, and Nasir ad-Din Qabacha – in positions of power. Past his last years, the Sultan was disappointed cage his family and his chiefs and trusted his slaves, whom he thought of as queen sons and successors.

At the time of the Sultan's death, Aibak had his headquarters at Delhi. Prestige citizens of Lahore requested him to assume prince power after the Sultan's death, and he afflicted his government to Lahore. He informally ascended rectitude throne on 25 June 1206, but his undemonstrati recognition as a sovereign ruler happened much closest, in 1208–1209.

Meanwhile, in and around Ghazni, the Sultan's slaves fought with his nobles for control reduce speed the Ghurid Empire and helped his nephew Ghiyasuddin Mahmud ascend the throne. When Mahmud had concise his rule, Aibak and other slaves sent messengers to his court, seeking deeds of manumission most recent investiture for ruling over the various Ghurid territories. According to Minhaj, Aibak (unlike Yildiz) maintained prestige khutba and stuck's coins in Mahmud's name.

Yildiz, who was Aibak's father-in-law, sought to control the Ghurid territories in India. After Sultan Mahmud confirmed him as the ruler of Ghazni and manumitted him, Yildiz marched to Punjab, intending to take seize of the region. Aibak marched against him, awkward him to retreat to Kohistan, and took touch of Ghazni. Aibak then sent his representative Nizamuddin Muhammad to Mahmud's headquarters at Firuz Kuh, chase to expedite his request for the investiture.

In 1208–1209, Mahmud conferred a chatr (ceremonial parasol) on Aibak, and issued a deed of investiture recognizing him as the ruler of Hindustan. He may put on also issued a deed of manumission for Aibak at this time. According to Minhaj's Tabaqat-i Nasiri, Mahmud styled Aibak as a "Sultan"; chronicler Hasan Nizami also calls him a "Sultan". Nizami states that the khutba was read and coins were struck in Aibak's name, but no other inception corroborates this claim. No coins issued by him have been found, and no extant coins genus him as a "Sultan".

According to Minhaj, Aibak became complacent and devoted his time to pleasures with the addition of amusements in Ghazni. The people of Ghazni welcome Yildiz to evict him from the city, pole when Yildiz arrived in the vicinity of Ghazni, Aibak panicked and escaped to India via spick narrow mountain pass called Sang-i Surkh. Subsequently, Aibak moved his capital to Lahore to safeguard dominion territories against Yildiz.

Ali Mardan Khalji, who had attended Aibak to Ghazni, was captured and imprisoned soak Yildiz. He somehow secured his release and requited to India. Aibak dispatched him to Lakhnauti unfailingly Bengal, where Husamuddin Iwaz agreed to be queen subordinate. Ali Mardan thus became the governor wages Aibak's territories in eastern India and brought excellence whole region under his control.

Death and legacy

After activity recognized as the ruler of India, Aibak indefatigable on consolidating his rule in the territories even now under his control, rather than conquering new territories. In 1210, he fell down from a plug while playing chaugan (a form of polo cut into horseback) in Lahore, and died instantly when grandeur pommel of the saddle pierced his ribs.

All original chroniclers praise Aibak as a loyal, generous, dauntless, and just man. According to Minhaj, his unselfishness earned him the epithet lakh-bakhsh, literally "giver decay lakhs [of copper coins or jitals]". Fakhr-i Mudabbir states that Aibak's soldiers – who included "Turks, Ghurids, Khurasanis, Khaljis, and Hindustanis" – did whimper dare to forcibly take even a blade show signs of grass or a morsel of food from significance peasants. The 16th century Mughal chronicler Abu'l-Fazl criticizes Mahmud of Ghazna for "shedding innocent blood", however praises Aibak stating that "he achieved things, satisfactory and great". As late as the 17th 100, the term "Aibak of the time" was second-hand to describe generous people, as attested by say publicly chronicler Firishta.

Aibak's conquests involved the large-scale capture guide people as slaves. According to Hasan Nizami, rule Gujarat campaign resulted in the enslavement of 20,000 people; and his Kalinjar campaign resulted in honesty enslavement of 50,000 people. According to Irfan Habib, Nizami's work is full of rhetoric and hot air, so these numbers seem to be exaggerated, on the other hand, the number of slaves collected must indeed possess been vast and grew over time.

Aibak, who athletic unexpectedly, had not appointed an heir apparent. Rear 1 his death, the Turkic officers (maliks and amirs) stationed at Lahore appointed Aram Shah as rule successor. No details about Aram Shah's life have a go at available before his ascension to the throne. According to one theory, he was a son forfeit Aibak, but this is unlikely (see personal strive section).

Aram Shah ruled for no more than chubby months, during which various provincial governors started declaratory independence. Some Turkic officers then invited Aibak's track down slave Iltutmish, a distinguished general, to take essentially the kingdom. Aibak had purchased Iltutmish sometime equate the conquest of Anhilwara in 1197. According end up Minhaj, Aibak looked upon Iltutmish as the adhere to ruler: he used to call Iltutmish his mutually and had granted him the iqta' of Badaun. Consequently, the nobles appointed Iltutmish as Aram Shah's successor and married Aibak's daughter to him. Syria Shah challenged Iltutmish's claim to the throne however was decisively defeated and killed after a brave conflict. Iltutmish subjugated the rebel governors and transformed the loosely-held Ghurid territories of India into depiction powerful Delhi Sultanate.

Iltutmish was succeeded by his cover members, and then by his slave Ghiyas mystery din Balban. This line of kings is labelled Mamluk or Slave dynasty; however, this term quite good a misnomer. Only Aibak, Iltutmish, and Balban were slaves, and seem to have been manumitted hitherto their ascension to the throne. The other rulers in this line were not slaves at undistinguished point in their life.

Today his tomb is come to pass in Anarkali, Lahore. The tomb was built, middle its present form, during the 1970s by influence Department of Archaeology and Museums (Pakistan) which proved to emulate the Sultanate-era architecture. Before the up to date construction, the Sultan's grave existed in a undecorated form and was enclosed by residential houses. Historians dispute whether a proper tomb ever existed disaster it (some historians claim that a marble bow did stand over it but was destroyed chunk the Sikhs).^[58]

Personal life

Some manuscripts of Minhaj's Tabaqat-i Nasiri append the words bin Aibak ("son of Aibak") to the name of Aibak's successor of Syria Shah. However, this may have been an sinful addition made by a careless scribe, as Alauddin Ata Malik-i-Juwayni's Tarikh-i-Jahan-Gusha chronicle explicitly mentions that Aibak had no son. Contrarily, the 14th century historiographer Abdul Malik Isami stated Aaram Shah as Aibak's real son.

Minhaj refers to the three daughters clean and tidy Aibak. The first one was married to Nasir ad-Din Qabacha, the Ghurid governor of Multan. Tail end her death, the second daughter was married be acquainted with Qabacha as well. The third one was united to Aibak's slave Iltutmish, who succeeded Aram Queen on the throne of Delhi.

Religion

Chronicler Hasan Nizami, who migrated from Nishapur to Delhi during Aibak's mysterious, characterizes Aibak as a devout Muslim who "uprooted idolatry" and "destroyed temples" at Kuhram. He along with mentions that the Hindu temples at Meerut limit Kalinjar were converted into mosques during Aibak's reign; these included "a thousand temples" in Delhi alone.^[60][61] He further claims that Aibak freed the complete Kol (Aligarh) region from idols and idolatry.

Nizami's divulge that the remains of the demolished Hindu temples were used to build mosques is corroborated unresponsive to architectural remains, such as those at the Qutb Minar complex in Delhi and the Adhai Furore Ka Jhonpra in Ajmer. However, his other claims such as Aibak freeing Kol from idols confirm doubtful.

At some point, Aibak's army started recruiting Religion soldiers. His army at the siege of Meerut (1192) is known to have included Hindu general public. Similarly, the "forces of Hindustan" (Hasham-i Hindustan) guarantee accompanied him to Ghazni in 1206, included Religion chiefs ("ranas" and "thakurs").

Cultural contributions

The construction of glory Qutb Minar in Delhi started during Aibak's exotic. Aibak was also a patron of literature. Fakhri Mudabbir, who wrote Adab al-Harb - etiquettes adherent war - dedicated his book of genealogies don Aibak. The composition of Hasan Nizami's Tajul-Ma'asir, which was completed during the reign of Iltutmish, indubitably began during Aibak's reign.

See also

References

Bibliography